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{{ImageLinkTV}}
| story name      = Night Terrors
{{Infobox Story SMW
| image          = [[file:Dolls and George.jpg|250px]]
|image          = Peg dolls night terrors.jpg
| number         = [[Series 6 (Doctor Who)|Series 6]]
|season number   = Series 6 (Doctor Who 2005)
| story number    = 219
|series episode number = 9
| doctor          = [[Eleventh Doctor]]
|story number    = 220
| companions      = [[Amy Pond]]<br>[[Rory Williams]]
|doctor          = Eleventh Doctor
| enemy          = [[Peg Doll]]s
|companions      = [[Amy Pond|Amy]], [[Rory Williams|Rory]]
| setting        = [[Earth]], [[2011]]<br>[[George's cupboard]], [[2011]]
|enemy          = [[Peg doll (Night Terrors)|Peg dolls]]
| writer          = [[Mark Gatiss]]
|setting        = [[Rowbarton Estate]], [[2011]]
| director        = [[Richard Clark]]
|adapted into    = Night Terrors (short story)
| producer        = [[Sanne Wohlenberg]]
|writer          = Mark Gatiss
| confidential    = [[About a Boy]]
|director        = [[Richard Clark]]
| broadcast date  = [[3rd September]] [[2011]]
|producer        = [[Sanne Wohlenberg]]
| format          = 1x 45 minutes episode
|confidential    = About a Boy (CON episode)
| production code = 6.9
|broadcast date  = 3 September 2011
| previous story  = [[Let's Kill Hitler]]
|network        = BBC One
| next story      = [[The Girl Who Waited]]}}{{TV stub}}
|format          = 1x45 minute episode
'''''Night Terrors''''' was the ninth episode in the [[Series 6 (Doctor Who)|sixth series]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
|production code = 2.9
|series          = [[List of Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|prev            = Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)
|next           = The Girl Who Waited (TV story)
|made prev      = The Doctor's Wife (TV story)
|made next      = The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)
|clip            = Monsters Are Real - Doctor Who - Night Terrors - BBC
|bts            = Inside the Dolls' House - Doctor Who Confidential - Episode 9 - BBC Three
}}
'''''Night Terrors''''' was the ninth episode of [[Series 6 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 6]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
 
The episode is set an unknown amount of time after ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'' and again shows the Doctor's sympathy towards children in distress as in ''[[The Empty Child (TV story)|The Empty Child]]'', ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'', ''[[The Girl in the Fireplace (TV story)|The Girl in the Fireplace]]'', ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', ''[[The Beast Below (TV story)|The Beast Below]]'' and ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]''. Much like ''[[Fear Her (TV story)|Fear Her]]''{{'}}s [[Isolus]], the chaos of the entire episode arises from a child's psychic powers; although the difference is that in this episode, the powers were unconsciously being used, while the Isolus was basically throwing a tantrum. It also continued the second half of series 6's theme - the Doctor's impending death - through the contrast of the Eleventh Doctor's feeling of age and impending death and the fears of a child.
 
During the episode, the [[Peg doll (Night Terrors)|peg dolls]] recite a children's rhyme that at the end is revealed to be about the Doctor. The rhyme reappears in ''[[Closing Time (TV story)|Closing Time]]'' and ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'' and is shown to be about the Doctor's impending "death".


== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
The Doctor receives a distress call from the scariest place in the Universe: a child’s bedroom. Every night George lies awake, terrorised by every fear imaginable – fears that live in his bedroom cupboard. His parents are getting desperate – George needs a doctor. Fortunately for George, his pleas for help break through the barriers of all time and space and the Doctor makes a house call. But allaying his fears won’t be easy. George’s monsters are real.
The [[Eleventh Doctor]] receives a distress call, bringing him, [[Amy Pond]] and [[Rory Williams]] to [[Earth]]. [[George Thompson|George]] is a young boy terrorised by the monsters in his cupboard. Are they imaginary, or are they real?
 
== Plot ==
In [[58 Rowbarton Estate|a flat]] in [[Rowbarton Estate|a council estate]] in [[England]], a young boy called [[George Thompson|George]] is being put to bed by his mother, [[Claire Thompson|Claire]], before she leaves for work; however, George is terrified of many things around him and reluctant to go to sleep. He makes his mother turn the lights on and off five times — a nightly ritual — and Claire encourages him to put what he's afraid of in [[George Thompson's cupboard|his cupboard]]. When she leaves, George starts whispering, "Please save me from the monsters," over and over. Through the crack in the door, he listens to his mother and father, [[Alex Thompson|Alex]], talking. Claire insists that George needs to see a [[doctor]] about his problems. George thinks about this and continues his chanting.
 
Meanwhile, in [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] — which is floating in space at the other end of the universe — [[Amy Pond|Amy]] and [[Rory Williams|Rory]] are enjoying a [[mug]] of some beverage as the [[Eleventh Doctor]] works the [[TARDIS console|console]]. The Doctor abruptly spins around and pulls out the [[psychic paper]], and reads George's plea from it. He then begins setting the TARDIS on a new course, saying he hasn't done something in a while. When questioned by Amy what he means, the Doctor says "a house call".
 
The TARDIS materialises and Amy and Rory depart, being temporarily unimpressed with where they have ended up, expecting aliens and history. The Doctor says that it's like that most of the time, but they are not up to that today. Instead, they are answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the universe; a child's bedroom. The group splits up to search for George, each meeting a variety of characters, including the elderly [[Elsie Rossiter|Mrs Rossiter]], the beefy landlord [[Jim Purcell]], and [[Julie McKenzie|a mother]] and [[Ruby and Daisy McKenzie|her creepy twin daughters]]. All of the residents are suspicious of the strangers, refuse to answer the visitors' questions and slam their doors in their faces.
 
As they pass by George's window, Rory jokes that they should let the monsters eat him, scaring George even more. The Doctor notices George looking out the window at Amy and Rory. Meeting his [[companion]]s, the Doctor asks what they found; after they explain, he diverts them to a lower floor while he goes to George's apartment to help the boy alone. He knocks on the door and is greeted by Alex, who believes that he is a Child Services representative that Claire called. The Doctor confirms this easily given cover via his psychic paper.
 
Amy and Rory take an elevator to the lower floor, but the sound of the [[lift]] terrifies George, who continues chanting, "Please save me from the monsters." His mantra prompts the elevator to plummet downwards at an alarmingly high speed; both Amy and Rory scream in terror. Once the lift reaches the ground floor, the doors open to reveal that Amy and Rory are no longer inside. Instead, they awake on the floor of a dark and unusual house, though Rory suspects they have died.
 
[[File:Alex Thompson.jpg|thumb|Alex explains George's fears to the Doctor.]]
The Doctor speaks to Alex about George's fears, though Alex insists that George is "scared to death of everything". Alex and Claire have created a tradition with George — anything that scares him, they put in the cupboard in his bedroom. The Doctor meets George, who wonders if the Doctor has come to take him away. The Doctor denies this, saying he is only there to ask him about the monsters.
 
Elsewhere, Amy and Rory have begun exploring their new environment. Rory changes his previous theory, suggesting that the TARDIS has malfunctioned and they have been transported to the [[18th century|1700s]]; however, they later discover a lantern with an [[electricity|electric]] light bulb inside it, along with a wooden pan painted to look like it was made of [[copper]]. They are not in the past, but ''where'' are they?
 
