Death in Heaven ( TV story ) Death in Heaven was the twelfth and final episode of the eighth series of " Doctor Who " produced by BBC Wales . It saw the second death of Danny Pink , the death of one of the two Osgoods , and the apparent death of . It revealed that Missy had been the " woman in the shop " who gave Clara the TARDIS phone number in " The Bells of Saint John " and the one who had provided the advertisement that drew the Doctor and Clara together again in " Deep Breath " . It also allowed " Doctor Who " to again pay homage to the late Nicholas Courtney , with his character , the Brigadier , appearing as a Cyberman . This was the first televised " Doctor Who " appearance by the character since " Battlefield " , and effectively his first televised appearance since Courtney ' s death . He had appeared in audios and " The Sarah Jane Adventures " in the intervening time period . The events of the two - parter takes place on the Doctor ' s birthday . This is the first story to be revealed to be doing so . In a strange twist , the Cybermen gain the ability to fly in this story . In Clara and the Doctor ' s previous encounter with the Cybermen , Clara had wondered if the Cybermen could fly ; at that point they could not , therefore allowing air superiority by those apposing the Cybermen . " Death in Heaven " , and first - part episode " Dark Water " , was shown in cinemas in 3D as a two - night event on the 15th and 16th September as a run - up to prepare for Series 9 . It was followed by the premiere of the prequel scene " The Doctor ' s Meditation " . This screening was only shown in the United States of America , Canada , Denmark and Russia . Synopsis . With Cybermen on the streets of London , old friends unite against old enemies and the Doctor takes to the air in a startling new role . Can the mighty UNIT contain Missy ? As the Doctor faces his greatest challenge , sacrifices must be made before the day is won . Plot . Inside the 3W facility , Clara hides behind a desk as the Cyberman that had been Dr . Skarosa marches out of his tank . However , it detects her , demanding she reveal herself . Clara complies , hands raised ; she tells the Cyberman that she is a target of strategic value . The Cyberman scans her , and states that she is Clara Oswald , an ordinary human with no value whatsoever . Clara tells the Cyberman it ' s wrong , that the identity of " Clara Oswald " is just a story she made up . It ' s interest piqued , the Cyberman asks for her identification again . Clara tells it that she is the one person who can change their face and hide in place sight in front of the Cybermen . When asked again for her identity , Clara claims to be " The Doctor " . Outside of St Paul ' s Cathedral , the Doctor tries getting everyone to run away from the Cybermen . However , sarcastically passes him off as a ranting madman . The Doctor is baffled by this sight ; no - one is panicking at the sight of these silver monstrosities . Missy advertises the Cybermen as big metal men and charges the public one pound for a picture with them . Slinging an arm around the Doctor , Missy shows him pictures on her device which show that the same thing is happening globally . When Missy states they should take a picture , an undercover Osgood offers to take a picture , seizing Missy ' s weapon . She calls in a strike , and UNIT officers reveal themselves from the crowd . Kate walks out of the crowd , introducing herself to the Cybermen , who dismiss her threats as insignificant as human technology cannot match Cyber - technology . With a smile , Kate tosses the empty head of a Cyberman from " The Invasion " in front of the Cybermen ; they left that behind on their last attempt to conquer the Earth . The Cybermen use their rocket boots to escape . The roof of St Paul ' s opens and more fly out . Missy reveals that there are ninety - one Cybermen . Osgood states that this is the number of areas of significant population densities in the British Isles , meaning one Cyberman for every town and city in the world . One Cyberman detonates itself above St Paul ' s , creating a dark cloud and deploying Cyber - pollen . Meanwhile in the Nethersphere , all the lights go out . Seb tells Danny that they all might be going home . He explains to Danny that he should think of the Nethersphere as a data - cloud for storing recently deceased minds . The good news , he says , is that their bodies have been " upgraded " . Back at St Paul ' s both Missy and the Doctor are sedated and the Doctor just manages to whisper to Osgood , " Guard the graveyards " before passing out . Kate states on the phone that the " first protocol " has been implemented as the cloud made by the Cyberman starts to rain into the graveyards – and " only " the graveyards . The water seeps out and makes the sewers and gutters overflow . The water gets into the Chaplet Funeral Home and animates the newly converted Cybermen within . One of these is revealed to be Danny Pink , who clutches the sheet of paper with his information on it . Meanwhile , the Doctor wakes up in a UNIT aircraft hanger with the TARDIS as Kate informs him that protocols are in place and his co - operation is to be ensured , since UNIT assumes that he won ' t automatically do so . The Doctor asks for Clara and Kate says that he just has to give the order , as soon as he is on the plane his word is literally law . The plane is revealed to be Boat One . Kate tells someone on the phone that the President is aboard and when the Doctor comments on the uselessness of Americans , Colonel Ahmed reveals that the President of the United States was not being referred to ; instead they were talking about the newly inaugurated President of Earth , commander in chief of all armies on the planet with complete authority in every nation . ' That your solution for everything ? Vote for an idiot ? " the Doctor asks . And to his shock , Colonel Ahmed reveals the Doctor just insulted himself . Back in St Paul ' s , Clara displays an incredible knowledge of the Doctor , trying to convince the Cybermen that she is him . She even offered to reveal his true name , however another Cyberman arrives telling the other three both the lie and its cause . He looks down when she says that she is an incredible liar . He then knocks her unconscious and kills the other three who realise that he is not under Cyber - control . He is revealed to be Danny . As Missy wakes up , the Doctor asks her why she is alive and she states that he saved her , with Gallifrey being collateral damage . She then reveals that she knows where it is but refuses to give him this information . As he leaves the Doctor reminds her of all those times she wanted to rule the world and calls it a piece of cake . Osgood quickly guesses who Missy is and brings the Cyber - clouds to the Doctor ' s attention , specifically the fact that they have expanded and now cover all land - masses . In response , the Doctor offers her a position in the TARDIS . It is revealed that Cybermen have been climbing out of graves the world over . When Clara wakes up , she finds herself in a graveyard just as Cybermen start climbing out of their graves . On Boat One , a council discusses the graves , finding that though only a handful of Cybermen had come out yet , many more were hatching . The Doctor realises that the entire point of the 3W organisation was to learn how to Cyber - convert the dead , and is very pessimistic of the chances of stopping them now they have this new ability . Meanwhile all the Cybermen in the graveyard that Clara is in are fully out as they wander aimlessly . On board Boat One the Doctor notes that these new Cybermen are not attacking since they are newborns . Kate reveals that they had been investigating 3W for a while , before they got a tip - off from a woman with a Scottish accent – Missy , the Doctor guesses . The Doctor reveals that Missy has been uploading minds in the Nethersphere for as long as humanity has had a concept of an after life . While this is happening , Missy attempts to gain Osgood ' s attention by singing a version of " Hey , Mickey " replacing Mickey with Missy . She whispers a secret in her ear in a distinctly Scottish accent — " I ' m going to kill you in a minute . " She refers to this as her " secret girl plan " . She starts a countdown from ten , while mocking human lifespans , before revealing that she had already escaped her restraints . She then kills her guards and Osgood before thanking her for being ' yummy ' . She presses a button on her bracelet which causes a horde of flying Cybermen to attack the plane . In the graveyard , Clara finds the one that brought her there and says that the Doctor is the one man that she would never lie to . At this point , the Cyberman tries to shoot her but cannot . Instead he takes his mask off and reveals himself to be a highly mutilated Danny , who asks her to turn on his emotion inhibitor . Meanwhile , back on Boat One , Missy prompts the Doctor to ask her about her plan , promising that he will be surprised . She claims that by investigating those that die to save him she