Doctor Who ‘Lucky Day’ review: Pete, I owe you an apology

Spoilers for “Lucky Day.”

When the writers for this season of Doctor Who were announced, one name in the roster put me instantly on edge. Pete McTighe may have a distinguished filmography but, in this house, he’s known as the person who wrote “Kerblam.” That’s the Chibnall-era episode summed up as “Space Amazon is great and the people protesting poor working conditions and mass-layoffs are the real villains.” Imagine then, my delighted surprise when “Lucky Day” doesn’t just get its politics right, but it does so with molotov cocktails in hand.

It’s 2007 and the Doctor and Belinda land in London as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day. The Doctor, Vindicator in hand, gets another set of coordinates before realizing a small boy, Conrad Clack, saw the TARDIS land. He hands Conrad a 50 pence piece and tells him it’s his “lucky day,” before the boy sprints back to his mother. But she’s not interested in his story about a magical blue box, striking the boy and saying she’s had enough of his lies.

Conrad next encounters the TARDIS 17 years later when he spots it parked down a dark alley. There’s a nearby door with …read more