Forest of the Dead
Encyclopedia
"Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who
. It was first broadcast by BBC One
on 7 June 2008. It is the second of a two-part story, following "Silence in the Library
".
, River Song
, Strackman Lux, and the remainder of their team flee the Vashta Nerada, microscopic carnivorous creatures that thrive in the shadows of the planet-sized Library. Other team members are consumed by the Vashta Nerada, their suits and skeletons animated by the creatures who then chase down the survivors. During a respite, Lux explains that the Library was constructed by his grandfather for Lux's aunt, Charlotte Abigail Lux, who was diagnosed with an incurable disease at a young age. Lux's grandfather had a giant computer constructed at the core of the Library to allow Charlotte's mind to live on among the collected works of humankind. The Doctor realises CAL represents Charlotte's mind, struggling to cope after "saving" the thousands of patrons by transferring their consciousnesses to the computer core when the Vashta Nerada attacked; even the virus checker program housed in the Library's moon, nicknamed "Doctor Moon", is having difficulties helping CAL maintain control.
The Doctor attempts to talk with the Vashta Nerada. He learns that their home, forests from a different planet, were used to create the books of the Library; they now claim the Library as their own. The Doctor requests one day to free those, including his companion Donna Noble
, who are trapped in the computer core, after which the Library will belong to the Vashta Nerada; the creatures agree. The Doctor and River descend to the core. The Doctor prepares to hook himself to the computer terminal, aware this will likely kill him. River knocks him out, secures him to a pillar, and takes his place. The Doctor tries to stop her, but River insists that his death now will prevent her meeting him in her own past, creating a paradox. She whispers an intimate detail to the Doctor, revealing her relationship to him, and then proceeds to activate the interface, much to the Doctor's anguish.
Within the simulation, an apparently normal contemporary Earth village, Donna is tended to by Dr. Moon and introduced to Lee, whom she eventually marries and raises two children with. Aware that time seems to be skipping in the simulation, Donna is alerted to its computerized nature by Miss Evangelista, one of River's team members killed by the Vashta Nerada; her corrupted consciousness makes her appear deformed, but allows her to see the reality for what it is. Donna returns home questioning her reality, which results in her children disappearing. As River initiates the connection, the simulation starts to fall apart; Donna desperately holds onto Lee as the simulation fades to white.
The patrons stored in the computer are rematerialised at the Library surface, and Lux evacuates them to transport ships. Separately, Donna and Lee attempt to find each other but fail to do so, leaving Donna heartbroken. As they prepare to leave the Library forever, the Doctor and Donna leave River's diary and sonic screwdriver, but moments later the Doctor wonders why he would give River his sonic screwdriver. Racing back to it, he finds a data recorder inside the mechanism which has preserved River's data ghost; he races down to the core and injects it into there before the pattern dissipates. River wakes up in the Earth simulation; Charlotte and River's team members who had fallen victim to the Vashta Nerada are there to greet her.
in the episode "The Doctor Dances
". Moffat suggests that it was left in the TARDIS after "The Parting of the Ways
", and taken by River Song in the Doctor's future. The name "squareness gun" was coined by Rose Tyler
in the earlier episode.
The Doctor is able to open the TARDIS by snapping his fingers from the end of this episode, after his future use of this technique is mentioned by River Song. He is next seen to do so in "The Eleventh Hour
" and "Day of the Moon
", and makes a thwarted attempt to do so in " The Doctor's Wife
." Another piece used in "The Eleventh Hour" is the hospital and ambulance that appear on the television screen.
. One of Winslet's first acting roles was in the BBC teen drama Dark Season
, written by Davies. The role of River Song eventually went to Alex Kingston
, about whom Davies said, "I bloody love her!"
The role of Strackman Lux went to Steve Pemberton
, who is best known for his work as a member of The League of Gentlemen
. Pemberton's fellow League member Mark Gatiss
wrote the Doctor Who episodes "The Unquiet Dead
", "The Idiot's Lantern
" and "Victory of the Daleks
", and appeared in the episodes "The Lazarus Experiment
" and "The Wedding of River Song
". He also appeared in Blackpool
with David Tennant.
's Brangwyn Hall
. These include the library reception area where the TARDIS arrives, and the staircase where the Doctor and Donna look out over the empty library. The climactic scenes of the episode (in the library core) were filmed in an electrical substation of a disused Alcoa
factory in Waunarlwydd, Swansea. Other scenes were filmed at the Old Swansea Central Library
Scenes set with CAL's Databanks were filmed at Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas.
