The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe ever". He stated that "nothing is more fun to write" than the Doctor at Christmas, as he considered it "his kind of day. Everything's bright and shiny, everybody's having a laugh, and nobody minds if you wear a really stupid hat". The story is partly inspired by "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (from "The Chronicles of Narnia") by C. S. Lewis. Moffat said that "Doctor Who" and the Narnia stories "come from the same impulse that children have of escaping to another world." The scene in which the Doctor is showing the Arwells around the house originally included
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe siblings. The Witch sends wolves to track down the children and the beavers, who barely escape. Edmund is chained in the Witch's dungeon, where he meets Tumnus. The Witch demands Edmund reveal his siblings' location. After Tumnus claims that Edmund knows nothing, The Witch tells Mr. Tumnus Edmund betrayed him, then turns Tumnus to stone. While Peter, Lucy, Susan, and the beavers travel, they hide from what they believe to be the White Witch. It is really Father Christmas, a sign that the Witch's reign is ending. Father Christmas gives them weapons to defend themselves. Lucy receives a healing cordial