Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Night Terrors


 * I'm guessing that it was originally written with a girl in the child role given the use of a dolls house and scary dolls. Not that boys can't play with dolls, its just not a usual toy for a boy who clearly has a love of robots, cars and action figures...
 * It was definitely written for a boy; Gatiss's original outline was titled "What Are Little Boys Made Of?", and that was also the working title for the episode used early in the season.


 * Gatiss also said that he always had a fear of blank-faced dolls like that as a little boy, so, it makes sense that he'd write that into an episode about a little boy with a fear of blank-faced dolls.


 * Also, most little boys don't always get their first pick of toys, especially in working-class homes, where you often get whatever hand-me-downs the family happens to have around. (That can't be the explanation in Gatiss's case, since both of his parents are professionals; I'm guessing, given that they were psychiatrists and it was the late 60s, they were worried that all his robot and dinosaur toys were the result of social stereotypes about masculinity and decided to balance them out with some dolls.)