Night Terrors (TV story)

Night Terrors (TV story)

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Night Terrors
Doctor:	[[doctor::Eleventh Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Amy Pond Rory Williams
Main enemy:	Peg Dolls
Main setting:	Earth, 2011 George's cupboard, 2011
Key crew
Writer:	Mark Gatiss
Director:	Richard Clark
Producer:	Sanne Wohlenberg
Release details
Story number:	219
Release number:	Series 6
Premiere broadcast:	3rd September 2011
Format:	1x 45 minutes episode
Production code:	6.9
Confidential:	[[confidential::About a Boy|About a Boy]]

Night Terrors was the ninth episode in the sixth series of Doctor Who.

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.

Plot

to be added

Cast

• The Doctor - Matt Smith
• Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
• Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
• Alex - Daniel Mays
• George - Jamie Oram
• Claire - Emma Cunniffe
• Jim Purcell - Andrew Tiernan
• Elsie Rossiter - Leila Hoffman
• Julie - Sophie Cosson

Crew

to be added

References

The Doctor

• 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.

Foods and beverages from the real world

• The Doctor and Alex drink tea.
• The Doctor mentions Jammie Dodgers.

Races and species

• George is a Tenza. He is able to match himself to people's needs and create perception filters.

Television series from the real world

• Rory mentions EastEnders.

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?).
• 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.
• 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.

Ratings

• UK Overnight: 5.5 million

Myths

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

Filming locations

• Bristol

Production errors

to be added

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)
• The Doctor asks for a Jammie Dodger. (DW: Victory of the Daleks, 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 in DW: The Vampires of Venice.
• The Doctor performs his odd greeting kiss to Claire. (DW: The Lodger)
• 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 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 similar manner to Amy. (CC: Solitaire)
• The Doctor again shows a connection to and concern for children. (DW: The Beast Below).

Timeline

• This story occurs after: DW: Let's Kill Hitler
• This story occurs before: DW: The Girl Who Waited

Home video releases

This episode will be released on DVD and Blu-ray shortly after the airing of episode thirteen.

External links

to be added