has realised that he wants to know that he is like her . The TARDIS phone begins ringing and Missy reveals that she both gave Clara the TARDIS ' phone number ( pretending it was for a PC helpline ) , and placed the advert in the Victorian newspaper . She claims that it was the only way to make sure the two deeply - opposite personalities — a control freak and a man who can never be controlled - stayed together . The Doctor answers the TARDIS phone ; Clara has called to tell him about Danny . He warns her not to turn on the inhibitor , because Danny will revert to a Cyberman and kill her if she does . Meanwhile , the Cybermen are breaking into Boat One and killing crew members . Clara begins to hit switches around Danny ' s power core , hoping to find the inhibitor switch . On Boat One , Kate has alerted other organisations of their situation and rushes into the room , saying that the plane is going down . Missy turns her attention to her and says that she likes Kate before blowing out a section of the wall , sucking her out of the plane . She orders the Cybermen to destroy the plane and teleports away , leaving the Doctor . Boat One explodes and the Doctor is thrown clear of the debris . Seb and Missy watch on from the Nethersphere , remarking on how boring his death will be . Using his key to summon the TARDIS , the Doctor manages to catch and enter his ship before reaching the ground . Seb is excited over the turn of events , to which Missy replies that Seb is merely an AI . Seb continues to be enthusiastic before Missy promptly destroys him . The Doctor materialises in the graveyard and warns Clara that if she deletes Danny ' s emotions , he will kill her . He denies that he will , and the Doctor says that the difference between himself and Missy is emotion : " pain is a gift " . He tries to get Danny to tell him what the cloud will do , but Danny says he isn ' t fully integrated into the Cyber hivemind and cannot see . Danny then laughs that all of the Doctor ' s bravado just crumbled in the sight of a tactical advantage , mocking the Doctor as a typical officer who has to keep his hands clean . Knowing how much it will hurt Clara , the Doctor sadly tells her that he has to know . Clara takes the Doctor ' s sonic screwdriver , telling Danny she loves him . Danny says the same , joking that he ' ll never say that again . Smiling through her tears , Clara turns on the emotional inhibitor . Danny stops smiling and goes blanked faced . The Doctor asks him what Missy ' s plan for the Cyber Pollen is . He tells the Doctor that the cloud will convert all of humanity into Cybermen . Anguished , Clara hugs Danny , who remains motionless . Missy then teleports into the graveyard . Seeing Clara in agony , Missy offers to " pop away " the pain ; however , the Doctor tosses Missy ' s device into the graveyard , already sick of the senseless murder . Missy apologises , since she tends to get carried away ; she tells the Doctor to cheer up as she came to give him a gift . Missy speaks into her bracelet , which controls the Cybermen . She has then demonstrate plane safety tips and random movements . She then gives the Doctor the bracelet , allowing him the same control , as a birthday gift — " It ' s lucky one of us remembers , " she notes . The Cybermen bow . He refuses control of the army , but Missy points out the Doctor DOES want an army . With this army , the Doctor will now have the final say in the result of every great battle in the history of the universe . He can even save the people suffering in the Dalek camps and overthrow dictators . Tearing off the bracelet , the Doctor demands to know why she is doing this . Missy says she wants to show him that they are not so different , because she wants to renew their friendship . She then asks the Doctor if he can ' t trust himself with this kind of power ; if he can stay morally pure . After remembering how he had wondered if he was a good man , the Doctor realises something and thanks Missy for helping him . He declares he is not a good man , nor a bad man , nor a hero , nor a president , nor an officer ( as Danny had described him ) . He says that he is " an idiot , with a box and a screwdriver , passing through , helping out , learning " . He tells Missy that he doesn ' t need an army , as he has his companions . He points to Danny , stating that he would never harm Clara because love isn ' t an emotion , but a promise . Danny hugs Clara , much to Missy ' s shock . The Doctor laughs that Missy didn ' t notice the " only " Cyberman not listening to her