TDP 1362: #DoctorWho #DisneyWho TV Doctor Who Review Lux

  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".