73 Yards (TV story)
73 Yards was the fourth episode of Season One of Doctor Who.
The episode marked the return of the "Doctor-lite" episode format first utilised in Russell T Davies initial run of the show, with the Doctor only appearing in the first and last few minutes of the episode, leaving Ruby as the lead. The format was utilised again to take advantage of one of the show's main stars being unavailable, in this case, Ncuti Gatwa, who was still committed to filming his last series of Sex Education at the time.
Susan Twist, who had been appearing in every episode since The Church on Ruby Road as a multitude of different, but seemingly connected characters, makes another brief appearance in this episode. Notably, this episode marks the first instance of Ruby recognising that she had seen her face before, giving the first in-universe hint toward Twist's characters being connected in some way, something previously only specified in the script of the aforementioned Christmas Special.
Synopsis
When the Fifteenth Doctor stands in a fairy circle on a Welsh clifftop, Ruby finds herself suddenly alone. Not quite alone. A mysterious woman looms, exactly 73 yards away from her. Always 73 yards. Everyone who approaches her runs in terror. The Doctor gone, the TARDIS locked, what can Ruby do but go home and live her life? But the woman remains, 73 yards away...
Plot
The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby land in Wales on a coastline, stepping out of the TARDIS, and wandering around as they talk about the two prior times Ruby has been to Wales, and Roger ap Gwilliam, whom the Doctor considers a bad example of the Welsh. The Doctor inadvertently steps on a circle made of string, woven together with bird skulls and toys, breaking it. Ruby reaches down and finds a scroll woven into it which she reads out - "Rest in Peace Mad Jack". She looks up to find the Doctor missing. She glances around for him, finding nothing, and comes to find that the TARDIS is locked, but notices a female figure off in the distance, watching Ruby, gesturing with her hands. Ruby calls to her, asks what’s going on, and gets no response. Ruby walks away, but no matter how far she walks the spectre just keeps following her, the same distance, over and over. Eventually Ruby comes across a hiker, asking where she is, and whether the menacing figure is real or just a figure of her imagination. The hiker tells her that they're above Glyngatwg, and confirms that she can see the figure as well. Since the hiker is headed towards the figure, they're willing to try to talk to the figure on Ruby’s behalf, ask it to stop following Ruby, as well as ask if the figure knows the Doctor. But as the hiker approaches and starts to talk to the figure, the hiker screams, and turns to run away from the spectre.
Ruby ventures down into the town, into the pub, Y Pren Marw, and asks them if they've got a room for the night. They do, but the owner and others in the pub take great delight in teasing her. She asks the patrons if they can see the figure outside and they can as well, one of them being willing to go out and ask why she's following Ruby. The man talks to the figure, screams, and runs away. Ruby expresses concern and mentions the circle of string and cotton she saw up on the cliff, how the Doctor broke it, how she read out one of the scrolls in it. The patrons reference the blood seeped into all of Wales, how the boundary of land and sea is a liminal space. Referencing horror stories about Mad Jack. A knocking comes at the door. Ruby insists that it's not Mad Jack and answers the door. It's just a man carrying a box of pasties. The entire pub bursts out laughing, they dismiss the entire idea as ridiculous, a joke. But Ruby looks outside - the spectre is still standing there in the pouring rain.
The next day Ruby finds out that the man who went to talk to the figure the prior night has left the town and refuses to return. When the townsfolk asked him why, his only response was "ask her". They take this to mean Ruby, and ask her to leave. Ruby says goodbye to the Doctor at the TARDIS, and yells at the figure that they win before boarding a train and leaving back towards London. On the train, however, as Ruby looks out, she sees the figure still following her, standing there in the streets and in the fields as she speeds past. Ruby returns to her mother and grandmother, both trying to cheer her up now that the Doctor has vanished. But Ruby expresses her concern about the woman following her as well. Carla decides that she'll approach the woman on her phone, and report to Ruby what's going on, what the woman says. But as she approaches the woman, she can't give descriptive answers to Ruby. The woman "looks like what she looks like". "She looks like what she is". Ruby is unable to make out their conversation, but whatever passes between them causes Carla to flee as well, getting into a taxi to get away from Ruby. Ruby calls her and calls her, trying to talk to her. But Carla refuses to interact with her, eventually returning to the flat and changing the locks. Carla finally insists that Ruby leave her alone, that Ruby isn't her daughter, and even her real mother didn't want her. As Ruby listens to this, snow falls, landing on the skylight above her.
