Last Christmas Allegedly “Too scary” for Kids
Series 8 of Doctor Who saw complaints that it was “Too dark”, now Steven Moffat has responded to claims that Last Christmas is “Too scary” for children.
Reported by the Daily Mail (naturally) who have a headline that obviously tries to paint Moffat in a bad light: “Children like being scared, claims Doctor Who writer: Steven Moffat says he deliberately sets out to frighten youngsters.”
Their report states: “Part of the festive episode is so spine-tingling it had both old and young screaming in fright at the preview.” and “Clara Oswald is stalked by an alien life form in a sequence that would not look out of place in an adult horror film.” Good Lord!
Moffat said: “Doctor Who is scary in the way a rollercoaster is scary. It’s not scary like being trapped outside your house at night. It is fun scary.
“The thing people never say about hiding behind the sofa, is that hiding behind the sofa is itself fun. It is a fun thing to do. Kids like being scared of Doctor Who. It doesn’t horrify them. It doesn’t petrify them. It is just an enjoyable thrill. There is nothing wrong with a bit of adrenaline.
“It will be a bit scary, then it will be funny, and the Doctor will get a bucket stuck on his foot. The Doctor turning up in in any scene anywhere makes it less scary, because a man in stupid clothes walks out of a phone box and says, “I can I save the world”. It is softened and made lovely by that.
“Kids will have nightmares about monsters whether or not Doctor Who happens. Doctor Who gives them the Doctor, a man who fights monsters and does not become one. It adds that to their dreams.”
He added: “The thing about children is that they are much more serious than we are. They are much more uncertain. Children live in a scarier, bigger world than we do. Imagine living in a world where everyone is taller than you. When was the last time you had to go into a school playground being shorter than people who can beat you up?
“Children live in a more frightening world than adults do in any civilised country. The jokes in Doctor Who are for the adults. The scares are for the kids.’
