Live from Master Closet Studios, you’re listening to the only podcast on the internet who’s scared of the dark: it’s the Noobs and the Whovian!
My name is Austin and I’m the Whovian, and these are my sons Corbin and Tripp and we’re the noobs!
This is the podcast that introduces a whole new generation to Doctor Who by watching an episode each week and discussing it from the perspective of a dad who’s seen it before, and two sons who haven’t. And one other guy who has!
I’m Jared!
Welcome to Episode 85 covering series 6 episode 9: Night Terrors.
Super-short Recap
This is the one where the Doctor, Amy, Rory get trapped in a dollhouse that belongs to the freakiest little boy in the universe. Also Amy got turned into a doll!
Remember that one?
Production notes
- Story # 220
- Originally aired September 3, 2011 to 7.07 million viewers
- Written by: Mark Gatiss
- Directed by: Richard Clark
Misc Trivia
- This episode was originally set to be fourth in the season, but Moffat thought that part of the season was already kinda dark and couldn’t handle another one like this. The line at the end “we’re all back together, in the flesh!” had more meaning back then.
Cast
- George – Jamie Oram
- Played in several kids shows, particularly as Freddy Fox in Peppa Pig.
- I hate George. I hate his blinking, I hate his breathing, I hate his voice.
Classic Who Connection
- When the Doctor was talking about bedtime stories he referenced “The Three Little Sontarans”, “The Emperor Dalek’s New Clothes” and “Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday.”
- The Seven Keys to Doomsday was a stage play that ran for four weeks just before Tom Baker took over as the Fourth Doctor
- Pertwee was supposed to play The Doctor but instead it went to Trevor Martin so technically it was the Fourth Doctor, but not the TV Fourth Doctor
- The Daleks are trying to take over the universe with some crab-type slaves call the Clawrantulars
- You can get the audio from the Big Finish Productions website
- The Doctor asked for some Jelly Babies (So delicious)
- Rory talks about George’s message possibly being junk mail. There was Junk mail in the TARDIS in the serial The Greatest Show in the Galaxy with the Seventh Doctor and Ace.
- A small robot suddenly appeared in the TARDIS and is an advertising drone for the Psychic Circus
Checklist
- Name of the episode spoken in dialogue?
- Nope, however, one working title for this episode was House Call.
- Creature of the week
- The peg dolls
- The Tenza – powerful psychic creatures who are apparently somewhat unaware of their own nature. Their sole desire is to be accepted, so they retreat into the personalities they invent so deeply that they seem to forget they are something else.
- CGI
- The landlord sinking into the floor was pretty good
- Bow ties are cool
- Hats
- Doctor Who?
- Geronimo
- Running count – 7
- Stuff the Doctor loves
- Jiggery Pokery
- Sonic
- It pitches up apparently?
- It activated all of George’s toy
- I’ve got to invent a setting for wood, it’s embarrassing!
- TARDIS
- Rory thinks the TARDIS has gone all… slippy, timey
- Psychic paper
- The little boy sent a message on it
- Random
- Sonic
- Needless sacrificial death
- Jibberty Jabberty
- Pantaphobia, that’s what it’s called. Not the fear of pants though, it’s the fear of everything. Which includes pants, then… I suppose.
- Actually, it’s panphobia. Pantaphobia is the absence of fear
- Pantaphobia, that’s what it’s called. Not the fear of pants though, it’s the fear of everything. Which includes pants, then… I suppose.
- Silence will fall
- The Question
- Eye-patch Lady
- She originally appeared in this episode but it was cut when the episode got moved later in the season.
- The Doctor’s Rules
- Jammie Dodger sighting
- The Doctor asked Alex if he had any
- Running count – 3
- Existential Horror
Other stuff we noticed
- The way the doctor met the little kid is the same way the doctor met Amy
Who’s Who?
- Who is Rory?
- We’re dead… again!
- That’s weird. Yeah, says the time-traveling nurse.
- Who is Amy?
- Her favorite year is seventeen-hundred-something
- She was a doll
- Who is The Doctor?
- He’s making a house call for the first time in a while
- You could be anyone. I could but I’m not. I’m the Doctor!
- You’ve got a problem, I’ve got a problem, I bet they’re connected.
- When I was your age, oh about a thousand years ago.
- You see these eyes? These are old eyes.
- Right, monsters. That’s what I do everyday – breakfast, lunch, and tea – fight the monsters.
- I’ve been around the block a few times. They’ve knocked down the blocks I’ve been around, built bigger ones! I’ve been around those too. I can’t remember everything. It’s like trying to remember the name of someone at your birthday party when you were two.
- Who is River Song
Overall impressions
- Overall rating out of 10 –
- Jared – 9 prayers to save me from the monsters
- Austin – 9 father-son reunions
- Corbin – 8 locked cupboards
- Tripp – 8.5 Scared Georges
- Creep Level – out of 500
- Jared – 425
- Austin – 475
- Corbin – 400
- Tripp – 1103 but actually 700
Theories
- What will happen with Eleven dying?
- Corbin thinks this will be the end of series 6 and they will avert Eleven’s death.
- Tripp
- Who is the impossible astronaut?
- Corbin thinks it’s River.
- Tripp thinks it’s River.
- Corbin’s whole theory
- The River, who is the impossible astronaut and the little girl, kills the Doctor in the season finale and that is why she is in Stormcage. Also, she is the Doctor’s wife.
The Game Plan
- Next week we’re doing a Classic Who Rewind covering the Fourth Doctor serial Genesis of the Daleks. This is the fourth serial of season 12. We’ll meet Davros for the first time, and see Four face a real moral conundrum.
- Don’t forget that Classic Who is available via BritBox on Amazon video. If you haven’t already, sign up for a free trial period so you can watch these classic episodes with us.
- Use our link and help support the show!
- Following that, we’re covering season 6 episode 10: The Girl Who Waited.
Closing
Noobs and the Whovian is a production of Master Closet Studios, where it’s always smaller on the inside. Your Senior Producer is Austin Reason. Our Audio Engineer is Tripp Reason. Corbin Reason is our Production Editor. Special thanks to tardis.wikia.com for the trivia, Jared for the Classic Who Connection. Shout outs to Victor and Jared for their Patreon support.
You can find us at facebook.com/noobsandthewhovian and email us at [email protected]. Consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/noobsandthewhovian. Please subscribe and leave a rating wherever you found us, and share us with a friend not because we’re a great show but because we watch one.
