'Doctor Who' Has Risen With Easter Feaster Episode Titles Reveal And New Trailer
Hop on over, we finally know the names of the episodes surrounding “The Devil’s Chord”
It’s a very happy Easter as Doctor Who has indeed released its episode titles and a trailer for the upcoming season premiering on May 10 and 11 on Disney+, the BBC iPlayer, and the BBC. It turns out after all that the titles were revealed separately before and leading up to the trailers.
The title reveals started at 9 AM Eastern, on the show’s BBC socials, namely Twitter and Instagram, the latter through stories. They were full brief videos decorating the title with relevant imagery. It started with the reveal of “Space Babies” which makes sense for all the ship and alien stuff we’ve seen so far. It’s written in crayon with an illustration of a stroller above it, and a warning to “Reset Port B”. The episode is written by showrunner Russell T. Davies and directed by Julie Ann Robinson. Next is the confirmation of “The Devil’s Chord”, emblazoning a songbook and surrounded by sheet music. The episode is also written by Davies but directed by Ben Chessell. Next is the big return of Steven Moffat, and as many believed he hinted at in his “denial”, his episode is titled “Boom”, written a cross a wall with explosions and laser guns in front of it. As previously reported, it’s directed by Robinson as well. The fourth episode, “73 Yards” is also written by Davies (you’ll recall from the Moffat report that his writing credits skyrocketed as showrunner, consistent across the other showrunner eras) and directed by Dylan Holmes Williams. It’s adorning a pub sign in the snow, which in the show is called “Y Pren Marw”. The fifth episode is “Dot and Bubble, with the same writer-director pairing as the previous episode. It’s a very Internetty screen backdrop, so one may expect some commentary on echo chambers and social bubbles. The sixth episode is the Regency-era excursion that is Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson)’s Bridgerton experience, and it’s “Rogue”, hosted by the Duchess of Pemberton (presumably Indira Varma’s character) in May 1813, with an attached “Order of Dancing”. Ben Chessell returns to direct, and this is the episode written by previously-reported Kate Herron and Briony Redman. It’s all fun and games for the lighter episode before the two-part finale, starting with “The Legend of Ruby Sunday”, broadcast on several glitching screens. And finally, there is “Empire of Death”, over the POLICE of the police box-shaped TARDIS illuminated from the inside. Both episodes are written by Davies and directed by Jamie Donoghue. It’s gonna be hard to believe Ruby survives.
As for the trailer itself, it features a lot of what we’ve already seen in previous trailers, however there are new shots of new figures, and Jinkx Monsoon is draped over something. Ruby and the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, rock through time and strut down Abbey Road, because of course. Something gets on fire, but elsewhere we actually do get a substantial look at the Space Babies in their carriers. It’s unclear if it’s just a skin but they seem very able to talk. Isn’t the universe magical? Then, they show up on the wasteland, and there’s voice over with the Doctor explaining they’re trying to prevent a total extinction event. In what is likely Fifteen’s biggest speech cementing his place as the Doctor, he’s a much bigger bang than anyone could bargain for and he will with no hesitation shatter the battlefield into dust.
The show’s website revealed that Golda Rosheuvel, who’s best known as the older Queen Charlotte in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, will appear in the episode, but nothing else is said, so whether she’s the Space Babies’ nanny or guardian to any extent will remain a mystery. Davies said this about her casting:
“It’s been amazing to see the whole world appreciate Golda’s talents, because of Bridgerton, and it’s been an absolute joy to invite her to Cardiff to help launch Ncuti and Millie’s first season.”
Callie Cooke and Dame Siân Phillips are officially acknowledged as guest stars, and Alexander Devrient, Bhav Joshi, Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy, Tachia Newall and Caoilinn Springall have all been revealed for the first time in any capacity. This is on top of the returning Michelle Greenidgeas mum Carla, Angela Wynter as grandmum Cherry Sunday, Anita Dobson, Jemma Redgrave as UNIT head Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble, and Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush, as well as Aneurin Barnard, Jonathan Groff, Gwïon Morris Jones, Genesis Lynea, and Lenny Rush as Morris. Chase along with the Doctor as he goes to see the next thing, and the next thing. There are a handful of other actors reported in previous coverage that were not mentioned here. Doctor Who Filming Locations has organized every trailer scene by episode in a Twitter thread that’s worth checking out if you want to know when to expect certain scenes.
Source: Doctor Who, Doctor Who Filming Locations