Back in the flat, per the Doctor's suggestion, they prepare to open George's cupboard, but Purcell arrives and starts badgering Alex about the rent money he owes. George watches from his room, obviously terrified of Purcell and his dog. The Doctor tries to comfort George by activating all of his electronic toys with the [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]]; once George has calmed down, the Doctor scans his cupboard for "monsters", and is clearly shocked and terrified by the sonic's readings, which are "off the charts". When Alex returns and reaches for the cupboard door, the Doctor frantically stops him and declares that George's monsters are real.
 
Elsewhere, Amy and Rory continue to explore the strange house in which they've landed, and become aware of a sinister giggling in a nearby closet. Their fears are temporarily allayed when they see the cupboard merely contains a human-sized [[Peg doll (Night Terrors)|wooden doll]]; however, when they leave the room to continue their exploring, the doll comes to life and begins to follow them.
 
The Doctor begins making [[tea]], but Alex stops him, outraged that the Doctor has apparently fed George's fears. However, the Doctor tells him he's the ultimate expert and that whatever is in the cupboard is so evil and powerful, it made George's fear break the barriers of [[time]] and [[space]] to reach him. Alex can only look dumbfounded by the Doctor's explanation — "You're not from Social Services are you?"
 
[[File:Elsie Night Terrors.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Mrs. Rossiter sees something move.]]
Outside, Mrs Rossiter has taken out her trash but sees something moving in the pile. Suspecting it may be George or another kid, she leans in to see who it is, but is "devoured" by the trash and ends up in the same house as Amy and Rory. Scared, she walks around, asking for help, unaware of someone following her around.
 
At the same time, the Doctor is looking through a photo album of Alex's family, enjoying a cup of tea; he notes that there is something wrong with the pictures that he can't quite figure out. However, he then wonders if they should open the cupboard. At first, he thinks it's the best idea so they know what it is, but then thinks it's a bad idea as he has no idea how powerful or evil the monsters are. Alex agrees with him both times; the Doctor ultimately decides to open the cupboard.


Elsewhere, Purcell is trying to find something to watch on [[television]], but finds nothing he likes, telling his dog, [[Bernard (Night Terrors)|Bernard]], that they'll have to watch the same film again. Getting up from his chair, Purcell finds that his foot is stuck in the floor and is being sucked into it. Though he calls for help, Purcell is sucked in completely.


== Plot ==
Inside the flat, the Doctor opens the cupboard to find nothing but old clothes and toys inside it. This makes him puzzled because of the readings he got. He then realises that he is missing something. Picking up one of the photo albums, the Doctor realises that in a photo taken mere weeks before George's birth, Claire isn't nine months [[pregnancy|pregnant]]. Pressured by the Doctor, Alex shouts that Claire [[infertility|can't have children]] and becomes confused as to how he just remembered that; Alex goes on to explain that they tried all the [[IVF]] they could afford, but it never worked. Blank-faced, they turn to George. If Claire ''can't'' have kids, ''then who's the child that lived with them for all those years?''
In an apartment in an old building, a child named [[George (Night Terrors)|George]] is terrified of everything. When [[Claire (Night Terrors)|his mother]] says goodnight before she goes to work, George makes her turn the light on and off five times to keep the monsters away. When she leaves, George starts praying "please save me from the monsters" over and over. Through the crack in his bedroom door, he can see and overhear his mother Claire talking to his father [[Alex (Night Terrors)|Alex]] about how they may need a specialist to see him. In [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] at the other side of the universe, [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]] gets George's message on his [[psychic paper]] and decides to make a house call on little George.
 
When Doctor asks George to tell him who he is, all the toys in the room start working on their own. The Doctor asks again, nicely, but the cupboard doors swing open and a bright light begins to suck Alex and the Doctor inside. Confused, the Doctor asks if George is doing this; he tries explaining that he can help. George watches, horrified while chanting, "Please save me from the monsters." Despite their attempts to try calming George, the Doctor and Alex are sucked into the cupboard with the door slamming.
 
Elsewhere, Rory has begun panicking but is quickly calmed by Amy. They run into Purcell, who begs them to keep "them" away from him. Much to their horror, they watch him be grabbed by a doll and turned into one. Amy tells Rory to panic now and they run into a room and block the door with a large spool of thread.
 
Inside the cupboard, the Doctor realises that they are in [[George Thompson's dolls house|George's dolls house]]. Alex is reluctant to believe this and demands the Doctor tell him how he could forget Claire couldn't have kids. The Doctor explains it's because of a powerful [[perception filter]], which changed the memories of them and everyone around them. They pass a mirror, which shows another doll; it begins following them.
 
Elsewhere in the house, Amy and Rory have decided to take control of the situation by surprising the dolls by letting them in. They open the door and run out. However, Amy is caught by a doll and, much to Rory's horror, becomes one of them. All this while, the dolls sing a haunting rhyme.
 
In the meantime, the Doctor and Alex have found a toy that flashes on and off the same amount of times as George wants his bedroom light to be. The Doctor [[deduce]]s that the dolls house is a [[psychic]] repository for all the things that George fears; even the sound of the lift has been put in there.
 
Outside, the lift and the other things in the building have begun working on their own; George whimpers in fear.
 
In the dolls house, the Doctor and Alex are surprised by a doll and use a pair of safety scissors to keep it at bay. As they flee, the Doctor realises George is a [[Tenza]], an alien species that are like cuckoo birds; they find foster parents and adapt perfectly into what their parents want as their child. George instinctively sought out Claire and Alex because they could not have kids. However, something startled him and began this subconscious cycle of fear. The Doctor then begins shouting to George to make him aware that he is controlling everything that is happening in the dolls house. However, George will not listen to him.
 
Forced up the stairs, the Doctor is happy to see Rory, who is also being chased by dolls and is horrified to see Amy has been turned into one. He then yells to George again, telling him he is the only one who can save them from being in a "living death" — being one of the dolls. George opens the cupboard and then appears in the dolls house, causing the to dolls stop.
 
[[File:Georgeandthedolls.jpg|thumb|The [[peg doll (Night Terrors)|peg dolls]] surround George.]]
The Doctor congratulates George, but the dolls begin moving again, this time towards George. This confuses the Doctor as he tries to get George to believe he can smash the world they're in. George is too scared to believe him. The Doctor then remembers George asking if he was going to take him away when he introduced himself. It was Alex and Claire's suggestion that George be sent somewhere for help that inspired George's fears; he misunderstood the suggestion as a rejection of him.
 
The Doctor encourages Alex to tell George that he was wrong, and while Alex initially expresses some reluctance at accepting George as his son, when he sees the dolls surrounding him and hears George's cries, he pushes the dolls aside to protect him. Alex tearfully embraces George and promises to never send him away. All the dolls stop moving. The cupboard opens and brilliant light shines out.
 
All who were taken into the dolls house wake on Earth the next morning returned to their human forms. Purcell is back in his flat with his dog; Mrs Rossiter is lying in the trash bags. Amy and Rory exit the lift, with Amy being very confused.


