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On this episode Si, Col, Joumana and Lucy discuss The Well.

We take a look at six Doctor Who releases from Big Finish from recent months including:

• Call Me Master - Inner Demons
• Doctor Who and the Brain Drain
• The Life and Death of River Song - Ace and Tegan
• The Lost Stories - Genesis of the Cybermen
• Hooklight - Part 1
• Planet Krynoid - Nightfall

Theme music by Joe Kraemer.

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Sometimes the creepiest monsters in Doctor Who are the ones you never see...

In this episode, Liz, Kat, and Lynne review the new Doctor Who episode "The Well." We discuss how our preferences for companions are changing, how alphabets work, and just talk about how much we're liking Doctor Who right now.

What did you think about "The Well?" Did you think it was the scariest thing that RTD has ever written? Are you a fan of "Midnight?"

Leave a comment here, send us an email, or join us over on BlueSky or Instagram.

^K

• The Making of The Well: Doctor Who Unleashed! on YouTube

Join Brent, Michele and James for the Campervan’s second trip around the Whoniverse this week for a more considered take on this week’s episode of Doctor Who, The Well. Not to be defeated by his unavailability to record with the rest of the team this week, Phil drops by too to give his thoughts too. So pull up a chair and join four hosts of the DWP talk about almost as many Kooky Theories!!

As always, we want to hear from you – what did you think? Let us know by emailing the Campervan at feedback@thedoctorwhopodcast.com, Tweeting or Xing us, or jump on our Facebook Page or Group!

We’ll be back on Saturday to give you our instant reaction to Episode Four , Lucky Day.

Enjoy the show!

Hold on to your Batfa statues, it’s time for Geek Syndicate Episode 369! 

Shoutouts

• The Comic News Insider Podcast celebrates its 1600th episode   
•  Corey Brotherson bags a well-deserved Batfa win.

News

• Star Wars Celebration Japan

• Predator Badlands aka 'What do you mean the Predator is a good guy in this one?'

• Guy Ritchie scratches his Indiana Jones itch with Guardian of Youth 

Week that Was

• Reacher

• War of the Worlds

• Batman Year One audio drama

• Jessica Jones: Breaking the Dark

• Daredevil

• Absolute Power

• G20

The lads round up by taking some questions from the listeners.

Find GS at   Instagram: https://instagram.com/geeksyndicate/   Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2302864872/   Twitter (no not using that name): https://twitter.com/geeksyndicate   Please leave a review of our show on the podcast platform of your choosing. If you want to donate to the show to help with podcast/website hosting fees you can send us a tip via our paypal account which again is thegeeks@geeksyndicate.co.uk.   You can also become a patreon at https://www.patreon.com/geeksyndicate  or buy us a virtual coffee over at https://ko-fi.com/geeksyndicate

  The Well was the third episode of  (also marketed, globally, as Season 2) of . It premiered on  . It was the first episode of Series 15 to feature a new writer, , who co-wrote the script together with . The story features the second appearance and return of the , first seen 17 years prior in the , thus serving as a sequel to  [+] from .   Continuing directly after their encounter with  in the , The Well continues one of Series 15's main story arcs of the Doctor being unable to get the TARDIS to return Belinda to the 24th May 2025, and with the two discovering that, by the 5020th century, something has caused Earth to cease existing entirely.  also briefly appears at the end of the story: this time, she is seen in a videocall as a superior official to the mining crew. Her appearance here continues the enigmatic nature of the character that has been hinted and shown since her first appearance in  [+], and continues the story arc of Mrs Flood somehow appearing in different eras of time that was first seen in the previous story, Lux. Contents Synopsis Far in the future, on a tough, brutal planet, a devastated mining colony has only one survivor. To discover the truth, the Doctor and Belinda must face absolute terror... Plot To be added...  showed Mo a picture of a vindicator to find out if the Doctor was travelling with one. After Mo confirmed he was, Mrs. Flood described this as "exactly what I needed to know. Just as I predicted. A vindicator, in action, that's very good news." Cast  -   -  Aliss Fenly -  Shaya Costallion -  Cassio Palin-Paleen -  Mo Gilliben -  Hanno Yeft -  Callo Rence -  Kai Sabba -  Albie Bethick -  Sal Van Hyten -  Ulric Dazen -   -  Val Vivo -  Trooper 5 -  Trooper 6 -  Trooper 7 -  Trooper 9 -  Trooper 10 -   -  Crew

