Doctor Who fans say goodbye to Amy Pond after she is killed at the hands of the weeping angels

PUBLISHED: 17:04 EST, 29 September 2012 | UPDATED: 17:04 EST, 29 September 2012

Karen Gillan promised that her character Amy Pond would leave Doctor Who in 'flames of blazing glory', and she wasn't kidding.

Viewers of the enduring sci-fi show saw Doctor Who say a tearful farewell to his sidekicks Amy and Rory, who is played by Arthur Darvill in Saturday's episode.

Their exit had been a closely guarded secret, but in The Angels Take Manhattan, the pair died at the hands of the terrifying statue creatures.

Farewell: Doctor Who viewers watched Amy Pond die at the hands of the weeping angels

Earlier in the episode the pair fell from a skyscraper to sacrifice themselves in a bid to stop New York from the weeping angels.

However, their plunge ended up thwarting the attempts, and they found themselves at a graveyard.

It threatened to be a happy ending as they celebrated their survival with the Doctor and Alex Kingston's River Song.

However, it took a turn for the worse after Rory notices his name on a gravestone.

Uh oh: Rory notices his name on a graveyard and is soon killed by a weeping angel

Uh oh: Rory, played by Arthur Darvill, notices his name on a graveyard and is soon killed by a weeping angel

Heartbreak: Amy, played by Karen Gillan, decides to end her life to be with her husband

Tragic: Viewers see Amy for the last time on screen

Doctor Boo-Who: Matt Smith's Doctor is bereft when he realises Amy is gone

One of the statues survived and ends up killing Rory - leaving Amy to decide to end her own life to join her husband.

Despite the Doctor's best attempts to persuade her not to, Amy heads to her death - with her name also appearing on the gravestone.

Viewers saw Matt Smith's Doctor read a page written by Amy, which read: 'By the time you read these words, Rory and I will be long gone, so know that we lived well and were very happy. And above all else, know that we will love you always.

'Sometimes I do worry about you though. I think once we're gone you won't be coming back here for a while and you will be alone, which you should never be. Don't be alone, Doctor.'

Poignant farewell: Amy and Rory's exit upset viewers

Heartbreaking: Karen Gillan promised fans she would leave the show in a 'blaze of glory'

Sad: Karen Gillan promised fans she would leave the show in a 'flames of blazing glory'

The Christmas special of Doctor Who will feature the doctor's new assistant, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.

Gillan recently spoke about her exit, saying: 'All I wanted was for her to go out in flames of blazing glory and she definitely does that. I couldn't have wished for a better way to go.'

She also confessed she was 'emotional for about two weeks' during the final filming period.

Sacrifice: Amy and Rory attempt to sacrifice themselves to save New York from the terrifying creatures

Freefall: Their plunge saves the city, and they survive... for a short time anyway

Happy ending? It looks like a job well done, until they notice a weeping angel survives and kills the popular duo

The 24-year-old explained: 'I was crying at everything. Things that aren't even sad. I kept thinking this is the last time I will do this.'

Doctor Who fans took to Twitter to express their sadness about Amy's exit.

One Twitter user seemed wrote: 'Wow... That was a better end to Amy and Rory's time with the Doctor than I had ever imagined. Amazingly heartbreaking.'

While another wrote: 'Thank goodness they lived together. AWESOME episode but you broke my heart. Inconsolable.'