Over a year later Ruby meets Kate Lethbridge-Stewart at a cafe and discuss how the Doctor has vanished and left the TARDIS. Kate offers to help Ruby out now that she's re-entering normal life, and also expresses interest in the figure that's been following Ruby. Using top of the line UNIT equipment they're unable to get a good picture of her, as everything turns out blurry. Ultimately Kate just decides it's best to bring the figure in, and sends soldiers over to apprehend it - assuring Ruby that everything will be fine, as they have physic training, warding against witchcraft, "the works". But as the UNIT soldiers make contact with the spectre, Kate's earpiece begins to pick up their conversation, bit by bit, even as she tells them not to listen. Kate turns and walks away from Ruby, ordering the soldiers to disengage, UNIT backing away, Ruby alone again.
Over the next two decades Ruby bounces through life, never being able to fully settle down, always distracted by the haunting presence in her life and the questions left over from her past. One night, on a date, she notices on television a debate for the next Prime Minister - including one candidate by the name of Roger ap Gwilliam. He talked about how he never had formal education and spent his young life doing various odd jobs, being a jack-of-all-trades. "Mad Jack" they called him. Ruby's mind calls back to that night so many decades ago where the townsfolk teased her about Mad Jack, and the Doctor told her about Gwilliam, the most terrifying Prime Minister in history, he said. Ruby stands up and walks out on her date, dumping him, and the very next day walks into the local office for the Gwilliam campaign, offering to volunteer, willing to do anything at all.
Ruby eventually ends up behind the scenes at one of Gwilliam's interviews, carrying his coats, as he disparages NATO for not being willing to fire nuclear missiles. As the interview ends, he talks to Ruby, asking if she's with the campaign, before asking about another volunteer standing on the sidelines, who Ruby identifies as Marti Bridges. Gwilliam introduces himself to Marti as Ruby watches on. Some time later the BBC reports that Gwilliam's Albion Party is expected to win enough seats for him to become Prime Minister. As most of the office Ruby volunteers with celebrates, Marti sits alone quietly in a corner. Ruby goes up to her and expresses that while she believes in his vision, sometimes he scares her. Marti confides in her that Gwilliam is a monster.
The volunteers arrive at a football stadium in Cardiff to set up before a big speech Gwilliam is set to give the coming weekend. As they work, they gossip, another volunteer telling Ruby that the UK plans on buying Pakistan's nuclear arsenal on Saturday, and that he'll be withdrawing from NATO on that same day. Ruby turns to Marti and apologises to her for taking this long, for not helping her, before walking out onto the field. She uses her phone to determine how far she is from Gwilliam, walking back as everyone yells at her to stop moving, to put her phone down - unsure what she's attempting but paranoid just the same. She reaches 73 yards away, precisely the distance between her and the figure, and the figure stands next to Gwilliam. Gwilliam notices the woman and tries to talk to her, before running away, resigning not an hour later. The figure, however, continues to haunt Ruby.
Forty years pass. Ruby, now needing a cane, travels back to the TARDIS, finding it covered in greenery that has grown up around it, with people placing flowers and trinkets around the base. She sits and reminisces about her time on this earth. She still doesn't know what the woman is, and the snow has never come again. But at the end she has hope. In a hospital bed Ruby is cared for by a nurse who turns off the light as she leaves. Ruby turns the light back on to find the figure now much closer than it's ever been before, in the room. The light flickers off and on, and the figure approaches again. Off and on, approaches again. The figure turns around, as Ruby stretches out her arms, the life she's spent flashing past her. Her hands outstretched she can see her younger self on the cliffs in Wales with the Doctor, all those years ago. As the younger Ruby walks with the Doctor, discussing Roger ap Gwilliam and the three times she's been to Wales, she hears faintly "Don't Step", and spies a figure out in the distance. Ruby gestures towards the figure, asking the Doctor about them. But as the Doctor turns, the figure has vanished. As the Doctor steps forward, Ruby stops him, prevents him from breaking the fairy circle. And he in turn stops her from reading any of the scrolls in it, no matter how curious she is. The Doctor asks her what the third time she'd been to Wales was - she's already mentioned two. She finds it hard to remember what she meant, and decides that it must be, well, now.