Waffle On about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Hello and welcome to this months edition in which Meds and Kell chat away about the brilliant 1967 Western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The third film in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy, it stars Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and film stealing star Eli Wallach. 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly DVD https://amzn.to/42tOF1I   The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Soundtrack https://amzn.to/431OcE2   Best of Ennis Morricine  https://amzn.to/4cU3deA    

In this episode of the Who's He? Podcast....

Review - The Well

Phil and Paul return for a more in depth review of The Well, the latest episode of Doctor Who, starring Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu. With both of them surprised at this being a sequel to Midnight (and some people not so surprised), were they also impressed with the performances, the tension what seems to be some strange editing choices? And just why was Brian May mentioned again?

You can currently find us on X, Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky and Facebook.  Don't miss an episode by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, plus many other podcatchers of your choice.

Well, we knew Lux was going to be a hard act to follow, but The Well does a bang-up job! And, by that, we mean that it's the entity banging these poor troopers all over the room in that one scene! Yeah, fantastic performances from everyone. More characters that we care about in a short time. And impressive return of a Modern Who monster we didn't really see coming and lots of speculation about possible Pantheon influence and wondering what Mrs Flood's rank is. Let's get at it!

Notice a Change?, Ash, Mickey 17, The Electric State, Andor, Doctor Who: The Well, Kayak, Boot, Bee, Ghost, Bananas, Ritual, Vroom, and Goth or Not?, I Cocked Up in Pod 576

We look back at “The Robot Revolution” and “Lux”. And we run a thrilling competition.

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SHOW NOTES

(00:04:08) At this year’s Capitol event, we got Peter Davison to autograph Mark’s copy of Doctor Who Monthly #55 and we’re offering it to someone who send us a Private Message on any of our social media platforms (linked above). We’ll draw a name out of a hat during the next podcast. The magazine can be seen on our Tumblr page here.

(00:05:57) This audio clip is from Russell T Davies’ 2008 interview with Mark Lawson which can be seen here. The actual clip starts at 00:06:50.

(00:07:16) “The Robot Revolution” or “The Robot Wars” was the first extended Judge Dredd story that ran in early issues of 2000 AD from progs 10-17 in 1978.

(00:15:52) This audio clip is from “The Jet Propelled Guided NAAFI”, from “The Goon Show”.

(01:32:20) This audio clip is from S08E13 of “The Simpsons” and the clip can be seen here.

(01:36:50) At this year’s Capitol event, we got Peter Davison to autograph Mark’s copy of Doctor Who Monthly #55 and we’re offering it to someone who send us a Private Message on any of our social media platforms (linked above). We’ll draw a name out of a hat during the next podcast. The magazine can be seen on our Tumblr page here.

The Diddly Dum Podcast acknowledges the copyright of anyone we’ve pinched anything from.

In a rare intersection of time and space, Ben and David sit down on the same couch in the same living room at the same time to not only watch "Lux", a new episode of Doctor Who, but also to record a podcast on the very same story together. Wow! We talk about animation, RTD's storytelling and handling of 1952 America, Belinda's yellow dress, and breaking the fourth wall and who Davies depicted to represent fandom (replete with good-natured Moffat ribbing). Opening music is from "Make 'em Laugh" by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed from the 1952 MGM musical Singin' in the Rain and performed by Donald O'Connor. Closing music is "The Girl In The Yellow Dress" by David Gilmour and Polly Sampson off of the 2015 album, Rattle That Lock. We recorded this podcast on 23 April 2025.

JB and Sean are joined by Lelon Stoldt for this round of Disney Who episode reviews.  And though we all dump on “The Robot Revolution”, we actually have a lot of nice things to say about “Lux” and “The Well”.  Is RTD setting us up for another disappointing series finale, or will he actually stick the landing this time? In any event, f*ck him for killing the cat!  

