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"Wish World" is the seventh and penultimate episode of the fifteenth series of the British science-fiction television series ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
''. The episode is the first in a two-part story, concluding with "
The Reality War "The Reality War" is the eighth and final episode of the fifteenth series of the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Russell T Davies and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, it is the second of a two-part story alon ...
" one week later on 31 May. In the episode, the
Fifteenth Doctor The Fifteenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa in two series and two specials. Within the series' narr ...
(
Ncuti Gatwa Mizero Ncuti Gatwa ( ; born 15 October 1992) is a Rwandan-Scottish actor. After a screen Breakthrough role, breakthrough portraying Eric Effiong in Sex Education (TV series), ''Sex Education'' (2019–2023), he rose to further prominence as the ...
) and his companions,
Belinda Chandra In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme ''Doctor Who'' and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, or shares adventures with, the Doctor. A companion is generally the series' co-lead charac ...
(
Varada Sethu Varada Sethu (born Varada Sethumadhavan, 12 May 1992) is a British actress. Her credits include '' Sket'' (2010), '' English: An Autumn in London'' (2012), ''Doctors'' (2015), '' New Blood'' (2016), '' Doctor Foster'' (2017), '' Hanna'' (2019), ...
) and Ruby Sunday (
Millie Gibson Amelia Eve Gibson (born 19 June 2004), known as Millie Gibson, is an English actress. She is best known for portraying Kelly Neelan in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2019 to 2022, and Ruby Sunday in the BBC-Disney+ co-produ ...
), find themselves living in a false,
heteronormative Heteronormativity is the definition of heterosexuality as the normative human sexuality. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between peo ...
, 1950s-era themed reality. This world was engineered by Conrad Clark at the behest of
the Rani The Rani is a fictional character in the British BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She is a renegade Time Lord, and a nemesis of the series' title character, a Time Lord known as the Doctor. The Rani is an amoral biochemist ...
, a long-time enemy of the Doctor whose ultimate plan is to make the residents doubt the universe they live in and rescue
Omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...
. Written by
Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...
and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, the episode was released on
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...
,
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
, and
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
on 24 May 2025. It draws together several themes that were present throughout the fifteenth series and was filmed throughout April and May 2024. Production crews faced issues working with animals and a baby while recording took place. Interior scenes were shot at Wolf Studios Wales. The episode was viewed by 2.86 million. "Wish World" received mixed reviews; critics positively highlighted the execution of the false reality, but some criticised the characterisation of the Rani and the return of Omega. The two-part story was also given a
limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
.


Plot

In
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, 1865,
the Rani The Rani is a fictional character in the British BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She is a renegade Time Lord, and a nemesis of the series' title character, a Time Lord known as the Doctor. The Rani is an amoral biochemist ...
seizes a newborn incarnation of Desiderium, a god with the power to transform wishes into reality. On 23 May 2025,
the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...
and
Belinda Chandra In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme ''Doctor Who'' and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, or shares adventures with, the Doctor. A companion is generally the series' co-lead charac ...
awaken in the reality created by the Rani as a married couple with an infant daughter,
Poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...
. Society is overseen by Conrad Clark, who tells stories on television about the Doctor and the
Time Lord The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Time Lords are so named for their command of time travel technology and their Nonli ...
s to the world, projecting his vision of society onto the Earth through the power of the stolen infant. Ruby Sunday, aware that something is wrong with the world, is unable to convince the Doctor of her concerns. The Doctor, living under the name John Smith, goes to work for
UNIT Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...
, which in the altered reality works with
National Insurance National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their famil ...
, where he witnesses the Rani returning to her Bone Palace, which presides over London. Meanwhile, Belinda begins to question her role as Poppy's mother when she cannot recall her birth. Ruby encounters UNIT's scientific advisor, Shirley Bingham, who now lives in a makeshift camp with other displaced disabled citizens. The group shares with Ruby their awareness of reality's altered state. Upon his return home from work, the Doctor watches Conrad's transmission, which is disrupted by images of both his granddaughter
Susan Foreman Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter of the Doctor and original Companion (Docto ...
and Rogue, the latter warning him that the reality he is in is wrong. The Doctor observes proof that his reality is not real and shares his discovery with Belinda, but she calls the police about his doubts. Mrs Flood, operating as the Rani's enforcer, has Belinda arrested alongside the Doctor. The pair are brought to the Bone Palace, as Ruby and Shirley use a UNIT tablet to prepare to hijack Conrad's next transmission. In the Bone Palace, the Rani gloats to the Doctor, and reminds him of who she and Mrs Flood are. She reveals her plan is to rescue
Omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...
, the creator of the Time Lords, by creating a compromised reality and destroying it with doubt. At midnight on 24 May, reality begins to collapse and the Doctor falls from the Rani's tower, regains his memories and claims that Poppy is truly his daughter.