When he arrives, he tells [[Amy Pond|Amy]] and [[Rory Williams|Rory]] to split up to look for a scared child. Each of them visits a different apartment: the Doctor talks to the elderly [[Elsie Rossiter|Mrs Rossiter]]; Rory talks to the landlord, [[Jim Purcell]]; and Amy meets [[Twin Girls (Night Terrors)|twin girls]] and [[Julie (Night Terrors)|their mother]]. All of them are suspicious of the Doctor, Amy, and Rory and slam the doors in their faces. The Doctor then spots George looking out of his window and knocks on his apartment door. Amy and Rory get in a lift to join the Doctor, but the lift falls extremely fast and they disappear from it. They end up in an unusual house that Rory suspects is from the [[18th century|1700s]] until they find a electric lamp. They also find a wooden pan that is painted to look like copper.
Back at the apartment, Claire returns home, astonished to find her son happy and well. Alex lies that the Doctor came from Social Services and is the reason for George being better. The Doctor prepares to leave, but Alex runs after him, wondering what he should do since George isn't human. The Doctor commends Alex for his actions and insists that George will grow up like a normal boy, and will become whatever his parents want him to be. However, he promises to visit around George's puberty as it's "always a funny time".


Meanwhile the Doctor begins asking George's father, Alex, about George's fears. The Doctor
The Doctor meets up with Amy and Rory and they return to the TARDIS, with the Doctor remembering that they previously requested aliens and history. Amy's mind is still having trouble focusing after her transformation into a doll and Rory says choosing a destination in the TARDIS is like having three wishes. The Doctor then gets an idea from this and goes on to explain it. As they set a course for their next destination, a nursery rhyme sounds: "Tick, tock, goes the clock, even for the Doctor," as the time and place of the Doctor's death appears onscreen.
attempts to open George's closet, but then the landlord arrives and starts threatening Alex about his rent, while the Doctor brings all of George's toys to life using his [[sonic screwdriver]]. The Doctor scans George's cupboard. Whatever is inside it is off the scale.


<!--Please expand and finish this summary. Thanks.-->
== Cast ==
* [[Eleventh Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Matt Smith]]
* [[Amy Pond]] - [[Karen Gillan]]
* [[Rory Williams|Rory]] - [[Arthur Darvill]]
* [[Alex Thompson|Alex]] - [[Daniel Mays]]
* [[George Thompson|George]] - [[Jamie Oram]]
* [[Claire Thompson|Claire]] - [[Emma Cunniffe]]
* [[Jim Purcell|Purcell]] - [[Andy Tiernan]]
* [[Elsie Rossiter|Mrs Rossiter]] - [[Leila Hoffman]]
* [[Julie McKenzie|Julie]] - [[Sophie Cosson]]


==Cast==
=== Uncredited cast ===
*[[Eleventh Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Matt Smith]]
* [[Ruby and Daisy McKenzie]] - [[Maddison Karauna|Maddison]] and [[Kaya Karauna]] (''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
*[[Amy Pond]] - [[Karen Gillan]]
* [[Dancer (Night Terrors)|Dancer]] - [[Lousie Bowen]] (''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
*[[Rory Williams]] - [[Arthur Darvill]]
* [[Soldier (Night Terrors)|Soldier]] - [[Barbara Fadden]] (''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
*[[Alex (Night Terrors)|Alex]] - [[Daniel Mays]]
* Mrs Rossiter's peg doll - [[Nathalie Cuzner]] and [[Bean Peel]] (''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
*[[George (Night Terrors)|George]] - [[Jamie Oram]]
* Purcell's peg doll - [[Russell Cuzner]] (''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
*[[Claire (Night Terrors)|Claire]] - [[Emma Cunniffe]]
* Amy Pond's peg doll - [[Ruth Webb]] (''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
*[[Jim Purcell]] - [[Andrew Tiernan]]
* Peg doll voices - [[Gabriella Gillespie]], [[Max Longmuir]], and [[Sonny Ashbourne-Serkis]] (''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
*[[Elsie Rossiter]] - [[Leila Hoffman]]
*[[Julie (Night Terrors)|Julie]] - [[Sophie Cosson]]


==Crew==
== Crew ==
{{wales crew
{{wales crew
|1stAD=Mick Pantaleo
|1stAD=Mick Pantaleo
|2ndAD=James DeHaviland
|2ndAD=James DeHaviland
|3rdAD=Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch
|3rdAD=Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch
|AD=Janine H Jones
|AD=Jay Harley{{!}}Janine H Jones <nowiki>[Jay Harley]</nowiki>
|AD2=Michael Curtis
|AD2=Michael Curtis
|Runner=
|Runner=
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|ArtDeptProdManager=
|ArtDeptProdManager=
|AssociateDesigner=
|AssociateDesigner=
|ProductionBuyer=Ben Morris
|ProductionBuyer=Ben Morris (crew){{!}}Ben Morris
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|PropsBuyer=Adrian Anscombe
|PropsBuyer=Adrian Anscombe
|PettyCashBuyer=Kate Wilson
|PettyCashBuyer=Kate Wilson (crew)
|StandbyArtDirector=Ciaran Thompson
|StandbyArtDirector=Ciaran Thompson (crew){{!}}Ciaran Thompson
|ASupervisingArtDirector=
|ASupervisingArtDirector=
|SetDesigner=
|SetDesigner=
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|AssistantPropsMaster=
|AssistantPropsMaster=
|DressingChargehand=
|DressingChargehand=
|PropsChargehand=Rhys Jones
|PropsChargehand=Rhys Jones (props)
|PropsStoreman=
|PropsStoreman=
|DressingProps=Martin Broadbent
|DressingProps=Martin Broadbent
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|AsstEditor=Becky Trotman
|AsstEditor=Becky Trotman
|AsstEditor2=
|AsstEditor2=
|VFXProducer=Beewan Athwal
|VFXEditor=Cat Gregory
|VFXEditor=Cat Gregory
|VFXCoOrdinator=
|VFXCoOrdinator=
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|RightsExecutive=
|RightsExecutive=
|FinanceManager=
|FinanceManager=
|VisualFXProducer=Beewan Athwal
|VisualFXProducer2=
|VisualFXSupervisor=
|VisualFXSupervisor2=
|Thanks=
|Thanks=
|Thanks2=
|Thanks2=
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|Producer=Sanne Wohlenberg
|Producer=Sanne Wohlenberg
|Producer2=
|Producer2=
|Director=Richard Clarke
|Director=Richard Clark
|ExecutiveProd=Steven Moffat
|ExecutiveProd=Steven Moffat
|ExecutiveProd2=Piers Wenger
|ExecutiveProd2=Piers Wenger
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|DedicatedTo=<!--This exact credit never actually used as of April 2010; left for future use-->
|DedicatedTo=<!--This exact credit never actually used as of April 2010; left for future use-->
|InMemoryOf=
|InMemoryOf=
|Note=
|Note=[[Jay Harley]] was credited under their [[T:ACTOR#Crediting trans people|deadname]] as [[assistant director]].
<!--There are note variables from Note2 to Note20, but these are probably only necessary for the odd case of "The End of Time".  This set of variables are the only ones which aren't automatically linked; it's just a freeform note field.  All Notes mass together in a single paragraph at the end of the table created by this template.  Thus, each individual note should be a full sentence ending with a period, and should have any links enclosed in [[brackets]].
<!--There are note variables from Note2 to Note20, but these are probably only necessary for the odd case of "The End of Time".  This set of variables are the only ones which aren't automatically linked; it's just a freeform note field.  All Notes mass together in a single paragraph at the end of the table created by this template.  Thus, each individual note should be a full sentence ending with a period, and should have any links enclosed in [[brackets]].
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}}
}}


