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Russell T. DaviesShowrunner of a successful science fiction series Doctor Who has admitted that one of the most important episodes of the first season arose from scheduling conflicts within the cast. Doctor Who Magazine In issue 605, Davies explained how the record-breaking episode “73 Yards”, the fourth episode in Davies and Disney’s newly launched season 1 of the science fiction series, The episode was released on Disney+ on May 24, 2024, before being released in the UK on BBC iPlayer on May 25, 2024, and broadcast on BBC One later the same day. The episode subsequently achieved the highest overnight ratings for a single episode of the series at the time, reaching a total of 2.62 million views.

In “73 Yards,” Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) must fend for herself for the first time in the absence of the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa). After accidentally stepping into a mysterious fairy circle, the Doctor disappears, leaving Ruby’s new companion haunted by a strange woman who follows her everywhere and always stands exactly 73 yards away from her. Ruby couldn’t understand why the woman was following her, as anyone who tried to communicate with her seemed to flee in terror. An episode with a light stake in the Doctor’s character, “73 Yards” was full of mystery and intrigue from start to finish, even receiving some references in the season finale, “Empire of Death,” which was released on Disney+ on June 21, 2024.

How did scheduling conflicts lead to “73 Yards”?

When discussing the episode, Russell T. Davies explained that without the scheduling conflict with lead actress Ncuti Gatwa – the commitments at Netflix’ Sex education — “73 Yards” might never have been made in Season 1 of the reboot of the reboot. Davies said, “I love Doctor-lite episodes. But let’s be honest, if Ncuti had been available, we would never have done a Doctor-lite episode in Season 1.” Doctor-lite episodes refer to narratives that feature very little of the titular Time Lord, such as Season 3’s “Blink” or Season 4’s “Turn Left.” Davies continued:

“The wonderful thing was that I’d had this idea in my head for ages, that the Doctor and his companion would step out of the TARDIS and see someone in the distance. But I could never do it with two people. When it became a ‘Doctor light’ version – when there was only Ruby and we could follow her whole life – it somehow broke free.”

Like most Doctor-lite episodes, “73 Yards” ended up being quite dependent on the actions of the Doctor’s companion. Davies explained the dichotomy, explaining:

“I thought the combination with ‘Boom’ was a nice balance.
,
that’s such a character piece for the Doctor. That ultimately determined the course of the series: an episode with a lot of Doctor, followed by an episode with a lot of Ruby. Millie is absolutely sensational. She came in from Coronation Street
,
on leading
The.
Nothing against Coronation Street
,
but this is a big old runaway train where you’re part of a cast of 70 or more. And suddenly you’re basically in a cast of one. It was a huge weight on their shoulders. And it’s
The
best performance. It’s absolutely breathtaking.”

With both Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson expected to return for Season 2, only time will tell if we’ll see Ruby Sunday star in another Doctor-lite adventure anytime soon. Production is currently underway, and there’s no official release date for Season 2 yet.

Season 1 of Doctor WhoThe complete reboot of is available to stream on Disney+

Doctor Who

The series follows the adventures of a Time Lord, “The Doctor”, who can regenerate, and his human friends. The Doctor and his companions travel through time and space in the TARDIS – a time travel ship in the shape of a police emergency call box – and save the universe with a combination of wit, courage and kindness.

Release date

17 March 2006

Main genre

Science fiction

Seasons

14

Watch on Disney+