Is Doctor Who getting too scary for kids? Children back behind the sofa as vampires strike



During the 1970s terrified children would hide behind the sofa in a bid to escape the Daleks.

But these days Doctor Who fans have a lot more to be frightened of than a slow moving piece of tin made from a rubbish bin.



The next episode will see the Doctor attacked by a clan of vampires wielding sharp fangs, as he visits 17th century Venice.

Too scary for children? Young fans will be cowering behind the sofa as vampires attack in the next episode of Doctor Who

The fifth series has already seen the Doctor face the Weeping Angels, the terrifying Smilers, and the old favourites the Daleks.

The show's new writer Steven Moffat has made it clear that he aims to scare, with some 'spine chilling' scenes.



'We're now going for proper scares in four and five, so some good spine chilling stuff on its way,' he said.

'If you took a vote amongst the playgrounds of Britain they'd all be saying 'make it scary, you're meant to be behind that sofa!'

Watch out: The Doctor, played by Matt Smith, grabs Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan, as they face a 17th Century vampire clan

But as the aliens get ever more inventive, parents are sure to question whether their children can handle the excitement. One wrote on the MailOnline: 'I caught the last few minutes of it on Saturday and commented that it probably would have scared the living daylights out of me if I had seen that aged around 9 or 10.

'Nowadays I think kids must be becoming de-sensitised.' Another viewer loved the thrill. 'I was hiding behind the cushions and occasionally watching through the crack of the living room door in the 1970's and I loved every chilling minute of it! 'It was just as scary then as it is now.'

Blood-suckers: Clan leader Rosanna, played by Helen McCrory, and Francesco, played by Alex Price The BBC has come under fire for being 'too scary' before, with an episode featuring alien-possessed corpses back in 2005. Then they said the content was 'carefully considered' for the pre-watershed audience. The show is aimed at the family market, with this week's episode to be broadcast at 6pm. But it has already drawn complaints from some about the miniskirts worn by the Doctor's leggy assistant Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan. Last week's episode even saw her attempt to seduce The Doctor, played by Matt Smith, pushing him up against the side of the tardis in her bedroom.

Saving the world: The Doctor brandishes his sonic screwdriver as he prepares to tackle the House of Calvierri She joked about how long it was since the 907-year-old Time Lord last had sex, making suggestive innuendoes and provocatively lying down on the bed in front of him. Fans were unimpressed with the development. Patrick, from Slough, commented: 'Wrong wrong wrong.. Basic rule has always been - 'No sex in the TARDIS'

'The Doctor's essential 'otherness' is destroyed if he gets sexually involved with his companions.' And Soaks from Sevenoaks wrote: 'Many children look up to Dr Who so what message are you sending out to young girls and boys? Why not change the record and bring in intelligent, classy women?' This week's upcoming episode, written by Toby Whithouse, sees the Doctor, played by Matt Smith, taking Amy for a romantic mini-break in Venice. But when the Tardis lands in the city, they discover dessicated corpses and terror in the canal.

They need to get past the blood-sucking residents of the House of Calvierri and the rest of the scary vampire killers.