Production


Development

"Wish World" was written by
Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...
. The return of the Rani was requested by Gatwa, as he wished to face off against her on-screen. Davies opined that while the Rani was an antagonist that would be well-known from the past, the character would not have a ton of continuity to work around, allowing him to craft her as needed. At the same time, he purposefully decided to write an incarnation of the Rani rather than a newly-created character so that newer viewers might become interested in watching her past stories. He also believed the character not to be
evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...
, feeling that her passion for
science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
merely made her "more amoral than
immoral Immorality is the violation of moral laws, norms or standards. It refers to an agent doing or thinking something they know or believe to be wrong. Immorality is normally applied to people or actions, or in a broader sense, it can be applied to gr ...
". The false reality was created to be
heteronormative Heteronormativity is the definition of heterosexuality as the normative human sexuality. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between peo ...
and with traditional binary
gender role A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...
s. Davies referred to the villain's for the two-part finale as the "Unholy Trinity"; counting the Rani and Mrs Flood as one being following their bigeneration in the previous story, Conrad, and a third, which was later revealed to be
Omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...
, an enemy of
the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...
who appeared first in '' The Three Doctors'' (1972) and again in ''
Arc of Infinity ''Arc of Infinity'' is the first serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 12 January 1983. The serial is set in Amsterdam a ...
'' (1983).
Stephen Thorne Stephen John Thorne (2 March 1935 – 26 May 2019) was a British actor of radio, film, stage, and television. He was best known for his regular BBC Radio 4 work and audiobook recordings, and for his portrayals of a few ''Doctor Who'' villains, ...
, who originally portrayed Omega, had died since his last appearance, so archive audio he recorded for the 2019 Big Finish drama "Gallifrey: Intervention Earth" was used instead. The production staff ultimately hoped to achieve a thrill, shock, and terror
tone Tone may refer to: Visual arts and color-related * Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory * Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color * Toning (coin), color change in coins * ...
for the episode, and envisioned it as a collection of the fifteenth series overall themes with episodes that were more dramatic, tense, and scarier than they had been in the past.


