Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1268 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-08-04
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 135 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This third DVD release from Doctor Who’s fourth series since its revival is an absolute cracker. For it just happens to bring together three of the very best episodes from the season, on a disc that’s best not to miss.

Things kick off with the excellent Steven Moffat-penned two-parter, Silence In The Library and Forest Of The Dead. Moffat, who takes over the running of Doctor Who for its fifth series, has been widely regarded as writing some of the best episodes of the show since it came back (including the stunning Blink), and he doesn’t disappoint here. His story sees the Doctor and Donna landing in the middle of the biggest library in the Universe, a superb special effects creation that covers an entire planet. Yet it also houses a sinister set of foes that quickly send shivers up the spine, and that prove it’s wise to, as advised, "count the shadows". To tell too much more would be to spoil some of the surprises, yet with the mysterious character of River Song, the equally intriguing Dr Moon and a small girl’s nightmares to consider, there’s plenty to unravel.

That two-parter out of the way, the mantle then passes back to Russell T Davies, who pens one of his very best episodes of Doctor Who with the terrific Midnight. It’s a deceptive episode, starting off with a low-budget, unimpressive feel, but soon developing into a tightly-constructed, unnerving story, without the comfort of a happily resolved ending.

The back half of Doctor Who’s fourth season was, on the whole, of exceptionally high standard, and this trio of episodes is one of the main reasons why. A terrific DVD, that demonstrates a treasure of a TV show doing what it does best. --Simon Brew

Synopsis
Hot on the heels of the acclaimed third series, Doctor Who returns for a fourth instalment with a familiar face alongside the Doctor. Award-winning comedienne Catherine Tate returns as the Doctor's new companion, revisiting her role as Donna Noble from the 2006 Christmas special The Runaway Bride. These three episodes see Donna continuing her adventures with the Doctor.

"Silence in the Library" sees the Doctor and Donna enter a world of terror inside an abandoned library. They're given only one warning: 'Count the shadows'. In the second episode, "Forest of the Dead", the Doctor forges an alliance with the mysterious River Song. But can anyone stop the shadowy Vashta Nerada? The whole shebang is wrapped up with "Midnight", where the Doctor is trapped, powerless and terrified on the planet Midnight, as the knocking on the wall begins...

Customer Reviews

Three Super Episodes!
People who gave this a 1 star obviously don't know class even if it's thrown in their face! These episodes are very good, clever and scary at the same time!
Silence in the Library: The Doctor and Donna arrive in the biggest Library in the world (called 'The Library'!) and they are given one message 'run and count the shadows'. There are no human life-forms on a scanner but there are 100,000,000 life-forms. A group of Archaeologists turn up with a strange Proffesor River Song who seems to know alot about the doctor's future and later lfe. The Doctor explains that in any shadows are the deadly Vashta Nerada, pirahnas in the air which can eat through human flesh in a second! Two people fall victim to them and one of the Archaeologists (Proper Dave) can walk and draw near the group! This is a very mysterious, clever episode which causes great tension. It loses one mark just because I personally felt that it took a bit to long for the Vashta Nerada to make a move. so... 9/10!
Forest of the Dead: Donna who appeared to be dead turns up at a hospital/hotel with the mysterious Dr Moon. Here time skips in what Donna thinks which takes a while to understand. Back at the library the Doctor and the rest are in the mist of Vashta Nerada and are being chased Proper Dave still. Another falls victim to the Vashta Nerada. It turns out that the little girl is the heart of the library and saved all of the people in previous occasions. This is a great epiode, and perfect second part to the first. I loved this episode! 10/10!
Midnight: The Doctor and Donna go to an alien spar and the doctor (on his own) goes on a trip to the planet made out of diamonds called Midnight. Strange thumping occures during the ride and whatever it is, it attacks an innocent woman named Sky. She starts copying what everybody says, then starts saying everything in sync with what everybody says, and finnaly she speaks ahead of the doctor! This is a great phsycological episode which really touches on human behaviour when scared. A great episode, possibly the best. 10/10
A great three episodes so ignore what others say, i would strongly reccommend this! Overall: 10/10

Take a tour across the Planet Midnight...
This is the third instalment of the fourth season of Doctor Who, featuring 3 episodes starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as his companion Donna Noble.