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
===[[:Category:The Doctor|The Doctor]]===
=== Culture ===
*The Doctor mentions three of his favourite bedtime stories as a child: ''[[The Three Little Sontarans]]'', ''[[The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes]]'' and ''[[Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday]]''.
* Rory suggests the message on the [[psychic paper]] could have been [[junk mail]].
* The Doctor mentions [[pantophobia]], the fear of everything.
* The Doctor plays with a [[Rubik's cube]].
* The Doctor mentions [[empire]]s of [[glass]] and civilisations of pure [[thought]].
* Rory points out the Doctor asking where to go next is like getting three wishes, and the Doctor then says it's like [[Ali Baba]].
* Rory mentions ''[[EastEnders]]''.
* ''[[Bergerac]]'' is one of the shows Purcell briefly views whilst channel surfing.
* One of George's toys is [[powerrangers:Serpentera|Serpentera]] from ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mighty_Morphin_Power_Rangers Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]''.
* Another toy is the [[powerrangers:Shadow_Winger|Shadow Force Megazord Mode Red]] from ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Rangers_Time_Force Power Rangers Time Force]''.
* Another toy is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Prime Optimus Prime] of ''[[Transformers (franchise)|Transformers]]''.


===[[:Category:Foods and beverages from the real world|Foods and beverages from the real world]]===
=== Species ===
*The Doctor and Alex drink [[tea]].
* George is a [[Tenza]]. He is able to match himself to people's needs and create [[perception filter]]s.
*The Doctor mentions [[Jammie Dodger]]s.


===[[:Category:Races and species|Races and species]]===
=== The Doctor ===
*George is a [[Tenza]]. He is able to match himself to people's needs and create [[perception filter]]s.
* The Doctor mentions three of his favourite bedtime stories as a child: ''[[The Three Little Sontarans]]'', ''[[The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes]]'' and ''[[Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday]]''.
* The Doctor again references [[The Doctor's age|his age]], extending a common English idiom. "I've been around the block a few times. More than a few. They've knocked down the blocks I've been round and rebuilt them as bigger blocks. Super blocks. I've been round them as well."
* The Doctor finds a hatred of [[clown]]s understandable.


===[[:Category:Television series from the real world|Television series from the real world]]===
=== Individuals ===
*Rory mentions ''[[EastEnders]]''.
* Mrs Rossiter mentions that she can go "up and down them stairs like [[Tenzing Norgay|Sherpa Tenzing]]".
* The Doctor mentions that he met three old ladies, [[traffic warden (Night Terrors)|a traffic warden]] from [[Croatia]], and [[Man (Night Terrors)|a man]] with [[cats (Night Terrors)|ten cats]] while looking for George.
* George thinks that Mrs Rossiter is a [[witch]].
 
=== Foods and beverages ===
* The Doctor and Alex drink [[tea]].
* The Doctor asks for [[Jammie Dodger]]s.
* Amy and Rory have [[mug]]s of some beverage in the [[TARDIS control room]].
* The Doctor and Alex prepare [[kipper]]s for breakfast.
 
=== Toys and games ===
* George has a [[Klappar Drake|green dragon]] draped over his cupboard.
 
=== Influences ===
 
* The scene where the Doctor and Alex are being sucked into the cupboard is very similar to ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist_(1982_film) Poltergeist]'' where the daughter is sucked into the spirit realm through her bedroom cupboard.


== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
*This episode had the working titles: '''''House Call''''', (The Doctor notes that he doesn't often make house calls) and '''''What are Little Boys Made of?''''' (a play on the ''[[Star Trek]]'' episode '''''What are Little Girls Made Of?'''''). <ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-series-6-autumn-preview-20767.htm</ref>
* This episode had the working titles ''House Call'' and ''What are Little Boys Made of?''.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-series-6-autumn-preview-20767.htm</ref>
*This was originally going to be the fourth episode of the series, but was moved to the second half as [[Steven Moffat]] felt that the first half was "too dark". This necessitated minor changes to the episode. A scene with [[Madame Kovarian]] was removed, and the ending with the data file from ''[[Let's Kill Hitler]]'' was added. (This means Karen Gillan, when she filmed the episode, was in fact performing as the [[Ganger]] version of Amy.)
* This was originally going to be the fourth episode of the series, but was moved to the second half as [[Steven Moffat]] felt that the first half was "too dark". This necessitated minor changes to the episode. A scene with [[Madame Kovarian]] was removed, and the ending with the data file from ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'' was added. This means [[Karen Gillan]], when she filmed the episode, was, in fact, performing as the [[Ganger]] version of Amy. The Doctor's line at the end of the episode "Well, it's good to be all back together again, in [[The Flesh|the flesh]]" referring to Amy's recent turn into a peg doll was written with the intention of also applying to Amy being a Ganger. However, footage of it was shown in the "COMING SOON.." trailer of [[Series 6 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 6]] at the end of [[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|TV: ''A Christmas Carol'']]. There was originally a closing scene where Amy paused before following the Doctor and Rory back to the TARDIS and experienced a vision of [[Kovarian]], who opened a hatch through which she said, “Amy, I just thought you'd want to know - she's doing fine. Rest now.”
*The scene where the Doctor and Alex are being sucked into the cupboard is very similar to the movie ''Poltergeist'' where the daughter is sucked into the spirit realm through her bedroom cupboard.
* The Doctor emphasises his age frequently in the episode, in thematic contrast with the core ideas of childhood fears and the toy imagery.
*When Alex is looking at pictures, an announcer from the television can be heard. She says that he is watching [[BBC One]] on Saturday night, the same channel and day ''Doctor Who'' is on.
* When Alex is looking at pictures, an announcer from the television can be heard. She says that he is watching [[BBC One]] on Saturday night, the same channel and day ''Doctor Who'' is on.
*One of the children's stories the Doctor mentions, [[Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday]], shares its title with a story in the recently published [[Doctor Who The Official Annual 2012]]. Had ''Night Terrors'' aired as originally planned in the first half of the season, the story would have been published afterwards (suggesting a probable tie-in with the episode).
* One of the children's stories the Doctor mentions, ''[[Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday]]'' (which puns on both ''{{w|Snow White and the Seven Dwarves}}'' and ''[[Doctor Who and the Daleks in Seven Keys to Doomsday (stage play)|Doctor Who and the Daleks in Seven Keys to Doomsday]]''/''[[Seven Keys to Doomsday (audio story)|Seven Keys to Doomsday]]''), shares its title with [[Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday (DWAN short story)|a story]] in the then-recently published ''[[Doctor Who The Official Annual 2012]]''. Had ''Night Terrors'' aired as originally planned in the first half of the season, the story would have been published afterwards (suggesting a probable tie-in with the episode). [[Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday (TLFT short story)|Another story]] by this name featured in the anthology ''[[Time Lord Fairy Tales (anthology)|Time Lord Fairy Tales]]''.
* This is the first episode written by [[Mark Gatiss]] to not be set primarily in the past.
* This is the first full-length episode since ''[[Fear Her (TV story)|Fear Her]]'' in which there are no casualties at all; each "victim" is seen returned to life by the end of the episode.
* George is stated to have just turned eight and his birthday is given, through a photo of him as a newborn, as January 2003 (or not long before). Alex mentions that George "was eight in January", with this phrasing combined with the reference to him having 'just' turned eight indicating that this episode most likely takes place in February 2011. This places it prior to most of the present-day events of series 6, notably including the Doctor's 'death' on April 22, 2011. However, [[PROSE]]: ''[[Night Terrors (short story)|Night Terrors]]'' states that George was born on [[11 February]].
* [[Mark Gatiss]] had previously explored similar themes in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crooked_House_(TV_series) Crooked House].'' [[Steven Moffat]] felt that the same basic idea would generate an interesting scenario and asked him to develop the idea while they developing the first season of ''[[Sherlock (series)|Sherlock]].''
* Pondering what sort of mundane building could make an effective story setting, [[Mark Gatiss]] hit on the notion of a hotel which was hosting a psychiatric conference, only for the patients' phobias to take physical form. However, this was very similar to ''[[The God Complex (TV story)|The God Complex]].'' Instead, [[Steven Moffat]] suggested that the script should be set in an apartment complex.
* As a child, [[Mark Gatiss]] had been unnerved by toys and costumes which only roughly approximated the human form. He had a particular loathing for Victorian-era china dolls. This inspired the Peg Dolls as the monsters of the piece.
* Mrs Rossiter being sucked into a mound of garbage bags stemmed from [[Mark Gatiss]]' worries that trash might be riddled with vermin.
* The landlord, Purcell, was inspired by a physical education teacher who had terrorised [[Mark Gatiss]] in his youth.
* At one point, it was thought that episode might be [[Double banking|double-banked]] with another story. As such, the narrative was focussed squarely on the Doctor, with Amy and Rory kept largely off-screen after being drawn into George's dollhouse. In the end, however, these plans changed and [[Mark Gatiss]] made Amy and Rory's exploits an important element of the adventure.
* One alteration made at a late stage was the elimination of a running gag about whether door-to-door God-botherers were really aliens in disguise.
* The episode formed Block One of season six, along with ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]].'' It was the first episode of the season to be filmed.
* [[Mark Gatiss]] had previously worked with [[Daniel Mays]] in the serial ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funland_(TV_series) Funland]'' and purposely inserted the line "Maybe later" into the script as it had been "a bit of a catchphrase" for the two on ''Funland''. However, Mays did not notice the reference.
* The [[Bristol]] estate was chosen because of its "crisp architecture".
* The [[English country house|country house]] of Dyrham Park was chosen because of its staircase and checked flooring. The antiques were stripped out of the building and replaced with "child-like" furniture that was placed to look as though it had been played with.
* In editing, a scene was dropped in which the Doctor revealed that he had taken a photograph of Purcell wearing the doll's dress, which he used to blackmail the landlord into lowering the tenants' rent.
* It was found that the Peg Dolls were appropriately creepy while stationary, but were less effective as they moved silently through the dollhouse. After initially suggesting that the monsters be accompanied by a menacing giggle, [[Steven Moffat]] instead proposed that they should be heard to recite a sinister nursery rhyme in children's voices. [[Mark Gatiss]] agreed to craft an appropriate lyric, which would allude to the Doctor's apparent death. Moffat was so pleased with the result that he decided to omit dialogue originally spoken by the Peg Dolls in the voices of Mrs Rossiter and Purcell. Instead, only Fern Duncan and Frances Encell's contribution would be heard; the nursery rhyme also became a recurring motif in subsequent episodes.
* Several designs of the dolls were made, trying to achieve the desired balance of a normal doll and a scarier, more "crude"-looking one.
* The actors portraying the dolls were choreographed to move with stiff legs but swing their arms.
* In the scene in which Alex and the Doctor are in the kitchen they open and close the fridge as they are talking; this was not in the script, but improvised by [[Matt Smith]] and [[Daniel Mays]] on set.
* [[Daniel Mays]] was drawn to the story because of the family element; he had a young son like George.
* The scene in which Purcell sinks into the carpet was filmed with [[Andrew Tiernan]] on a hydraulic platform that lowered him into green-coloured liquid.


