The Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa
Companion: Varada Sethu – Belinda Chandra
Others
Jonny Green – Alan Budd
Max Parker – Manny
Anita Dobson – Mrs Flood
Thalia Dudek – Kirby Blake
Jeffin Kunjumon – Stefan Haines
Belinda Owusu – Receptionist
Tom Storey – Tombo
Stephen Love – Robot 1
Robert Strange – Robot 2
Nicholas Briggs – Voice of the Robots
Evelyn Miller – Sasha 55
Charles Sandford – Robot 3
Lucas Edwards – Robot 4
Caleb Hughes – Scoley
Nadine Higgin – Shago
William Ellis – Prime Minister
Directed by Peter Hoar
Written by Russell T Davies
Script editor: David Cheung
Produced by Vicki Delow
Executive producer(s): Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson
Music by Murray Gold
Series 15
Running time: 46 minutes
First broadcast 12 April 2025
As a teenager, Belinda Chandra has a star named after her by her nebbish, yet controlling boyfriend Alan Budd. He attempts to propose to her, but she rebuffs him. 17 years later, Belinda is captured by robots and taken to Missbelindachandra One, a planet nearby to Belinda's star, with the Doctor in pursuit, despite her insistence that Alan is the one who registered it. The "Missbelindachandrians" are composed of both human-like inhabitants and robots, but the robots are under the control of the Great AI who plans to merge with Belinda as their "queen". The Doctor, who through a time rift got there six months earlier, has been posing as the planet's historian and rescues Belinda along with the rebels, though some lives are lost.
The Doctor reveals that the robots are in possession of a diploma identical to the one Belinda has and that they managed to acquire it hundreds of years prior. They plan to have Belinda's diploma interact with the robot's copy to reset time. Due to the rebels blaming Belinda for their troubles, Belinda allows herself to be captured asking that the robots promise to not harm her friends. As they are taken to the Great AI, it is revealed that the AI is actually Alan. The robots recalling that Belinda blamed Alan used the time rift to get him years earlier. Excited at the prospect of Missbelindachandra being like a game, Alan merged himself with the machines and started the rebellion.
The Doctor and Belinda realize that Alan is actually in pain and Belinda has her diploma touch Alan's causing them to experience all of time simultaneously. The Doctor rescues Belinda, while Alan transforms back into a sperm and egg that is cleaned up by one of the robots. Now free, both the humanoids and robots decide to rebuild their society while the Doctor takes Belinda to the TARDIS. He reveals that he met her distant descendant Mundy Flynn[a] and wants to know how the diploma got into the robot's possession, but Belinda demands to be taken back home.
The TARDIS is unable to go back to 24 May 2025, and is being "bounced" off. The Doctor tells Belinda that they will need to take the long way around. As the TARDIS tries to find a way back to Earth, Earth debris of famous landmarks are seen floating in space.
The Robot Revolution