April 29, 2025
The director of Lucky Day discusses returning to Doctor Who and his ambitious new episode.
The secrets of forthcoming episode Lucky Day are being held tightly under wraps, but there’s no one better to discuss Ruby Sunday’s return to the Whoniverse than someone else making another trip aboard the TARDIS: A Good Man Goes to War and The Robot Revolution director Peter Hoar!
Read more for an insight into the process of making the episode, directing terrifying monsters and bringing romance to Ruby…
You directed an episode of Doctor Who in 2011. What was it like to return?
It was fantastic. I had my good friends around me and a very positive, exciting new world to discover. I have also changed as a director, and I felt so much more confident. But my love for the show has never diminished.
What can audiences expect from this episode?
The episode is quite a journey from its unassuming beginning to high octane sci-fi thrill ride. We had many references for this episode from all kinds of cinema and TV including Devils End from The Daemons [the Third Doctor adventure] to Aliens.
This episode has lots of familiar faces including the UNIT team. What was it like working with them?
It was a joy! They are all superb without question. Watching them face such an extreme foe as this, then working as a team, being pushed to the edge, seeing their humanity tested to its limits… I hope will make a great episode. The cast worked so hard to bring this to life and deserve huge praise. I particularly like one shot where the three women of UNIT stand shoulder to shoulder.
This episode sees the return of Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), and Jonah Hauer-King joins the cast as Conrad, what can you tease about the dynamic between the pair?
Jonah and Millie were a great duo. Jonah fitted so smoothly into the family, and it was exciting to watch a new fresh dynamic emerge. Ruby needs a new hero and Conrad thinks he’s all that, but we discover quickly that it’s Ruby who’s better in a dangerous situation…
We know that this episode takes us back to the UNIT Tower. What is it like being on that set?
It’s a huge place with a lot of visual promise. It led me to make a new pitch for the end sequence that we had a lot of fun shooting. We threw everything at them. Literally!
There is a terrifying monster in this episode, what was it like bringing it to life on camera?
Would it be Doctor Who without a monster? This one is genuinely scary. And we leant right into it - one scene in particular we went full gothic horror.
If you could travel in the TARDIS to any time and place in the universe, where would you go?
The distant future as far away as possible
How would you sum up this episode?
Scary, surprising and romantic.
Make it your Lucky Day on Saturday 3rd May on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ where available. Find out more about Season 2 here.