=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
*UK Overnight: 5.5 million
* UK Overnight: 5.5 million
*UK Final: 7.07 million
* UK Final: 7.07 million<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&type=date Doctor Who Ratings - UK final]</ref>


=== Myths ===
=== Myths ===
*Amy will be turned into a doll.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/whos-a-doll-25205.htm</ref> ''This was proven true.''
* Amy will be turned into a doll.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/whos-a-doll-25205.htm</ref> ''This was proven true.''


=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
*Dyrham House, Bristol
* Dyrham House, Bristol


=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
{{Discontinuity}}
{{Discontinuity}}
''to be added''
* When Amy and Rory are first exploring the dolls house, their torch begins blinking. The shot cuts between Rory, Amy, and a closeup of the torch. In the closeup, the light is in Rory's left hand (you can see his wedding ring), but in the rest of the shots, it's in his right hand.
* When the Doctor is making George's toys activate and move by themselves with the sonic, there is a moment where the sonic can be heard, yet the Doctor is clearly not pressing the button.
* While making tea, the Doctor clearly says, "You see these eyes? They're '''old eyes'''." The subtitles replace the last two words with "all lies".
* When the Doctor and Alex are being pulled into the cupboard, everything in George's room topples over. However, as soon as the cupboard slams shut, it's all upright again.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
*Inside the dollhouse, Rory initially thinks he and Amy are "dead again". ([[DW]]: ''[[Amy's Choice]]'', ''[[Cold Blood]]'', ''[[The Pandorica Opens]]'') He also believes at one point that the TARDIS is altering time and space again. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Doctor's Wife]]'')
* Inside the dolls house, Rory initially thinks he and Amy are "dead again". ([[TV]]: ''[[Amy's Choice (TV story)|Amy's Choice]]'', ''[[Cold Blood (TV story)|Cold Blood]]'', ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'') He also believes at one point that the TARDIS is altering time and space again. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]'')
*The Doctor asks for a [[Jammie Dodger]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Impossible Astronaut]]'')
* The Doctor asks for a [[Jammie Dodger]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'')
*When the Doctor and Alex wake up in the Doll House, Alex wonders how it can be bigger on the inside. The Doctor says "More common than you'd think, actually" referring to the TARDIS, among other things.
* When the Doctor explains to Alex that George is using a perception filter, he stops in the hallway to look in a mirror and makes the same face he did when he first saw his reflection. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Vampires of Venice (TV story)|The Vampires of Venice]]'')
*When the Doctor explains to Alex that George is using a perception filter, he stops in the hallway to look in a mirror and makes the same face he did when he first saw his reflection in [[DW]]: ''[[The Vampires of Venice]]''.
* The Doctor performs his odd greeting kiss with Claire. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Lodger (TV story)|The Lodger]]'')
*The Doctor performs his odd greeting kiss to Claire. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Lodger (TV story)|The Lodger]]'')
* The [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]] doesn't work on wood. ([[TV]]: ''[[Silence in the Library (TV story)|Silence in the Library]]'', ''[[The Hungry Earth (TV story)|The Hungry Earth]]'', ''[[The Curse of the Black Spot (TV story)|The Curse of the Black Spot]]'', ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]'')
*The [[sonic screwdriver]] doesn't work on wood. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'', ''[[The Hungry Earth]]'', ''[[The Curse of the Black Spot]]'')
* The information of the Doctor's death is seen. ([[TV]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'')
*The information of the Doctor's death is shown ([[DW]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler]]'') and the story arc involving his death is continued with the Peg Dolls nursery rhyme (see plot above).
* The [[Eighth Doctor]] was previously turned into a doll by the [[Celestial Toymaker]] in a manner similar to Amy. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Solitaire (audio story)|Solitaire]]'')
*The [[Eighth Doctor]] was previously turned into a doll by the [[The Celestial Toymaker|Celestial Toymaker]] in a manner similar to Amy. ([[CC]]: ''[[Solitaire]]'')
* The Doctor again shows a connection to and concern for children. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', ''[[The Beast Below (TV story)|The Beast Below]]'', ''[[The Hungry Earth (TV story)|The Hungry Earth]]'', ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]'', ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'', ''[[The Curse of the Black Spot (TV story)|The Curse of the Black Spot]]'')
*The Doctor again shows a connection to and concern for children. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Beast Below]]'', ''[[The Hungry Earth]]'', ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]'', ''[[The Impossible Astronaut]]'', ''[[The Curse of the Black Spot]]'').
* The Doctor asks if there are any [[Jelly baby|jelly babies]] he can have. ([[TV]]: ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'', et al.)
*The Doctor asks if there are any Jelly Babies he can have.
* The [[Fourth Doctor]] was shrunken down and chased through a doll's house by [[peg doll (The Dead Shoes)|peg dolls]] in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Dead Shoes (audio story)|The Dead Shoes]]''.
*The Doctor says "It's good to be all back together again, in the flesh.", which may or may not be foreshadowing that one or more of Amy, Rory, and the Doctor are not actually there, but [[The Flesh]].
* Rory suspects that George's message could be junk mail. Junk mail has made its way into the TARDIS before. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (TV story)|The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]'')
**Considering that this episode was originally filmed for the first half of the series, it was probably meant to be foreshadowing for [[DW]]: ''[[The Rebel Flesh]]/[[The Almost People]].''
*The Doctor mentions the titles of children's books from [[Gallifrey]] (although it's clear he's simply making up the titles): "The Three Little [[Sontaran]]s"; "The [[Emperor Dalek]]'s New Clothes" and "Snow White and the [[Seven Keys to Doomsday]]". The latter title marks the first acknowledgment in televised canon of the events of the 1970s stage play [[SP]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Daleks in The Seven Keys to Doomsday]]''.


