Silence in the Library (TV story)

Silence in the Library
Doctor:	[[doctor::Tenth Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Donna Noble
Main enemy:	Vashta Nerada Data Ghost Nodes Suit Creature
Main setting:	Library, 51st century
Key crew
Writer:	Steven Moffat
Director:	Euros Lyn
Producer:	Phil Collinson
Release details
Story number:	8
Release number:	4
Premiere broadcast:	31st May 2008
Format:	1x45 minute episode
Production code:	4.8

Silence In The Library is Episode 8 of Series 4 of Doctor Who.

Synopsis

One hundred years ago, the universe's greatest library was sealed off, leaving only one warning: "Count the shadows". But now, the shadows are moving again. The Doctor and Donna must uncover the terrible truth behind the Nodes and the horrifying Data Ghost, to find the library's secret, and on the way they try to avoid the vashta nerada, pirahna's of the air, shadows that melt the flesh.

Cast

• The Doctor - David Tennant
• Donna Noble - Catherine Tate
• River Song - Alex Kingston
• The Girl - Eve Newton
• Doctor Moon - Colin Salmon
• Strackman Lux - Steve Pemberton
• Proper Dave - Harry Peacock
• Other Dave - O-T Fagbenle
• Anita - Jessika Williams
• The Suit Creature - Unknown
• Miss Evangelista - Talulah Riley

Production crew

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References

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Story notes

• Transmission of this episode will be delayed one week by the Eurovision Song Contest, as was the case last year with a gap between The Lazarus Experiment and 42.
• According to Russel T. Davies this episode is more frightening than Steven Moffat's terrifying series 3 episode Blink, which rated a 5.5 out of 5 on the the offical Doctor Who website 'Fear Factor' feature.
• A skeletal creature in a spacesuit has a weapon which fires a ray similar to the one produced by Captain Jack Harkness's sonic blaster. (DW: The Doctor Dances)
• While the Doctor is hacking into Eve's tv she is watching the CBBC show Pedro and Frankesheep which makes it the second time this series someone has been watching a real-life kids show after The Doctor watching Tommy Zoom in The Poison Sky and the third since the series revival.

Cast Notes

• Steve Pemberton is the second of the League of Gentlemen to appear in Doctor Who, the other being Mark Gatiss who appeared in The Lazarus Experiment as Richard Lazarus.

Ratings

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Myths

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Rumours

• Proper Dave is Killed by The vashta nerada and his Skeleton is possessed by them.
• The shadows may be the same or a similar sort of being as the Shadow which killed Elton Pope's mother in DW: Love and Monsters; the Shadows may eat the flesh of whomever is shaded by one.
• Possibly set on the Lost Moon of Poosh
• It is rumoured (through an unreliable source) that this story sets the tone for the finale by Donna finding and reading her history in a book in the library. It tells her that she 'died' at the hands of the Empress of the Racnoss... (in the 2006 Christmas special)
• If that rumour is true and Donna's death is foretold it may be similar to The Satan Pit when the Beast predicted Rose's 'death'.
• On YouTube, pictures of Donna are shown in a playground walking with a hooded black figure - whether this is in this episode or Forest of the Dead, is uncertain. It is confirmed as it shows Donna in the playground in the Mid-Series Trailer but it may be in either Silence in the Library or Forest of the Dead or even the Doctor-lite episode
• The young girl dreams up the library. This is uncertain, but from the trailer and the exclusive clip on the website of Silence in the Library, it looks like she has control of the library by closing her eyes and imagining. However, the later line "The real world is a lie, and your nightmares are real", spoken by Doctor Moon, suggests all may not be as it seems.
• As seen on the preview on the doctor who website, the doctor finds out his fate when he finds a book with a cover exactly like the TARDIS, it's called "The TARDIS book"
• The books in the library tell the future and show the past, this maybe indicates to the doctor for the first time that Rose is returning.
• This is an artificial reality.
• The Daily Mirror newspaper has claimed that the character River Song is infact a Timelady and possesses a sonic screwdriver, and that she hints at a romance between herself and the Doctor at some time or another. However it is not clear in the article if the paper is suggesting Song is a Timelady because she is of the same race as the doctor or because she was/is involved with him romantically.The sonic screwdriver bit is true as seen in DWA magazine issue 66
• There is a Jeffrey Archer continent in the library "True".
• Donna tells The Doctor that she "likes a bit of Hank Marvin" when he warns her about the shadows.
• Data Ghosts are footprints on the beach - and the tide is coming in. "True"
• The Doctor rants against reading spoilers (irony noted!)
• There are two sonic screwdrivers featured in this episode - and neither is any good at dealing with wood.
• Psychic paper is used to contact The Doctor, in combination with a kiss (but not from Donna).
• Donna flicks through a biography of Harriet Jones, but has to run away before she reaches the final chapter (although viewers see its shocking title, unlike Donna).
• A figure from The Doctor's future makes an appearance.
• A Dalek's eye stalk is brought up by The Doctor out of nowhere. "True"
• Captain Jack could return as the fear forecast states an unexpected face makes an apperance
• Professor River song is or is taken over and killed by a Shadow. (This is likely as the suit creature has a human skeleton inside and the shadows melt flesh!)
• Some people say that there are two Sonic Screwdriver in this episode or the last one but they could be mistaking it for a Sonic blaster (DW: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (As shown in the trailer).

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

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Continuity

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DVD and other releases

• It will be released on the Series 4 boxset DVD in November 2008.

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See also

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External links

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