Doctor Who series 8

Did You Know?

• The first episode, Deep Breath, has a running time of 76 minutes, making it the second-longest episode of the revived era at the time.
• The series finale was the first two-part story since The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People from series 6 in 2011.
• Selected pieces of score from this series, composed by Murray Gold, were released in a 3-CD set on 18 May 2015 along with music from the 2014 Christmas special Last Christmas.

Casting

Matt Smith announced in June 2013 that he would leave Doctor Who after the 2013 Christmas episode. His replacement was revealed on a live broadcast on 4 August as Peter Capaldi, known for playing Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It and previously appearing in Doctor Who as Caecilius and in Torchwood: Children of Earth as John Frobisher. Neve McIntosh stated in October 2013 that the Paternoster Gang would return in the series premiere. Samuel Anderson joined the cast as Danny Pink, a teacher and Clara's colleague at Coal Hill School, announced on 24 February 2014. Keeley Hawes was cast as Ms. Delphox for episode five. Other guest stars included Tom Riley, Ben Miller, Hermione Norris, Frank Skinner, Foxes, Christopher Fairbank, Sanjeev Bhaskar, and Chris Addison. Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver reprised their roles as Kate Stewart and Osgood in the two-part finale. Michelle Gomez played Missy, described as the Gatekeeper of the Nethersphere, appearing in multiple episodes; it was revealed in the finale that Missy is the Master.

Production

The series was officially ordered on 20 May 2013, led by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat alongside executive producer Brian Minchin. At Comic-Con 2013, Moffat stated that development was under way and scripts were arriving. Moffat likened his plans for the Twelfth Doctor to Tom Baker's first season, with the Doctor being tricky at first but eased by familiar characters. He confirmed that reference would be made to Capaldi's previous Whoniverse appearances, contacting Russell T Davies to confirm a plan explaining those repeat appearances. Chris Chibnall was approached to contribute but declined due to his schedule. Neil Cross confirmed he would write at least one episode. Frank Cottrell-Boyce confirmed he would write an episode on 4 July 2014. Grant Morrison revealed in a 2022 newsletter that they had pitched ideas, including for a new monster, but none were commissioned. Filming began on 6 January 2014 and lasted seven months, ending on 6 August.

Release

In June 2014, the BBC revealed a global promotional tour for the eighth series, running from 7 to 19 August, with Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, and Steven Moffat visiting Cardiff, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York City, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro. The series’ first full trailer aired on BBC One on 13 July during the World Cup final’s halftime. Four teaser trailers came out on 23 May, 27 June, 4 July, and 27 July. On 7 August, a BBC News interview with Capaldi included clips from episode two. From 18 August, six short teasers led up to the premiere. On 6 July, scripts and rough pre-air screeners for the first five episodes leaked from BBC Worldwide’s Latin America office. A rough cut of “Deep Breath” appeared on The Pirate Bay on 12 July. “Robot of Sherwood” leaked in late August, and “Listen” and “Time Heist” followed later.

Reception

Critical reaction to series 8 was positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 88% approval rating based on 26 reviews, with an average score of 8.17/10. Metacritic gave a weighted average score of 80/100. Ian Jane of DVD Talk gave 4.5 out of 5, praising Capaldi's performance, Clara's character development, and the writing. Many critics praised the renewed focus on character development and darker tone, though the Radio Times reported controversy after criticism from parents of young children. Individual episodes received predominantly positive reviews, with Listen and Dark Water receiving critical acclaim. Kill the Moon divided critics, with some praising it as a classic and others finding it weak. Dan Martin of The Guardian criticised Mummy on the Orient Express for displaying sexual tension between the Doctor and Clara, contrary to cast statements.