If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, you’re probably aware that the longest-running cult sci-fi series is filmed in Wales. Luckily for us, not all of it is done in the studio, meaning you don’t need time travel to visit the Doctor Who filming locations.
It doesn’t matter which Doctor is your favourite – whether it be to the first Doctor from 1963, William Hartnell or the most recent Dr, Jodie Whittaker, who took over the role as the first female Doctor Who in 2017 – visiting the filming locations will be fascinating.
So grab your scarf and your hat, find the Tardis and head to Wales and the not so secret filming locations you can visit. If you find Rose, tell her we said hello!
First stop Westgate Street, Cardiff.
Westgate Street, Cardiff
In Series 9, 10th episode ‘Face the Raven’ gave us Jenna Coleman’s ‘exit’ and served to introduce Diagon Alley or Westgate Street. In the episode, the Doctor and Clara come across a hidden entrance to a secret alleyway, and the good news is it exists.
You can walk along Westgate Street, and you can find the gap in the wall, but you won’t find Clara (Jenna Coleman), she’s gone but not forgotten.
Next Dyffryn Gardens to meet Sophia Myles who guest-starred as the historical figure Madame de Pompadour in the fourth episode of series 2, ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’,
Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
Located outside Cardiff, Dyffryn Gardens has morphed into the 18th-century French palace gardens in ‘The Girl in the Fireplace‘ and used in ‘Tooth and Claw’ to look like a 19th-century moor in Scotland and also a cyberspace reality in ‘Forest of the Dead‘. The interior of Dyffryn Manor House was used for Churchill’s office in ‘The Wedding of River Song’.
The Dyffryn Gardens is located in the Dyffryn Estate and dates back to 640AD. The gardens have been listed by British Tourist Authority as one of the top 100 gardens in the UK and are now in the care of the National Trust.
St. Mary Street, Cardiff
In 2005, Doctor Who (Christopher Eccleston) exploded onto our screens, when the London department store that Rose worked in went up in flames. The scene from ‘Rose’ was shot in St Mary Street, using the now vacant House of Fraser store.
The shops in St Mary Street and Queens Arcade are also used in later episodes and during the series 2 debut of David Tennant in December 2005 in the ‘The Christmas Invasion.’
Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff, Wales
Roald Dahl Plass first appears in ‘Boom Town’, and is the site of a ‘spatial-temporal’ rift in Cardiff. The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) uses the rift as a fueling station for the Tardis.
The site at Roald Dahl Plass appears several times throughout the series. It’s also the location of Torchwood Three headquarters in the spin-off series ‘Torchwood’. Today, the Roald Dahl Plass is used to host concerts and cultural events, such as the Cardiff Food Festival.
Hensol Castle, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
In ‘The Unicorn and the Wasp’, the Doctor (David Tennant) drops an unconscious Agatha Christie off at the Harrogate Hotel, Hensol Castle. The castle’s interiors were used for 10 Downing Street in ‘World War Three’ starring the 9th Doctor, Christopher Eccleston and ‘The Sound of Drums’, and ‘Aliens in London’.
In real life, Hensol Castle is a wedding venue steeped in history, with gothic towers, opulent turrets, sweeping staircases and stunning original architecture. The castle and it’s perfectly landscaped surroundings are top of any list for filming or cultural events.
Llansannor Court, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
Llansannor Court is known as Eddison Manor, where the Doctor and Donna (Catherine Tate) meet Agatha Christie at a party set in 1926 in ‘The Unicorn and the Wasp’.
The National Museum of Wales
A Doctor Who staple, the National Museum of Wales, located in Cardiff’s city centre, it has been used in several episodes, most notably,‘ The Big Bang’, ‘Dalek‘, and the 2007 episode ‘Voyage of the Damned’‘.
The museum was founded in 1905, and this beautiful building boasts rooms to please families as well as art and natural history lovers and is the centre of culture for all things Welsh.
Cardiff Castle
The Dr loves a castle, and this one is located right in the heart of Cardiff City Centre. Cardiff Castle has been used in many scenes in both Doctor Who and the spin-off series Torchwood, most notably during the 2011 series six two-part episode, ‘The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People‘ and in the 2012 Christmas episode ‘The Snowmen’.
In the 2005 series 1 episode ‘Boom Town’ the castle was scheduled to be demolished for the ‘Bad Wolf’ project, which thanks to the 9th Doctor, luckily didn’t go as planned.
Cathedral Green, Llandaff
During Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor’s adventures with Amy Pond and Rory Williams, you will be introduced to the fictional town of Leadworth, which was filmed in the Welsh town of Llandaff.
The Cathedral Green, in particular, was used memorably in Matt Smith’s debut, ‘The Eleventh Hour’. If you follow Amy and Rory’s story, then go on a short trip away to Bute Esplanade in Cardiff Bay. There you can view the Tardis blue house the good Doctor gifted them in ‘The God Complex’.
Caerphilly Castle
The location scouts love a castle, and another favourite is located just outside Cardiff, and that is Caerphilly Castle. The castle has been used in too many episodes to list. Still, most recently, it has served as the backdrop to the ‘Nightmare in Silver’, the Robin Hoodesque episode, ‘Robot of Sherwood’ and also featured in ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’.
So I think we have left you in little doubt the writers and location scouts of this brilliant series love Wales and why not? It’s a fabulous place to visit. ‘Pob Lwc’ or Good Luck on your Doctor Who journeys.