Death in Heaven

252b – "Death in Heaven"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byRachel Talalay
Written bySteven Moffat
Script editorDavid P Davis
Produced byPeter Bennett
Executive producer(s)Steven Moffat
Brian Minchin
Music byMurray Gold
SeriesSeries 8
Running time2nd of 2-part story, 57 minutes
First broadcast8 November 2014 (2014-11-08)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Dark Water"
Followed by →
"Last Christmas"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Death in Heaven" is the twelfth and final episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 8 November 2014. The episode was written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Rachel Talalay. It is the second of a two-part story; the first episode "Dark Water" aired on 1 November.

In the episode, Missy (Michelle Gomez), an evil alien time traveller (also known as the Master) resurrects the dead as an army of cyborgs called Cybermen as a gift to her former friend the Doctor (Peter Capaldi), intending to prove that they are alike.

The episode was watched by 7.60 million viewers and received positive reviews, with critics praising its writing, direction, and acting. Gomez was consistently highly praised in reviews, with many calling her a highlight of the eighth series.[1][2][3][4]

The title sequence was subtly different for this episode. In the cold open, Clara tells the Cybermen that she is the Doctor to convince them to keep her alive. The image of Peter Capaldi's eyes in the opening credits is replaced with one of Jenna Coleman's eyes and Coleman's name precedes Capaldi's.[5]

  1. ^ "Doctor Who recap series 34 episode 12: Death in Heaven", The Guardian, 8 November 2014.
  2. ^ Gavin Clarke (8 November 2014). "Doctor Who trashing the TARDIS, Clara alone, useless UNIT – Death in Heaven". The Register. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Doctor Who series 8 finale: Death in Heaven left far too many threads hanging - Metro News". Metro. 9 November 2014.
  4. ^ Risley, Matt (8 November 2014). "Doctor Who: "Death in Heaven" Review". IGN. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven". RadioTimes.