Russell T Davies returns to cosmic horror, a medium in which he excels, in “The Well”, an episode full of invisible enemies, reigns of terror, and a need to listen! What did the Three Who Rule think of this scary excursion 400,000 years into the future? And more to the point, did you know Steven helped get HD footage into The War Games In Colour? Plus new Big Finish including Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill’s first audio adventure, a book about Kangs (who don’t conquer), a big ol’ Quatermass box set, and more! Next week, will it be our Lucky Day?

Links:

• Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon
• Daphne Ashbrook & Yee Jee Tso Celebrate 30 Years of the TV Movie at Gallifrey One
• Doctor Who “The Well” Review
• Doctor Who Unleashed S2E03
• Behind The Scenes S2E03
• Doctor Who Magazine 616
• The War Games in Colour Blu-Ray coming to North America on June 24
• The War Games footage comparison
• Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Vampire Weekend due July 2025
• Big Finish Doctor Who: Time War – Uncharted: Pursuit due June 2025
• Big Finish Doctor Who: The Ruins of Kaerula due June 2025
• “As A Kang Should Be” by Dale Smith released by Obverse Books
• The Quatermass Xperiment Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray coming in June

The Doctor and Belinda land on Planet 4747 to find everyone dead, other than the cook.  Whatever came out of the Well drove the crew to kill each other.  

Ross, Jeff, and Melvin get together to chat about the story, sequels, the big bads, signing, and much more 

 

#DoctorWho #BBC #Disney #TheDoctor #TARDIS 

Revisit

Waffle On about Gosport Comic-Con 2025

Hello and welcome to this special edition of Waffle On Podcast in which Meds and Peter chat away about their recent experience at hosting and interviewing guests at the wonderful Gosport Comic-Con. 

Summary:

Adam J Purcell, Fake Keith, Jean Riddler, the Real Keith Dunn and Scott Fuller review the new Doctor Who episodes The Robot Revolution and Lux, find some general news and a variety of other stuff, specifically:

• 00:00 – Intro and theme tune.
• 00:45 — Welcome!
• 01:34 – News:
• 01:43 — Doctor Who: Hugo award nominations.
• 02:41 — Harry Potter: TV series ensnares actors.
• 06:02 — Jean Marsh: DEAD!
• 08:11 — NASA: Dalek created.
• 9:44 – Doctor Who:
• 10:27 — The Robot Revolution.
• 31:12 — Lux.
• 58:49 – Crumbly’s Corner.
• 65:54 – Emails and listener feedback.
• 74:03 – Farewell for this podcast!
• 75:16 — End theme, disclaimer, copyright, etc.

Vital Links:

• Staggering Stories.
• BBC: Doctor Who.
• Wikipedia: Harry Potter.
• Wikipedia: Jean Marsh.
• Universe Today: An All-Sky Infrared Camera Named Dalek.
• Wikipedia: The Robot Revolution.
• BBC: Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution.
• Wikipedia: Lux (Doctor Who).
• Wikipedia: Doctor Who: Lux.
• Facebook: Staggering Stories Group.

This month, we’re diving into the 2001 BBC Books Eighth Doctor novel, Father Time.

Following on from our recent synopsis episode, this is the main event: a full discussion of the novel—what works, what doesn’t, and how it fits into the broader Eighth Doctor era. We also explore the plot, the tone, and some standout characters, including the Doctor’s daughter, Miranda!

Before all that, we kick things off with the usual mix of news and short topics you’ve come to expect. Then, after the book chat, we open the mailbag for a bumper listener feedback section—nearly 25 minutes of your thoughts, theories, and reactions. Our listeners are the best.

And if you enjoy our musical moments, don’t skip the end! Inspired by some of that listener feedback, we play a very special song after the closing credits—one that was nearly lost to time after its chance to appear in a recent episode of Gin & TARDIS came and went.

Contact us:

X / Twitter: @theDWshow

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net

Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Email: hello@theDWshow.net

This week’s episode Doctor Who: The Well was definitely the most gripping and suspenseful yet of the Ncuti Gatwa era.