orders , right in front of her . " P . E . catch ! " yells the Doctor as he tosses the bracelet to Danny , who promptly puts it on . Missy wonders what Danny will do . Danny states that the clouds will be burned . When asked by what , Danny states himself ; Missy laughs , noting one burning Cyberman won ' t destroy the cloud . With a smirk , Danny tells Missy she ' s right . Danny commands the Cybermen to attention . He tells them that this is earth ' s darkest day , but the dead shall save the land of the living . " This is not the order of a general , nor the whim of a lunatic . This is the promise , the promise of a soldier ! " Danny turns to Clara , promising that she will " sleep safe tonight " before flying into the cloud with the rest of the Cybermen and destroying it , himself and the other Cybermen . In the graveyard , Missy recites the coordinates of Gallifrey , claiming it has returned to its original location . Clara threatens to kill Missy with her own weapon ; the Doctor takes it from her and prepares to do it himself to spare Clara . Seeing that she ' s finally brought the Doctor down to her level , Missy asks him to say something nice . With a sigh , the Doctor tells Missy that she ' s won . However , right before he can kill her , a blast from behind them hits her , seemingly disintegrating her . A Cyberman is behind them . It lowers its weapon and points toward another section of the graveyard ; Clara sees Kate Stewart lying there , still alive , muttering about her father . The Doctor , now understanding , turns back to the Cyberman , who he realises is Brigadier Lethbridge - Stewart , and remarks , " The Earth ' s darkest hour , and mine . Where else would you be ? " before saluting him — Kate had previously remarked that her father ' s greatest wish had been to receive a salute from the Doctor . The Cyberman Brigadier then flies up into the sky , with the Doctor whispering " Thank you " after him . . . Two weeks later , Clara awakes in the middle of the night to find a portal to the Nethersphere in her hallway . Danny speaks through it , saying that the Nethersphere is collapsing and that the bracelet only has enough power left for one one - way trip . Instead of coming through the portal himself , however , he sends through the young Afghan boy he killed , telling her to find his parents . Crying , Danny says he is sorry and the portal closes , leaving the boy in the hallway along with the broken bracelet . The Doctor meets Clara in a restaurant , the latter remarking that he is two weeks late ( an apparent improvement compared to previous errors ) . He notes she is wearing the bracelet and assumes Danny has returned from the Nethersphere ; she tries to tell him he hasn ' t , but he thinks she is trying to say that she can ' t travel in the TARDIS anymore . He says that it is fine , and that he has found Gallifrey exactly where Missy said it was , and that , " for once , she wasn ' t lying " . In fact , it is revealed that the Doctor travelled to the coordinates Missy gave him and found nothing but empty space . Closing the TARDIS door , he entered a fit of rage and attacked the console before sinking to the floor and weeping for his lost home planet . At the end of the day , Missy has had the last laugh . However , the Doctor lies to Clara , telling her he found Gallifrey to make her believe that he will be fine without her . Hearing this , Clara changes her mind and goes along with the Doctor ' s belief that Danny has returned and that she too will be happy without the Doctor . Clara asks what he will do now ; he says that Gallifrey can be a good place and that he will try to make it one . He says it ' s a long commute and Clara and Danny mightn ' t be able to make it . They leave with a hug . Clara asks why he doesn ' t like hugging and he responds , " Never trust a hug . It ' s just a way to hide your face . " As they hug , their faces each reveal their sadness behind each other ' s back . As the Doctor enters his TARDIS , Clara tells him that he made her feel special when they travelled together and thanks him for it . He thanks her " for exactly the same " and dematerialises the TARDIS while Clara walks away . In a mid - credits scene , the Doctor is brooding alone in his TARDIS when he hears someone knocking at the door , telling him that " it can ' t end like this " and that neither Clara nor the Doctor is " okay " . The voice turns out to be that of Santa Claus , who enters the TARDIS in a swirl of snowflakes and asks a boggling Doctor what he wants for Christmas . . .