In the Forest of the Night (TV story)

 was the tenth episode of the eighth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales. It was notable for employing a fairy-tale style of storytelling and a menagerie of child actors.

Synopsis
While on a trip to a London museum, Clara Oswald, Danny Pink and his Coal Hill School pupils wake to find themselves in a forest that has engulfed the planet. The Twelfth Doctor must contend with the animals that roam this new habitat and the threat of a devastating solar flare...

Plot
A little girl is running through a forest, when she comes across the TARDIS and knocks on the door. The Doctor opens the door, and the little girl explains that something told her to look for a doctor. Taking the girl inside, the Doctor goes on about how he's having trouble with the TARDIS not landing where he wants to be. After a takeoff attempt, a GPS voice says the Doctor has arrived at his destination, London; he argues that it's wrong. However, the little girl tells him that the device is not wrong, she takes him outside and points up, explaining they are in Trafalgar Square. The Doctor is left surprised by this, as a pullaway shows all of London's wild trees filling every open area possible.

In a museum, Clara and Danny have taken "special" students on an overnight class trip. After dealing with some annoyance one student was causing, they gather up the class to leave. One student stops to stare at a piece of tree on display, noticing that it has a single red ring in the rings depicting how many years it grew. Clara, not knowing what it means, simply guesses "must have been a good year to be a tree." The security guard attempts to unlock the door to let them out, but finds it jammed. After the guard's futile attempts to open the door, Danny successfully kicks the door open. Everyone is left shocked by the sight of the trees, leaving Clara to think of answers; an initial theory is a "Sleeping Beauty" scenario, which she immediately drops as it's too far-fetched at the moment.

All around the world, people are panicking from the sudden appearance of the trees. This leads governments to decide to burn away trees to clear paths for people to get around.

Believing that the Doctor may already be in the area to investigate the situation, Clara runs off to find him. Danny leads the children after her, correctly guessing that she's looking for her friend. Clara phones the Doctor, learning that one of the children she was supposed to be looking after is in the TARDIS with him; they arrange to meet up at Trafalgar Square.

Once everyone meets up, a child brings a strange fact to the Doctor's attention; a piece of root from one of the trees she found has no rings of growth on them, meaning that the trees sprang up overnight. Danny wonders how this is possible, with the Doctor pointing out it's a similar scenario to the Ice Age, joking "welcome to the Tree Age." The Doctor then lets everyone into the TARDIS for safety; this proves to be a bad idea as he constantly has to shout at the children to leave the controls alone. Surprised by the remarkable lack of intelligence displayed by the group, the Doctor asks Clara what's wrong with the children. After she explains, flashbacks shows the children in her and Danny's classes, misbehaving and asking stupid questions.

The Doctor goes through folders of homework assignments that Clara previous left onboard, coming to a stop when he finds a series of drawings depicting the growth of the trees and an impending solar flare (strong as the one that destroyed the Bank of Karabraxos in Time Heist). He demands to know who drew the pictures, learning that it was Maebh Arden; he searches the children, asking for Maebh. However, a girl says that Maebh's not with them; the Doctor immediately bolts out of the TARDIS. Clara follows, demanding to know what is so important.

Showing Clara the drawings, the Doctor explains that Maebh predicted the appearance of the trees, and has even written down today's date; they have to find her because she's connected in some way to the trees. The Doctor inquires if anything strange happened to Maebh recently, learning that her sister vanished and she began hearing voices. Maebh was given medication, since the doctors believed it was simply the byproduct of her grief. The Doctor expresses his annoyance at the stupidity of the human race; "any time you start to listen, you block it out."

The Doctor and Clara take off to find Maebh, while Danny decides to try getting the kids home; however, he annoys them with his choice of words. In the meantime, Maebh is leaving a trail of her belongings; she stops upon hearing voices, which belong to men in protective suits about to burn the trees blocking the road. Frightened, Maebh takes off in a different direction. The Doctor and Clara reach the same spot shortly afterwards, only to be ordered to vacate the area for their own safety. Kept from advancing, the Doctor and Clara watch in amazement as the trees are barely burned by the flamethrowers; the Doctor explains that trees control oxygen, and therefore can prevent themselves from being burnt by depriving fire of air.