Casting

The episode features an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...
.
Ncuti Gatwa Mizero Ncuti Gatwa ( ; born 15 October 1992) is a Rwandan-Scottish actor. After a screen Breakthrough role, breakthrough portraying Eric Effiong in Sex Education (TV series), ''Sex Education'' (2019–2023), he rose to further prominence as the ...
and
Varada Sethu Varada Sethu (born Varada Sethumadhavan, 12 May 1992) is a British actress. Her credits include '' Sket'' (2010), '' English: An Autumn in London'' (2012), ''Doctors'' (2015), '' New Blood'' (2016), '' Doctor Foster'' (2017), '' Hanna'' (2019), ...
star as the fifteenth incarnation of
the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...
and his companion,
Belinda Chandra In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme ''Doctor Who'' and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, or shares adventures with, the Doctor. A companion is generally the series' co-lead charac ...
, respectively. Gatwa stated that the episode provided him a fun challenge of having to portray a character different from his usual portrayal of the Doctor.
Millie Gibson Amelia Eve Gibson (born 19 June 2004), known as Millie Gibson, is an English actress. She is best known for portraying Kelly Neelan in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2019 to 2022, and Ruby Sunday in the BBC-Disney+ co-produ ...
returns to the programme as Ruby Sunday, a former companion of the Doctor and an outgoing series regular. The two incarnations of the Rani are portrayed by
Archie Panjabi Archana Panjabi (born 31 May 1972) is an English actress. She has had various roles in both British and American television including as Maya Roy in ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007), Kalinda Sharma in ''The Good Wife'' (2009–2015), Nas Kamal ...
and
Anita Dobson Anita, Lady May (born 29 April 1949), known as Anita Dobson, is an English actress and singer. She is best known for playing Landlord, landlady Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from the show's inception in 1985 until 1988. She ac ...
, with Dobson's version also known as Mrs Flood. Panjabi was contacted personally to appear on the show as the Rani, which she accepted. After briefly reprising her role in " The Story & the Engine", Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps guest stars as Poppy, a character first introduced in "
Space Babies "Space Babies" is the first episode of the fourteenth series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Julie Anne Robinson. The episode was released alongside the next ...
". After appearing in " Lucky Day",
Jonah Hauer-King Jonah Andre Hauer-King (born 30 May 1995) is a British-American actor. He began acting while studying at St John's College, Cambridge. He is best known for playing List of The Little Mermaid characters#Prince_Eric, Prince Eric in Walt Disney Pi ...
once again appears as Conrad Clark. Other returning cast members include
Bonnie Langford Bonita Melody Lysette Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series '' Just William''. In the 1980s, she played companio ...
,
Ruth Madeley Ruth Madeley (born 4 August 1987) is a British actress known for her roles in '' Years and Years'', '' The Rook'' and ''Doctor Who''. She was born with spina bifida and has worked with the charity Whizz-Kidz for much of her life. She was nominate ...
,
Jemma Redgrave Jemima Rebecca "Jemma" Redgrave (born 14 January 1965) is an English actress, and a member of the Redgrave family. She is known for her roles as the title character in '' Bramwell'' (1995–1998) and as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart in ''Doctor Who'' ...
,
Susan Twist Susan Twist (born 6 June 1956) is a British actress best known as Rosie Banks in ''Brookside'' (1994–1996) and as Susan Triad in ''Doctor Who'' (2023–present). Early life Twist was born in Liverpool. She attended the London Academy of M ...
, Alexander Devrient, Michelle Greenidge, and
Angela Wynter Angela Wynter (born 14 July 1957) is a Jamaican-British actress. She is known for her role as Yolande Trueman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2003–2008, 2017, 2023–present). In 2021, she joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''Doctors ...
. They play the characters of
Mel Bush Melanie "Mel" Bush is a fictional character played by Bonnie Langford in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Mel is a computer programmer from the 20th century who is a companion of the Sixth and Seventh D ...
, Shirley Bingham,
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, also known as Kate Stewart, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She was created by writer Marc Platt (writer), Marc Platt and first portrayed by Beverley Cressman in ...
, Susan Triad, Christopher Ibrahim, and Carla and Cherry Sunday, respectively.
Jonathan Groff Jonathan Drew Groff (born March 26, 1985) is an American actor and singer. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he has received several awards including a Tony Award and a Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Aw ...
makes a
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
as Rogue, who was last seen in the episode of the same name. Groff's appearance was filmed shortly after he completed shooting for "Rogue".
Carole Ann Ford Carole Ann Lillian Ford ( Higgins; born 16 June 1940) is a British actress best known for her roles as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and as Bettina in the 1962 film adaptation of '' The Day of the T ...
appears in a further cameo as the Doctor's granddaughter,
Susan Foreman Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter of the Doctor and original Companion (Docto ...
.


Production design

UNIT's set was redressed from its previously high-tech modern appearance to a
retro style Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...
d one inspired by the mid-twentieth century. The flooring was replaced with
carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...
whilst
typewriter A typewriter is a Machine, mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of Button (control), keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an i ...
s and rotary phones were added to the work desks. The overall design of Conrad's wish world is based on a 1950s-era style. The makeshift camp was designed to be accessible for the characters and actors portraying them, with the production team working with Julie Fernandez, an access coordinator. The bone palace set was sculpted as a crossover between
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and
gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean m ...
and was influenced by
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s with the inclusion of skulls and bone-like features; the main chamber of the Palace was a redressed and redesigned set from earlier season episode " The Robot Revolution" (2025). Production designer Phil Simms included a ceiling on the set—something not typically done–shaped as a dome. The Rani's sonic device was designed to have more association with medical devices, as a result of the character's backstory as a scientist. A portion of the pattern from the costume that
Kate O'Mara Kate O'Mara (born Frances Meredith Carroll;Michael CoveneObituary: Kate O'Mara ''The Guardian'', 30 March 2014 10 August 1939 – 30 March 2014) was an English film, stage and television actress, and writer. O'Mara made her stage debut in a 19 ...
wore in her portrayal of the Rani was incorporated into the grip of the sonic device.


