“It’s taken me all this time to realise what I’m here to do.”“And what is that?”“I’m gonna save the world.”
(Spoiler Warning!)
“Weird” might be the best word to describe the latest Doctor Who episode, ’73 Yards’. In a season that’s already showcased a remarkable range – from whimsical musical numbers to pointed anti-war commentary – Russell T Davies delivered something truly different this week: a genuinely unsettling, off-kilter ghost story. This episode feels destined to join the ranks of Doctor Who tales that have provided nightmare fuel for younger viewers over the decades.
Adding to the unusual nature of ’73 Yards’ was its status as a ‘Doctor-lite’ episode. Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor only bookends the narrative, appearing in the opening and closing scenes. While Doctor Who has a history of Doctor-lite episodes, dating back to 2006’s Love and Monsters, often used to manage episode counts and star workload, it felt particularly striking to have one so early in a new Doctor’s relatively short first season.
The reason behind this Doctor-lite approach is reportedly due to production scheduling. ’73 Yards’ was the first episode filmed for Season 14, and Ncuti Gatwa, a rapidly rising star, was concurrently finishing his commitments to the final season of Sex Education. Casting such a sought-after actor as the Doctor inevitably comes with scheduling complexities, as Gatwa’s recent roles in major projects like Barbie and Masters of the Air, alongside Sex Education, demonstrate.
Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday in the TARDIS in Doctor Who Season 14, discussing their next adventure.
However, Doctor-lite episodes are far from being mere filler. In fact, they’ve given us some of Doctor Who‘s most memorable and acclaimed stories. While Love and Monsters‘s meta-commentary on fandom was divisive (though this reviewer found it brilliant), episodes like Blink and Turn Left are widely considered modern classics. Similar to Turn Left, ’73 Yards’ uses the Doctor’s absence to place the companion, Ruby Sunday, firmly in the spotlight, with Millie Gibson carrying the episode.
This focus on Ruby provided Russell T Davies an opportunity to develop a character who, in the season’s early episodes, has felt somewhat archetypal. Whether it fully succeeded in deepening our understanding of Ruby is debatable – we still don’t know much more about her core identity. However, Millie Gibson seized the chance to lead the story, delivering a compelling performance as we glimpse snapshots of Ruby’s life over two decades. That being said, the attempt to age her up with a wig and glasses to convincingly portray her in her 40s felt somewhat unconvincing.
This rapid journey through twenty years forms the unexpected second act of a story that initially begins in classic ghost story territory. The episode opens with the Doctor inadvertently disturbing a ‘fairy circle’, a piece of folklore vandalism that seems to trigger the subsequent events. His abrupt disappearance coincides with the emergence of a mysterious figure: a somber, perpetually distant old woman. This spectral presence maintains a constant 73-yard separation from Ruby. Intriguingly, others can approach the old woman, but upon hearing her whispered words, they flee in terror.
The script skillfully builds suspense by gradually revealing the rules of this supernatural predicament, mirroring Ruby’s own process of discovery. The story unfolds entirely from her perspective, enhancing the sense of mystery and unease. This approach is exemplified in the lengthy and highly effective opening scene set in what must be the most unwelcoming rural pub in Wales. This scene both pays homage to and cleverly subverts the familiar horror trope of ‘dark warnings from the locals’ – reminiscent of the iconic pub scene in An American Werewolf in London.
All the expected elements are present: thunder and lightning amplify the villagers’ ominous pronouncements, and a sinister knock at the door provokes palpable fear. However, the scene takes a clever turn as it’s revealed to be an elaborate prank by the locals, playing on tourist stereotypes of rural communities and their supposed belief in clichés. The real brilliance lies in the subtle reveal that a genuine supernatural threat does exist, a menace that only Ruby perceives amidst the villagers’ staged theatrics.
Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday looking concerned in a dimly lit Welsh pub in Doctor Who '73 Yards', encountering unsettling local villagers.
This extended opening scene, expertly acted (with Siân Phillips standing out as the seemingly refined old lady at the bar), initially sets the expectation for a slow-burn, atmospherically driven narrative. However, the episode’s pacing dramatically accelerates. The real-time tension of the pub sequence gives way to increasingly rapid scenes, eventually condensing years into brief vignettes.
We witness Ruby’s growing isolation, orchestrated by her spectral shadow. Her mother is driven to reject her, and even UNIT, in a cameo from Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, proves powerless to intervene, effectively blacklisting Ruby. Years blur into a montage of failed relationships, illustrating how the phantom figure ensures Ruby’s perpetual solitude.
