What to expect from Doctor Who's finale Empire of Death

Doctor Who is coming to its thrilling conclusion after the dramatic events of The Legend of Ruby Sunday, which saw the one of the Time Lord’s oldest enemy —and the long-teased One Who Waits— make his grand appearance.

Read more: How to watch the Doctor Who season 14 finale in cinemas

Empire of Death will be coming to UK cinemas for one night only, and for viewers who plan to watch it on the big screen or their smaller ones at home there is a lot to be expected of the finale. Questions will be answered, villains will be vanquished (we can hope, at least), and we will have to bid farewell to what has been a tremendous season for Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson.

Here is everything that we know and can expect to see in the finale of season 14.

What to expect from Doctor Who finale Empire of Death

The season’s big finish lands on BBC iPlayer on Saturday, 22 June at midnight, and will air on BBC One at 6.40pm the same day. The episode has been teased as the biggest thing to ever happen on Doctor Who and showrunner Russell T Davies has described it as "The Most Devastating Finale".

Speaking with Radio Times, Davies said of the episode: ""We want to end on a bang like we've never seen. This finale is like a huge feature film. I think a lot of people are going to be shocked – if I can pull it off. Hopefully, I will."

That certainly sounds ominous, so what can viewers expect to see happen? Well The Legend of Ruby Sunday has brought some suggestions.

Sutekh wreaks havoc

The biggest reveal in the first episode of the two-part finale is that The One Who Waits is Sutekh, one of the Doctor's early enemies who featured in Pyramids of Mars. Gabriel Woolf returns to voice the character that he first embodied 50 years ago.

Sutekh, the God of Death, made his presence known at the end of the episode, where it was revealed he was hiding in plain sight on the TARDIS. Revealing himself through an Anubis-like beast he warned that he would bring death to the Doctor and his precious home, Earth.

Read more: Will Rogue ever return to Doctor Who?

From the looks of the trailer, the first thing Sutekh will do is wreak havoc across the planet and start to destroy people and places at whim. The Doctor will then have to race against time to try and stop the villain and send him back to the pit he crawled out of.

Answers about Ruby Sunday

The other big question that viewers are hoping to get an answer about is the origins of Ruby Sunday, Gibson's companion has been quite the mystery since she joined the Doctor on his travels and this largely stems from her being abandoned by her mother as an infant.

Ruby's mother remains a mystery, but seems to have an understanding —if not a connection to— Sutekh. In his reveal, Sutekh said that he was "the father" and the God of Death, so perhaps she is actually "the mother" and God of Life? One can hope that the finale will give viewers an answer on who she is and why she has hidden her identity.

The Doctor saves the world

It should be expected that the Doctor will be able to save humanity from Sutekh's clutches, but how he will go about it and what he will lose in the process is the question. What we know is that Gibson is returning for the next season of the BBC series, so it's safe to say that she will survive the encounter.

Doctor Who finale Empire of Death will premiere on BBC iPlayer at midnight on Saturday, 22 June and it will air on BBC One at 6.40pm on the same day.