Filming

"Wish World" was directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai. Davies invited Pillai to direct the two-part series finale while production was still underway on the 2024 Christmas special, "
Joy to the World "Joy to the World" is an English hymn and Christmas carol. It was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnist Isaac Watts. It is usually sung to the American composer Lowell Mason's 1848 arrangement of a tune attributed to George Fride ...
", which he also directed. Recording began "a couple of weeks" after editing had wrapped on the holiday episode. To properly capture action sequences, four cameras were utilized in the bone palace set, one of which was a
crane shot In filmmaking and video production, a crane shot is a shot taken by a camera on a moving crane or jib. Filmmaker D. W. Griffith created the first crane for his 1916 epic film ''Intolerance'', with famed special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya ...
. Filming for the opening scene, which is set in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, took place in a forest, where a large number of insects disturbed the production crew. This scene also utilised numerous animals, including an owl, six ducks, and a horse; these animals proved troublesome to work with, with the horse at one point urinating while on set. Numerous child actors were also involved in the scene, one of which was a baby that caused additional issues for the crew. Mavanga-Phipps recorded her pieces of the episode on
soundstage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...
2 at Wolf Studios Wales on 10 May 2024. Soundstage 3 contained the set for the bone palace, while scenes at the UNIT tower was built on soundstage 1 and were filmed on 11 April. The scene where Mel witnesses London falling underground around her was achieved by placing Langford in the centre of a 360 degree camera dolly and simultaneously rotating the camera, lighting, and a
green screen Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two or more images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fie ...
around her while she looked around.


Broadcast and reception


Broadcast

"Wish World" was simultaneously released on
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...
at 8 a.m.
British Summer Time During British Summer Time (BST), civil time in the United Kingdom is advanced one hour forward of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), in effect changing the time zone from UTC+00:00 to UTC+01:00, so that mornings have one hour less daylight, and eve ...
(BST) in the United Kingdom and on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
in the United States at 12 a.m.
Pacific Daylight Time The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00). ...
on 24 May 2025. A
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
broadcast of the episode occurred later in the day at 7:10 p.m. BST.
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
also handled international distribution of the episode. It had a
limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
along with the following episode at cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 31 May.


Ratings

The episode received overnight ratings of 1.8 million, placing it as the fifth most-watched programme the day of broadcast. In consolidated figures, this grew to 2.86 million.


Critical reception

A largely positive review for ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
'' from Will Salmon highlighted the episode's use of its characters, the execution of the false reality, and the social commentary of the real world communicated through the
heteronormative Heteronormativity is the definition of heterosexuality as the normative human sexuality. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between peo ...
reality. In a review for ''
Engadget Engadget ( ) is a technology news, reviews and analysis website offering daily coverage of gadgets, consumer electronics, video games, gaming hardware, apps, social media, streaming, AI, space, robotics, electric vehicles and other potentially ...
'', Daniel Cooper brought attention to the horror in the segments in the false reality, as well as the cliffhanger involving Captain Poppy. Ryan Woodrow, in a review for ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'', emphasised the episode's use of Conrad and the false reality, the surprise returns of Rogue and the Pantheon, and the twist on the trope of protagonists breaking out of a false reality. Stefan Mohamed from ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...
'' highlighted the false reality's design and execution, as well as the characterization and acting performances. Robert Anderson from ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' criticised the episode, finding the execution of the characters weak and too reliant on
fan service , fanservice or Example: A frame (numbered "25") from the English opening sequence of '' New Cutie Honey'', in which character Danbei Hayami fires a Rocket Punch as main character Honey Kisaragi lies topless and prone in the background, i ...
in the form of the Rani and Omega, which Anderson felt was unearned and made the story rely too heavily on obscure characters. Mohamed found fault with the return of Omega, believing that it was weak and too reliant on the series' past; he further criticised the Rani's explanation of her plan, stating that it was "not the most elegant exposition that Davies has ever written." Cooper disliked the return of Omega, believing the character to be too obscure and not interesting as an antagonist, while also disliking the execution of the Rani, finding her plan nonsensical. Salmon opined that too many plot threads were set up for "
The Reality War "The Reality War" is the eighth and final episode of the fifteenth series of the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Russell T Davies and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, it is the second of a two-part story alon ...
" and that the execution of the Rani's character was too similar to another series antagonist, The Master.


Notes


References


External links

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