 

You may wish to contribute to the show’s running costs, it’s Patreon is here https://www.patreon.com/tdrury

or buy me a coffee here https://ko-fi.com/timdrury

 

The show is also on Facebook please join the group for exclusive behind the scenes insights and of course also discuss and feedback on the show https://www.facebook.com/groups/187162411486307/

 

If you want to send me comments or feedback you can email them to tdrury2003@yahoo.co.uk

or contact me on twitter where I'm @tdrury or send me a friend request and your comments to facebook where I'm Tim Drury and look like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdrury/3711029536/in/set-72157621161239599/ in case you were wondering.

 

In this episode of the Who's He? Podcast....

Knee-jerk Reaction - The Well

Join Scott and Phil for 10 minutes or so as they give their knee-jerk reaction to The Well, the latest episode of Doctor Who starring Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu.

Phil will be back with Paul during the week with their full review.

You can currently find us on X, Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky and Facebook.  Don't miss an episode by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, plus many other podcatchers of your choice.

O Doutor e Belinda (Ncuti Gatwa e Varada Sethu) vão parar daqui a 500 mil anos no futuro, em um planeta chamado 6-7 6-7, cheio de radiação galvânica. Os membros de uma base estão todos mortos, exceto por uma sobrevivente, Aliss. Uma equipe é enviada para averiguar, mas o que encontram por lá é uma ameaça já conhecida do Doutor!

Em The Well, terceiro episódio da segunda temporada da Era Gatwa, temos nada menos do que a continuação de Midnight, da era Tennant!

Paranoia extrema, Toxic da Britney Spears aparecendo mais uma vez, linguagem de sinais e a Sra. Flood em roupinha de Star Trek: vem com a gente nesse review!

Join James and Ian and they coordinate their temporal and spatial coordinates for a live episode of the DWP! Yes, the guys are in the same room to record their thoughts about Episode 3 of the new series of Doctor Who, The Well – but not before they go though your thoughts on last week’s episode!

Enjoy!

ProgNeg Bonus Release: "Terminal Take" #16

• It's Prognosis Negative Featuring Caleb and Isaac. This episode is a bonus reupload from The Novice Elitists Film Podcast covering the first in their series of covering all the films by James Cameron, this time looking at The Terminator (1984).

 

• ProgNeg will return with future episodes of The Reboot Era, but until then we will be releasing several of Eric's recent collaboration with The Novice Elitists Film Podcast.
• Follow us as we eventually release our thoughts on all the films by James Cameron!

 

• This discussion was filmed in front of a live bar-side audience on Jan 28th, 2022.

WARNING:

• This discussion contains miscellaneous SPOILERS pertaining to the film(s) discussed and possibly Doctor Who! If you are 100% spoilerphobic to films not yet seen, do not complain to us. This episode is mostly negative (though often that is a misnomer) and contains EXPLICIT terms, concepts, and as always expect strokes of innuendo throughout.

 _____________________

Host/Producer: Eric @BullittWHO Podcast: guidetothewhoverse.libsyn.com

Co-Host: Sean Podcast: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/thebestpicturepodcast Podcast: https://thecabotcoveconfab.libsyn.com/

Co-Host: Christopher @dubbayoo Podcast: radiofreeskaro.com Co-Creator: H.B. Lockwood @hayleyglyphs Artwork: hayleyglyphs.tumblr.com Instagram: instagram.com/hayleyglyphs

Co-Host/Producer: Caleb @CalebAlexader Podcast: https://thenoviceelitists.podbean.com/ Podcast: https://tnebendingtheelements.podbean.com/

Prognosis Negative @ProgNeg Email: guidetothewhoverse ~at~ gmail ~dot~com Website: prognosisnegative.libsyn.com Patreon: patreon.com/ProgNeg Tumblr: progneg.tumblr.com Facebook: facebook.com/ProgNeg

ProgNeg Theme originally compiled by H.B. Lockwood

Far in the future, on a tough, brutal planet, a devastated mining colony has only one survivor. To discover the truth, the Doctor and Belinda must face absolute terror.

What did we make of it? This is our HOT TAKE.

Contact us:

X / Twitter: @theDWshow

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net

Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Email: hello@theDWshow.net

  This title was released in March 2025. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until 31 May 2025, and on general sale after this date. 1901. Six months after the death of Queen Victoria, her gung-ho daughter Princess Beatrice goes to visit the organisation she's inherited. What is Torchwood? Meanwhile, something has broken out of a vault deep beneath London. The Smiling Man is coming. **Please note: the collector’s edition CD is strictly limited to 1,000 copies**

This week, David & Matt sit down to discuss the 1st story from season 15 of Doctor Who 'The Robot Revolution'

Doctor Who theme by Ron Grainer, arranged by Alexander Erben.