== [[Eleventh Doctor - Timeline|Timeline]] ==
== Home video releases ==
*This story occurs after: [[DW]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler]]''
[[File:Series6.2DVD.jpg|thumb|Series 6, part 2 DVD cover]]
*This story occurs before: [[DW]]: ''[[The Girl Who Waited]]''


== Home video releases ==
=== DVD & Blu-ray releases ===
[[File:Series6.2DVD.jpg|thumb]]This episode will be released on DVD and Blu-ray shortly after the airing of episode thirteen.<ref>http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/series-6-dvd-releases-15635.htm</ref>
 
* ''Night Terrors'' was released in Series 6 Part Two on DVD and Blu-Ray in region 1/A on [[8 November (releases)|8 November]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]], in region 2/B on [[10 October (releases)|10 October]] 2011 and in region 4/B on [[3 November (releases)|3 November]] 2011.
* The episode was later released in the Complete Sixth Series boxset on both DVD and Blu-ray, in region 1/A on [[22 November (releases)|22 November]] 2011, in region 2/B on [[21 November (releases)|21 November]] 2011 and in region 4/B on [[1 December (releases)|1 December]] 2011.
 
=== Digital releases ===
 
* In the United Kingdom, this story is available on [[BBC iPlayer]].


== External links ==
* {{locguide|nightterrors|Night Terrors}}
{{dwrefguide|who_tv64.htm|Night Terrors}}


==External links==
== Footnotes ==
''to be added''
==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:Doctor Who (2005) television stories]]
[[Category:Series 6 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Series 6 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:2011 television stories]]
[[Category:2011 television stories]]
[[Category:Eleventh Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Great Britain]]
[[Category:Stories set on Earth]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2011]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2011]]
[[es:Night Terrors]]
[[fr:Night Terrors (TV)]]
[[ro:Night Terrors]]
[[ru:Ночные кошмары]]

Latest revision as of 11:05, 4 September 2024

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Night Terrors was the ninth episode of series 6 of Doctor Who.

The episode is set an unknown amount of time after Let's Kill Hitler and again shows the Doctor's sympathy towards children in distress as in The Empty Child, School Reunion, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below and A Christmas Carol. Much like Fear Her's Isolus, the chaos of the entire episode arises from a child's psychic powers; although the difference is that in this episode, the powers were unconsciously being used, while the Isolus was basically throwing a tantrum. It also continued the second half of series 6's theme - the Doctor's impending death - through the contrast of the Eleventh Doctor's feeling of age and impending death and the fears of a child.

During the episode, the peg dolls recite a children's rhyme that at the end is revealed to be about the Doctor. The rhyme reappears in Closing Time and The Wedding of River Song and is shown to be about the Doctor's impending "death".

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Eleventh Doctor receives a distress call, bringing him, Amy Pond and Rory Williams to Earth. George is a young boy terrorised by the monsters in his cupboard. Are they imaginary, or are they real?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

In a flat in a council estate in England, a young boy called George is being put to bed by his mother, Claire, before she leaves for work; however, George is terrified of many things around him and reluctant to go to sleep. He makes his mother turn the lights on and off five times — a nightly ritual — and Claire encourages him to put what he's afraid of in his cupboard. When she leaves, George starts whispering, "Please save me from the monsters," over and over. Through the crack in the door, he listens to his mother and father, Alex, talking. Claire insists that George needs to see a doctor about his problems. George thinks about this and continues his chanting.

Meanwhile, in the TARDIS — which is floating in space at the other end of the universe — Amy and Rory are enjoying a mug of some beverage as the Eleventh Doctor works the console. The Doctor abruptly spins around and pulls out the psychic paper, and reads George's plea from it. He then begins setting the TARDIS on a new course, saying he hasn't done something in a while. When questioned by Amy what he means, the Doctor says "a house call".

The TARDIS materialises and Amy and Rory depart, being temporarily unimpressed with where they have ended up, expecting aliens and history. The Doctor says that it's like that most of the time, but they are not up to that today. Instead, they are answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the universe; a child's bedroom. The group splits up to search for George, each meeting a variety of characters, including the elderly Mrs Rossiter, the beefy landlord Jim Purcell, and a mother and her creepy twin daughters. All of the residents are suspicious of the strangers, refuse to answer the visitors' questions and slam their doors in their faces.

As they pass by George's window, Rory jokes that they should let the monsters eat him, scaring George even more. The Doctor notices George looking out the window at Amy and Rory. Meeting his companions, the Doctor asks what they found; after they explain, he diverts them to a lower floor while he goes to George's apartment to help the boy alone. He knocks on the door and is greeted by Alex, who believes that he is a Child Services representative that Claire called. The Doctor confirms this easily given cover via his psychic paper.

Amy and Rory take an elevator to the lower floor, but the sound of the lift terrifies George, who continues chanting, "Please save me from the monsters." His mantra prompts the elevator to plummet downwards at an alarmingly high speed; both Amy and Rory scream in terror. Once the lift reaches the ground floor, the doors open to reveal that Amy and Rory are no longer inside. Instead, they awake on the floor of a dark and unusual house, though Rory suspects they have died.

Alex explains George's fears to the Doctor.

