Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Doctor Who
S1.E8
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Empire of Death

  • Episode aired Jun 21, 2024
  • 56m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in Empire of Death (2024)
AdventureDramaSci-Fi

The Doctor has lost, his ageless enemy reigns supreme, and a shadow is falling over creation. Nothing can stop the devastation - except, perhaps, one woman.The Doctor has lost, his ageless enemy reigns supreme, and a shadow is falling over creation. Nothing can stop the devastation - except, perhaps, one woman.The Doctor has lost, his ageless enemy reigns supreme, and a shadow is falling over creation. Nothing can stop the devastation - except, perhaps, one woman.

  • Director
    • Jamie Donoughue
  • Writer
    • Russell T. Davies
  • Stars
    • Ncuti Gatwa
    • Millie Gibson
    • Gabriel Woolf
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    5.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jamie Donoughue
    • Writer
      • Russell T. Davies
    • Stars
      • Ncuti Gatwa
      • Millie Gibson
      • Gabriel Woolf
    • 63User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 2
    View Poster

    Top cast25

    Edit
    Ncuti Gatwa
    Ncuti Gatwa
    • The Doctor
    Millie Gibson
    Millie Gibson
    • Ruby Sunday
    Gabriel Woolf
    • Sutekh
    • (voice)
    Susan Twist
    Susan Twist
    • Susan Triad
    Bonnie Langford
    Bonnie Langford
    • Melanie Bush
    Jemma Redgrave
    Jemma Redgrave
    • Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
    Yasmin Finney
    Yasmin Finney
    • Rose Noble
    Genesis Lynea
    Genesis Lynea
    • Harriet Arbinger
    Lenny Rush
    Lenny Rush
    • Morris Gibbons
    Aidan Cook
    Aidan Cook
    • The Vlinx
    Nicholas Briggs
    Nicholas Briggs
    • Voice of the Vlinx
    • (voice)
    Alexander Devrient
    Alexander Devrient
    • Colonel Christofer Ibrahim
    Jasmine Bayes
    Jasmine Bayes
    • Corporal Alice Sullivan
    Anita Dobson
    Anita Dobson
    • Mrs. Flood
    Michelle Greenidge
    Michelle Greenidge
    • Carla Sunday
    Angela Wynter
    Angela Wynter
    • Cherry Sunday
    Sian Clifford
    Sian Clifford
    • Kind Woman
    Amol Rajan
    Amol Rajan
    • Amol Rajan
    • Director
      • Jamie Donoughue
    • Writer
      • Russell T. Davies
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews63

    6.35.6K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7rowe-27464

    Everything a Finale should have

    A decent Finale. With some disappointing moments, I thought Sutekh was defeated easily. And some of the ideas, I think they were a bit hot to handle for RTD. With all that said, the rest of it was enjoyable. The hide behind your sofa elements of Who are back, and the memory Tardis brought back so much wonderful memories. And there's still the old saying Timey whimey, stuff is all here. And we've got character drama back, Ruby trying to find her mother. And the ordinary speech from the Doctor was great, although maybe a little disappointing how she was just an ordinary person. But how it played out and execution wasn't terrible for what it was. And It had some edge of your seat moments that were very intense. It's also not the worst Finale, we've had Seasons 6's, and Season 8's with Season 11 and 12 Both being worse. And maybe even Season 13's Finale. But it could of been better.
    3pdcorlis

    Three things this episode proves about this season

    1. Russell T Davies has literally lost the plot when it comes to writing engaging Dr. Who episodes and crafting an engaging arc to the season. 2. CGI can't save a lousy script. And 3. Disney has no idea what or who Dr. Who is, and they never will.

    I give the actors their due for making the best out of bad material but at some point they should have pushed back against the drivel they were handed. After all do they really want to be known as the actors that killed the longest running show in television history?

    If I could give the bigwigs some advice I'd say - fire Davies, regenerate the Doctor, and bury this season in a deep dark hole never to be seen again.

    I want our Dr. Who back!
    4Deubanks795

    Why This Season Left Me Disappointed: A Long-time Fan's Perspective

    I'm deeply disappointed with this season of Doctor Who. It feels like the writers have shifted focus to cater to anyone but their core followers who have loved the show since the 2005 revival, and many even loved it before that.

    One of the most jarring changes is how they've portrayed the Doctor. This season, the Doctor seemed to weep in every episode (at least four times in the finale), showing so much fear with each new story and even running away at times. That's not who the Doctor is and has been. Sure, he feels emotion and cries. Sure, he feels fear. But that has never been the focal point, showing the audience how much he is like us. This new humanization undermines the very essence of the Doctor, who we've come to admire for being a Time Lord with bravery, wit, and a unique, almost otherworldly perspective; a Lord of Time who faces his enemies without hesitation and who doesn't have time to constantly give in to his emotions and feelings.

