According to his Letter from the Showrunner column in Doctor Who Magazine 585, Russell T Davies has revealed that Block One, currently filming now with director Dylan Holmes Williams, consists of two Doctor Who episodes.
“I wonder if those [filming] locations will have made the papers by the time you read this?,” Davies wrote in November of the filming which commenced on Monday, 5 December. “Some are far-flung. Some are very much not!”
So far, there are no reports of public location filming but it is exciting to think there could be some coverage of location filming in Wales and possibly abroad. Rumours suggest there will be two nights of filming somewhere in the Cardiff area in the middle of December. If Block One filming occurs at a foreign location, it will likely happen early in the new year.
We previously reported Pam Downe as the new costume designer for the 60th anniversary specials. DWM confirmed that Downe continues on as costume designer for Series 14 and that new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, who plays companion Ruby Sunday, met with her on 31 October for their initial fittings.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to create so many varied looks for each of the characters as we pass through varied time zone and places,” Downe told DWM. “I’m also looking forward to the challenge of designing on such an epic scale.”
There is yet no word on when the costumes for the Doctor and Ruby Sunday will be revealed but it may be soon if the actors are spotted location filming this month.
Script supervisor Scott Handcock revealed to DWM that there are monsters in Block One which are near impossible to describe without referencing Fourth and Seventh Doctor adversaries. Movement tests for the creatures were conducted by Millennium FX with Bad Wolf VFX producer Will Cohen on 10 October.
Chris May is tasked with producing Block One with production coordinator Sandra Cosfeld and editor Tim Hodges.
DWM also announced Claire Williams as the new hair and make-up designer. Williams, who worked with Ncuti Gatwa on Sex Education, loves “the fantastical weirdness of the Whoniverse – it’s very freeing to be a hair and make-up artist in and intergalactic, multi-dimensional world.”
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Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will air some time during the festive period after the three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor air in November of 2023.
Doctor Who Series 14 will consist of eight episodes to air in 2024 and will be followed by an additional festive special.
Doctor Who Magazine 585 is available Thursday 8 December from Panini and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK). A digital edition is also available from PocketMags priced £6.99.