196 – "Midnight" | |||
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Doctor Who episode | |||
Cast | |||
Others
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Production | |||
Directed by | Alice Troughton | ||
Written by | Russell T Davies | ||
Script editor | Helen Raynor | ||
Produced by | Phil Collinson | ||
Executive producer(s) | Russell T Davies Julie Gardner | ||
Music by | Murray Gold | ||
Production code | 4.8 | ||
Series | Series 4 | ||
Running time | 45 minutes | ||
First broadcast | 14 June 2008 | ||
Chronology | |||
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"Midnight" is the tenth episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 14 June 2008. The episode placed emphasis on the Tenth Doctor, with his companion, Donna Noble playing a minimal role. As a result, this episode has been described as being "companion-lite",[1] in contrast to the usual "Doctor-lite" episodes.
The episode is largely set on board a small touring vehicle that stops in the middle of a tour on the hostile surface of the planet Midnight and has its cockpit destroyed with its driver and mechanic still inside by an unseen entity. The entity is depicted only through sound effects and by its possession of one of the vehicle's passengers, Sky Silvestry, who repeats the words of the other passengers on board.
"Midnight" was watched by 8.05 million viewers. It received positive reviews from critics, who particularly liked the psychological horror of the unseen creature, as well as the tense claustrophobic atmosphere of the episode. The performances of Sharp and Tennant were widely praised.