    I miss the confident, enigmatic Doctor who faces challenges head-on with a mix of intelligence and humor. These new changes in character make it feel like I'm watching any other human in a show rather than the Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa is clearly an excellent actor with great charismatic magnetism, but he's being made to portray a character that is so very human, just like me. There are hundreds of sci-fi shows featuring people just like me. That's not why we watch this show. There's a reason this show has lasted so long, and I think that's being forgotten or put on a shelf to collect dust.

    It's disheartening that the season finale didn't leave me eagerly anticipating the next season. A strong, cliffhanger ending or enigmatic build is crucial for keeping viewers excited about what's next, but this season failed to deliver that. This season started with a great "save the cheerleader, save the world" vibe but, just like Heroes, it seems as if they didn't plan it all the way through and didn't deliver what they set out to achieve.

    I truly hope the creators will listen to the broader fanbase and bring back the elements that make Doctor Who the iconic show we love. Return the show to its roots, its core, its formula that kept us on the edge of our seats each and every episode.
    5sloncarvuca

    Wasted potential and weak resolutions

    So we get a great reveal last episode with one of the greatest villains of all time, and now the real question is how do we defeat him? Well I think RTD doesn't know how to either. The Entire Sutekh storyline felt so forced and random. There were no real payoffs or dramatic moments. It felt so rushed and confusing. Ruby's mother storyline also suffered greatly. I understand some people are going to like the ending, but explanations for all the weird stuff that has been happening just feel so randomly explained just for the sake of it. The episode wasn't all bad, there were some good moments. Millie Gibson gave a great performance and so did Bonnie Langford, who in my opinion, carried the episode.
    2stbdave

    Empire of Death - Demise of plot

    After all the hype this story failed to land. While the return of Sutekh was an excellent choice and his the idea that he had never left the TARDIS was an excellent way to threaten the entire universe, this episode fell flat for the simple reason that everyone had plot armour.

    Plot armour is generally only used on the main character, but in this episode like in the Flux episodes a degree of plot armour was applied to everyone.

    There were no stakes.

    There was no way they wouldn't either completely reverse it or save a good portion of people.

    Doctor Who relies on a universe that is varied and populated. Universe ending plot lines are now a non-starter and after a while produce zero suspense.

    Like 73 Yards, this episode has no significant consequences as the events were, to an extent overwritten.

    Ruby's mystery ended up being utterly uninteresting, to the extent that while a major plot point of the episode, it only served as bait.

    Personally I find that after Amy and Clara, mysteries surrounding companions are now uninteresting. Short of exceptional and intriguing writing, the companions should just be ordinary people given the chance to shine.

    The story telling in Doctor Who has seriously declined. This story had no significant consequences and has yet again relied on wishful thinking (see Parting of the ways, Last of the Time Lords and Journeys End) to end a universe threatening event. It seems that Russell T Davies is only capable of writing inherently flawed universe ending finales.

    These finales no longer satisfy and should be abandoned.

    Related interests

    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Doctor mentions 3 years he landed on Earth; 1066, 1999 and 2005. 1066 is in reference to the first Doctor serial, The Time Meddler (1965), where The Doctor had to stop The Meddling Monk from changing the Battle of Hastings. 1999 is a reference to the television movie Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), where The Doctor arrives in San Francisco in 1999 and battles The Master who wants to steal his body. 2005 is a reference to the episode Rose (2005), where The Doctor meets Rose Tyler in 2005 and they battle the Autons.
    • Goofs
      The Doctor states that every sun is dead whilst in orbit above the Earth, but when he, Ruby and Mel return to Earth, it is visibly in daylight.
    • Quotes

      Susan Triad: Oh, pet. Anything to help. I don't mind. I'll make the tea!

      Colonel Christofer Ibrahim: Did you make this tea?

      Susan Triad: I did, yes.

      Colonel Christofer Ibrahim: Don't make the tea.

    • Connections
      Featured in Doctor Who: Unleashed: Empire of Death (2024)
    • Soundtracks
      Carol of the Bells
      (uncredited)

      Music by Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych

      Lyrics by Peter Wilhousky

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 21, 2024 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Doctor Who Series 1: 8. Empire of Death
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • BBC Studios
      • Bad Wolf
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 56m
    • Color
      • Color

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.