The Monster in the Woods (short story)

On Halloween, 1973, Ange Barnes is finishing up her little brother, Terry's David Bowie face paint, much to the chagrin of her youngest brother, Ian, who is dressed up as Frankenstein's monster. Ange herself is dressed as a vampire lady and has promised her mother that she would let them show off their costumes. As Mrs. Barnes prepares dinner for her husband, she tells her children not to bang on anyone else's doors.

Later, the children go down to the woods to meet their secret friend, a Dalek that they have called "Starman". Starman invites the kids into his den where he informs them that a signal has been sent. Terry introduces Ian to Starman, and Ian calls him the "Monster in the Woods". Ange assures Starman that it's just a story that her mother told them to try and keep them out of the woods. Starman tells the kids that soon there will no longer be a monster in the woods and instructs them to bring one more item to him to make sure that the message repeats. When Ange tells him that they can bring him the item after school, Starman holds Ian hostage until they bring him what he needs.

Meanwhile, at UNIT HQ, Jo Grant is dressed as a black cat and is trying to convince the Third Doctor to join her at Miss Hawthorne's Halloween shindig, but the Time Lord is focusing on getting his TARDIS in working order, remarking that "humans do have the silliest festivals". Jo notices the Doctor looking at a particular device that she dubs the "Time Fridge", which prevents the temporal circuits from overheating.

Characters

References

The Doctor wants the Dalek time-codes as he is still trapped on Earth.
The Dalek claims it is a "lowly trooper" and does not know the Dalek time-codes, which the Doctor wants for his TARDIS.
The Dalek claims to broadcast a message to the Dalek Fleet in the Time Vortex. The Doctor says they would not be interested in coming to 1973.

Notes

In regards to the UNIT dating controversy, this story is set in 1973.

Continuity

The Doctor suspects that the Dalek may have escaped from "all the mischief" the Daleks caused in the 22nd century. (TV: Day of the Daleks)
UNIT are using Doc Dantalion's manor house as their headquarters (TV: The Three Doctors, PROSE: Where the Heart Is).
The Dalek is able to self-destruct. (TV: Dalek)

BBC New Series Adventures anthologies

BBC Books

Summer Falls and Other Stories	About the Authors • Summer Falls: Introduction • Summer Falls • The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery • Devil in the Smoke

Tales of Trenzalore: The Eleventh Doctor's Last Stand	Tales of Trenzalore • Let it Snow • An Apple a Day... • Strangers in the Outland • The Dreaming

The Shakespeare Notebooks	Notes on a Play • Exits and Entrances • The True Tragedie of Macbeth • Cymbeline • Diary Extract • The Dream • A Prologue • The True and Most Excellent Comedie of Romeo and Juliet • The Tempest – A Work in Progress • Exit, by Another Means • The Winter's Tale • Antony and Cleopatra • Troilus and Cressida • Pericles • Coriolanus • Master Faustus • The Sonnets • As You Like It • Double Falsehood • Hamlet • Timon of Athens • Hamlet's Soliloquy • Academic Notes • Ye Unearthly Childe • Appendix - The Last Will

The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who	Sunset Over Venus • The Lost Generation • The Room with All the Doors • The Hungry Night • All the Empty Towers • Rewriting History • Silver Mosquitoes • In Search of Lost Time • Natural Regression • Potential Energy • The Arboreals • The Piper • The Girl Who Stole the Stars • The Mercy Seats • The Constant Doctor

Time Trips	The Death Pit • Into the Nowhere • Keeping up with the Joneses • Salt of the Earth • A Handful of Stardust • The Bog Warrior • The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller • The Anti-Hero • A Long Way Down

The Legends of Ashildr	The Arabian Knightmare • The Fortunate Isles • The Triple Knife • The Ghosts of Branscombe Wood

The Legends of River Song	Picnic at Asgard • Suspicious Minds • A Gamble with Time • Death in New Venice • River of Time

