Modern Series Episode 119:
In The Forest Of The
Night
Having chaperoned an overnight class trip, Clara and Danny awaken in the
morning to discover that a forest has grown up all across the world.
Amongst the trees infesting London, the Doctor meets Maebh, one of their
pupils. Troubled ever since the disappearance of her sister a year
earlier, Maebh now seems to have developed a strange connection to the
mysterious events. When she goes missing, the Doctor and Clara set off
into the woods to find her. In the process, they discover that a deadly
solar flare is hurtling towards the Earth -- but are the trees another
agent of the planet's destruction, or of its salvation?
As Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat was developing the
programme's thirty-fourth season, he was put in contact with writer
Frank Cottrell-Boyce by his predecessor, Russell T Davies. Early in
their careers, Cottrell-Boyce and Davies had worked together on the
supernatural soap opera Springhill, after which Cottrell-Boyce
had written several feature films and become an award-winning children's
author. Nonetheless, he harboured an admiration for Doctor Who
which dated back to the days of Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor, and he had
finally decided to approach the production team about contributing to
the series. Eager to bring aboard a writer of Cottrell-Boyce's pedigree,
the production team responded in early 2014 to discuss potential story
ideas.
Thinking in terms of the Third Doctor's adventures in contemporary
London during his exile to Earth by the Time Lords, Cottrell-Boyce aimed
to devise a narrative which would similarly bring peril close to home
for the audience. This prompted the notion of a contemporary London
which had become mysteriously overgrown. Cottrell-Boyce thought that
presenting the natural world as the apparent threat would place the
Doctor in an unusually powerless position. The premise would also echo
many beloved fairy tales, which were often set in deep, dark woods which
embodied humanity's primal fear of the unknown. Originally, the Doctor
believed that the strange events were specifically targeted at him, but
Moffat discouraged this approach.
Maebh's surname was a reference to the Forest of Arden in
Warwickshire
Cottrell-Boyce's untitled first draft was completed in mid-April. At
this stage, the goal of the worldwide phone call was to use the noise of
the ringing phones to create a resonance pattern in the clouds, which
would initiate a protective rainfall. Although it would be ambiguous in
the final episode, the voices which spoke through Maebh were intended to
be called the Here. Maebh's surname, Arden, was a reference to the
Forest of Arden in Warwickshire; now much diminished from its once vast
extent, it was also the setting of William Shakespeare's 1599 comedy
As You Like It. Ruby's name was inspired by her identification of
the red ring in the tree trunk. Samson was initially called Noah.
By the start of June, the adventure was called In The Forest Of The
Night; the title was derived from William Blake's poem The
Tyger, published in the 1794 collection Songs Of Experience.
It was positioned as the tenth episode of the season, immediately prior
to the two-part finale, Dark Water /
Death In Heaven. As such, the Doctor's reunion with the
Master -- now calling herself Missy and played by Michelle Gomez -- was
to be presaged by a message from the Here to the Doctor, delivered by
Maebh: “You are not alone.” This was the same omen which the
Face of Boe communicated to the Tenth Doctor in 2007's Gridlock, laying the groundwork for the
introduction of a new Master portrayed by John Simm later that year.
Since In The Forest Of The Night would benefit from being
recorded once the Welsh greenery was in full flourish, it was scheduled
on its own as Block Seven, at the end of the Season Thirty-Four
production calendar. The director would be Sheree Folkson, making her
only Doctor Who episode. Whereas the season's first six blocks
had alternated between producers Nikki Wilson and Peter Bennett, Block
Seven would be overseen by Paul Frift, who was new to the series. He had
been working in film and television since the early Eighties, initially
as an assistant director. He rose to become an associate producer and a
line producer starting in the early Nineties, and then worked regularly
as a producer from 2007 on shows like Primeval, Crooked
House and The Escape Artist. Amongst the predominantly
school-aged cast was Harley Bird, playing Ruby. She was then in the
midst of a ten-year stint as the voice of the popular animated character
Peppa Pig, but this would mark a rare on-screen appearance for the
actress.
Folkson undertook one day of filming at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff
during the pre-production period. This was July 11th, and included both
Missy's cameo appearance and the Minister's appeal. The first day of the
regular shoot, July 22nd, was also based at Roath Lock, this time with
cameras rolling on the standing TARDIS set. The major location for In
The Forest Of The Night was the Caerwent Training Area in Caerwent.
The woodland around the disused Ministry of Defense establishment was
dressed as the overgrown London, with filming taking place from July
23rd to 25th and then, after the weekend, from the 28th to the 31st. On
the other hand, the heart of the forest where the Here communicated via
Maebh was actually Fforest Fawr in Taff's Well, where cast and crew
spent August 1st.
