"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"

"The Doctor's Wife"

I must admit, I had some mixed feelings when I heard that Neil Gaiman was writing an episode of Doctor Who. I am not an aficionado of comic books, so my only exposure to Gaiman was the TV series Neverwhere and the film of his graphic novel, Stardust. What I found was that the worlds that Gaiman creates are absolutely intoxicating, but the stories that he tells in them are not. However, his inventiveness goes a long way- despite some narrative shortcomings, Stardust is one of my favourite films of the past few years- and the setting he creates for this story is idiosyncratic indeed- a living planet called ‘House’ that lures Time Lords to its surface to devour their TARDISes, making patchwork servants out of the bodies of the lost, all while existing outside the universe precisely not in the way that a small soap bubble clings to a large one. However, the weird setting is hjust the canvas for the story, which is based on a very strong idea- an idea that had been long overdue for airing- what if the TARDIS could talk to the Doctor?

What Gaiman and Moffat construct is a story that tells us more about what happened when the madman first found his box. It gives us the first other TARDIS we have seen this century and it finally answers a question about regeneration that has been whispered for decades. However, it is what is at the heart of the story which dominates it. It is a story about the longest relationship the Doctor has ever had, one that will only end with the death of one of the parties involved. The Doctor understands himself more clearly and, perhaps, his purpose is clearer as well. It is this which makes a story that contains numerous references to the series’s mythology and a barrage of technobabble so successful, working even with non-fans. The emotions in the story ring true, which makes all the difference and, after the technobabble is done, the solution is simple, yet brilliant.

The performances are perfect- the very talented Elizabeth Berrington plays Auntie and is ably supported by Adrian Schiller as Uncle. However, it is the wonderful Suranne Jones who captivates as Idris/the TARDIS from the moment she appears, effortlessly getting the most out of Gaiman’s time-bending dialogue and making her sexy, funny and impossible not to fall in love with. Matt Smith’s performance is very special indeed here- the Eleventh Doctor is not as traumatised by the Time War as his two predecessors, but the pain is still there. His controlled rage at losing his hope for the survival of other Time Lords is wonderfully played, as is his answer to Amy’s contention that he wants forgiveness. More crucially, we see this Doctor cry for the first time and the look on Matt Smith’s face makes him seem older than Hartnell. We must not forget the sterling contribution from the former Mr Kate Beckinsale as the voice of House (I wonder if they momentarily considered Hugh Laurie?). Amy and Rory continue to work well, their relationship strong enough to have tolerated bunk beds.

The production is practically flawless, directed with aplomb by Richard Clark. The visualisation of leaving the universe is done simply, yet so effectively and the scenes on House are very atmospheric. The sheer joy of the jerry-made TARDIS chasing its cousin is matched by the shocking scenes set in the TARDIS corridors- the scene where Amy finds Rory’s desiccated corpse amongst graffiti that says KILL-AMY-DIE-AMY- is very strong stuff, yet not inappropriate.

"The Doctor’s Wife" is one of the most satisfying stories the series has yet produced and one I heartily recommend!

NEXT: "The Rebel Flesh"/"The Almost People"

"A Christmas Carol"

Our sixth Christmas with the Time Lord is the first to be helmed by Steven Moffat. In keeping with his view of the programme as a ‘dark fairytale’, we have him doing a version of the most famous Christmas story since the first one. As I said a year ago, Victorian Christmases seem to be the most Christmassy of all, and a lot of this is due to the fact that the festival (as the Anglophone world knows it) was a product of the Victorian era and Charles Dickens’s reading of it in particular. Of course, the use of Dickens’s novella has to be a conscious reference- the Doctor has met Dickens after all- but Moffat has to take this very familiar story and make it seem fresh. Does he succeed? Well...

A (typically) awesome pre-titles sequence brings up to speed. The ship that Amy and Rory are honeymooning on is diving into the deadly atmosphere of a human colonial planet. The ship will crash, killing all 4,003 people on board. The only person who can save them is Kazran Sardick, the man who can tame the sky with the machine that his father built and he, alone, can operate. However, this power has given Sardick complete control over the planet and it is clear from the start which part in the story Sardick plays, for he is, to coin a phrase, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. The Doctor has to convince Sardick to turn the machine on. He could, of course, do that by defeating him as he has done with scores of enemies in the past, but a moment of restraint and mercy convinces the Doctor that there is something more to Sardick. Scrooge was not beyond redemption, after all and so the Doctor must save the day by making Sardick a better person. To do this, he changes Sardick’s past intertwining his life with the life of someone who was just a frozen face and a recorded message- Abigail Pettigrew.

The Christmassy vibe is stronger than it has ever been before, but, as with Dickens, it is the redemption of the character that is at the heart of the story. Like Scrooge, Kazran’s lack of empathy is rooted in the pain of the past. To start with, it is his wholly unloving relationship with his father, but the Doctor gives him someone else to love, in the shape of Abigail. There follow a wonderful sequence of Christmas Eves and it seems that Kazran’s heart warms- only for it to be broken and for bitterness to join coldness in the adult Sardick. Amy, as the ghost of Christmas Present, tries to appeal to his better nature by showing him the faces of those he will allow to die. Sardick is closed to all salvation and is resigned to dying afraid and alone- until Christmas Yet-to-Come shows him the ultimate vision. Such a clever reinterpretation of Dickens would not have worked had Moffat not understood the meaning of the original work so thoroughly. The dialogue practically sings ’In nine hundred years of time and space I've never met anybody who wasn't important.’ The world which he builds is intoxicating- a planet where fish swim in the air, ranging from minnows gently nibbling at your ear, to sharks who will have you arm off, and where face spiders hide in the bedrooms of children.

Moffat’s script is expertly realised by Toby Haynes, lending an awesome sweep to the cityscapes and cloudscapes, but making the scenes in the young Kazran’s bedroom the irresistible blend of danger and intrigue that children love. Haynes invokes the spirit of A Christmas Carol, but is not afraid to invoke other things, from the not-very-subtle, yet joyous Jaws references, to the wonderful shot of the Doctor standing outside the teenage Kazran’s window, waiting to be invited in, which screams Peter Pan. We are so buoyed up by the spirit of the thing that nothing seems ridiculous or out of place- when a sleigh is pulled across the night sky by a shark, we are lost in wonder, not incredulity. The performances are perfect and, as expected, the fantastic Sir Michael Gambon is fantastic as Sardick, showing the coldness, amorality and the warmth that leads to the redemption of the character perfectly. In many ways, Sardick is as much the lead as the Doctor and it is good that the actors playing his childhood and teenage self (Laurence Belcher and Danny Horn respectively) are so good. As Abigail, we have Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins. She is well up to portraying the role and when her beautiful voice soars, accompanied by Murray Gold’s wonderful score, the effect is magical. Amy and Rory are sidelined, somewhat, so it is up to Matt Smith to carry the show with Gambon and when the two of them are together, the effect is electrifying. It is testament to his success in the role that I cannot imagine David Tennant in this story. The Doctor is not just the Christmas Ghosts to Kazran, he is ‘the Raggedy Doctor’, ‘The Fireplace Man’, but in a way that does not seem like a repetition of Moffat's themes.

I am not sure, but this magical hour of television could be my favourite Christmas with Doctor Who yet, another piece of fantastic festive fare from Cardiff!

NEXT: "Space"/"Time"