A few notes about Doctor Who production and filming progress were shared in Doctor Who Magazine 588.
VFX co-ordinator Siân Reynish revealed to DWM that there are new visual opportunities introduced to the filming process.
“We’re using top of the range technology, the kind that Marvel films use, to make Doctor Who in Wales, which I think is pretty spectacular. It means Doctor Who is at the forefront of pushing the boundaries.”
Reynish didn’t elaborate on the new technology but she did indicate that drones are now employed for studio sets such as the TARDIS interior. This suggests that the TARDIS interior set must be large and expansive enough to accommodate the flight of camera drones.
“And in the Christmas Special we’re shooting with drones on the set, which no one’s done before. Because of the way the Doctor races erratically around the TARDIS, it’s amazing to have those sort of shots.”
Reynish praised Ncuti Gatwa’s energetic Doctor to DWM.
“I think he’ll bring such a new dynamic. He’s young and fun. The crew say he’s up for anything, and I think he’ll really make it his own and not try to copy the mannerisms of anyone else. He’s really individual, and that’s what we want – a new new Doctor!”
Though the creature has been spotted in the Doctor Who 60th anniversary teaser trailer, the crew and the BBC have been careful not to mention the Meep by name — until Reynish gave the creature a mention. That’s the Meep officially confirmed for the 60th anniversary.
“When you’re watching at home, think of the amount of conversations we’ve had over how much the Meep blinks!”
Director Julie Anne Robertson’s Block Three, currently filming as of March 1, contains “two wildly different episodes, by wildly different writers”, according to showrunner Russell T. Davies in the Gallifrey Gaurdian column in DWM.
According to script supervisor Scott Handcock’s Production Diary in DWM, Block Three preparations included discussions of rock formations. A page turn for the block included the words “spoor” and “croquet”. Creature choreographer Paul Kasey is involved with this filming block. Tobias Datum is named as the Block Three DOP.
“Julie Anne is a dream piece of crewing for me, because I’ve wanted to work with her ever since sitting in awe of the BBC’s Blackpool,” showrunner Russell T Davies said of Robertson in the Gallifrey Guardian section of DWM. “Julie Anne comes with the best reference ever – an actor called David Tennant, who starred in Blackpool and loves her!”
View this post on Instagram
“It’s a dream!” Robertson told DWM. “Working with Russell T Davis is an extraordinary experience. The team is wonderfully supportive and creative. I’m so lucky.”
View this post on Instagram
The director of Block Four is Ben Chessell, according the Gallifrey Guardian column.
“Our search for directors reached all the way to Australia, to find Ben,” executive producer Phil Collinson told DWM. “One of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen on television is Joe Barton’s Giri/Haji for the BBC, with the spectacular finale directed by Ben. It broke all the rules of what television can achieve, so we knew he was a perfect fit for this two-episode block, which takes the whole show into genuinely new territory. We were all wondering how to achieve what’s on the page, but Ben has marched in to show us how!”
Chessell flew to Wales in early February and expects to remain in the UK for about six months.
View this post on Instagram
Doctor Who will return in November 2023 with three 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor. In the following festive period, Ncuti Gatwa will star in his first full Doctor Who episode as the Fifteenth Doctor. Doctor Who Series 14 starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will debut in 2024.
Doctor Who Magazine issue 588 is on sale Thursday, 2 March from Panini and WH Smith in the UK. A digital edition is also available from PocketMags and Amazon Kindle.