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Ncuti Gatwa
The Story & The Engine
Fifteenth Doctor Logo


Synopsis


The Barber Shop
The Barber Shop
 Lagos in 2019 is an ideal spot to get a bearing on the Vindicator - a vital step to returning Belinda home.

 While he is there, The Doctor, decides to drop in on his old friend Omo who runs a barber shop in the city. But he soon discovers that it is under new management.

 The mysterious Barber reigns supreme and The Doctor is blissfully unaware that he is falling into a trap. The Doctor soon finds himself embroiled in a plot for revenge that spans centuries…

 The Doctor discovers a world where stories have power, but can he stop the Barber and also the Spider and its deadly web of revenge?



General Information

Season: Forty Two (New Series 15)
Production Code: 15-5
Story Number: 317 (New Series: 161)
Episode Number:889 (New Series: 193)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Production Dates:
Broadcast Date: 10 May 2025
Colour Status: HD Colour
Studio: Wolf Studios (Cardiff, Wales)
Location:
Writer:Inua Ellams
Director:Makalla McPherson
Producer:Vicki Delow
Executive Producers:Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Russell T Davies
Brand Director for BBC Studios:Vanessa Hamilton
Production Executive for BBC Studios:John Hamer
Executive Producer for the BBC:Nick Lambon
Co-Producer:Sharon King
Assistant Directors:Dan Mumford (1st), Kole Onis (1st), Charlie Campbell (2nd), Jennifer Day (3rd) and Rosey-Pepper Mortley (Crowd 2nd)
Director's Assistants:Abdoul Razak Ceesay and Jamie McKee
Producer's Assistant:Jamie McKee
Script Supervisors:Nicki Coles and Molly Baldwin (Trainee)
Script Editors:David Cheung and Hilla Hamidi (Assistant)
Editors:Carly Brown, Emily Lawrence (Assistant), Joseph Keirle (Assistant), Yas Downess (Assistant), Harri McAnish (VFX) and Catrin Rees (VFX Assistant)
Colourist:Gareth Spensley
Production Executive:Steffan Morris
Junior Production Executive:Charlotte Cox
Production Manager:Delmi Thomas
Production Assistant:Lisa Elena Williams
Post Production Producer:Ceres Doyle
Post Production Supervisor:Louise Sutton
Location Managers:Alex Moore and Shuaib Said (Assistant)
Supervising Location Manager:Iwan Roberts
Studio Managers:Richard Balshaw and Lloyd Di Mauro (Assistant)
Unit Manager:Kyle Yates
Production Designer:Phil Sims
Director of Production:Emily Russell
Director of Photography:Ashley Barron ACS
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG/CSA
Online Editors:Christine Kelly and Monika Bednarczyk (Assistant)
Line Producer:Angela Phillips
Costume Designer:Pam Downe
Hair & Make-Up Designer:Julie Kendrick
Cameramen:Andrea Jovanovska (Clapper Loader), Sarah MacLeod (Clapper Loader), James Chesterton ACO (Operator), Steve Rees (Operator), Chai Lee Tan (Trainee) and Salma Salah (Trainee)
Visual Effects:One of Us
VFX Producer:Anne Akande
VFX Supervisors:Dave Houghton and Sebastian Barker
Additional VFX:BBC Wales Graphics
Special Effects:Real SFX
Creature Design:Painting Practice
Stunt Co-ordinator:Derek Lea
Stunt Performer:Paul Joseph
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Sound Recordist:Alex Thompson
Re-recording Mixer:Paul McFadden
Music Performed By:BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Music Conducted By:Alastair King
Assistant to Composer:Sam Dinley
Music Mixed By:Jake Jackson
Score Preperation By:Dave Foster
Music Supervisors:Ollie White and Estera Dabrowska (Assistant)
Music Editor:Marnie Davidge
Title Sequence:Painting Practice & Realtime Visualisation
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Dialect Coach: Hazel Holder
Featured Percussion: Richard Olátúndé Baker
Medical Advisor: Saleyha Ahsan
Medical Advisor: Matthew Casson
Nigerian Advisor: Taiye Omokore
Lagos Unit: Wishbones Africa
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor:
Ncuti Gatwa (The Fifteenth Doctor)
Number of Companions: 1
The Companion:
Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra)
Guest Cast:
Anita Dobson (Mrs Flood), Jo Martin (The Doctor)
Additional Cast:
Sule Rimi (Omo Esosa), Ariyon Bakare (The Barber), Stefan Adegbola (Rashid Abubakar), Jordan Adene (Tunde Adebayo), Michael Balogun (Obioma Okoli), Michelle Asante (Abena), Simon Bailey (Paramedic), Adrian Pang (Consultant), Tessa Bell-Briggs (Patient), Inua Ellams (Market Seller), Funmi James (Security Guard), Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps (Poppy)
Setting:
Lagos, Nigeria (2019)
Villains:Abena and The Barber


The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
889The Story & The Engine10 May 202547'08"2.7Yes

Total Duration 47 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 2.7


Archives


 This story exists and is held in the BBC's Film and Videotape Library.



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Story Images

 
Belinda and The Doctor Inside the TARDIS
Belinda and The Doctor Inside the TARDIS
The Doctor in Lagos
The Doctor in Lagos
Belinda Chandra
Belinda Chandra
A Warm Welcome
A Warm Welcome
 
Omo Esosa
Omo Esosa
The Barber
The Barber
Abena
Abena
Rashid, Tunde and Obioma
Rashid, Tunde and Obioma
 
The TARDIS Reacts
The TARDIS Reacts
The 'Fugative' Doctor
The 'Fugative' Doctor
The Spider
The Spider
Leaving in the TARDIS
Leaving in the TARDIS




Quote of the Story


 'You want a story about Weeping Angels and Ice Warriors, but nothing is more vivid than an ordinary life…'

The Doctor



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
The Complete Fifteenth Series Box SetDue: August 2025Photo-montageDVD boxed set containing 7 stories from New Series 15 along with the 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World"
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fifteenth Series Box SetDue: August 2025Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 7 stories from New Series 15 along with the 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World"
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fifteenth Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)Due: August 2025Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 7 stories from New Series 15 along with the 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World"


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 616 (Released: May 2025)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companion

 
Ncuti Gatwa
The Fifteenth Doctor

   

 
Varada Sethu
Belinda Chandra
 
   





Magazines

 
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 616
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 616

Marvel Comics
 
   

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