Doctor Who: Lucky Day Review - 7 Ups & 3 Downs

Pete McTighe is the go-to writer for stories about what Doctor Who companions get up to after they leave the TARDIS. Who can forget Leela staring down the Daleks in the ruins of Gallifrey? Or Tegan and Nyssa reunited in a dream world to face off against the Mara? Now we have, er, Ruby Sunday on a podcast.

But of course, Lucky Day isn't really about Ruby Sunday, it's about how her time with the Doctor (and her personal trauma) are weaponised by online conspiracy theorist and misinformation peddler Conrad Clark. Guest actor Jonah Hauer-King makes his mark as a truly odious Doctor Who villain, who feels more real and terrifying than last year's political caricature, Roger ap Gwilliam.

Indeed, when Lucky Day gets going, it does feel like we're retreading 73 Yards, but the rug pull sets up an episode that taps into the anger and frustration of Dot and Bubble. If The Well was a timeless Doctor Who thriller, Lucky Day takes the show into more timely territory with online disinformation, setting up a very different kind of Reality War in the finale.

Much like 73 Yards, Lucky Day requires a lot from its leading lady. Millie Gibson more than steps up to the challenge, pitching her performance perfectly throughout. The scene in which she captivates Conrad with her description of the Shreek is an early standout moment, and she further leans into being a Doctor surrogate once they relocate to the village.

However, there's a real vulnerability to Ruby that Gibson performs to heartbreaking effect. It's very clear that, after finally meeting her birth mother, Ruby is still somewhat lost. She misses the Doctor, but acknowledges how grueling life in the TARDIS can be sometimes. It's a personal conflict that Gibson portrays well on-screen.

In an episode all about online radicalisation, Conrad and Ruby's budding romance is a smart way to demonstrate to viewers how these chancers inveigle their way into our lives. The gap in Ruby's life is clearly one of the reasons that she becomes so drawn to Conrad. He's someone who wants to hear her fantastical stories, and can lend a sympathetic ear.

Interestingly, Ruby still cares for Conrad on some level when Kate sticks the Shreek on him, proving that in the face of lies and division, Ruby Sunday retains her empathy and humanity.