Myths & Legends	The Mondas Touch • The Terrible Manussa • The Unwanted Gift of Prophecy • Jorus and the Voganauts • The Vardon Horse • Defiance of the New Bloods • The Kingdom of the Blind • The Labyrinthine Web • The Angels of Vengeance • The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity • The Multi-Faceted War • The Enigma of Sisterhood • Pandoric's Box

The Missy Chronicles	Dismemberment • Lords and Masters • Teddy Sparkles Must Die! • The Liar, the Glitch and the War Zone • Girl Power! • Alit in Underland

The Triple Knife and Other Doctor Who Stories	The Triple Knife • Picnic at Asgard • Into the Nowhere • All The Empty Towers • A Long Way Down

The Target Storybook	Gatecrashers • Journey Out of Terror • Save Yourself • The Clean Air Act • Punting • The Dark River • Interstitial Insecurity • The Slyther of Shoreditch • We Can't Stop What's Coming • Decoy • Grounded • The Turning of the Tide • Citation Needed • Pain Management • Letters from the Front

Star Tales	Chasing the Dawn • That's All Right, Mama • Einstein and the Doctor • Who-Dini? • The Pythagoras Problem • Mission of the KaaDok

The Wintertime Paradox	He's Behind You • Father of the Daleks • Inflicting Christmas • For the Girl Who Has Everything • Visiting Hours • We Will Feed You to the Trees • Christmas with the Plasmavores • A Girl Called Doubt • A Perfect Christmas • Missing Habitas Frond • A Day to Yourselves • The Paradox Moon • Canaries

I Am The Master	Anger Management • The Dead Travel Fast • Missy's Magical Mystery Mission • A Master of Disguise • The Night Harvest • The Master and Margarita

Adventures in Lockdown	A Message from the Doctor • Things She Thought While Falling • The Terror of the Umpty Ums • Doctor Who and the Time War • Revenge of the Nestene • Rory's Story • One Virtue, and a Thousand Crimes • The Simple Things • The Tourist • Press Play • The Shadow Passes • Shadow of a Doubt • The Shadow in the Mirror • Fellow Traveller • Listen • The Secret of Novice Hame

Origin Stories	Chemistry • My Daddy Fights Monsters • The Myriapod Mutiny • The Last of the Dals • Murmuration • The Big Sleep • Doctor Jones • The Girl Who Tore Through the Universe • Clara Oswald and the Enchanted Forest • Velvet Hugs • Tempered • Déjà Donna

BBC Children's Books

The Doctor Who Stories	The Hero Factor • Stamp of Approval • No Fun at the Fair • The Final Darkness • Taking Mickey • A Dog's Life • Mission to Galacton • Going Off the Rails • Needle Point • Best Friends • Birth of a Legend • The Secret of the Stones • Blind Terror • Disappearing Act • Speech Day

Heroes and Monsters Collection	The Stranger • The Hero Factor • Mission to Galacton • Stamp of Approval • The Final Darkness • No Fun at the Fair • Taking Mickey • Needlepoint • A Dog's Life • The Secret of the Stones • The Planet That Wept • Disappearing Act • Once Upon a Time • Best Friends • Most Beautiful Music • Secret of Arkatron • Blind Terror • Amy's Escapade • Rory's Adventure • The Fifty-year Delay • Birth of a Legend • Lorna's Escape • Going Off the Rails • Normality • When the Wolves Came • Buyer's Remorse

Time Lord Fairy Tales	The Garden of Statues • Frozen Beauty • Cinderella and the Magic Box • The Twins in the Wood • The Three Little Sontarans • Jak and the Wormhole • Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday • Little Rose Riding Hood • The Gingerbread Trap • The Scruffy Piper • Helana and the Beast • Andiba and the Four Slitheen • The Grief Collector • The Three Brothers Gruff • Sirgwain and the Green Knight • The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes

The American Adventures	All That Glitters • Off the Trail • Ghosts of New York • Taking the Plunge • Spectator Sport • Base of Operations

Twelve Doctors of Christmas	All I Want for Christmas • A Comedy of Terrors • The Christmas Inversion • Three Wise Men • Sontar's Little Helpers • Fairy Tale of New New York • The Grotto • Ghost of Christmas Past • The Red Bicycle • Loose Wire • The Gift • The Persistence of Memory

