The planet Midnight is made of diamonds, which reflect x-tonic sunlight that is fatal to all life forms. Midnight is therefore incapable of supporting life. But despite this, the Tenth Doctor and a group of passengers onboard a Crusader 50 vehicle encountered a creature from outside that possessed and copied other people in order to learn more. Midnight is one of the creepiest episodes in the entire history of Doctor Who and writer Russell T Davies would later recycle some elements of this story for another outstanding episode that he wrote: Wild Blue Yonder. The Doctor returned to Midnight centuries later in The Well.

Midnight

★★★★★

TX: 14/06/2008

Written by Russell T Davies    Directed by Alice Troughton

The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble are relaxing in the Leisure Palace on the diamond planet of Midnight. Midnight has no oxygen and the sunlight reflecting off of the diamonds is x-tonic, meaning that it would destroy any living being in a split second. The Doctor decides to embark on a bus trip to the Winter Witch Canyon in a Crusader 50 vehicle. However, during the 4-hour journey, the vehicle stops and a knocking sound is heard on the walls of the vehicle from outside – which is impossible! The Doctor investigates but then the knocking intensifies and moves towards a passenger called Sky Sylvestry. The cabin is thrown around and lights go out. When the passengers regain consciousness, they discover that Sky has been possessed by an unknown entity from outside that makes her copy what the others are saying, which is really creepy! The Doctor deduces that this is the way that the creature learns more and gathers knowledge. Eventually, the possessed Sky begins to copy what the other passengers say at the exact same time as them and without delay. The Doctor realises that Sky wants to possess him and this theory becomes true when Sky starts to only copy the Doctor, which raises some of the other passengers’ suspicions about the Doctor. The Doctor then starts to copy what Sky says, as Sky starts to speak first. At first, the passengers believe that the Midnight Entity has left Sky and has now possessed the Doctor. But Professor Hobbes’ student Dee Dee Blasco has realised that the Midnight Entity has stolen the Doctor’s voice and it is still inside Sky. The other passengers don’t believe her and so they decide to throw the frozen Doctor outside. However, the hostess of the Cruader 50 vehicle realises that Dee Dee is right and so she throws herself and Sky out of airlock, which releases the Doctor. The Doctor and the other passengers are rescued but the journey back is tense because they all turned on each other when the situation became desperate. Back at the Leisure Palace, the Doctor tells Donna what happened and explains that he has no idea what that thing was. Midnight was turned into an atmospheric stage play and it has been recreated within Doctor Who several times (Class: Detained, Wild Blue Yonder, The Story and the Engine). This was one of the most frightening and influential adventures in Doctor Who‘s history! I am a fan of horror movies (particularly zombie movies), but the scariest horror movie I have ever seen is The Babadook, with Smile as a runner-up. Doctor Who is a primetime family drama shown on BBC1 and anyone who thinks that it’s a kids show is just stupid. David Tennant gives one of his best performances in this terrifying episode, proving once and for all that he will always be the best Doctor, a fact not an opinion! How could anyone think that David Tennant is not the best Doctor? There will never be a better Doctor than David Tennant!

The Well

★★★★★

TX: 26/04/2025

Written by Russell T Davies & Sharma Angel-Walfall    Directed by Amanda Brotchie

The Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda land on a rescue ship mission sent to investigate the loss of all contact from a mining colony on a distant planet. The Doctor, Belinda and the other troopers make their way through the mining facility where they discover a gigantic well, built to burrow down to the planet’s core for diamonds. The captain of the expedition, Shaya Costallion reveals that the planet was once called Midnight and that it used to be made of diamonds as a result of radiation from an x-tonic sun. The Doctor realises that he has been here before and that they are all in danger from the Midnight Entity. A sole survivor from the mining colony, Aliss Fenly has been trapped in a circle because the Midnight Entity is hiding behind her. Aliss Fenly, a deaf woman, says that the Midnight Entity climbed out of the Well and killed all of the other members of the mining facility. One of the troopers, Cassio Palin-Paleen, decides to try walking behind Aliss to try and see if they can trick the creature. But instead, the Midnight Entity kills most of the soldiers. The Doctor walks up to Aliss and manages to see the terrifying Midnight Entity. The Doctor realises that the Midnight Entity communicates with its host through whispers and that Aliss is immune because of her deafness. The Doctor also spots the way out. Shaya shoots the mercury system causing refined mercury to spill out and the Midnight Entity is forced to reveal itself (due to the fact that it is afraid of its own reflection), freeing Aliss in the process. The Doctor, Belinda, Aliss and the other survivors run to the entrance of the facility to escape. However, the Midnight Entity catches up with them and possesses Belinda. Shaya agrees to take the consciousness of the Midnight Entity into herself (by shooting Belinda) and Shaya sacrifices herself by throwing herself into the well (Planet of Evil). The Doctor is shocked by the captain’s sacrifice, which mirrors the sacrifice of the hostess of the Crusader 50 Vehicle in Midnight. The Doctor and Belinda leave in the TARDIS. Meanwhile, a member of the rescue crew communicates with Mrs Flood, who she informs that the Doctor was carrying a vital component. The surviving crew members discover to their horror that the Midnight Entity was not destroyed after all… The Well was an amazing episode and it was very frightening! But none of it was suitable for children… it was more like watching a horror movie! Mary Whitehouse would be turning in her grave!