Lucky Day (Doctor Who)

316 – "Lucky Day"
316 – "Lucky Day"
Doctor Who episode
	Promotional title-card
Cast
	Doctor Ncuti Gatwa – Fifteenth Doctor;
	Companions Varada Sethu – Belinda Chandra; Millie Gibson – Ruby Sunday;
	Others Benjamin Chivers – Young Conrad; Kirsty Hoiles – Moira Clark; Jonah Hauer-King – Conrad Clark; Gethin Alderman – The Shreek; Kareem Alexander – Jordan Lang; Michelle Greenidge – Carla Sunday; Angela Wynter – Cherry Sunday; Faye McKeever – Louise Miller; Madison Stock – Elsa; Paddy Stafford – Sparky; Blake Anderson – Jack; Aoife Gaston – Michelle; Paul Jerricho – Alfie; Michael Woodford – Derek; Jemma Redgrave – Kate Lethbridge-Stewart; Alexander Devrient – Colonel Christofer Ibrahim; Tina Gray – Audrey; Ruth Madeley – Shirley Bingham; Lachele Carl – Trinity Wells; Reeta Chakrabarti – Herself; Joel Dommett – Himself; Alex Jones – Herself; Calypso Cragg – Influencer 2; James Craven – Influencer 3; Selorm Adonu – Influencer 1; Aidan Cook – The Vlinx; Nicholas Briggs – Voice of the Vlinx; Anita Dobson – Mrs Flood;
Production
Directed by	Peter Hoar
Written by	Pete McTighe
Produced by	Vicki Delow
Executive producer(s)	Russell T Davies; Julie Gardner; Jane Tranter; Joel Collins; Phil Collinson;
Music by	Murray Gold
Series	Series 15
Running time	46 minutes
First broadcast	3 May 2025
Chronology
← Preceded by; "The Well"	Followed by →; "The Story & the Engine"

"Lucky Day" is the fourth episode of the fifteenth series of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Pete McTighe, and was directed by Peter Hoar. The episode was released on BBC iPlayer, BBC One and Disney+ on 3 May 2025. It features the return of companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), who plays a leading role in the episode opposite Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), with both the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), the series' main leads, only appearing briefly. The episode focuses on Ruby, who begins a relationship with Conrad as she attempts to find her place in the world after leaving the Doctor. When it is revealed that Conrad's true aim is to turn the public against UNIT, Ruby and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart have to deal with the repercussions of Conrad's actions.

The episode was devised by showrunner Russell T Davies, with Davies enlisting McTighe to write the episode. McTighe used the episode to explore Ruby and Kate's characters while also exploring the spread and effects of online hatred. The episode's monster, the Shreek, was based on McTighe's childhood fears of dog-like creatures in the dark, with the creature being portrayed via costume and an animatronic head. Filming took place in November 2023 and it was filmed back-to-back with the series premiere. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Gibson's performance, the twist regarding Conrad's true motives and the episode's social commentary, but were more critical of underdeveloped plotlines and the execution of Conrad as an antagonist.