Talk to us! Email: timenorspacepod@gmail.com

Twitter: @timenorspacepod  

This episode is a full synopsis of the 2001 BBC Books Eighth Doctor novel, Father Time.

Given the book’s age—almost 25 years old—we know many listeners might not have read it recently, or perhaps ever.

So we're here to help! With Father Time being discussed on Sunday’s main show, this episode isn’t a discussion itself, but a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the novel’s events—perfect for refreshing your memory or getting up to speed before the conversation.

Contact us:

X / Twitter: @theDWshow

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net

Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Email: hello@theDWshow.net

On this week's Wanderers in the 4th Dimension: Who Reviews podcast, the Wanderers review story #314, Lux!

Hosts:

• Trevor  @whoviantrev.bsky.social    Trevsplace
• Charlie  @insanityinchaos    The Comic Conspiracy
• David http://www.davidsafar.com/    @gwythinn    MaroonedWhovian    DraconianProgeny
• Connor  The Deadly Emerald

Join us next week for our review of the new episode, The Well!  You can send us feedback on Facebook at Wanderers in the 4th Dimension or on Bluesky @wanderin4d.bsky.social!

Welcome to Don’t Read the Comments, a podcast where we ignore the show’s title and actually read online comments relating to something going on in the world of Doctor Who.

Tonight, everyone's talking the consolidated figures for the first episode of Season 2 of Doctor Who, The Robot Revolution, and Rob’s on Facebook, on the official Radio Times page... to read the comments.

Contact us:

X / Twitter: @theDWshow

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net

Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Email: hello@theDWshow.net

Thank you for downloading the Trap One Podcast.

On this episode, Pete, Denise, Mark D and Mark M settle into their seats at the local picture house for Lux.

The New Yorker interview with Alan Cumming can be heard here.

You can pre-order series 2 of Doctor Who here.

It's time to don your best and head to the cinema (or picture house) to catch a film. I hear they have the new Mr. Ring-a-Ding cartoon...

Join Kat and Lynne as they review the new Doctor Who episode "Lux" get side tracked into talking about 1930s cartoons they watched as kids, a preference for film over digital and much more.

What did you think about "Lux?" Did it give you new perspective or did it leave you feeling a little flat?

Check out full show notes at veritypodcast.wordpress.com

Join James and Michele as they take the DWP Mystery Machine (Campervan) out for it’s second spin of the week. What did our very own Fred and Velma make of this week’s show? Tune in to find out! Fortunately Brent also chimes in to bring some much required sanity to the madness.

Enjoy the show and see you on Saturday for our review of Episode 3, The mysterious sounding, The Well!

In this episode of the Who's He? Podcast....

Review - Lux

Phil and Paul are back with a more in depth look at Lux, the latest episode of Doctor Who starring Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu. With cartoons coming to life courtesy of the gods and fans breaking the fourth wall, will the second episode of this season continue to impress our reviewing duo?

And the lads ponder whether the rumours of the show being cancelled or going on hiatus is just a ploy and is part of RTD's grand plan.

You can currently find us on X, Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky and Facebook.  Don't miss an episode by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, plus many other podcatchers of your choice.

 

Oh boy! Oh friends! People have said the perfect episode of Doctor Who doesn't exist. That may be true, but we feel like Lux comes pretty darn close! Yes, there are some small nitpicks we have with the story, but they are but a match head compared with the power of the sun that this episode is! (see what we did there?) We're not even going to bore you with anymore text here, let's dive straight into this adventure!!