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead combine to form an excellent two-parter by Steven Moffat, the much heralded writer behind the much-loved `Blink' in Series 3. Moffat gives us more of the same, delivering a typically dark, clever and intriguing plot that fits together like a jigsaw. What I like about these episodes are that they take the viewer on a completely different experience to what we're normally used to from Doctor Who - using the primal fear of shadows and the dark to create a fairly nightmarish and genuinely scary piece of drama. The majority of the tale takes place in the largest library in the Universe, except it is deserted. Along the way, the Doctor encounters the mysterious and enigmatic River Song (played by ER's Alex Kingston), who claims to have a mysterious connection to the Time Lord. The threat comes in the form of the Vashda Nerada - "Piranhas of the air!", who prove effective and original. The story moves along nicely, and although it sometimes tries to be a little bit too clever for it's own good, it's an impressive story. As ever, the performances are good, and it's very atmospheric. 9/10.

Next comes `Midnight', a self-contained little episode that takes place almost entirely on a bus. Yes, you heard me. A entire episode of Doctor Who... on a bus! And as it turns out, despite it's rather simple premise, `Midnight' is far and away the best episode of Series 4 and a contender for one of the greatest episodes ever. As ever, Russell T Davies delivers a superb script, one in which plays to two of his biggest strengths, character and dialogue. `Midnight' is a tightly-written, claustrophobic ensemble piece, featuring a brilliantly sinister performance from Lesley Sharp as the possessed Sky Silvestry. David Tennant is on top form, supported by possibly the best ensemble cast the show has ever had - featuring David Troughton, the son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. The threat feels real and genuinely creepy, due to the fact that it works on a psychological level. It's hard to describe the episode without giving too much detail away, but put simply, `Midnight' is a masterpiece of television. I think it's brilliant that an episode such as this went out at 7pm on a mainstream channel on a Saturday evening and was seen by 8 million people. Superb. 10/10

So, a terrifying, intriguing two-parter and one of the best, most experimental episodes of Doctor Who ever made. Highly recommended, especially if you can't hold out for the complete series boxset in November.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"
The third `vanilla' release of stories from the Fourth series of the BBC's revived Doctor Who opens with new Executive Producer (and most talented writer) Steven Moffat's two-hander: `Silence in the Library' and `Forest of the Dead'. The genius behind 2005's `The Empty Child' and 2007's `Blink' returns with a creepy adventure set, naturally, in a vast library, repository of the entire book collection of the universe. Moffat's skill is in his ability to take the mundane, the everyday, and make it seem sinister - when they arrive in the library - to find it completely deserted - the time-travellers are instructed to `stay out of the shadows'; there is something lurking in them and it isn't nice...The story also introduces us to Alex Kingston's intriguing `River Song'; archaeologist and future companion of The Doctor's; although he doesn't appear to recognize her at all. As the Doctor himself would say; it appears to be another of those `timey-wimey' things, and hopefully River will be back in the series in the future so we can see where she fits in. Colin Salmon appears too, as a creepy psychiatrist, whose young female patient seems to somehow be the key to the events unfolding in the library, whilst League of Gentleman's Steve Pemberton plays a typical wealthy businessman; seeking to stake a claim in whatever they unearth. `Hey who turned out the lights' didn't become as ubiquitous a catchphrase as `Are you my mummy', however the events leading to its appearance are equally disturbing and a real `behind the settee' moment.
Midnight is one of those so-called `Marmite' episodes. Personally I landed on the `love it' side of the argument; a claustrophobic, tense and tautly-acted 40 minutes, that left me wanting more. Lesley Sharp is superb as the possessed passenger of a shuttle that is touring the planet Midnight; a great ensemble cast including David Troughton become increasingly paranoid as they are manipulated and persuaded that The Doctor is the real threat...