DWO have seen 6.9: Night Terrors and have put our spoiler-free preview together:
Leaving behind the series story arc for the time being, Night Terrors delivers a welcome change in style, pace and tone as Mark Gatiss offers up his fourth Doctor Who script, which is arguably one of his finest.
The story focuses on an 8-year old George, who is so terrified by the Monsters in his bedroom that he cannot sleep at night. His parents cannot help him, and so The Doctor comes to the rescue - making his first house call in a long time.
But there's more to George than meets the eye, as the mystery of what lurks in his wardrobe reaches a spine-tingling conclusion. Thus ensues a dark, creepy adventure that transports the TARDIS crew to a creaky old house with dolls that hunt you down and…well…that would be telling…
This could have quite easily been a companion-lite story like 2008's Midnight, but Gatiss puts both Amy and Rory to good use here, even allowing for a little character development along the way.
The star of the show, however, is young George, played by Jamie Oram. A terrific piece of casting that holds the whole story together due to conviction and belief.
Daniel Mays (Atonement; Ashes to Ashes) also sparkles, showing a more tender side to characters he has previously played on Film and TV.
There's something for both kids and adults in Night Terrors, with some particularly adult themes explored, including, for the first time in Doctor Who, IVF!
A few of the scenes in the flat share some similarities to 2010's The Lodger, owing to the almost surreal placement of The Doctor in a socially normal setting, but thankfully there's enough going on without it seeming too simulative or cliche.
There's also some great original scoring from Murray Gold, who portrays the seemingly mundane council setting with lazy clarinets and sweeping harps that give an almost Tim Burton-esque feel to the whole adventure.
Overall, Night Terrors is a very different story to anything in the Matt Smith era thus far. It isn't a 'classic' by any means, but thanks to a great plot and supporting cast, it will stand out as one of the more memorable episodes from an already strong season.
Five things to look out for...
1) The lift from hell.
2) Don't take the rubbish out alone!
3) "The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes", "Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday".
4) A giant pair of scissors.
5) "Tick-Tock goes the clock, even for The Doctor".
[Source: Doctor Who Online]