Tales of Terror	Murder in the Dark • Something at the Door • The Monster in the Woods • Toil and Trouble • Mark of the Medusa • Trick or Treat • The Living Image • Organism 96 • The Patchwork Pierrot • Blood Will Out • The Mist of Sorrow • Baby Sleepy Face

The Day She Saved the Doctor	Sarah Jane and the Temple of Eyes • Rose and the Snow Window • Clara and the Maze of Cui Palta • Bill and the Three Jackets

Twelve Angels Weeping	Halfway Into the Dark • Grey Matter • Red Planet • Celestial Intervention — A Gallifreyan Noir • Ghost in the Machine • Student Bodies • A Soldier's Education • The Red-Eyed League • The Heist • The King in Glass • The Third Wise Man • The Rhino of Twenty-Three Strand Street • Anything You Can Do

Ten Days of Christmas	Under Control • Saviour • Not a Creature Was Stirring • Life in Oils • The Christmas Blessing • The Eternal Present • Gifts from Afar • The Big Store • Dark Waters • Into Control

Dalek prose stories

For the purposes of this list, a "Dalek prose story" is one in which one living, authentic Dalek plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story.

Dalek annuals

The Dalek Book	Red for Danger • The Secret of the Mountain • The Small Defender • Break-through!

The Dalek World	The Secret Struggle • The Five-Leaf Clover • The Dalekreed • The Log of the "Gypsy Joe" • What To Do If A Dalek Attacks You! • Manhunt

The Dalek Outer Space Book	Dalek Saturn Probe • The Outlaw Planet • The Living Death • Diamond Dust • The Great Mercury Plot

Terry Nation's Dalek Annual 1976	Terror Task Force • Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! • Nightmare • Timechase

Terry Nation's Dalek Annual 1977	The Doomsday Machine • Report from an Unknown Planet • The Fugitive

Terry Nation's Dalek Annual 1978	The Castaway • The Seeds of Destruction • Assassination Squad

Doctor Who Magazine

Heliotrope Bouquet

Doctor Who
Poster Magazine

Davros • Special Daleks • Background • The Shoreditch Incident

Virgin New Adventures

GodEngine

BBC Eighth
Doctor Adventures

War of the Daleks • Legacy of the Daleks

Telos Doctor Who
novellas

The Dalek Factor

Quick Reads

I Am a Dalek

Doctor Who Files

Mission to Galacton • Birth of a Legend

Short Trips

Natalie's Diary • Alby • The Best Joke I Ever Told • Hide and Seek • The Eighth Wonder of the World • Mutually Assured Survival • Museum Peace

BBC New
Series Adventures

Prisoner of the Daleks • The Dalek Generation • Engines of War

Puffin eshort

The Ripple Effect

NSA anthologies

A Prologue • Master Faustus • The Stranger • The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes • The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity • The Monster in the Woods • The Third Wise Man • Father of the Daleks

The Brilliant Book 2011

The Lost Diaries of Winston Spencer Churchill • The New Dalek Paradigm • The History of the Stone Totems

Dr. Men

Dr. Fourth

Now We Are Six Hundred

Dalek • Harriet Jones, PM

Dalek: The Astounding
Untold History of the
Greatest Enemies
of the Universe

The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe • The Dalek Invasion of Toyshops • Infection of the Daleks • Lost Patrol • War and Peace

Time Lord Victorious

The Guide to the Dark Times • The Restoration Empire • The Last Message • Mission to the Known • All Flesh is Grass

Others

Doctor Who and the Daleks • Daleks Invade Zaos • Doctor Who and the Time War

Because of the ubiquity of this race, no attempt will be made here to list every appearance in every medium. Instead, we focus on prose appearances here, and invite you to explore a complete list of appearances elsewhere.

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The Monster in the Woods (short story)

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The Monster in the Woods (short story)

Summary

Characters

References

Notes

Continuity

Navigation

Wiki tools

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