The wedding dress Catherine Tate wears in this episode is the same dress she wore in "The Runaway Bride
".
score of 89 (considered "Excellent"), one of the highest figures the new series had received to date, alongside "The Parting of the Ways
", "Doomsday
" and the preceding episode "Silence in the Library
".
This episode, along with "Silence in the Library", was nominated for a Hugo Award
in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. It was first broadcast by BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 7 June 2008. It is the second of a two-part story, following "Silence in the Library
Silence in the Library
"Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story, followed by "Forest of the Dead", and is the second two-parter Steven Moffat contributed to...
".
Synopsis
The DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
, River Song
River Song (Doctor Who)
River Song is a fictional character played primarily by Alex Kingston in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who. River Song was introduced to the series as an experienced future companion of series protagonist the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time in his TARDIS...
, Strackman Lux, and the remainder of their team flee the Vashta Nerada, microscopic carnivorous creatures that thrive in the shadows of the planet-sized Library. Other team members are consumed by the Vashta Nerada, their suits and skeletons animated by the creatures who then chase down the survivors. During a respite, Lux explains that the Library was constructed by his grandfather for Lux's aunt, Charlotte Abigail Lux, who was diagnosed with an incurable disease at a young age. Lux's grandfather had a giant computer constructed at the core of the Library to allow Charlotte's mind to live on among the collected works of humankind. The Doctor realises CAL represents Charlotte's mind, struggling to cope after "saving" the thousands of patrons by transferring their consciousnesses to the computer core when the Vashta Nerada attacked; even the virus checker program housed in the Library's moon, nicknamed "Doctor Moon", is having difficulties helping CAL maintain control.
The Doctor attempts to talk with the Vashta Nerada. He learns that their home, forests from a different planet, were used to create the books of the Library; they now claim the Library as their own. The Doctor requests one day to free those, including his companion Donna Noble
Donna Noble
Donna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from Chiswick, London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series,...
, who are trapped in the computer core, after which the Library will belong to the Vashta Nerada; the creatures agree. The Doctor and River descend to the core. The Doctor prepares to hook himself to the computer terminal, aware this will likely kill him. River knocks him out, secures him to a pillar, and takes his place. The Doctor tries to stop her, but River insists that his death now will prevent her meeting him in her own past, creating a paradox. She whispers an intimate detail to the Doctor, revealing her relationship to him, and then proceeds to activate the interface, much to the Doctor's anguish.
Within the simulation, an apparently normal contemporary Earth village, Donna is tended to by Dr. Moon and introduced to Lee, whom she eventually marries and raises two children with. Aware that time seems to be skipping in the simulation, Donna is alerted to its computerized nature by Miss Evangelista, one of River's team members killed by the Vashta Nerada; her corrupted consciousness makes her appear deformed, but allows her to see the reality for what it is. Donna returns home questioning her reality, which results in her children disappearing. As River initiates the connection, the simulation starts to fall apart; Donna desperately holds onto Lee as the simulation fades to white.
The patrons stored in the computer are rematerialised at the Library surface, and Lux evacuates them to transport ships. Separately, Donna and Lee attempt to find each other but fail to do so, leaving Donna heartbroken. As they prepare to leave the Library forever, the Doctor and Donna leave River's diary and sonic screwdriver, but moments later the Doctor wonders why he would give River his sonic screwdriver. Racing back to it, he finds a data recorder inside the mechanism which has preserved River's data ghost; he races down to the core and injects it into there before the pattern dissipates. River wakes up in the Earth simulation; Charlotte and River's team members who had fallen victim to the Vashta Nerada are there to greet her.
Continuity
According to Steven Moffat, the squareness gun used by Professor River Song to help the party escape from the impending Vashta Nerada at the beginning of the episode is intended to be the same sonic blaster that was used by Jack HarknessJack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
in the episode "The Doctor Dances
The Doctor Dances
"The Doctor Dances" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story and saw Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, join the Doctor as a companion. The first part, "The Empty Child", was...
". Moffat suggests that it was left in the TARDIS after "The Parting of the Ways
The Parting of the Ways
"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
", and taken by River Song in the Doctor's future. The name "squareness gun" was coined by Rose Tyler
Rose Tyler
Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
in the earlier episode.
The Doctor is able to open the TARDIS by snapping his fingers from the end of this episode, after his future use of this technique is mentioned by River Song. He is next seen to do so in "The Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)
"The Eleventh Hour" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 3 April 2010....
" and "Day of the Moon
Day of the Moon
"Day of the Moon" is the second episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Steven Moffat, and directed by Toby Haynes, the episode was first broadcast on 30 April 2011 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on BBC America in the...