The Doctor speaks to Alex about George's fears, though Alex insists that George is "scared to death of everything". Alex and Claire have created a tradition with George — anything that scares him, they put in the cupboard in his bedroom. The Doctor meets George, who wonders if the Doctor has come to take him away. The Doctor denies this, saying he is only there to ask him about the monsters.

Elsewhere, Amy and Rory have begun exploring their new environment. Rory changes his previous theory, suggesting that the TARDIS has malfunctioned and they have been transported to the 1700s; however, they later discover a lantern with an electric light bulb inside it, along with a wooden pan painted to look like it was made of copper. They are not in the past, but where are they?

Back in the flat, per the Doctor's suggestion, they prepare to open George's cupboard, but Purcell arrives and starts badgering Alex about the rent money he owes. George watches from his room, obviously terrified of Purcell and his dog. The Doctor tries to comfort George by activating all of his electronic toys with the sonic screwdriver; once George has calmed down, the Doctor scans his cupboard for "monsters", and is clearly shocked and terrified by the sonic's readings, which are "off the charts". When Alex returns and reaches for the cupboard door, the Doctor frantically stops him and declares that George's monsters are real.

Elsewhere, Amy and Rory continue to explore the strange house in which they've landed, and become aware of a sinister giggling in a nearby closet. Their fears are temporarily allayed when they see the cupboard merely contains a human-sized wooden doll; however, when they leave the room to continue their exploring, the doll comes to life and begins to follow them.

The Doctor begins making tea, but Alex stops him, outraged that the Doctor has apparently fed George's fears. However, the Doctor tells him he's the ultimate expert and that whatever is in the cupboard is so evil and powerful, it made George's fear break the barriers of time and space to reach him. Alex can only look dumbfounded by the Doctor's explanation — "You're not from Social Services are you?"

Mrs. Rossiter sees something move.

Outside, Mrs Rossiter has taken out her trash but sees something moving in the pile. Suspecting it may be George or another kid, she leans in to see who it is, but is "devoured" by the trash and ends up in the same house as Amy and Rory. Scared, she walks around, asking for help, unaware of someone following her around.

At the same time, the Doctor is looking through a photo album of Alex's family, enjoying a cup of tea; he notes that there is something wrong with the pictures that he can't quite figure out. However, he then wonders if they should open the cupboard. At first, he thinks it's the best idea so they know what it is, but then thinks it's a bad idea as he has no idea how powerful or evil the monsters are. Alex agrees with him both times; the Doctor ultimately decides to open the cupboard.

Elsewhere, Purcell is trying to find something to watch on television, but finds nothing he likes, telling his dog, Bernard, that they'll have to watch the same film again. Getting up from his chair, Purcell finds that his foot is stuck in the floor and is being sucked into it. Though he calls for help, Purcell is sucked in completely.

Inside the flat, the Doctor opens the cupboard to find nothing but old clothes and toys inside it. This makes him puzzled because of the readings he got. He then realises that he is missing something. Picking up one of the photo albums, the Doctor realises that in a photo taken mere weeks before George's birth, Claire isn't nine months pregnant. Pressured by the Doctor, Alex shouts that Claire can't have children and becomes confused as to how he just remembered that; Alex goes on to explain that they tried all the IVF they could afford, but it never worked. Blank-faced, they turn to George. If Claire can't have kids, then who's the child that lived with them for all those years?

When Doctor asks George to tell him who he is, all the toys in the room start working on their own. The Doctor asks again, nicely, but the cupboard doors swing open and a bright light begins to suck Alex and the Doctor inside. Confused, the Doctor asks if George is doing this; he tries explaining that he can help. George watches, horrified while chanting, "Please save me from the monsters." Despite their attempts to try calming George, the Doctor and Alex are sucked into the cupboard with the door slamming.

Elsewhere, Rory has begun panicking but is quickly calmed by Amy. They run into Purcell, who begs them to keep "them" away from him. Much to their horror, they watch him be grabbed by a doll and turned into one. Amy tells Rory to panic now and they run into a room and block the door with a large spool of thread.

Inside the cupboard, the Doctor realises that they are in George's dolls house. Alex is reluctant to believe this and demands the Doctor tell him how he could forget Claire couldn't have kids. The Doctor explains it's because of a powerful perception filter, which changed the memories of them and everyone around them. They pass a mirror, which shows another doll; it begins following them.

Elsewhere in the house, Amy and Rory have decided to take control of the situation by surprising the dolls by letting them in. They open the door and run out. However, Amy is caught by a doll and, much to Rory's horror, becomes one of them. All this while, the dolls sing a haunting rhyme.

In the meantime, the Doctor and Alex have found a toy that flashes on and off the same amount of times as George wants his bedroom light to be. The Doctor deduces that the dolls house is a psychic repository for all the things that George fears; even the sound of the lift has been put in there.

Outside, the lift and the other things in the building have begun working on their own; George whimpers in fear.

In the dolls house, the Doctor and Alex are surprised by a doll and use a pair of safety scissors to keep it at bay. As they flee, the Doctor realises George is a Tenza, an alien species that are like cuckoo birds; they find foster parents and adapt perfectly into what their parents want as their child. George instinctively sought out Claire and Alex because they could not have kids. However, something startled him and began this subconscious cycle of fear. The Doctor then begins shouting to George to make him aware that he is controlling everything that is happening in the dolls house. However, George will not listen to him.

Forced up the stairs, the Doctor is happy to see Rory, who is also being chased by dolls and is horrified to see Amy has been turned into one. He then yells to George again, telling him he is the only one who can save them from being in a "living death" — being one of the dolls. George opens the cupboard and then appears in the dolls house, causing the to dolls stop.

The peg dolls surround George.

The Doctor congratulates George, but the dolls begin moving again, this time towards George. This confuses the Doctor as he tries to get George to believe he can smash the world they're in. George is too scared to believe him. The Doctor then remembers George asking if he was going to take him away when he introduced himself. It was Alex and Claire's suggestion that George be sent somewhere for help that inspired George's fears; he misunderstood the suggestion as a rejection of him.

The Doctor encourages Alex to tell George that he was wrong, and while Alex initially expresses some reluctance at accepting George as his son, when he sees the dolls surrounding him and hears George's cries, he pushes the dolls aside to protect him. Alex tearfully embraces George and promises to never send him away. All the dolls stop moving. The cupboard opens and brilliant light shines out.

All who were taken into the dolls house wake on Earth the next morning returned to their human forms. Purcell is back in his flat with his dog; Mrs Rossiter is lying in the trash bags. Amy and Rory exit the lift, with Amy being very confused.

Back at the apartment, Claire returns home, astonished to find her son happy and well. Alex lies that the Doctor came from Social Services and is the reason for George being better. The Doctor prepares to leave, but Alex runs after him, wondering what he should do since George isn't human. The Doctor commends Alex for his actions and insists that George will grow up like a normal boy, and will become whatever his parents want him to be. However, he promises to visit around George's puberty as it's "always a funny time".

The Doctor meets up with Amy and Rory and they return to the TARDIS, with the Doctor remembering that they previously requested aliens and history. Amy's mind is still having trouble focusing after her transformation into a doll and Rory says choosing a destination in the TARDIS is like having three wishes. The Doctor then gets an idea from this and goes on to explain it. As they set a course for their next destination, a nursery rhyme sounds: "Tick, tock, goes the clock, even for the Doctor," as the time and place of the Doctor's death appears onscreen.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
          

Jay Harley was credited under their deadname as assistant director.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Culture[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Foods and beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]

Toys and games[[edit] | [edit source]]

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The scene where the Doctor and Alex are being sucked into the cupboard is very similar to Poltergeist where the daughter is sucked into the spirit realm through her bedroom cupboard.

