Doctor Who confirms air time for season finale Empire of Death

Episodes of Doctor Who season 14 have dropped first on iPlayer at midnight on Saturdays, before getting a BBC One broadcast later that same day – with Empire of Death now officially pencilled in for 6:40pm on 22nd June.

The show's midnight launches were greeted with some controversy when first announced, but Davies defended them as a move to keep up with modern audiences, and suggested that spoilers could be avoided by taking time off social media.

"But seriously, I’m not making light of this," he wrote in Doctor Who Magazine. "I can hear the worries. It’s easy to say 'stay offline' when your health or job or nature might make that impossible.

"And I’m sorry, because then, yes, spoilers will fly... There has never been a transmission pattern in the digital age that’s perfect for everyone."

Later, Davies said that Empire of Death is one episode that is definitely worth a late night on iPlayer.

He told RadioTimes.com: "If ever you’re going to stay up until midnight with a bottle of cider or a box of chocolates and sit there and watch Doctor Who, I would recommend it for that one – because you will be screaming.

"Try to stay unspoilt, because it’s so hard to be unspoilt with things. Try, try, try, and you will have a whale of a time with that one."

Meanwhile, in an interview with SFX, the prolific screenwriter described Empire of Death as "devastating" and "the biggest finale ever", promising some jaw-dropping shots in the episode's upcoming trailer.

Doctor Who season 15 is already in production, with Gatwa and Gibson returning alongside TARDIS addition Varada Sethu, who made a surprise debut as Mundy Flynn in Steven Moffat's recent episode Boom.

Doctor Who airs Saturdays on BBC One and iPlayer.

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