Series 14, Episode 6 | 1 part | First broadcast: 8 June 2024 | Writers: Kate Herron and Briony Redman | Director: Ben Chessell
Cast
- Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor
- Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
- Jonathan Groff as Rogue
- Indira Varma as the Duchess of Pemberton
- Camilla Aiko as Emily Beckett
- Susan Twist as a portrait
Summary
In Regency-era Bath in 1813, the Doctor and Ruby attend a grand ball and encounter Rogue, a bounty hunter tracking shape-shifting alien Chuldur who have been cosplaying a Bridgerton-style social scandal, and as the Doctor and Rogue develop a romantic connection, a plan to trap the Chuldur goes wrong, forcing Rogue to sacrifice himself by sending both himself and the Chuldur into an unknown alternate dimension, leaving behind only a request for the Doctor to one day find him.
Interesting Facts
- The episode is a deliberate homage to Bridgerton, with Russell T Davies stating he wanted to “repay the compliment” after Bridgerton’s showrunner referenced Doctor Who fandom elsewhere, and its choreographer was hired specifically for prior Bridgerton work.
- It marks the first same-sex romantic storyline centered directly on the Doctor himself, opposite Jonathan Groff’s Rogue.
- The episode was dedicated to William Russell, the original 1963 companion actor Ian Chesterton, who died five days before broadcast.
- It received a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes with an average critic rating of 8.3 out of 10.
- Rogue makes a brief return appearance during the Series 15 finale, warning the Doctor about a false reality.
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