Cast
- The Doctor - Ncuti Gatwa
- Ruby Sunday - Millie Gibson
- The Woman - Hilary Hobson
- Hiker - Susan Twist
- Lowri Palin - Maxine Evans
- Enid Meadows - Siân Phillips
- Joshua Steele - Sion Pritchard
- Ifor Jones - Gwïon Morris Jones
- Thin Lucy - Elan Davies
- Eddie Jones - Glyn Pritchard
- Carla Sunday - Michelle Greenidge
- Cherry Sunday - Angela Wynter
- Mrs Flood - Anita Dobson
- Kate Lethbridge-Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
- Frank Hinchey - Graham Butler
- Sanjay Miah - Ali Ariaie
- Rufus Bray - Albey Brookes
- Roger ap Gwilliam - Aneurin Barnard
- Craig Deloach - Miles Yekinni
- Amol Rajan - Himself
- Marti Bridges - Sophie Ablett
- Akhim Patil - Shane David-Joseph
- Groundsman - Jason May
- Security Officer - Dylan Baldwin
- Armed Policeman - David Constant
- Newsreader - Deeivya Meir
- Old Ruby - Amanda Walker
- Elizabeth Campbell - Rhyanna Alexander-Davis
- Nurse - Vee Vimolmal
Crew
| Executive Producers Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter with Joel Collins and Phil Collinson |
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| Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources. |
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This episode was produced with the support of incentives for the Irish film industry provided by the Government of Ireland. |
Worldbuilding
Products and businesses
- A dispenser of Carex soap can be seen in the kitchen of the Sundays' home.
- The street on which Ruby meets Kate Stewart has a House of Pi, Snack Shack, Betfred, NatWest, McDonald's, Blooming Fresh, and Xclusive Jewellers.
Notes
- In March 2023, Russell T Davies stated during an appearance on BBC Radio 2 that he thought the episode was "one of the greatest things I've ever made in my life".[1]
- The title of the episode was revealed on the official Doctor Who Twitter account on 31 March 2024.[2]
- A line that went "I once went to the top of the Shard" was cut from the episode during its third edit.[3]
- Davies stated on The Official Doctor Who Podcast that he had spent a long time thinking about the title, and had had to stand on a pier to determine exactly what 73 yards was.[4]
- This is the fourth episode of Doctor Who to omit the title sequence following Sleep No More [+]Loading...["Sleep No More (TV story)"] , The Woman Who Fell to Earth [+]Loading...["The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)"] and Resolution [+]Loading...["Resolution (TV story)"]. Instead, the main cast and writer credits appear across the screen at the beginning of the first scene. A similar thing happened with additional names in The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"]/Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"] and The Day of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (TV story)"], the latter of which used the original 1963 title sequence.
- Ruby briefly believes she has seen the hiker played by Susan Twist before, marking the first in-universe acknowledgement of the actress' recurring appearances in different roles since Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"].
- The majority of the episode's guest cast, save for Hilary Hobson, Susan Twist, Aneurin Barnard, and the actors playing the residents of Glyngatwg, were omitted from the cast list provided in advance.[5]
- Davies cited Alan Garner as an inspiration for the story's Welsh folk-horror.[6]
- Garner's novel The Owl Service shares several similarities with 73 Yards, both having plots centred around a mysterious magical woman haunting a protagonist after they discover and touch a collection of ordinary objects arranged to serve a hallowed binding role.
Myths
to be added
Filming locations
to be added
Ratings
to be added
Production errors
to be added
Continuity
- When Ruby speaks to Lowri at the pub, there is a bottle of "Llanfer Ceiriog pale ale" on the counter. Llanfer Ceiriog was a village visited by the Seventh Doctor and Ace, serving as the setting of the Virgin New Adventures novel Cat's Cradle: Witch Mark.
- Kate mentions that UNIT take care of the Doctor’s former companions, as previously depicted with their recruitment of Tegan Jovanka and Ace in The Power of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Power of the Doctor (TV story)"] and mention of her looking after Wilfred Mott in The Star Beast [+]Loading...["The Star Beast (TV story)"].
Home media releases
to be added
Gallery
- Main article: 73 Yards (TV story)/Gallery
External links
- Official 73 Yards page on doctorwho.tv
Footnotes
- ↑ Lauren Morris (2023-03-14). New Doctor Who "one of the greatest things" showrunner has ever made. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31.
- ↑ Official Doctor Who Twitter (31 March 2024). "73 Yards". Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved on 31 March 2024.
- ↑ Letter from the Showrunner - DWM 589
- ↑ 73 YARDS Preview | The Official Doctor Who Podcast. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2024-05-23.
- ↑ Doctor Who, Season 1, 73 Yards. bbc.co.uk. BBC. Archived from the original on 2024-05-15.
- ↑ Preview 73 Yards - DWM 604
