The Library of the Past and the Future

Join Dr Amanda Potter from the Open University for a screening of the Doctor Who episodes ‘Silence in the Library’ and ‘Forest of the Dead’ from 2008, followed by a discussion of libraries of the past, and what the library of the future could be like.

These episodes, written by Stephen Moffat before he took over from Russell T. Davies as showrunner, feature David Tennant as the tenth Doctor, Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble, and introduce Alex Kingston as River Song. The Doctor and Donna are called to the planet known as The Library by River Song, who the Doctor has not yet met, who is on the planet with a group of archaeologists. As the archaeologists start to be picked off by an unseen force, a mystery with a little girl who loves books at its heart needs to be solved, in order to save the people and the library.

The discussion will reflect on the episodes on the context of the exhibition on the past of the Portico Library and as the library enters a major capital project to transform itself.

Amanda Potter is a Visiting Fellow at the Open University, who works on the ancient world in popular culture. She has published widely on Greek mythology and ancient Rome in film, television, comics and fanfiction, including articles onDoctor Who. Most recently she has co-edited books on the classical reception and impact of Xena;Warrior Princess (2025) and Wonder Woman (2026), both with Bloomsbury.

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