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This episode had the working titles House Call and What are Little Boys Made of?.[1]
  • This was originally going to be the fourth episode of the series, but was moved to the second half as Steven Moffat felt that the first half was "too dark". This necessitated minor changes to the episode. A scene with Madame Kovarian was removed, and the ending with the data file from Let's Kill Hitler was added. This means Karen Gillan, when she filmed the episode, was, in fact, performing as the Ganger version of Amy. The Doctor's line at the end of the episode "Well, it's good to be all back together again, in the flesh" referring to Amy's recent turn into a peg doll was written with the intention of also applying to Amy being a Ganger. However, footage of it was shown in the "COMING SOON.." trailer of Series 6 at the end of TV: A Christmas Carol. There was originally a closing scene where Amy paused before following the Doctor and Rory back to the TARDIS and experienced a vision of Kovarian, who opened a hatch through which she said, “Amy, I just thought you'd want to know - she's doing fine. Rest now.”
  • The Doctor emphasises his age frequently in the episode, in thematic contrast with the core ideas of childhood fears and the toy imagery.
  • When Alex is looking at pictures, an announcer from the television can be heard. She says that he is watching BBC One on Saturday night, the same channel and day Doctor Who is on.
  • One of the children's stories the Doctor mentions, Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday (which puns on both Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Doctor Who and the Daleks in Seven Keys to Doomsday/Seven Keys to Doomsday), shares its title with a story in the then-recently published Doctor Who The Official Annual 2012. Had Night Terrors aired as originally planned in the first half of the season, the story would have been published afterwards (suggesting a probable tie-in with the episode). Another story by this name featured in the anthology Time Lord Fairy Tales.
  • This is the first episode written by Mark Gatiss to not be set primarily in the past.
  • This is the first full-length episode since Fear Her in which there are no casualties at all; each "victim" is seen returned to life by the end of the episode.
  • George is stated to have just turned eight and his birthday is given, through a photo of him as a newborn, as January 2003 (or not long before). Alex mentions that George "was eight in January", with this phrasing combined with the reference to him having 'just' turned eight indicating that this episode most likely takes place in February 2011. This places it prior to most of the present-day events of series 6, notably including the Doctor's 'death' on April 22, 2011. However, PROSE: Night Terrors states that George was born on 11 February.
  • Mark Gatiss had previously explored similar themes in Crooked House. Steven Moffat felt that the same basic idea would generate an interesting scenario and asked him to develop the idea while they developing the first season of Sherlock.
  • Pondering what sort of mundane building could make an effective story setting, Mark Gatiss hit on the notion of a hotel which was hosting a psychiatric conference, only for the patients' phobias to take physical form. However, this was very similar to The God Complex. Instead, Steven Moffat suggested that the script should be set in an apartment complex.
  • As a child, Mark Gatiss had been unnerved by toys and costumes which only roughly approximated the human form. He had a particular loathing for Victorian-era china dolls. This inspired the Peg Dolls as the monsters of the piece.
  • Mrs Rossiter being sucked into a mound of garbage bags stemmed from Mark Gatiss' worries that trash might be riddled with vermin.
  • The landlord, Purcell, was inspired by a physical education teacher who had terrorised Mark Gatiss in his youth.
  • At one point, it was thought that episode might be double-banked with another story. As such, the narrative was focussed squarely on the Doctor, with Amy and Rory kept largely off-screen after being drawn into George's dollhouse. In the end, however, these plans changed and Mark Gatiss made Amy and Rory's exploits an important element of the adventure.
  • One alteration made at a late stage was the elimination of a running gag about whether door-to-door God-botherers were really aliens in disguise.
  • The episode formed Block One of season six, along with The Doctor's Wife. It was the first episode of the season to be filmed.
  • Mark Gatiss had previously worked with Daniel Mays in the serial Funland and purposely inserted the line "Maybe later" into the script as it had been "a bit of a catchphrase" for the two on Funland. However, Mays did not notice the reference.
  • The Bristol estate was chosen because of its "crisp architecture".
  • The country house of Dyrham Park was chosen because of its staircase and checked flooring. The antiques were stripped out of the building and replaced with "child-like" furniture that was placed to look as though it had been played with.
  • In editing, a scene was dropped in which the Doctor revealed that he had taken a photograph of Purcell wearing the doll's dress, which he used to blackmail the landlord into lowering the tenants' rent.
  • It was found that the Peg Dolls were appropriately creepy while stationary, but were less effective as they moved silently through the dollhouse. After initially suggesting that the monsters be accompanied by a menacing giggle, Steven Moffat instead proposed that they should be heard to recite a sinister nursery rhyme in children's voices. Mark Gatiss agreed to craft an appropriate lyric, which would allude to the Doctor's apparent death. Moffat was so pleased with the result that he decided to omit dialogue originally spoken by the Peg Dolls in the voices of Mrs Rossiter and Purcell. Instead, only Fern Duncan and Frances Encell's contribution would be heard; the nursery rhyme also became a recurring motif in subsequent episodes.
  • Several designs of the dolls were made, trying to achieve the desired balance of a normal doll and a scarier, more "crude"-looking one.
  • The actors portraying the dolls were choreographed to move with stiff legs but swing their arms.
  • In the scene in which Alex and the Doctor are in the kitchen they open and close the fridge as they are talking; this was not in the script, but improvised by Matt Smith and Daniel Mays on set.
  • Daniel Mays was drawn to the story because of the family element; he had a young son like George.
  • The scene in which Purcell sinks into the carpet was filmed with Andrew Tiernan on a hydraulic platform that lowered him into green-coloured liquid.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • UK Overnight: 5.5 million
  • UK Final: 7.07 million[2]

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Amy will be turned into a doll.[3] This was proven true.

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Dyrham House, Bristol

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • When Amy and Rory are first exploring the dolls house, their torch begins blinking. The shot cuts between Rory, Amy, and a closeup of the torch. In the closeup, the light is in Rory's left hand (you can see his wedding ring), but in the rest of the shots, it's in his right hand.
  • When the Doctor is making George's toys activate and move by themselves with the sonic, there is a moment where the sonic can be heard, yet the Doctor is clearly not pressing the button.
  • While making tea, the Doctor clearly says, "You see these eyes? They're old eyes." The subtitles replace the last two words with "all lies".
  • When the Doctor and Alex are being pulled into the cupboard, everything in George's room topples over. However, as soon as the cupboard slams shut, it's all upright again.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 6, part 2 DVD cover

DVD & Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Night Terrors was released in Series 6 Part Two on DVD and Blu-Ray in region 1/A on 8 November 2011, in region 2/B on 10 October 2011 and in region 4/B on 3 November 2011.
  • The episode was later released in the Complete Sixth Series boxset on both DVD and Blu-ray, in region 1/A on 22 November 2011, in region 2/B on 21 November 2011 and in region 4/B on 1 December 2011.

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • In the United Kingdom, this story is available on BBC iPlayer.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-series-6-autumn-preview-20767.htm
  2. ↑ Doctor Who Ratings - UK final
  3. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/whos-a-doll-25205.htm
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