  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 314 – "Lux"  episode Promotional title-card Cast  –   –  Others  – Newsreader Cassius Hackforth – Tommy Lee Ryan Speakman – Husband  – Reginald Pye  – Mr Ring-a-Ding  – Sunshine Sally Lewis Cornay – Logan Cheever Lucy Thackeray – Renée Lowenstein Jane Hancock – Helen Pye William Meredith – Policeman Samir Arrian – Hassan Chowdry Bronté Barbé – Lizzie Abel Steph Lacey – Robyn Gossage  – Mrs Flood Production Directed by Written by Script editor David Cheung Produced by Chris May Executive producer(s) Russell T Davies Joel Collins Music by Series Running time 43 minutes First broadcast 19 April 2025 Chronology ← Preceded by "" Followed by → "" "Lux" is the second episode of the  of the  series . It was written by , the Doctor Who showrunner, from a concept first developed over two decades prior, and directed by . In the episode, the  () and his , , land in 1952 , while trying to make their way back to 2025. After doing so, they discover a mysterious  where fifteen people have disappeared. The pair stay to investigate and ultimately confront an animated God, Lux (voiced by ), who traps them in film. "Lux" is unusual for the programme in that it features a mixed live-action and animated format. Filming for the episode took place in  and at  in January 2024. Some voice-over work took place internationally in  in June. Animation and other  work continued later into the year, with some tasks still being completed as late as September. The episode includes references to ,  and  to its own . It was released on , , and  on 19 April 2025. Reception to the episode was positive, with critics praising its use of animation in a live-action setting. A novelisation written by  is set to be released in July 2025. Plot [] Unable to return to 24 May 2025, the  lands in 1952 , where the Doctor and  find a cinema that is chained shut. At a diner, they speak to the mother of one of fifteen people who disappeared from the cinema, which continues to play movies at night. Although  is still enforced, the waiter allows them to stay. Inside the cinema, the pair discover a living cartoon, Mr Ring-a-Ding, the embodiment of Lux Imperator, God of Light, is responsible. The projectionist, Reginald Pye, plays films for Lux, who uses his power to recreate Pye's dead wife. Lux has trapped the missing people in a film reel. He similarly traps the Doctor and Belinda, and turns them into cartoon characters, until they regain their usual forms. They flee to another false reality, where a racist  cop challenges them. They escape through a television watched by . Though delighted to meet the Doctor they reveal that their world is the fake one, and encourage him to return and defeat Lux, even though they will then cease to exist. Back in the cinema, the Doctor heals his injured hand using residual  energy. Lux steals the energy to create a solid body. Belinda attempts to burn film reels to cause an explosion, but encouraged by his wife, Pye sacrifices himself. The explosion exposes the cinema to sunlight causing Lux to expand infinitely until he becomes one with the universe. The missing people return. As the Doctor and Belinda leave, Mrs Flood encourages the bystanders to watch the TARDIS dematerialise, claiming this "show" is a "limited run" that ends on 24 May. The Doctor's fans critique the episode, realising that they still exist. Production [] Development and production design [] "Lux" was written by . He had wanted to do an episode that included a living cartoon for a long time, but was unable to do one until now for funding reasons. He also revealed that he had considered variants of such an episode, including one two decades prior that would have featured a hologram rather than a legitimate animation as a result of the budgetary constraints. The story also contains mentions of segregation and racism in which Davies said he added to address issues in present-day society. It was also used as a subversion to the Doctor usually situating themselves as the main authority figure. While including such themes, he didn't want it to be the dominant subject. Among these are the NYPD officer saying the cinema is a space "reserved for " and prejudicely assuming that Belinda is . Other motifs present explore grief, hope, friendship, and sadness.  references to  and the  character  were included. Additionally, Davies has continued a recent trend of . Also unusual for the show, the episode featured a . Costume designer Pam Downe created the Doctor's and Belinda's outfits using the  of blue and yellow. Sethu's dress was inspired by a similar one worn by Anita () and designed by  in the  of . Meanwhile, Gatwa's blue suit was influenced by American musical artists of the 1950s. These hues were intended to further contrast with the red interior of the cinema by ultimately using all three . Downe ultimately wanted to successfully convey movement during the episodes action scenes. As such, three different  were considered for Sethu to wear and her dress had multiple . The concept of Mr. Ring-a-Ding was inspired by animations from . Ian Spendloff worked as a creative designer for the episode, and was the designer of Mr. Ring-a-Ding. Davies compared the concept of Mr. Ring-a-Ding to  from the 1930s. Spendloff drafted thirty different sketches that were considered before finally settling on the one used in the episode. Each one featured variations in noses, hair, and other elements. Mr. Ring-a-Ding was ultimately given a pig-like nose and blue skin to reflect characteristics of cartoon characters from the time period, with Davies wanting the character to look vaguely human but not be immediately identifiable as something else.  to  were also present in the episode because Davies recalled his enjoyment of cartoons while writing it, which made him consider people who loved the programme. Within the episode, the fans wore Doctor Who apparel (including a  scarf, another a  "Telos" sweatshirt) and declared "" (2008) as their favourite episode. One of them also mentioned the impending cancellation of the show. They then point out the "obviousness" of the episode's , and made references to . The show's BBC ident appears on the screen of their television. Although they say they are too inconsequential to be given surnames, all three characters—Hassan Chowdry, Lizzie Abel and Robyn Gossage—are fully named in the credits. The concept of Doctor Who existing within  had previously been briefly explored in  (1988) and other expanded media. Following this instance, such an idea was considered quasi-. This scene raised suspicion that Davies had potentially been planting  online himself regarding upcoming episodes as well as rumours that the series would enter into another hiatus. When the fact that the episode was written and filmed well before the leaks began appearing was considered, it was compared to the . Casting [] The episode stars  as the  of  and  as his , .  voices the antagonist, Mr. Ring-a-Ding. It marks Cumming's second appearance in the show after his role as King  in the 2018 episode "". Davies said that he and the production team had considered whether it was too soon to cast Cumming again and that had it been a live action role, he likely would not have been. Mr. Ring-a-Ding is the "God of Light" and part of the "Pantheon of Gods" that Davies has been developing since "" (2023).  stars as Reginald Pye, the theatre's projectionist and Lewis Cornay plays a diner worker who helps the Doctor and Belinda investigate the disappearances.  also makes a brief appearance as recurring character Mrs. Flood. The trio of fans were portrayed by Samir Arrian, Bronte Barbe, and Steph Lacey. Filming and post-production [] Exterior shots for the theater were filmed at  Pavilion. The wooden ramp can be seen at the bottom of the photo. The story was filmed in the series' third production block, along with the following episode, "". It was directed by  and recorded in late-January 2024.  took place in . The surrounding area was made up to look like an American city in the 1950s by adding vehicles and American flags.  pavilion was used for exterior shots of the theatre. The production team painted the building, added a period theatre sign, and removed a modern ramp at the front of the building. Its removal led to the discovery of rotting wood that had to be replaced at the show's expense. The episode was shot during  causing the cast and crew to struggle with unexpected rain and winds, requiring hot water bottles to keep warm during takes. Interior shots for the studio were filmed on  4 at . Pieces of that set were reused from "" (2024). As a result of Mr. Ring-a-Ding being an animated creation, the performers had to interact with a two-foot acrylic cutout of the character or a thin green pole on set.The scenes were then edited during the  process. References for Mr. Ring-a-Ding's movement were filmed by crew, and then drawn directly into the scene by animators from . Cumming voiced his scenes in  on 28 June 2024. Elements of Cumming's facial expressions during this recording for were incorporated into Mr. Ring-a-Ding. The scene where the Doctor and Belinda are turned into cartoons were first recorded on a , in which Gatwa and Sethu had to portray the characters in a rigid and cartoon-like manner. The animators used this as a reference for interaction between the two characters when redrawing them as a cartoon. Animations were done at twenty-five frames a second, requiring twenty-five drawings for each second of screen time, or fewer if characters' movement was limited.  artists recorded  at Bang Post Production in  on 4 September 2024. The episode's soundtrack included two singles: "" by , and the  rendition of "". Despite the episode taking place in 1952, the tracks were not released until 1956 and 1969, respectively. , the show's , also included the song "The Sad Man With A Box", a piece that he originally composed for . Broadcast and reception [] Professional ratings Aggregate scores Source Rating  (Tomatometer) 100%  (Average Score) 7.70/10 Review scores Source Rating B 10/10 9/10 Broadcast [] "Lux" was  released on  at 8 a.m.  (BST) in the United Kingdom and on  in the United States at 12 a.m.  on 12 April 2025. A  broadcast followed at 7:15 p.m. BST.  also handled international distribution of the episode. Ratings [] The episode received overnight viewing figures of 1.58 million, the lowest broadcast ratings in Doctor Who's history. It was the fourth most-watched programme of the day on BBC One, with one show on  also achieving higher numbers. Critical reception [] On the  website , 100% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.70/10. Robert Anderson, writing for , praised the episode, highlighting Mr. Ring-a-Ding, several individual scenes, such as the fourth-wall-breaking scene, and the performances of Gatwa and Sethu. 's Martin Belam responded positively to the episode, praising Cumming's performance and the fourth-wall-breaking scene. Will Salmon, writing for , highlighted Mr. Ring-a-Ding and Gatwa's performance, though felt Murray Gold's musical score "drowned out" some scenes. Adi Tantimedh, writing for , found the episode to be the strongest out of the episodes headed by Davies in his second tenure as showrunner. Andrew Blair, writing for , highlighted the characterization of Mr. Ring-a-Ding, but criticized the episode's similarities to "", which he felt made the episode feel repetitive and weaker than it should have. He also felt the episode's handling of race was not effective, as while he felt the episode's inclusion of the topic was commendable, he felt the Doctor's in-universe way of handling it "can't help but scrape awkwardly against our real-world knowledge." Vicky Jessop, writing for the , criticized the inclusion of the scene featuring Doctor Who fans, stating that while it was initially entertaining, it quickly became "strained".    

