The Interstellar Song Contest

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318 – "The Interstellar Song Contest"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional title-card
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byBen A. Williams
Written byJuno Dawson
Produced byVicki Delow
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
SeriesSeries 15
Running time47 minutes
First broadcast17 May 2025 (2025-05-17)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"The Story & the Engine" 		Followed by →
"Wish World"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Interstellar Song Contest" is the sixth episode of the fifteenth series of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Juno Dawson and directed by Ben A. Williams, and released on BBC iPlayer, BBC One, and Disney+ on 17 May 2025, ahead of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 on BBC One.

In the episode, the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), arrive at the Interstellar Song Contest — a futuristic version of the Eurovision Song Contest – where they uncover a plot to kill trillions of people across space.

This was the first Doctor Who story written by Dawson, who was advised by the show's showrunner Russell T Davies to write a plot around "Die Hard meets Eurovision". Filmed at Wolf Studios Wales, 100 extras were used to simulate the 100,000-person attendees of the arena.

The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the script, its humour, Gatwa's performance, the political subtext involving the Hellions, and the return of Susan and the Rani. However, there was criticism over the fast pacing, lack of emotional depth, and the weak development of Kid as the story’s villain.

Plot

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The Doctor and Belinda arrive aboard a space station hosting the Interstellar Song Contest. The pair watch the contest, while Mrs Flood secretly observes them and collects data from a device, called the Vindicator, which the Doctor is using to try to return Belinda to Earth. The arena is hijacked by Kid and Wynn, two horned humanoids called Hellions, who deactivate the contest stage's oxygen dome. This causes the Doctor and most of the spectators to be sucked into space. A few people, including Belinda, remain trapped on the station.

The Doctor has visions of his granddaughter Susan Foreman, encouraging him to get himself back to the station, where he is revived by husbands nurse Mike Gabbastone and technician Gary. The Doctor and the Gabbastones hack into the station's systems. Meanwhile, Belinda has joined up with contestant Cora and they also hack in to the systems.

The Doctor opens a communications line to Kid, who tells him that he is seeking revenge against the Corporation, the contest's sponsor, for exploiting his planet, Hellia, for a flavouring. Cora is revealed to also be a Hellion, who kept this secret by hiding her forcibly cut-off horns since the Hellions are victims of widespread derogatory rumours, meaning she would not be allowed to sing. Kid plans to use the transmission of the contest to kill all 3 trillion people watching by transmitting a signal that destroys their brains. The Doctor reaches the station's broadcast room and stops the signal being transmitted. The Doctor then tortures Kid until Belinda arrives, stopping him. After Kid and Wynn are arrested, the Doctor recovers the people who were ejected into space so the Gabbastones could revive them, before Cora sings to them all with a song in her language about Hellia, which is applauded.

The Doctor and Belinda learn from a hologram of Graham Norton that the Earth was destroyed on 24 May 2025, the day they have been unable to return to. Now able to travel to that date at last using the Vindicator, they hear ominous sounds, before an explosion blows in the TARDIS doors.

In a mid-credits sequence, the Gabbastones revive Mrs Flood, where she undergoes bi-generation, becoming two women who reveal themselves to be The Rani. Mrs Flood appears subservient to the new incarnation, and she gives her the data from the Vindicator.

Production

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Development

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External video
video icon Dugga Doo | Full Song from "The Interstellar Song Contest" | Doctor Who

"The Interstellar Song Contest" is the first Doctor Who episode written by Juno Dawson, a best-selling author, who had previously worked on BBC Music's Doctor Who: Redacted podcast (2022–23) featuring the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker).[1][2] She was first contacted by Russell T Davies to write for the series in 2023, who wanted her to create "Die Hard meets Eurovision".[3] Dawson stated that she first watched the show with her grandma when she was ten, and that writing for the show, which she described as "the best TV show of all time", was a dream come true for her.[1][2] Her first idea for a Doctor Who episode would have been a disaster plot taking inspiration from The Poseidon Adventure, but it would have been too expensive.[4] Dawson and Davies co-wrote the lyrics for most of the songs included in the episode. Those were then sent to Murray Gold who wrote the lyrics for "Dugga Doo" and composed four original tracks for the episode.[3][5]

Casting

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Carole Ann Ford (pictured here in 1986) returned as Susan Foreman for the first time since 1983.

Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu star as the fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor and his companion, Belinda Chandra.[6] As a tie-in with the theme of the episode, Eurovision commentators Rylan Clark and Graham Norton both appear in the episode as themselves.[7][8] A further tie-in had been planned with Gatwa as the intended United Kingdom jury spokesperson in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.[9] However, he was unable to participate and was replaced by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.[10] Freddie Fox appeared as the episode's antagonist, Kid.[6]

Carole Ann Ford reprised her role as Susan Foreman, a regular in the series from its inception in 1963 until 1964, over 40 years since her last canonical appearance in "The Five Doctors" (1983).[11] Davies first approached her about returning to the show when they met at the premiere screening for "The Star Beast" in November 2023. Ford said that she believed the Whovian fandom's relationship with the media industry as being responsible for her return.[5] Ford's scenes were filmed on a closed set, and the production staff were required to sign non-disclosure agreements.[5]

Anita Dobson appeared in every episode of the series as the enigmatic Mrs Flood; in the episode her true identity was revealed to be The Rani, a villainous Time Lord. Archie Panjabi was introduced as a second incarnation of the Rani through a bi-generation process.[12] Christina Rotondo, who portrayed Liz Lizardine, was the primary vocalist for "The Goblin Song" (2023).[13] The remainder of the cast included Charlie Condou and Kadiff Kirwan as Mike and Gary Gabbastone, as well as Julie Dray, Kiruna Stamell, Miriam-Teak Lee, and Akemnji Ndifornyen guest starring as Sabine, Nina Maxwell, Cora Saint Bavier, and Len Kazah, respectively.[6]

Production design and filming

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Many of the alien costumes were reused from previous episodes but had modifications made to them so that they appeared as new species. A mix of masks and prosthetics were used to provide a variety in what was accomplishable technically. Camera tests occurred on 6 March 2024 at Wolf Studios Wales.[13] "The Interstellar Song Contest" was directed by Ben A. Williams.[14] Within the episode, the Harmony Arena has around 100,000 attendees; however, because hiring that many extras was infeasible, only 100 were used. Each extra was scanned digitally, and a "digi-double" of their body was created that allowed them to be duplicated in post-production.[5]

Footage seen on the screens in the control room was recorded 10 days prior to recording actually taking place on that set. The bigeneration scene was filmed on soundstage 6 also at Wolf Studios on 10 May 2024. Williams viewed the Doctor Who: Unleashed episode for "The Giggle" (2023) as a reference on how to direct this scene.[5] The same steel support was used for both scenes.[13]

Broadcast and reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)91%[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubA–[16]
Bleeding Cool9/10[17]
The Daily Telegraph[18]
GamesRadar+[19]
IGN8/10[20]

Broadcast

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"The Interstellar Song Contest" was simultaneously released on BBC iPlayer at 8 a.m. British Summer Time (BST) in the United Kingdom and on Disney+ in the United States at 12 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on 17 May 2025.[21] A BBC One broadcast of the episode was scheduled for later in the day at 7:10 p.m. BST.[22] Initial uncertainty over the episode's transmission arose because it was scheduled to air after the 2025 FA Cup final, which had the possibility of going into extra time, and before the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, which could not be delayed due to its live broadcast format. Davies said that network executives inquired whether or not he wanted to take the risk of scheduling on that day, to which he responded, "That's the sexiest fucking risk I've ever heard in my life. Let's do it!"[23] It was ultimately televised at the scheduled time.[24] Disney also handled international distribution of the episode.[25]

Ratings

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The episode received overnight figures of 2.57 million, the highest of the fifteenth series at the time of its broadcast. It ranked third on the list of highest-viewed for the day, only falling behind the FA Cup and Eurovision.[26]

Critical reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 11 critics' reviews are positive.[15] Will Salmon, writing for GamesRadar+, praised the episode's script, characters, and humour, though he criticised the execution of the Doctor's dark side in the episode, as he felt it was not justified by the episode's plot.[19] Robert Anderson, writing for IGN, praised the episode, highlighting the script, the guest cast, particularly the appearance of Ford, and the political commentary involving the Hellions; Anderson felt that not all of the episode's emotional beats were successful, however, and felt that Belinda and the Doctor's relationship in particular felt "rushed".[20] Martin Belam, writing for The Guardian, highlighted the episode's political commentary, the relationship between Belinda and the Doctor, and Gatwa's performance, but felt that aspects of the episode would have mixed impact for those unfamiliar with Eurovision.[27]

