In the episode, the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) suddenly vanishes from a clifftop in Wales after breaking a fairy circle.

Described by Davies as folk horror, "73 Yards" was the first episode of the fourteenth series to be filmed, with shooting taking place in various locations around Wales in late 2022 and early 2023.

"73 Yards" was watched by 4.058 million viewers and received positive reviews from critics, with Gibson's performance being widely praised.

Ruby recalls that the Doctor said Gwilliam would bring Britain to the brink of nuclear war after he is elected.

Gwilliam wins the election, and plans to make a public address where he will announce that Britain is leaving NATO and buying Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

"73 Yards" was written by Russell T Davies, who described the episode as being "Welsh folk horror" and the antagonist to be the "strangest villain you'll ever see.

"[1] He further explained that the episode showed Ruby living "a life of penitence", required to do "something good" to earn forgiveness for the Doctor's unintentional "lack of respect" in breaking the fairy circle.

Two TARDIS props were used during filming because the production team needed it to appear aged and would not have had time to re-paint it on location.

[2][15] Davies later revealed in Doctor Who Magazine that a Doctor-lite episode would not have happened during the series if Gatwa had been available sooner.

The website's consensus reads: "A discombobulating and eerie installment that puts Millie Gibson's Ruby front and center, '73 Yards' is maybe the best entry in this season yet.

"[26] In his review for VG247, Alex Donaldson referred to "73 Yards" as "more than just an all-time great Doctor Who episode, it's one of the best bits of TV in years".

[42] Bradley Russell of Total Film described the episode as an "outstanding Who entry" that is "unsettling" and that would "stay with you long after the iconic credits music kicks in", but argued that the third act was weaker than the rest of the episode as it loses the impact of horror and forward momentum from the Welsh setting.

[30] Louise Griffin of Radio Times opined that the "unanswered questions" contributed "to the riddle of the story" and the execution was good, adding that she believed there was a limit for audiences, but the episode did not cross it.

Cook compared it to the series four episode "Turn Left" (2008), and praised the decision to exclude the Doctor saying it gave Gibson room to breathe.

[12] Jennifer Zhan of Vulture gave a more mixed review, giving the episode three out of five, feeling that various questions were left unanswered, and even calls Ruby not initially helping Marti to be contrasting with her established character.

[34] Adi Tantimedh from Bleeding Cool gave the episode a 10/10, saying that it "perfectly encapsulates the absurdity and horror of the modern world through the lens of a multi-colored puppet nightmare of epic proportions".

[45] It was released as a paperback and an audiobook on 8 August 2024 as part of the Target Collection, the second anniversary of Davies deciding on the distance of 73 yards.