Doctor Who overnight ratings revealed for finale Empire of Death

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) fought immortal enemy Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf) in the dramatic final episode of season 14, with some help from UNIT and returning classic companion Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford).

Overnight, the episode was watched by 2.25 million people on BBC One.

As always, it must be noted that this is not the full story as it doesn't include viewers who tuned in from midnight onwards on BBC iPlayer.

Throughout the run, instalments have first dropped on BBC iPlayer at midnight on Saturday, so many viewers will already have watched the episodes before they make their TV debut in the evening.

Consolidated figures have been hovering around the 4 million mark for most of the season, and the full seven-day viewership figures for Empire of Death will be revealed in due course.

Empire of Death saw the Doctor and co defeat Sutekh after the immortal god brought death to all space and time.

Season-long mysteries, including the identity of Ruby's mother, were answered, but fans have still been left with some questions, including who Anita Dobson's character Mrs Flood actually is.

Dobson stole the show at the end of the episode as Mrs Flood gave an ominous warning straight to camera, clad in a fur coat and using an umbrella to shield herself from the snow on the roof of Ruby's building.

Closing the episode, she broke the fourth wall once again and said: "And that's how the story of The Church on Ruby Road comes to an end. With a very happy ending for little Ruby Sunday.

"But life goes on, doesn't it? Ruthlessly. And what happens, you might wonder. Oh, what happens to that mysterious traveller in time and space known as the Doctor? I'm sorry to say his story ends in absolute terror. Night night!"

Chatting to RadioTimes.com, Dobson recently explained: "You will find out more about her as we go along."

She added: "In fact, this particular series, season 2, which we’re [filming] at the moment, you do actually find out quite a lot about her. That’ll be interesting, to see what people think."Watch this space (and time!).

Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at Christmas. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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