Douze Points!
- Publication: Radio Times
- Date: 2025-04-12
- Author: Russell T Davies
- Page: 20
- Language: English
A brand-new companion, wild adventures - and intergalactic Eurovision! Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies unveils his guide to the latest series
Welcome aboard, Belinda Chandra! And welcome, faithful viewers, young and old. The arrival of a new companion in Doctor Who is a chance for the whole show to reset, to open those Tardis doors wide for one and all. Don't forget that for some people, this will be their first ever adventure in time and space. I was reminded of this recently by Scott Mills's breakfast show on Radio 2. The Easiest Quiz opened with the question, "What colour is Doctor Who's Tardis?" "Green?" No! Wrong! It's blue! And it reminded me that everyone needs to watch this show because your life, or at least your quiz-life, could depend on it.
It's a delight to welcome Varada Sethu as Belinda on to the Tardis. She dazzled last year as Mundy Flynn and we loved her so much, I quickly rewrote things so Varada could return. There are more returns in store - don't worry if you're missing Millie Gibson's wonderful Ruby Sunday, because she's coming back, in a story the likes of which we've never told before. And when Ruby and Belinda meet, I promise you, sparks will fly.
So let me lead you through the stories to come, with a scattering of spoilers, a few sly hints and some tantalising sleight of hand. Because for the next eight weeks, the mantra is going be... Get Belinda Home!
1 THE ROBOT REVOLUTION
Written by Russell T Davies
Directed by Peter Hoar
On her 16th birthday, Belinda's boyfriend arranged for a star to be named after her. But 17 years later, the robots from that star have come to find their Queen and take her home.
That's just the start for Belinda, as she's taken to the planet Missbelindachandra One to meet the citizens, the Missbelindachandrakind, and their robots, the Missbelindachandrabots.
Yes, you're right, it's a mad old world. But things soon turn serious. People are dying, rebels are fighting back and a terrifying wedding is being arranged. Belinda's trapped in the middle of hulking red robots, an evil Al Generator, rocket ships, laser battles, a funny little friend called Scoot and the Court Historian, a man who speaks in a very strange pattern that might hold the clue to her escape.
And the Doctor's got problems of his own. If he can save Belinda from this madhouse, their journey together is only beginning. Because something in the universe is going very, very wrong...
2 LUX
Written by Russell T Davies
Directed by Amanda Brotchie
The Doctor tries to return Belinda to the day she left Earth. But a mysterious force keeps making the Tardis bounce off course, and one of those bounces takes them to Miami, at four in the morning in 1952. "Things are different at night," says the Doctor, aware of danger from the moment they arrive.
In the Palazzo Picture House, an old cartoon, Mr Ring-a-Ding Goes to Town, is playing. But as the hapless projectionist, Reginald Pye (Linus Roache) looks on in horror, Mr Ring-a-Ding somehow steps from the screen... accompanied by the sound of screams.
It's a long night of terror on the Florida coast - how do you fight a living cartoon? But the danger goes beyond that, as the Doctor and Belinda find all they hold dear being challenged.
Our glorious guest star Alan Cumming takes centre stage here, as the voice of Mr Ring-a-Ding. Smile, sing and suffer, that's his catchphrase!
3 THE WELL
Written by Russell T Davies
and Sharma Angel Walfal
Directed by Amanda Brotchie
500,000 years in the future. An empty planet. A colony base. Which lost contact 15 days ago...
And that's it. That's all I'm saying. Sometimes, there's so much PR and publicity, these episodes wear thin. And that's my fault, too, I love blabbing about them. But sometimes it's good to keep an episode quiet, so you can come to it unprepared. And believe me, nothing could prepare you for the terror that's about to be unleashed on the worst day of the Doctor's life. This episode is tough; it's weird, it's relentless, and both Sharma and I can promise you, it is merciless.
Welcome to Planet 6-7-6-7. Pray to leave.
4 LUCKY DAY
Written by Pete McTighe
Directed by Peter Hoar
Back on Earth, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson, below left) is recovering from life with the Doctor and finds a new boyfriend. But when Conrad (Jonah Hauer-King) tries to live up to Ruby's ideals to become as brave as the Doctor, a world of danger opens up.
