Some of the creepiest and most thought-provoking episodes of Doctor Who revolve around creatures that we never actually see.
Here we take a look back at some of the best…
‘Listen’ (2014)
There’s something different about the invisible monster in Steven Moffat’s ‘Listen’ – in fact, there’s something different about ‘Listen’.
Whereas the Doctor normally stumbles into trouble by accident, here he actively goes looking for it, theorising that at some point in our lives, we’ve all shared the same nightmare. His research takes him to a children’s home in the mid-nineties, where a young Danny Pink, then known as Rupert, encounters a “monster”.
I can’t be the only one who’s heard a noise in the middle of the night and bargained, out loud, with an imaginary burglar, can I? “I won’t get up and look for you as long as you leave the house without hurting me.” That’s effectively what the Doctor advises Rupert to do – don’t look at it, don’t give it cause to hurt you.
Again, this episode plays on familiar fears; unexplained noises, objects going missing, things under the bed or behind us, but it all boils down to reality vs. anxiety – ‘what’s real and what’s a trick of the mind’? In a bid to reassure Rupert, the Doctor delivers a powerful speech about the benefits of fear, how it can make you faster, more alert and more dangerous. It’s an important lesson for everyone, but it’s particularly resonant for those who suffer with anxiety – just as ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ dealt with depression, ‘Listen’ deals with another mental illness.
Anxiety may feel like a weakness but it’s not, you just have to learn how to harness it – as the Doctor says “Scared is a superpower”. Having just listened to the Doctor’s speech, Clara delivers a similar one to a scared child on Gallifrey, a moment of beautiful symmetry which finally gives us an explanation as to the Doctor’s own superhero tendencies – he’s brave, because he’s scared.
The difference between the monster in ‘Listen’ and all the other invisible monsters in this list, is that it may not exist at all. Think about it, there are rational explanations for all of the strange occurrences in the story – the noise outside Orson’s capsule could just be the hull cooling, Clara reasons that the “monster” in Rupert’s room is one of the other kids from the children’s home trying to frighten him, and surely it’s possible that the Doctor wrote the word ‘Listen’ on the chalkboard and forgot.
Look at it this way – the definition of a monster is ‘a frightening, imaginary creature’ so, say you’re just about to go to sleep and suddenly you hear a noise downstairs. You probably just imagined it, but nevertheless, it has you worried. Where is the monster/the intruder/the creature? Is it really downstairs making the noise, or has it been in your room all along? Is fear the monster inside your head?
Which is your favourite? Let us know below…