This abrupt shift in pacing, while potentially disorienting, heightens the unsettling atmosphere. The unreal speed of events contributes to a sense of unease, prompting a constant questioning of reality. The Doctor is gone, the TARDIS is decaying on a Welsh cliff, and Ruby is trapped in a lonely existence without him. This departure from typical Doctor Who narratives is profoundly disturbing, especially for viewers new to the show’s capacity for such bleak scenarios.
The pacing does moderate somewhat as the story transitions into its second act, which, while feeling almost like a separate narrative, is cleverly interwoven with the first. The political thread evokes Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, particularly the element of preventing a catastrophic future event. Russell T Davies revisits his recurring theme of dystopian near-future Britain, explored previously in Turn Left and expanded upon in the acclaimed series Years and Years.
Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam, a charismatic but dangerous politician, on a television screen in Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 4, hinting at a dystopian future.
Aneurin Barnard’s Roger ap Gwilliam is convincingly charismatic, embodying a Trump-like figure rising in a politically turbulent landscape. While, like King’s Greg Stillson, the motivation for initiating nuclear war remains somewhat vague, Gwilliam’s emergence feels timely, especially given recent political upheavals and the coincidental timing with a newly announced General Election in the UK. The episode taps into a cynical yet plausible scenario where the public, disillusioned with mainstream politics, might gravitate towards a strongman populist. The muttered descriptor “He’s a monster” from a disillusioned campaign volunteer, Marti, speaks volumes, leaving the specifics to the viewer’s imagination but hinting at #MeToo era implications, especially in the wake of figures like Boris Johnson.
Ruby’s solution – using her ghostly stalker to strategically position herself 73 yards from Gwilliam, causing his downfall – is certainly more imaginative than outright violence. However, it’s inconsistent that this proximity leads to his resignation rather than the characteristic intense aversion everyone else experiences towards the spectral figure. Furthermore, it introduces a time paradox that feels unresolved. We are told Gwilliam “almost” starts World War III, then shown future Ruby preventing it. Yet, with the episode’s ending seemingly erasing these events, it’s unclear what ultimately stopped him.
This is one of several logical leaps in an otherwise compelling narrative. The reveal that the ghostly figure is future Ruby, moments before her death, is a neat twist in the ghost story genre – the protagonist haunting herself. However, it raises questions. Older Ruby seems benevolent, so why would she dedicate her spectral existence to inflicting decades of misery on her younger self? (A valid point raised by some is the uncomfortable implication of a woman suffering for 65 years due to the Doctor’s actions, a potentially problematic element given RTD’s commitment to diversity). The justification might be to ensure Gwilliam’s downfall, yet the ghost’s actions also (somehow) lead to the undoing of those very events by the episode’s conclusion.
Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday looking distressed and haunted in a field in Doctor Who '73 Yards', stalked by a mysterious spectral figure.
While the self-haunting twist is intriguing, it arguably unravels under closer scrutiny. Leaving the spectral figure unexplained, as in RTD’s masterpiece ‘Midnight’, might have been more effective than a twist that falters upon deeper reflection.
It’s possible these ambiguities will be addressed later in the season, contributing to the overarching mystery surrounding Ruby. Her enigmatic birth mother is referenced again, and Mrs. Flood, the Sundays’ peculiar neighbor, reappears for the first time since the Christmas special. The snow motif returns, as does actress Susan Twist (previously seen as a Comms Officer in ‘Space Babies’, a tea lady in ‘The Devil’s Chord’, and the ambulance interface in ‘Boom’). This time, she plays the unfortunate hiker who first encounters Ruby’s ghostly pursuer, and Ruby experiences a fleeting sense of recognition. It seems highly likely Susan Twist’s recurring appearances are integral to the season’s larger narrative.
Despite its logical inconsistencies, ’73 Yards’ succeeds as an atmospheric and unsettling ghost story, permeated by a pervasive sense of supernatural dread. The episode hints at a shift in Doctor Who‘s direction, with Kate Lethbridge-Stewart mentioning UNIT’s increasing focus on “the supernatural” alongside aliens. This potential pivot is a point of concern for some. Doctor Who has always been rooted in SCIENCE-fantasy, often providing pseudo-scientific explanations for seemingly supernatural phenomena, even if those explanations are frequently nonsensical.
While occasional forays into overtly supernatural territory, like ‘The Celestial Toymaker’ or ‘The Mind Robber’, are welcome, a constant shift in that direction might alter the show’s fundamental nature. Russell T Davies, however, seems to be embracing this supernatural leaning, reportedly basing much of this season’s arc on the villain from ‘The Celestial Toymaker’. Ultimately, time will tell how this season resolves, and whether the resolution retroactively clarifies earlier plot holes. While ’73 Yards’ was enjoyable in its own right, a desire remains for stories that are both engaging and logically self-contained, even within a larger seasonal arc.