Stefan Mohamed, writing for Den of Geek, held a negative review of the episode, stating that while the episode's supporting characters and the Doctor and Belinda's relationship were strong, he felt that the re-appearance of Susan was confusing to those not familiar with the series, Kid was not an effective antagonist, and that the episode did not justify the Doctor's actions toward Kid.[28] Newsweek 's Ryan Woodrow felt the episode's pace was too fast to allow for strong emotional beats, feeling that it made the twist involving Cora, the effectiveness of the Hellions as antagonists, and the Doctor's actions toward Kid feel rushed. Despite this, he highlighted the performance of Gatwa and the return of the Rani.[29] Engadget 's highlighted the episode's themes and humour, though criticised the episode for feeling constrained by its length.[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b Goldbart, Max (27 January 2025). "Juno Dawson joins 'Doctor Who' writers room". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 4 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b Comments, Ray Flook | (22 March 2025). "Doctor Who Season 2 Episode Titles: "The Robot Revolution" & More". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b Gledhill, Lisa (24 April 2025). Quinn, Jason (ed.). "Preview - The Interstellar Song Contest". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 616. Panini Magazines. pp. 20–21.
  4. ^ Salmon, Will (22 April 2025). "Russell T. Davies pitched Doctor Who's upcoming musical episode as "Die Hard meets Eurovision," says writer Juno Dawson". GamesRadar+. SFX. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e Powell, Steffan (presenter); Aiken, Jonathon (director) (17 May 2025). "The Interstellar Song Contest". Doctor Who: Unleashed. Series 15. Episode 6. BBC. BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Hibbs, James (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest cast". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  7. ^ Ford, Lily (11 April 2025). "Graham Norton Joins 'Doctor Who' Ensemble as Guest Star in Eurovision-Inspired Episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 1 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  8. ^ Evans, Greg (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who fans react to Rylan Clark's 'surreal' cameo in Eurovision-themed episode". The Independent. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  9. ^ Rackham, Annabel (16 May 2025). "Ncuti Gatwa withdraws as UK's Eurovision jury announcer". BBC News. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  10. ^ Evans, Greg (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa pulls out of Eurovision 2025 role at the last minute". The Independent. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  11. ^ Griffin, Louise (17 May 2025). "Legendary Doctor Who companion finally returns after more than 40 years". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  12. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who reveals Mrs Flood's identity – major twist explained as classic villain returns". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  13. ^ a b c Behind the SHOCKING Scenes of the Interstellar Song Contest | Doctor Who (Behind the scenes featurette). 17 May 2025. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Mellor, Louisa (24 March 2025). "Doctor Who Series 15 Episode Titles Tease "Planet Belinda" Mystery". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  15. ^ a b "The Interstellar Song Contest". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  16. ^ Lewis, Isobel (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who does Eurovision in space". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  17. ^ Tantimedh, Adi (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who S02E06 "The Interstellar Song Contest" Marries Camp, Menace". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  18. ^ Hogan, Michael (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest, review: Rylan, Bucks Fizz and plenty of boom bang-a-bang". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  19. ^ a b Salmon, Will (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who season 2, episode 6 spoiler review: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' is "a blast and sets the stage for a thrilling season finale"". GamesRadar+. /Film. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  20. ^ a b Anderson, Robert (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who Season 2, Episode 6 Review - "The Interstellar Song Contest"". IGN. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  21. ^ Cremona, Patrick (3 May 2025). "What Time Are New Episodes of Doctor Who Released? Release Schedule". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  22. ^ Mohan-Hickson, Matthew (17 May 2025). "Is Doctor Who on TV today? BBC schedule and cast for Interstellar Song Contest". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  23. ^ Berriman, Ian; Murray, Emily (27 March 2025). "Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies reveals why season 2's Eurovision inspired episode has him taking the "sexiest f***ing risk"". GamesRadar+. SFX. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  24. ^ Davies, Russell [@russelltdavies63] (17 May 2025). "We did it! We beat the football! We are ON! The Gallifreyan Timeline has asserted itself, positions everyone! INTERSTELLAR TIME". Retrieved 22 May 2025 – via Instagram.
  25. ^ Pateman, Daniel (12 April 2025). "How To Watch Doctor Who Season 15 Online And Stream Every Episode For Free From Anywhere". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  26. ^ Hibbs, James (18 May 2025). "Doctor Who overnight ratings confirmed for The Interstellar Song Contest". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  27. ^ Belam, Martin (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest – season two episode six recap". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  28. ^ Mohamed, Stefan (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who Series 15 Episode 6 Review: The Interstellar Song Contest". Den of Geek. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  29. ^ Woodrow, Ryan (17 May 2025). "REVIEW: Doctor Who The Interstellar Song Contest falls flat and lacks depth". Newsweek. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  30. ^ Cooper, Daniel (17 May 2025). "Doctor Who: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' review: Camp!". Engadget. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
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