"Night Terrors"

There are two words which immediately spring to mind upon watching "Night Terrors"- "Fear Her". Like that previous story, it attempts to convey the terrors that lurk in a child's bedroom once the lights go out. However, there are clear differences in execution. "Fear Her" was unable to use its intriguing ideas to create a successful story, whereas "Night Terrors" manages to integrate its concepts into a satisfying plot. The disadvantage is, of course, that it does feel like an attempt to do "Fear Her" properly- and, while “Night Terrors” is certainly the better story, its ideas aren't as ambitious as its predecessor- the Tenza isn't as original a concept as the Isolus. Mark Gatiss has never reached the same standard as he did with "The Unquiet Dead", but he is an excellent writer and there is always great dialogue and Gatiss’s real enjoyment of the story and, indeed, the programme, to goes a long way. In addition, although the concepts aren't as ambitious in “Night Terrors”, the ones they do have are used more effectively- repression, parental expectations versus the actual development of the child, a child's need for validation- are handled expertly.

"Night Terrors" has, to its advantage, the finest showing yet from Richard Clark in the director’s chair, helped by Owen McPolin’s stunning photography- the shadows dancing in torchlight, the sombre earthiness of the former council estate. The peg dolls are chilling creations and the scene where Purcell turns into one will live on in the nightmares of quite a lot of children, as the magical scene where the Doctor brings George’s toys to life will enchant them. Clark gets great performances out of everyone- I get the impression that Jamie Oram is not the greatest child actor in the world, but Clark brings out his best. The key guest star is Daniel Mays, an actor who has never failed to completely inhabit his character, and is awesome here as a father who is concerned and a bit terrified- as many young fathers are. We also have the inimitable glower of Andrew Tiernan as Purcell, the landlord, a small, yet effective role. This is, of course, great material for our leading man and Matt is reliably wonderful, as are his companions.

In the end, the factors that lessen the impact of "Night Terrors" are things that have nothing to do with the execution of the story- the fact that it was moved to later in the series means that Amy and Rory do not refer to Melody once, which is odd in a story dealing with a young family. And, as must be said again, the spectre of “Fear Her” haunts the story. Together, "Night Terrors" and "Fear Her" could form the ultimate reading of Doctor Who as a childhood experience- George and Chloe both reach out to an unknown power to help them, the parents have trouble understanding their children. Most importantly it is the examination of the Doctor as childhood hero. Both "Night Terrors" and "Fear Her" try to speak to the child behind the sofa- and it is that child who is the best judge of them.

NEXT: "The Girl Who Waited"