The production again stood down for the weekend, before resuming on
August 4th at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. Cottrell-Boyce
had originally scripted the venue to be the Science Museum in London and
then the city's Natural History Museum, before it became the fictitious
London Zoological Museum. Folkson was unable to complete all of the
shots she had planned for the National Museum, resulting in the omission
of a scene where Maebh's mum, Siobhan, arrived to find the building
abandoned. Filming on August 5th started at the former St Illtyd's Boys'
College in Cardiff, which once again posed as Coal Hill School.
Folkson's team then returned to Roath Lock for material on Clara's
balcony, plus additional footage in the TARDIS. Studio recording on the
6th began on a mock-up of the museum entrance; it was thought that the
unfilmed sequence with Siobhan might be remounted, but this did not
occur. Later in the day, Folkson completed the remaining TARDIS footage
and the effects shot of the Doctor and Clara watching the solar flare,
as well as a number of inserts.
Material involving the wild animals was recorded at the
premises of the Amazing Animals firm in Heythrop, Oxfordshire
On August 7th, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman embarked on a world tour
to publicise Season Thirty-Four; running through to the 18th, it would
take them to seven cities and every continent except Africa and
Antarctica. Nonetheless, Folkson still had some outstanding material to
record which did not require the Doctor or Clara. On the 7th, sequences
at the Arden home were filmed at a residence on Partridge Road in
Cardiff, alongside pick-up shots of Maebh in the woods. Folkson's team
returned to the Caerwent Training Area on August 8th, when work included
the appearance of Breakfast presenter Jenny Hill as herself. The
news reports from Paris, France and Accra, Ghana were also taped there.
This left only the material involving the wild animals, which was
arranged with the involvement of the Amazing Animals firm and recorded
at their premises on the grounds of the Heythrop Zoological Gardens in
Heythrop, Oxfordshire. The tiger was the focus on August 13th, followed
by the wolves on the 14th.
One of the scenes dropped from In The Forest Of The Night during
editing involved the Doctor describing the childhood vision he
experienced when he gazed into the Untempered Schism on Gallifrey, as
first discussed in 2007's The Sound Of
Drums. He told Clara that he watched as aeons passed by in
seconds, and a mighty forest rose and fell, much as the trees had
suddenly sprung up on Earth overnight. His companion wondered if
Gallifrey -- now established as having been lost in another dimension
following the events of 2013's The Day Of The
Doctor -- could be involved, foreshadowing the Doctor's attempt
to find his home planet in Death In
Heaven.
In The Forest Of The Night aired on October 18th. Doctor
Who's timeslot was moved five minutes earlier than the previous
week's Flatline -- to 8.20pm -- as a
dwindling number of contestants meant a shorter runtime for its
lead-in, reality competition Strictly Come Dancing.
- The Doctor Who Companion -- The Twelfth Doctor: Volume Three,
February 2020, “In The Forest Of The Night” by Andrew
Pixley, Panini UK Ltd.
- Doctor Who: The Complete History #79, 2018, “Story 251:
In The Forest Of The Night”, edited by John Ainsworth, Hachette
Partworks Ltd.
