1.6. Rogue

Season 1 - 2024

Written by: Kate Herron and Briony Redman
Executive Producers: Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson
Producer: Chris May
Director: Ben Chessell
Music performed by: BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Music by: Murray Gold

Synopsis

Bath, England, 1813: Lord Barton and Lord Galpin are talking a nighttime walk around the grounds of a stately home. Galpin accuses Barton of dishonouring his sister and tells Barton he must marry her. Barton refuses and instead offers to duel him. Barton realises Galpin is really bad, whilst he is dull. He grabs Galpin and transforms into him, leaving the dead Galpin on the ground.

Inside the stately home the Doctor and Ruby are attending a party, with dance moves being given to Ruby via psychic earrings. After the dance they are greeted by the Duchess of Pemberton. The duchess offers to help find Ruby a suitor when Ruby starts to get feedback from sonar interferences in her earrings. The Doctor tells Ruby to go with the Duchess whilst he handles the interference issue. He discreetly uses his sonic screwdriver to scan the dance hall, and spots a man watching events from a balcony.

The Duchess introduces Ruby to Lord Barton. After things do not go well he moves on to Miss Emily Beckett. Ruby watches as Emily walks away from Barton, and follows Emily and Barton to another room where she overhears Barton telling Emily that he would not marry her as it would damage his reputation, even though he finds her tempting. They are interrupted when Ruby leans closer and dislodges some books, and Barton quickly leaves. Ruby stays to talk to Emily who is upset at being spurned by Barton.

On the balcony the Doctor introduces himself to the man, Rogue, and the Doctor follows when Rogue takes the meeting outside.

Outside the Duchess finds a housekeeper and berates her for being outside. But the housekeeper says she made a mistake being staff, grabs the Duchess, and transforms into her, leaving the body on the floor. Moments later the Doctor and Rogue find the dead body of the Duchess. Both the Doctor and Rogue accuse each other of the murder. Rogue, a bounty hunter, thinks the Doctor is a Chuldur, a shapeshifting bird-like species, and leads the Doctor at gunpoint to his cloaked spaceship. Inside Rogue traps the Doctor inside a triform trap that works as a transform gate after it charges. The Doctor tries to use his sonic screwdriver to disable the trap but it's deadlocked.

Rogue scans the Doctor, for the paperwork, and the scanner confirms the Doctor is a shapeshifter. As the trifom gets close to being charged, and the Doctor's death, the Doctor flings his psychic paper to activate the scanner where it reveals some of the Doctor's previous regenerations. Realising the Doctor is not a Chuldur Rogue releases him, and the Doctor takes Rogue to his ship. Rogue is impressed by the TARDIS as the Doctor renders the trifom non-lethal. He tells Rogue he cannot let him kill the Chuldur, and instead they will transport them to a barren dimension.

Inside the house Ruby and Emily are upstairs hiding away from the party where the find the dead body of the housekeeper. They find the Doctor and Rogue at the party and Ruby tells him about the dead body, and the Doctor tells hel about the Chuldur. The Doctor realises the Chuldur are cosplaying, taking on the identities of people at the party. The Doctor wants to get the Duchess on her own, and the thing that attacts the most is scandal. It's 1813, so to create scandal the Doctor dances with Rogue. To add extra scandal the Doctor stages and argument with Rogue and storms away from a proposal, followed by Rogue.

Outside the Doctor and Rogue are expecting one Chuldur, but instead see four in their natural bird form. The Doctor and Rogue run, pursued by the Chuldur. Unable to find them the Chuldur return to the house where they decide there is no longer a need to hide themselves, even if this causes panic, as they can later advance to London to play their games.

Inside the house Ruby is once again trying to calm Emily, and tell her that she is from the future - before Emily transforms into a Chuldur before the attacks Ruby.

Away from the Chuldur using the sonic screwdriver the Doctor is able to make the trap handle up to six people, but this limits it to a single use. They return to the balcony and watch the chaos as the Chuldur return to the party. Rogue tells the Doctor this is the endgame, and that the Chuldur will slaughter everyone. As they watch the Chuldur Barton enters with Ruby for a wedding arranged by the Chuldur Duchess, and the Doctor thinks that Ruby is also a Chuldur, still in human form. The Doctor interrupts the wedding, and whilst attention is on him Rogue places the triform around the Chuldur. The Doctor activates the last piece, trapping the Chuldur and Ruby. Ruby tells the Doctor she is not a Chuldur, and when the Chuldur Emily arrives the Doctor realises his mistake.

The Doctor is left with a dilemma. Turn off the triform, and release Ruby and the Chuldur, or press send and banish them all to another dimension. Emily is still free and heads to the Doctor before Rogue picks her up, puts her inside the trap, and urges the Doctor to press send. Realising the Doctor will not press the button Rogue goes for a kiss, distracting the Doctor whilst he takes the trifom control. He barges into Ruby and the force knocks her out of the trifom but traps Rogue as he presses the button, sending him and the Chuldur to a different dimension.

Regular Cast

  • Ruby Sunday: Millie Gibson

Guest Cast

  • Lord Barton: Paul Forman
  • Lord Galpin: Maxim Ays
  • Duchess of Pemberton: Indira Varma
  • Rogue: Jonathan Groff
  • Emily Beckett: Camilla Aiko
  • Housekeeper: Debra Baker
  • Butler: Ashley Campbell
  • Miss Talbot: Nancy Brabin-Platt
  • Carla Sunday: Michelle Grenidge
  • Mr Price: David Charles

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 6. Rogue Saturday, June 8, 2024 6:45 PM - 7:30 PM 3.52M

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