Message Received

While travelling in the TARDIS, with his companions Amy Pond and Rory, The Doctor’s psychic paper receives a message from George, a frightened 8-year-old child on a council estate on present-day Earth, seeking help in getting rid of the monsters in his bedroom.

On arrival, The Doctor, Amy, and Rory split up to try and locate the child. After visiting a number of flats without success The Doctor, taking the guise of a social services worker, eventually finds the right flat and meets George's father, Alex, while his mother Claire is working a night shift.

While talking to Alex, The Doctor learns, through Alex's photo album, that George has been frightened all his life, fearing many of the sounds and people around the flat and has been ritually guided by his mother Claire to believe his fears are trapped within his wardrobe.

Rory, The Doctor and Amy

Meanwhile, Amy and Rory, while taking the lift to the next floor down, suddenly find themselves in what appears to be an eighteen-century house, but shortly discover most of the furnishings are wooden props. On exploring the house they witness other residents of the estates appearing. They also discover strange life-size wooden peg dolls.

Amy and Rory are, at first, not aware that the dolls have the ability to move. Then one of the residents of the council estate arrives and, before their eyes, is caught by one of the dolls and transformed into another doll.

Alex

While trying to flee Amy and Rory become trapped in the kitchen. In desperation they decide to open the kitchen door, which they had barricaded to stop the dolls reaching them, and rush past so as to escape. But in doing so Amy is caught and to Rory’s horror she becomes a doll herself. Rory, now alone, finds himself being chased.

Meanwhile, The Doctor, suspecting that the wardrobe in George’s bedroom contains the evil that the little boy fears, opens it to find its contents are simply clothes and toys, including a doll house. The Doctor suddenly recalls from Alex's photo album that Claire could never be pregnant with George, and asserts that George is a Tensa child, an empathic alien who took on the form of Alex and Claire's desired child through a perception filter, and has the ability to literally lock away his fears within the wardrobe.

As George begins to panic from this revelation, The Doctor and Alex are pulled into the wardrobe, joining Rory in the dollhouse. As the dolls descend on the three, The Doctor calls out to George to face his fears. The Doctor is eventually able to get through to George who opens the wardrobe. George then appears in the dollhouse and the dolls turn to join him.

The Doctor Meets a Concerned Parent

The Doctor realises that George is frightened that Alex and Claire plan to send him away, having mistakenly interpreted a conversation they had earlier. All George wants is to feel wanted and on realising this, thanks to The Doctor’s correct deduction, Alex rushes through the dolls to embrace George as his son. Everyone then finds themselves back at the council estate, restored to normal.

The following morning Claire returns from work to find George no longer scared while Alex and The Doctor make breakfast. After being thanked, The Doctor rejoins his companions and all three of them return to the TARDIS.