Air date: Saturday 8 November 2014.
Written by Steven Moffat.
Directed by Rachel Talalay.
Guest cast: Michelle Gomez as the Gatekeeper of the Nethersphere, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, Andrew Leung as Dr Chang, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Chris Addison.
Official synopsis: “With Cybermen on the streets of London, old friends unite against old enemies and the Doctor takes to the air in a startling new role. Can the mighty UNIT contain Missy? As the Doctor faces his greatest challenge, sacrifices must be made before the day is won.”
Peter Capaldi: “I’ve read [that Jenna Coleman] may be leaving at Christmas, but I don’t even know if she’ll get to Christmas. You’ve got to just watch [Season 8] and wait and see what happens … The work she has done this season is extraordinary because she’s called upon to do things that I don’t think any other companion has had to do.”
Rachel Talalay: “One day we shot outside St. Paul’s Cathedral. Part of what we were tasked to do was replicate some classic shots – from the sixties show – of the Cybermen outside St. Paul’s. It’s a whole new story.”
Steven Moffat: “I’m completely thrilled he is coming to the aid of the Doctor. The danger is never deadlier than in a finale episode, and the Time Lord is certainly going to need all the help he can get!”
Special effects supervisor Danny Hargreaves: “[Season 8 is] one of the most challenging series I’ve ever done.”
Sanjeev Bhaskar: “I’m thrilled to have made a small contribution to – and now be part of – the Doctor Who universe. Another dream box ticked!”
Steven Moffat: “[At the end of Season 8, fans will feel] like they want Doctor Who to come back very, very quickly.”
Rachel Talalay: “Monsters. Explosions. Star-gazing. And a blue box. Top geek day.”
Rachel Talalay: “We have nicknamed our block [of episodes, 11-12] The Crescendo Block. Prepare for loud.”
Rachel Talalay: “I’m so exciting to get to work with the show. It fits into my kind of out-there, pushing-the-envelope, trying to give the audience something to grab on to… It’s so big and so hard and so ambitious. When you’re working with a wonderful script, you just think, ‘How to I tell this story beautifully and blow away the audience?'”