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Original Transmission
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Date |
25th Oct 2014 |
Time |
8.19pm |
Duration |
45'13" |
· BBC1/HD |
6.9m |
Appreciation |
83% |
Cast
The Doctor |
Peter Capaldi (bio) |
Clara |
Jenna Coleman (bio) |
Danny |
Samuel Anderson (bio) |
Maebh |
Abigail Eames |
Samson |
Jaydon Harris-Wallace |
Bradley |
Ashley Foster |
Ruby |
Harley Bird |
Missy |
Michelle Gomez (bio) |
Maebh's Mum |
Siwan Morris |
George |
Harry Dickman |
Minister |
James Weber Brown |
Neighbour |
Michelle Asante |
Emergency Services Officer |
Curtis Flowers |
As herself |
Jenny Hill |
Paris Reporter |
Kate Tydman |
Accra Reporter |
Nana Amoo-Gottfried |
Annabel |
Eloise Barnes |
Crew
Written by |
Frank Cottrell-Boyce (bio) |
Directed by |
Sheree Folkson (bio) |
|
Producer |
Paul Frift |
Stunt Coordinator |
Dani Biernat |
1st Assistant Director |
Jo Lea |
2nd Assistant Director |
James DeHaviland |
3rd Assistant Director |
Danielle Richards |
Assistant Directors |
Gareth Jones |
Chris Thomas |
Unit Drivers |
Sean Evans |
Kyle Davies |
Location Manager |
Iwan Roberts |
Unit Manager |
Nick Clark |
Production Coordinator |
Adam Knopf |
Assistant Production Coordinator |
Sandra Cosfeld |
Production Assistants |
Matthew Jones |
Katie Player |
Chaperones |
Jenni Tarr |
Jan Gordon |
Alison Nelson |
Assistant Accountant |
Bethan Griffiths |
Art Department Accountant |
Maria Hurley |
Script Supervisor |
Steve Walker |
Script Editor |
David P Davis |
Camera Operator |
Mark McQuoid |
Focus Pullers |
Jonathan Vidgen |
Jason Oxley |
Grip |
John Robinson |
Camera Assistants |
Cai Thompson |
Katy Kardasz |
Tom Rowe |
Assistant Grip |
Sean Cronin |
Sound Maintenance Engineers |
Tam Shoring |
Christopher Goding |
Gaffer |
Mark Hutchings |
Best Boy |
Stephen Slocombe |
Electricians |
Gafin Riley |
Andy Gardiner |
Bob Milton |
Gareth Sheldon |
Steve Hopkins |
Art Directors |
Sian M Hughes |
Vicki Stevenson |
Stand by Art Director |
Jim McCallum |
Set Decorator |
Adrian Anscombe |
Production Buyer |
Helen O'Leary |
Prop Buyers |
May Johnson |
Vicki Male |
Prop Master |
Paul Smith |
Props Chargehand |
Kyle Belmont |
Standby Props |
Liam Collins |
Ian Davies |
Set Dressers |
Jayne Davies |
Scott Howe |
Jamie Farrell |
Storeman |
Jamie Southcott |
Assistant Storeman |
Ryan Milton |
Concept Artist |
Chris Lees |
Graphic Artist |
Christina Tom |
Standby Carpenter |
Paul Jones |
Standby Rigger |
Bryan Griffiths |
Practical Electrician |
Christian Davies |
Props Makers |
Alan Hardy |
Jamie Thomas |
Props Driver |
Gareth Fox |
Construction Manager |
Terry Horle |
Construction Chargehand |
Dean Tucker |
Carpenters |
John Sinnott |
Chris Daniels |
Lawrie Ferry |
Matt Ferry |
Julian Tucker |
Mark Painter |
Joe Painter |
Tim Burke |
Head Scenic Artist |
Clive Clarke |
Scenic Painters |
Steve Nelms |
Matt Weston |
Construction Driver |
Jonathan Tylke |
Assistant Costume Designer |
Carly Griffith |
Costume Supervisor |
Melissa Cook |
Costume Assistants |
Michelle McGrath |
Gemma Evans |
Simon Marks |
Charlotte Bestwick |
Make-up Supervisor |
Amy Riley |
Make-up Artists |
Emma Cowen |
Ann Marie Williams |
Unit Medic |
Glyn Evans |
Casting Associate |
Alice Purser |
Assistant Editor |
Katrina Aust |
Will Burgess |
VFX Editor |
Dan Rawlings |
Post Production Coordinator |
Samantha Price |
Dubbing Mixer |
Mark Ferda |
ADR Editor |
Matthew Cox |
Dialogue Editor |
Darran Clement |
Effects Editor |
Harry Barnes |
Foley Editor |
Jamie Talbutt |
Graphics |
BBC Wales Graphics |
Title Concept |
Billy Hanshaw |
Online Editor |
Geraint Pari Huws |
Colourist |
Gareth Spensley |
With Thanks to |
the BBC National Orchestra of Wales |
Conducted & Orchestrated By |
Ben Foster |
Mixed By |
Jake Jackson |
Recorded By |
Gerry O'Riordan |
Original Theme Music |
Ron Grainer |
Casting Director |
Andy Pryor CDG |
Production Executive |
Julie Scott |
Post Production Supervisor |
Nerys Davies |
Production Accountant |
Jeff Dunn |
Sound Recordist |
Deian Llŷr Humphreys |
Costume Designer |
Howard Burden |
Make-up Designer |
Claire Pritchard-Jones |
Music |
Murray Gold |
Visual Effects |
Milk |
BBC Wales VFX |
Special Effects |
Real SFX |
Editor |
Lucien Clayton |
Production Designer |
Michael Pickwoad |
Director of Photography |
Mark Garrett |
Line Producer |
Tracie Simpson |
Executive Producers |
Steven Moffat (bio) |
Brian Minchin |
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