Monster Files

Monster Files is an ongoing series of webisodes created by the BBC for its official Doctor Who website beginning as a tie-in with Series 4 in 2008. These short films profile various monsters and alien races featured on Doctor Who.

Captain Jack's Monster Files

Initially, the series was presented as Captain Jack's Monster Files, in which John Barrowman, as Jack Harkness, narrates a brief history of various creatures and races encountered by the Doctor. The clips and videos are often depicted as being information acquired by the Torchwood Institute over the years, and live-action footage of Barrowman as Harkness is incorporated into the clips.

Although Files instalments usually correspond with the episode being shown that week, during some two-parters extra Files about old monsters are released for the first part. The Slitheen were used for the Files broadcast in conjunction with DW: The Sontaran Stratagem, for example, and the Judoon were used for Silence in the Library. A Christmas-themed Files episode was also created, in which Jack talks about the Sycorax, the Titanic, the Empress of the Racnoss, the Roboforms, the Roboform Christmas Trees, the Graske and the Changelings.

Instalments

• Partners in Crime: Adipose Monster File

• The Fires of Pompeii: Pyrovile Monster File

• Planet of the Ood: Ood Monster File

• The Sontaran Stratagem: Slitheen Monster File

• The Poison Sky: Sontaran Monster File

• The Doctor's Daughter: Hath Monster File

• The Unicorn and the Wasp: Vespiform Monster File

• Silence in the Library: Judoon Monster File

• Forest of the Dead: Vashta Nerada Monster File

• Midnight: Midnight Monster file (Midnight Entity)

• Turn Left: The Trickster's Brigade Monster File

• The Stolen Earth: Dalek Monster File

• Journey's End: Davros Monster File

• 2008 Adventure Calendar: Christmas Monster File (Sycorax, Empress of the Racnoss, Max Capricorn, Heavenly Hosts, Roboforms, Roboform Christmas Trees, Graske and Changelings)

• The Next Doctor: Cybermen Monster File

2009 Adventure Calendar

For the 2009 Doctor Who Adventure Calendar, a webisode focusing on the Weeping Angels entitled A Ghost Story for Christmas was produced. Unlike previous instalments, it is not identified as being part of the Monster Files series, and also tells a brief story as opposed to being a straight documentary. Barrowman returned to narrate the piece as Captain Jack, however.

• 2009 Adventure Calendar: Weeping Angels [1] - see A Ghost Story for Christmas

River Song's Monster Files

The Monster Files series resumed during Series 5. Now narrated by Alex Kingston as River Song, and featuring specially shot introduction footage, the files now take the form of information taken from Song's diary. Like at the end of Harkness' videos, she has survival tips, in this case called 'Useful Spoilers'.

Instalments

• Flesh and Stone: Weeping Angels Monster File

• The Vampires of Venice: Vampires Monster File

• Cold Blood: Silurians Monster File

The Weeping Angels are the only creatures so far to be featured twice.

Behind the scenes

Instalments

• The Daleks
• Weeping Angels

Credits

These films were produced and directed by Ian Smith [2] in BBC Wales and written by Justin Richards [3].

Availability

The videos are streamed via the BBC's official Doctor Who website. Virtually all videos on the site are "geofenced" due to licensing and are technically not allowed to be viewed outside of the UK, though they are widely circulated anyway. None of these clips have been released on DVD or as any other form of media.