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Steven Moffat on Doctor Who Christmas special: The scariest bits are for the kids

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Steven Moffat hints at the fear-factor to come in the Doctor Who Christmas special, as he reveals he writes his scariest scenes especially for children


Children like to be scared by television programmes because they live in a much more frightening world than adults, Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat has said, as he hints at what is to come in the Christmas special.

Moffat, the writer of Doctor Who and Sherlock, said young viewers treat the scary scenes as a "rollercoaster", and enjoy being compelled to hide behind the sofa. Saying children inhabit a "more frightening" world than their parents, sur-rounded by adults taller than them, he promised the Christmas episode would include some "really scary" scenes balanced out by fun.

He added the jokes in the popular BBC One show were intended for the adult audience, while the fear-inducing monsters were aimed at children.

"The thing about children is they're much more serious than we are," he said. "Children live in a scarier bigger world than we do.

"Imagine living in a world where everyone was taller than you. When was the last time you had to go into a school playground where you were smaller than people who could beat you up?

"Children live in a more frightening world than adults do - in a civilised country anyway. So the jokes in Doctor Who are for the adults, and the scares are for the kids."

The details of the festive special, due for broadcast on Christmas Day evening, have been kept carefully under wraps, with ongoing rumours about whether the Doctor's companion Clara will survive the night.

Nick Frost, the actor, is already known to appear in a cameo role as Father Christmas, alongside Peter Capaldi's Time Lord and Jenna Coleman as Clara.

Natalie Gumede, Nathan McMullen, Michael Troughton and Faye Marsay will all make an appearance for the special, entitled Last Christmas.

When asked how frightening the show would be for a family audience, and what they should expect, Moffat said: "About the same as Doctor Who always is, which is that we can do something really scary, and then balance it out.

"It's only scary in the way a roller coaster is scary - it's not scary in the way of being trapped inside your house at night is scary. It's a fun scary.

"The thing people never say about hiding behind the sofa is that it's fun, it's a fun thing to do .

"Kids like being scared of Doctor Who. It doesn't horrify them, it doesn't petrify them, it's just an enjoyable thrill. There's nothing wrong with a bit of adrenaline.

"Kids have nightmares about monsters whether or not Doctor Who happens, but Doctor Who gives them a man who fights monsters but does not become one."

The Doctor Who Christmas episode is due to be broadcast on Christmas Day at 6.15pm on BBC One. It will return for a new series next year.

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  • APA 6th ed.: Furness, Hannah (2014-12-19). Steven Moffat on Doctor Who Christmas special: The scariest bits are for the kids. The Daily Telegraph .
  • MLA 7th ed.: Furness, Hannah. "Steven Moffat on Doctor Who Christmas special: The scariest bits are for the kids." The Daily Telegraph [add city] 2014-12-19. Print.
  • Chicago 15th ed.: Furness, Hannah. "Steven Moffat on Doctor Who Christmas special: The scariest bits are for the kids." The Daily Telegraph, edition, sec., 2014-12-19
  • Turabian: Furness, Hannah. "Steven Moffat on Doctor Who Christmas special: The scariest bits are for the kids." The Daily Telegraph, 2014-12-19, section, edition.
  • Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Steven Moffat on Doctor Who Christmas special: The scariest bits are for the kids | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Steven_Moffat_on_Doctor_Who_Christmas_special:_The_scariest_bits_are_for_the_kids | work=The Daily Telegraph | pages= | date=2014-12-19 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=28 March 2024 }}</ref>
  • Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Steven Moffat on Doctor Who Christmas special: The scariest bits are for the kids | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Steven_Moffat_on_Doctor_Who_Christmas_special:_The_scariest_bits_are_for_the_kids | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=28 March 2024}}</ref>