Talk, Talk, Talk and Chocolate Day, Captain America: Brave New World, Daredevil: Born Again, Doctor Who: Lux

It’s “Lux” time at Radio Free Skaro Towers and the Three Who Rule have thoughts about both the two-dimensional (mostly) villain of the title and more including RTD and Murray Gold song crimes, whether or not this whole Pantheon thing is panning out, how ring-a-ding good The Doctor and Belinda are together, *that* fan scene and more! Plus news of books, DWM, and more Gallifrey One news! 

Links:

• Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon
• Gallifrey One 2026 Hotel Reservations Open May 9
• Anita Dobson at Gallifrey One 2026
• Doctor Who “Lux” Review
• Doctor Who Unleashed S2E02
• Behind the Scenes: Lux
• Alan Cumming and director Amanda Brotchie on bringing Mr Ring-a-Ding to life in Doctor Who
• Russel T Davies has “no time” for Doctor Who too woke criticisms
• Russell T Davies hints at ideas for Seasons 4 and 5
• The Well on BBC One Apr 26, 7:20pm
• Q&A with Michael van Kesteren who designed Scoot
• Doctor Who Magazine 616 due Apr 24
• Black Archive #76: Logopolis due April 2025
• Doctor Who: Shirley Jackson and the Chaos Box coming June 12
• Doctor Who: One Night Only (A Fela Kuti Story) coming August 21
• Season 7 Blu-Ray available for order in Canada
• Jean Marsh dies, aged 90

The Doctor and Belinda land in 1957 Miami and me Mister Ring-A-Ding.  Something has hijace a cartoon and and the Doctor and Belinda need to save the day.  Ross, Jeff, and Melvin had lots thoughts on elder gods, fans, cartoons, and all things Lux

 

#DoctorWho #TheDoctor #TARDIS #BBC #cartoons #MrsFlood #RTD

Jean Marsh passed away on the 13th April 2025 at the age of 90. She was a reknowned actress both in the UK and abroad, having worked in TV, film and theatre.

For Doctor Who fans, she is best remembered for her roles as Johanna in The Crusade, Sara Kingdom in The Daleks' Masterplan, and Morgaine in Battlefield.

She reprised the role of Sara on audio for Big Finish in The Companion Chronicles and Early Adventures ranges.

Writer Simon Guerrier joins us for this episode of the podcast, and shares some of his memories of the times he spent with Jean.

We'll also discuss his Sara Kingdom trilogy, which features the stories, "Home Truths", The Drowned World", and "Guardian of the Solar System". There'll be spoilers, so if you haven't heard them, we recommend you grab them from the Big Finish website and have a listen to them first. They are fantastic!

We also have some special tributes to Jean from her Battlefield co-stars, Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. Thanks to them both for joining us.

Theme music by Joe Kraemer.

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