For a long time, this episode was called Meanwhile. Because we've all wondered what happens to the Doctor's companions, back on Earth, once the adventuring stops. We've seen the wonderful Sarah Jane Smith investigate alien goings-on from her attic, and lots of old companions
are now being conscripted into Unit because they've got so much experience of events beyond this world. But Ruby is still so young, barely 20, still exploring her family, and still working out what she wants to do in life. So it was a great delight to hand this episode over to Pete McTighe, such a great writer of the human heart, for him to explore what happens once the Doctor is gone.
All that plus monsters, Unit, Kate, Shirley, gunk, helicopters, a creepy English village and a glimpse of a lost Doctor and Ruby story, too!
5 THE STORY AND THE ENGINE
Written by Inua Ellams
Directed by Makalla McPherson
"I'm not human," says the Doctor. "I am an evolved lifeform. My body changes a lot." And sometimes, this ancient Time Lord needs to rest. To find friends, to relax, to forget and to simply enjoy the telling of tales. One such sanctuary is Omo's Palace.
But when the Tardis arrives, Omo seems to have a new master. Men have gone missing. Something vast and hungry is demanding to be fed. And the Doctor discovers a universe he has never even guessed at before. A while back, I went to the National Theatre to see Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams. I left thinking, that man should write Doctor Who! then discovered that Inua had been working on stories with my predecessor, Chris Chibnall. And if that's not enough, Ncuti then came to me with a suggestion. "Have you ever thought of using a writer called Inua Ellams?"
It was meant to be. And I'm so proud to have helped this to the screen, as Inua unveils a new world of riches, replete with gods, monsters, revenge, passion and a very big spider indeed.
6 THE INTERSTELLAR SONG CONTEST
Written by Juno Dawson
Directed by Ben A Williams
This is the one! Rylan (above)! Songs! Lizards! Douze points!
You probably think you've got the measure of this episode. That's what the Doctor and Belinda think, as the Tardis bounces them to the Harmony Arena, deep in outer space, for the 803rd annual contest. But this is written by Juno Dawson, the bestselling fantasy novelist, and I'm telling you with absolute confidence that you're not ready for the shocks and surprises in store. This year, episodes will land on BBC iPlayer at 8am on Saturdays, so I'd recommend staying offline all day if you want the raw experience of this on a Saturday night. Because this story takes much bigger swings than any you are expecting. It's darker, wilder and tougher than the title would suggest, and the world of Doctor Who will never be the same again.
7 WISH WORLD
Written by Russell T Davies
Directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai
Everyone get ready to rejoice! Because the Great Day is coming. The most important date in history. The clock is ticking and everyone is preparing for a joyous tomorrow, when the whole world will change for ever.
Here we go! It's season finale time, with a great big two-part story blasting the roof off anything we've made before. Welcome to a strange new world in which the old saying "There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip" is gaining a terrifying new power. But what are the Bone Beasts? Why is Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) hiding in the sky? What secrets do the Dispossessed keep? And why is a mysterious message echoing across time and space, saying, "Tables don't do that"?
8 THE REALITY WAR
Written by Russell T Davies
Directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai
The devastating climax. Strands that have drawn across seasons and centuries now pull together, tight as a noose, as legends converge for battle. Our brave, battered, beaten Doctor stands alone and helpless against the Unholy Trinity.
Surely this is the end?
Unless...
Captions:
QUEEN B Belinda (Varada Sethu) is trapped on her own planet, with one of its citizens, Sasha (Evelyn Miller)
ON BOARD Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) joins Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor in the Tardis
THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! Alan Cumming voices rogue cartoon character Mr Ring-a-Ding
A DOCTOR CALLS The Time Lord (Ncuti Gatwa) is all dressed up — with somewhere to go
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- APA 6th ed.: Davies, Russell T (2025-04-12). Douze Points!. Radio Times p. 20.
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- Turabian: Davies, Russell T. "Douze Points!." Radio Times, 2025-04-12, section, 20 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Douze Points! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Douze_Points! | work=Radio Times | pages=20 | date=2025-04-12 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=9 June 2026 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Douze Points! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Douze_Points! | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=9 June 2026}}</ref>
