The eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who began on 23 August 2014 with "Deep Breath" and ended with "Death in Heaven" on 8 November 2014.

The main story arc revolves around a mysterious woman called Missy (portrayed by Michelle Gomez), who is often seen welcoming people who have died throughout the series to the "Promised Land", a place that serves as an apparent afterlife to deceased characters.

Other writers who worked on this series included Phil Ford, Mark Gatiss, Stephen Thompson, Gareth Roberts, Peter Harness, Jamie Mathieson (who wrote two), and novelist Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

[7] Capaldi had previously appeared on the show as Caecilius in "The Fires of Pompeii", as well as John Frobisher in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood: Children of Earth.

[8] In October 2013, actress Neve McIntosh stated in an interview that recurring characters Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax (known to fans as "the Paternoster Gang") were due to return in the series premiere "Deep Breath".

[9] On 24 February 2014, it was announced that Gavin & Stacey actor Samuel Anderson would join the cast as the recurring character Danny Pink, a teacher and Clara's colleague at Coal Hill School.

[11] Subsequently, Tom Riley, Ben Miller, Hermione Norris, Frank Skinner, Foxes, Christopher Fairbank, Sanjeev Bhaskar, and Chris Addison were cast in guest roles.

[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Other notable guest stars included Tony Jay, Peter Ferdinando, Zawe Ashton, Michael Smiley, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Jonathan Bailey, and Joivan Wade.

Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver reprised their roles of Kate Stewart and Osgood, respectively, last seen in the fiftieth anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor", in the two-part series final "Dark Water" / "Death in Heaven".

[27] Moffat also stated that, unlike the situation with Colin Baker,[28] reference would be made to Peter Capaldi's previous appearances in the Whoniverse, specifically "The Fires of Pompeii" (2008) and Torchwood (2009).

In a Q&A in Brazil he said that he believed that Jane Austen should feature in an episode, just like other famous authors who have appeared on the show, such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Agatha Christie.

Wheatley had the cinematographer change the central column from green to golden, and had the art department create a replica of Tommy Westphall's snowglobe from St.

[59] Production blocks were arranged as follows: On 10 June 2014, the BBC announced a "World Tour" promoting Series 8 to take place from 7–19 August 2014 and featuring Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Steven Moffat.

[67][68][69][70][71][72] On 6 July 2014, the scripts and rough "pre air screeners" for the first five episodes of the series were inadvertently leaked online from BBC Worldwide's Latin America headquarters.

[73] On 12 July, the black and white, watermarked "pre air screener" of "Deep Breath" was uploaded to The Pirate Bay.

[79][80] Series 8 was initially slated to be broadcast starting in the late summer of 2014, with Steven Moffat acknowledging this likelihood in July 2013, prior to the announcement of Peter Capaldi's casting.

[81] In September however it was suggested that the broadcast date would likely be pushed back to the third quarter of 2014, which would tie in with the production starting in January 2014 and typically lasting up to 9 months before the transmission of the first episode.

[84] At the final 50th anniversary event at the BFI in December 2013, Steven Moffat confirmed that the series would contain 13 episodes and would be broadcast in the second half of 2014.

[125][126][127] On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 88%, based on 26 reviews, and an average score of 8.17/10, with the website's critics consensus stating that "Like a TARDIS dropping down in a burst of excitement, Peter Capaldi adds a revitalizing blast of boldness and humor to Doctor Who's time-tested formula.

[131][132] "Deep Breath", "Into the Dalek", "Time Heist", "The Caretaker", "Flatline" and "Death in Heaven" also received predominantly positive reviews from critics.

[126][133][134] "Kill the Moon" widely divided critics after its broadcast - some praised it as a classic matching that of "Listen",[125][135] while others found it a weak or badly-scripted episode.

[136][137] Dan Martin, writing for The Guardian, criticised "Mummy on the Orient Express"; despite other critics giving the episode positive reviews—his focus was on the display of "sexual tension" between the Doctor and Clara that went against views of the show's cast, who previously stated that there would be no flirting between the two.