", and makes a thwarted attempt to do so in " The Doctor's Wife
The Doctor's Wife (Doctor Who)
"The Doctor's Wife" is the fourth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was broadcast on 14 May 2011 in the United Kingdom, as well as in the United States...
." Another piece used in "The Eleventh Hour" is the hospital and ambulance that appear on the television screen.
Writing
"Forest of the Dead" was initially announced under the title "River's Run", before its name was changed relatively late in production. Josh and Ella, Donna's two children in the computer-generated world, were named after Steven Moffat's son and his son's friend.Casting
For the role of River Song, whom producer Russell T Davies describes as "sort of the Doctor's wife", the production sought to cast Kate WinsletKate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
. One of Winslet's first acting roles was in the BBC teen drama Dark Season
Dark Season
Dark Season is a British science-fiction television serial for adolescents, screened on BBC1 in late 1991. Comprising six twenty-five minute episodes, the two linked three-part stories tell the adventures of three teenagers and their battle to save their school and their classmates from the actions...
, written by Davies. The role of River Song eventually went to Alex Kingston
Alex Kingston
Alexandra Elizabeth "Alex" Kingston is an English actress. She is most widely known for her roles as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the NBC medical drama ER and as River Song in Doctor Who.-Early life and education:...
, about whom Davies said, "I bloody love her!"
The role of Strackman Lux went to Steve Pemberton
Steve Pemberton
Steve James Pemberton is an English actor, comedian, writer and performer, most famous as a member of The League of Gentlemen along with fellow performers Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and co-writer Jeremy Dyson.-Early life:...
, who is best known for his work as a member of The League of Gentlemen
The League of Gentlemen
The League of Gentlemen are a group of British comedians formed in 1995, best known for their radio and television series.The League of Gentlemen may also refer to:* The League of Gentlemen ,...
. Pemberton's fellow League member Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
wrote the Doctor Who episodes "The Unquiet Dead
The Unquiet Dead
"The Unquiet Dead" is an episode in the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 9 April 2005 and is the first episode of the revival to be set in the past. In Victorian Cardiff, the dead are walking, and creatures made of gas are on the loose...
", "The Idiot's Lantern
The Idiot's Lantern
"The Idiot's Lantern" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 27 May 2006.-Plot:...
" and "Victory of the Daleks
Victory of the Daleks
"Victory of the Daleks" is the third episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is written by Mark Gatiss and first broadcast on BBC One on 17 April 2010....
", and appeared in the episodes "The Lazarus Experiment
The Lazarus Experiment
"The Lazarus Experiment" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 5 May 2007 and is the sixth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It stars David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones as his companion, played...
" and "The Wedding of River Song
The Wedding of River Song
"The Wedding of River Song" is the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 1 October 2011.-Plot:...
". He also appeared in Blackpool
Blackpool (TV serial)
Blackpool is a British television musical comedy drama serial, produced in-house by the BBC. It was screened on BBC One as six one-hour episodes on Thursday nights at 9pm from 11 November to 16 December 2004...
with David Tennant.
Filming
Several scenes from this episode and "Silence in the Library" were filmed at SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
's Brangwyn Hall
Brangwyn Hall
The Brangwyn Hall is a concert venue in Swansea. It is named after the artist Frank Brangwyn, whose famous "panels", originally intended for the House of Lords, are displayed there....
. These include the library reception area where the TARDIS arrives, and the staircase where the Doctor and Donna look out over the empty library. The climactic scenes of the episode (in the library core) were filmed in an electrical substation of a disused Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
factory in Waunarlwydd, Swansea. Other scenes were filmed at the Old Swansea Central Library
Scenes set with CAL's Databanks were filmed at Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas.
The wedding dress Catherine Tate wears in this episode is the same dress she wore in "The Runaway Bride
The Runaway Bride (Doctor Who)
"The Runaway Bride" is a special episode of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor...
".
Reception
Forest of the Dead was watched by 7.84 million viewers, giving it a 40% audience share; the highest in Series Four and the highest in its timeslot. The episode received an Appreciation IndexAppreciation Index
The Audience Appreciation Index is a score out of 100 which is used as an indicator of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom. Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by BARB, the organisation that compiles television...
score of 89 (considered "Excellent"), one of the highest figures the new series had received to date, alongside "The Parting of the Ways
The Parting of the Ways
"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
", "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" and the preceding episode "Silence in the Library
Silence in the Library
"Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story, followed by "Forest of the Dead", and is the second two-parter Steven Moffat contributed to...
".
This episode, along with "Silence in the Library", was nominated for a Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category.