Doctor Who boss promises “devastating” finale: ‘The biggest ever’

Russell T Davies has teased a “running theme” throughout the upcoming eight episodes, leading up to one almighty finale.

By James Hibbs

Published: Monday, 22 April 2024 at 12:04 PM

While fans right now are just excited to watch the new season of Doctor Who, with the first two episodes, Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord, being released at once in May, there is always something tantalising about a finale.

This year’s finale, which is called Empire of Death, will air on 22nd June, and showrunner Russell T Davies has teased that it really is one to look out for.

Speaking in this month’s issue of SFX, Davies said that every episode in the new season “stands on its own”, but added that there will be a “running theme and running story that’s going to build and build and build to ‘The Most Devastating Finale’”.

Davies went on to call it “literally, the biggest finale ever”, and added: “There’s some shots of that in the trailers coming up. Oh my god, you’re gonna die.”

Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor opening the doors of the TARDIS and looking out, straight at the camera, in Doctor Who. He is wearing a multi-coloured cardigan.
Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor in Doctor Who.
BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon

This season structure sounds like it could follow those of previous seasons written by Davies, where a larger storyline, such as the Bad Wolf mystery in season 1 or the Harold Saxon narrative, is seeded with references throughout otherwise unrelated episodes, until these all come together with some big reveals either just before or in the season finale.

Read more:

While three of Davies’s four previous season finales featured the Daleks, it seems that won’t be the case this time around. That is, at least, if he and Fifteenth Doctor star Ncuti Gatwa have been telling the truth.

Davies previously said that the Daleks wouldn’t be featured this season as they needed “a good pause”, while Gatwa added in a recent interview that he hopes he gets to face off with the iconic monsters during his tenure.

He told Entertainment Weekly: “I’ve heard chats about me not ever facing a Dalek. I’d be so angry if that’s the case! By the time that I’m done with Doctor Who, I better have faced a Dalek. What on earth would be the point of me being Doctor Who without facing a Dalek!”