Steven Moffat has defended the recent “scientifically inaccurate” episode of Doctor Who, ‘In the Forest of the Night’.

Written by children’s author Frank Cottrell Boyce, the episode aired in October and featured a forest growing overnight and taking back the Earth.

> Read our review of ‘In the Forest of the Night’.

Speaking at the press launch for the recent Christmas special at London’s BFI earlier this month, showrunner Steven Moffat was asked to name his favourite Season 8 episode and answered: “I think I’d give a shout out to an episode that I think will grow in stature over the years because it’s so beautifully and elegantly written, ‘In the Forest of the Night’.”

He explained: “There were people who thought it was maybe scientifically inaccurate – they’re wrong, I checked with the scientists – and any piece of television that includes the line of dialogue ‘catastrophe is the metabolism of the universe’ as a part of popular entertainment has to be… a beautiful episode!”

Moffat went on to praise writer Frank Cottrell Boyce as “an absolute genius and a tremendously lovely man”.

> Order ‘Last Christmas’ on DVD on Amazon.

Doctor Who‘s new season begins filming in Cardiff in January, with Jenna Coleman returning as Clara.

> Here’s everything we know about Season 9 so far.

What did you think of ‘In the Forest of the Night’? Let us know below…