Doctor Who: Ncuti Gatwa’s ‘73 Yards’ disappearance explained by showrunner 

’73 Yards’, the newest episode of Doctor Who, didn’t feature Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor at all — and the series’ showrunner has revealed why he was missing in action.

As Gatwa has only appeared as the Doctor in four episodes of Doctor Who Season 14, the decision to have him completely absent in ’73 Yards’ was a bold choice, but it did allow for his companion, Ruby Sunday, to take center stage.

However, showrunner Russell T Davies revealed that real life circumstances forced the crew to film without Gatwa during Doctor Who: Unleashed.

“The whole setup of this is partly because Ncuti was busy filming Sex Education,” Davies said.

“We had to start filming, so we kind of happily embraced the opportunity to say, let’s focus on Millie as Ruby. And that gives you a chance to explore her character. It gives us a chance to explore her as an actor. And it’s really rewarding. It’s really paying back. She’s doing the most brilliant job.”

Not only did ’73 Yards’ give Ruby time to a chance to shine in her own right, it also proved a popular fan theory wrong and acknowledged Season 14’s biggest mystery.

Our four-star review broke down all the reasons why ’73 Yards’ is the best episode so far, as it introduced some new horror elements to the series and allowed viewers to see that serious Doctor Who stories hit as hard as the wacky ones.

Though Episode 4’s ending put the show back on track, it’s definitely a sign that viewers should expect more out of bottle Doctor Who episodes in the future.

There’ll be more to unpack when the new episode of Doctor Who Season 14 is out. In the meantime, check out our explainer on Susan Twist and our guide to the biggest Doctor Who Season 14 theories.