There are new eye-opening clues for fans to dissect (Picture: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
Warning: spoilers ahead for the Doctor Who finale Empire of Death.
The Doctor Who finale has finally been released, leaving fans in a frenzy dissecting every minute detail of the season’s last episode.
With showrunner Russell T Davies at the helm, the episode saw the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) seemingly bid farewell to Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) before he goes on new adventures with his upcoming new companion (Varada Sethu).
Another big talking point of the final instalment was the mystery surrounding Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson), who was first introduced in last year’s Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road.
When viewers first met Mrs Flood, it was apparent that there was more to her than meets the eye, as she clearly was familiar with the Doctor and broke the fourth wall to say: ‘Never seen a Tardis before?’
Theories swirled around the Whoniverse as to who she could be, with some Whovians suspecting that perhaps she’s an older version of River Song (Alex Kingston), the daughter of former companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill).
Anita Dobson is a true TV legend (Picture: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
When the last episode of season 14 (also being billed as season one) came around, some viewers might have thought the uncertainty around Mrs Flood’s identity would finally be uncovered.
However, it’s still up in the air – although we do have some fresh clues.
While speaking to Metro.co.uk at the London premiere for the new season in April this year, Anita, 75, teased when the big reveal about her character could finally be unravelled.
‘I think probably at the end of the second series – which we’re in the process of doing at the moment – you’ll find out a lot more about her,’ she shared.
The EastEnders legend continued, jokingly quipping: ‘I’m getting on, so it can’t go on forever! I’m happy as long as they want me, I’ll stay.
Fans have spotted a possible link between Jenna Coleman’s companion Clara and Mrs Flood (Picture: BBC)
‘I think you’ll find out more. You won’t find out exactly everything, obviously. Otherwise, there’s nowhere to go from there, is there?
‘But she’s intriguing, even to me, because for a long time, I haven’t known what’s going to happen either. So I’ve been kind of just turning up, plodding along, finding myself in different situations and thinking, “Okay, what happens now?” People keep asking me the same thing, and I haven’t got a clue.’
The clues behind Mrs Flood’s identity took an ominous turn in the finale, as in one scene, she warned that the Doctor’s story ‘ends in absolute terror’.
What made this moment even more intriguing was that she was wearing a white outfit similar to that of Romana (Mary Tamm), who was the Fourth Doctor’s companion.
Last week, she also wore attire similar to former companion Clara (Jenna Coleman), and fans have also picked up on the fact that Mrs Flood calls the Doctor ‘clever boy’… which Clara used to do as well.
As can be expected, many fans are frustrated beyond belief that they have to wait longer to find out who Mrs Flood really is.
‘How till the next season of Dr Who? I need to know how long I’m gonna be TORMENTED with who the hell Mrs Flood is,’ @ysheeblack wrote on X.
However, others disagreed, with @Eye_coaster remarking: ‘I may be in the minority – but I love that Mrs Flood was left til next season! It would have made the episode more bloated then it needed to be if they resolved her in The Empire of Death.’
When is Doctor Who back?
Following the eight episodes of the 14th season, Doctor Who will return with its 15th season later this year.
That will begin with the upcoming Christmas special, which is titled Joy to the World and has been written by former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat.
It will see the return of Varada to Doctor Who, who appeared in the latest season as a character called Mundy Flynn in the third episode, titled Boom.
Mundy is an Ordained Anglican Marine who meets the Doctor and Ruby on a planet called Kastarion 3, which is caught in the middle of a deadly, landmine-filled war.
So, it’ll be curious to see how Varada returns to the mix as the Doctor’s new companion, reuniting with him as well as Ruby.
Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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