They continue searching for Maebh, only to be shocked still by the howl of a wolf. Clara is in disbelief since they're in London, a big city; however, the Doctor points out that the trees may have likely broken the gates of a zoo and let out the dangerous predators inside it. They find Maebh, who is being pursued by a wolf; they escape over a fence. The Doctor instructs them to stay huddled together, hoping to scare off the wolf by pretending to be a monster. The wolf hops over the fence, but runs past them. Clara believes the Doctor's plan has worked; however, the Doctor flatly asks her "what can scare a wolf?" A tiger slowly approaches from the other side of the fence, ready to attack; however, Danny arrives and scares the beast away.

Maebh begins swatting the air with her hands, saying there are too many. Clara and Danny think its a fit and Maebh needs her medication; however, the Doctor stops them as the child is communicating with something related to the trees. Using the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor makes what Maebh is swatting visible as sparks of light. The lights become still and use Maebh to communicate; they are the lifeforce of the trees, which have been and will always be there, and that a powerful solar flare is coming. The lights then leave, freeing Maebh.

Clara urges the Doctor to use the TARDIS as a lifeboat to save some humans; they head back to the TARDIS, where the Doctor is ready to take everyone onboard. However, Clara tells him that the children will always want their parents, and that her idea was a ruse to get the Doctor back to the TARDIS for his own safety. Not wanting to be alone, the Doctor tells Clara that Earth is his planet too; however, she sends him away. Alone in the TARDIS, the Doctor comes to a sudden realization: this scenario with the solar flare and trees has happened before!

The Doctor ushers everyone back into the TARDIS, where he explains the solar flare; to his surprise, Clara kept the news from the children. Regardless, the Doctor then explains that the trees are benevolent; they have been protecting life on earth for centuries, and have sprung up all over the world to keep it safe from the solar flares. A child points out that the governments are still planning to destroy the trees; a horrified Doctor realises they have to quickly spread the word about the trees' purpose around the world. Maebh offers to convey the message since she was the first to receive the news; the Doctor agrees, having a speech written for her while he hacks into every communication device in the world.

Maebh's speech is heard around the world, advising everyone to be calm and that the trees are to be left alone as they serve a benevolent purpose. Everyone then leaves the TARDIS, where Maebh is greeted by her mother, who had been searching for her. The Doctor offers the group the rare chance to watch a solar flare from space, but everyone turns down the offer; Clara will join the Doctor after the children are returned home. She and Danny then share a kiss, which the children laugh at as the rumors about them dating have been proven true.

Later, the Doctor and Clara watch the Earth from the open TARDIS doorway. The solar flare hits Earth, burning the trees away and leaving the planet itself unharmed. Elsewhere, Missy also watches the event on her computer, commenting it was an amazing sight.

Back at Clara's apartment, she and the Doctor watch as the remains of the trees crumble away. She wonders what will be told about the trees in the future, but the Doctor tells her that the entire event will have been forgotten as it's human nature to forget about impossible things.

Elsewhere, the Ardens are returning home, when Maebh notices something looking at them through a shrub. It withers away, revealing Maebh's lost sister.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
 * Clara - Jenna Coleman
 * Danny - Samuel Anderson
 * Maebh - Abigail Eames
 * Samson - Jaydon Harris-Wallace
 * Bradley - Ashley Foster
 * Ruby - Harley Bird
 * Missy - Michelle Gomez
 * Maebh's Mum - Siwan Morris
 * George - Harry Dickman
 * Minister - James Weber Brown
 * Neighbour - Michelle Asante
 * Emergency Services Officer - Curtis Flowers
 * Jenny Hill – Herself
 * Paris Reporter - Kate Tydman
 * Accra Reporter - Nana Amoo-Gottfried
 * Annabel - Eloise Barnes

