176 – "Fear Her" | |||||
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Doctor Who episode | |||||
The Doctor and the TARDIS trapped inside a drawing.
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Cast | |||||
Others
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Production | |||||
Directed by | Euros Lyn | ||||
Written by | Matthew Graham | ||||
Script editor | Simon Winstone | ||||
Produced by | Phil Collinson | ||||
Executive producer(s) |
Russell T Davies Julie Gardner |
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Incidental music composer | Murray Gold | ||||
Production code | 2.11 | ||||
Series | Series 2 | ||||
Length | 45 minutes | ||||
Originally broadcast | 24 June 2006 | ||||
Chronology | |||||
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"Fear Her" is the eleventh episode of the second series of the British science-fiction series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 24 June 2006. It was written by Matthew Graham and directed by Euros Lyn.
The episode takes place on the day of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, almost exclusively on a fictitious cul-de-sac named after the British athlete Kelly Holmes. While originally only intending to visit the ceremony, alien time traveller the Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) investigate Chloe Webber (Abisola Agbaje), who has the ability to make people disappear by drawing them.
The episode was brought in to be a low-budget replacement for a script by Stephen Fry that had been pushed back, and was filmed mainly in the Tremorfa area of Cardiff at a housing estate. Graham was asked to write an episode primarily for children which would soften the much darker finale that would be broadcast after. The episode was watched by 7.14 million viewers in the UK, and was given an Appreciation Index of 83. Though Graham received letters from children who enjoyed the episode, it did not generate a positive response from adult fans and critics.
The TARDIS materialises on the day of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. The neighbourhood is preparing for the passing of the Olympic torch bearer, but the mood has been dampened by the disappearances of several children in the prior week. A council worker named Kel also mentions that cars have been breaking down momentarily for the same period. The Doctor and Rose investigate and realise that the source of the problems is a solitary 12-year-old girl named Chloe Webber. She has the unique ability to cause people to disappear by drawing them. The Doctor hypnotises Chloe and finds out that she is possessed by an immature Isolus, an alien life-form that travels through space with a family of billions. This particular Isolus crashed its pod to Earth due to a solar flare. The Isolus relates to and befriends Chloe, who had a troubled childhood. The Isolus has also caused Chloe to draw a life-sized, exaggerated figure of her late father, who is strongly implied to have abused Chloe when he was alive.