Real world

 * When the Doctor and Clara speak over the phone about the forest, the Doctor compares the new forest to New Forest, only newer. Ironically, New Forest would also have been covered by these trees.
 * The fairy tales Sleeping Beauty and Hansel and Gretel are mentioned. Clara mentions asks Danny whether a forest really can grow on one night or if they have been sleeping for years, like the character of this Sleeping Beauty. She later alludes to the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel while looking for Maebh with the Twelfth Doctor. Maebh was also chased by a wolf while wearing a red hooded coat.
 * The minister addressed the fact that the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR) had been in agreement to take action during the massive forest-crisis.
 * When Danny asked the Doctor how a forest can grow on one night, the Doctor responded "Exactly what they said about the ice age".
 * The kids from Coal Hill School ask twice if they can take "Selfies".
 * The Doctor credits the power of forgetting with allowing for humans to wage wars and have births.
 * The title of the episode, "In the Forest of the Night," is adapted from William Blake's "The Tyger." The reference also presages the appearance of the tiger: "Tyger! Tyger! burning bright / In the forests of the night."

Music

 * Danny Pink and the class from Coal Hill sing the song "Everywhere We Go" by Dave Benson Phillips.

Communication

 * When the Doctor mentions that the sonic screwdriver has no effect on wood, Maebh says that the trees can communicate between one another, if only just a little. A bit sarcastic, the Doctor asks Maebh if she thinks the trees communicate by some form of tree-Facebook.

Events from the real world

 * The Doctor explains that the Tunguska and Curuçá events are evidence of the protection of Earth by trees.

The TARDIS

 * The TARDIS uses a female GPS-like voice to indicate that they have reached their destination.

Story notes

 * This episode is one example of Doctor Who (as a television show) being referenced in the show itself, with a bus in one shot advertising Series 8 of Doctor Who. A previous example would be in Remembrance of the Daleks which was set on the same day that Doctor Who premiered, with a television in the background saying "And now for a new science fiction adventure, Doc-" before cutting out. However, the advertisement is only visible for a brief second.
 * The "bus" seen in the background of the forest is actually a cardboard cutout, due to difficulties that would be faced in order to manoeuvre a real bus into a place of dense foliage.

Ratings
In the Forest of the Night posted an overnight viewing figure of 5.03 million.

Filming locations

 * National Museum in Cardiff
 * Forest Fawr Woods
 * Heythorp Zoological Gardens in Chipping Norton
 * several residential areas in Cardiff

Production errors
When Clara picks up Maebh's pink phone, she is also holding her own white phone. She is holding her white phone in her left hand and Maebh's pink phone in her right hand. Then in one shot, the pink is in her left and the white is in her right. It later returns back to normal in the following shots.

Continuity

 * The Doctor compares the solar flare to the one that hit the Bank of Karabraxos. (TV: Time Heist)
 * In the future, massive solar flares would lead to the exodus of human race from Earth. (TV: The Ark, The Ark in Space , The Beast Below; COMIC: The Keep) It would also undergo a solar flare when it was relocated by the Time Lords. (TV: The Mysterious Planet)
 * The Doctor quotes Clara's remarks about his involvement with Earth. (TV: Kill the Moon)
 * The Doctor reminds Clara that the future can be changed despite her having witnessed it alongside him. (TV: Kill the Moon)
 * The sonic screwdriver is ineffective where wood is concerned. (TV: Silence in the Library)
 * The Doctor refers to Danny as "PE". (TV: The Caretaker, Flatline)
 * Danny discovers that Clara wasn't telling him the truth about her relationship with the Doctor. (TV: Flatline)
 * The Doctor tells Clara that the forest will be forgotten. The Seventh Doctor previously noted humanity's "capacity for self-deception". (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)
 * A human is once again in telepathic contact with tree-based intelligent life forms. (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe)
 * One of the Coal Hill students says "Timey Wimey" while planning out a speech for the planet Earth inhabitants, an expression used by the Doctor in his tenth (TV: Blink et.al.) and eleventh incarnations. (TV: The Eleventh Hour et.al.)
 * The Forest of Cheem was an example of an intelligent race of trees who evolved on Earth. (TV: The End of the World)

DVD releases
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Blu-ray releases
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