Monday, April 30, 2018

Doctor Who filming in South Africa

The Doctor Who cast flew into Cape Town on January 2, 2018 for filming of Episode 2 and 3 with director Mark Tonderai. The filming continued to January 19. The film crew consisted mainly of people local to the Cape Town area of South Africa. According to a few crew CVs, it is believed that the two Series 11 Episodes filmed in South Africa are Episodes 2 and 3, with Episode 2 featuring aliens in a desolate landscape and Episode 3 based in in 1955, with some Cape Town locations standing in for Montgomery, Alabama. Episode 3 will feature some situations and characters related to Rosa Park's arrest after her refusal to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger, sparking a bus boycott.

Before they began filming in January, there was some recce (location scouting) in August of 2018. This is from the Instagram account of Danny Hargreaves of Real SFX.

A post shared by Danny Hargreaves (@dannysfx) on
Two of the people on the local crew, props fabricator Lovell Southey and visual effects artist Fir Suidema tweeted their ethusiasm.





Bradley Walsh heads to South Africa

And lands in Cape Town

Mandip Gill visited Boulder Beach in Cape Town where there are African Penguins. While she was in Cape Town, she celebrated her birthday.

From local props fabricator named Lovell Southey:


Actor Gareth Marks, who is playing a police officer in the busining boycott episode names Marak Tonderai as the director.


Tilo Poulakakis is the Director of Photography and his CV states that  he is working on Episodes 2 and 3.

Props fabricator Lovell Southey is excited to see the new TARDIS.


And here it is:

The production team filmed at Macassar Beach Pavilion, an abandoned water park southwest of Cape Town, January 10-18. You will notice some figures on the structures. The consensus is their silhouettes most resemble Sontarans with their helmets on. Jodie Whittaker seems to be visible in one one of the photos. I won't say where I found these photos.








On January 14, there was some action at the Kimberley Hotel in Cape Town, standing in for 1955 Montgomery, Alabama. Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh were present. The set dressing sign at the Kimberley Hotel says,"We Cater to White Trade Only" This type of sign was commonly seen in the USA during segregation.

A wide shot of the Kimberley Hotel with a 195o3 American police car in the background.



Director Mark Tonderai continued to film in a desert location.


And the props fabricator had her portable workshop with "COLORED" signs consistent with 1955 Alabama.




Then back to the Cape Town area for more filming.


On January 17, there was a scene filmed which I believe depicts the night Rosa Parks refused to yield her seat on the bus. Barrack St. in Cape Town was set-dressed as Dexter Ave. in Montgomery Alabama. A neon sign for "CLUB LUNA" was also added to the set dressing of the street. A 1950s bus was given the same paint job and markings of the famous bus which now resides in the Henry Ford Museum.




And last, a photo from January 18 which ties it all together. A car with an Alabama license plate on an Instagram post with hashtag #1955.
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Thursday, April 19, 2018

A Typical Day for Chris Chibnall at Roath Lock Studios

In the new Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition number 49, In the Studio, Chris Chibnall speaks of his current experience with Doctor Who production.

“I love Roath Lock. It’s the best facility I’ve ever worked in. I can walk in to say hello to costume and makeup, then go across to one of the four studio spaces for Doctor Who, where worlds are being built and shot on. Then up the stairs to the production office to discuss future schedules and pre-production and post-production and marketing and social media, a meeting with the script team in the Dalek room (yes, there’s a Dalek room), then down the corridor to the edit suites where half a dozen episodes are being worked on simultaneously. In fact, I just described a typical day there for me.” 
The Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition is in newsstands in the UK now and a digital version is also available.


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Saturday, April 14, 2018

The Handover from Steven Moffat to Chris Chibnall

On the Graham Norton Radio Show on Saturday April 15, Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies spoke of their knowledge (or lack thereof) of Doctor Who Series 11.

On the handoff to Chris Chibnall, Steven Moffat said, “We kept meaning to have a proper dinner but then we didn’t because Chris is incredibly busy so, the very last time I left the studios at Roath Lock, I walked past a meeting room and I saw Chris sitting in the middle of the horseshoe of people who were staring at him in hope and I saw the look on his face and I thought ‘he’s sitting in my terrifying chair. I’ll go in and hug him. I’ll go in and hug him goodbye’ and I got into the back of a car and played lots of Murray Gold Music on my headphones. It was brilliant.”

When Moffat and Davies were asked about their knowledge of current production on Doctor Who, Moffat professed no knowledge and said,“People just say things like, ‘It’s going really, really well.’ and that’s great and we’re really pleased about that, like hearing your ex-girlfriend is really, really happy and having a fantastic time.” To Which Davies replied, “Also, you kind of know it isn’t,” with a laugh. “Because you know the show and there hadn’t been a day in Doctor Who’s history where it was going well,” Moffat added. To which Davies replied, “When that snow came along (there was a small storm when they were filming outdoors near Treowen on February 28 and a larger snowstorm closed down production on March 2), I was laughing.”
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Monday, April 9, 2018

Doctor Who Filming Cardiff Bay Barrage

A Doctor Who crew filmed on Cardiff Bay Barrage today. According to onlooker Helen Wilkins, not only Jodie Whittaker and Bradley Walsh were present, but also Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole. This is a photo embedded directly from the Facebook post below.

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Friday, April 6, 2018

When Does Doctor Who Series 11 Premiere?

Update: The initial reports of October and rumors about Sunday were correct.

On September 5, the BBC officially announced that the first Series 11 episode, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, will air simultaneously in the UK and the USA Sunday, October 7. No word yet on the exact time.


What follows is my journey to the truth:

All signs point to October but no specific date in October.

From Chris Chibnall in Doctor Who Magazine 523:
"I’ve been in Liverpool, along with other members of that team and the Thirteenth Doctor herself. For 72 hours at least, all roads lead to Liverpool – for Doctor Who and the global television industry.
We come here to talk, to tell people a little bit about what we’re doing and what this new series of the show will feel like. We come to meet with treasured commercial partners, like Big Finish and Penguin Random House, with broadcasters from all the territories, with iTunes and Amazon and Netflix, all of whom are massively important to taking Doctor Who as far around the world, and to as many people, as it can go."
Here is a photo from the Doctor Who panel at BBC Worldwide Showcase, which was on February 20. If you look at the slide behind Chris Chibnall, Jodie Whittaker, Matt Strevens and Sam Hoyle in the second photo, you will see text that states, "Delivers October 2018"


Another source is BBC Newsround, which says,
"Doctor Who fans might have to wait until October for the new series - but the show's makers have revealed its brand new logo."
There is also this from the former editor of Doctor Who Magazine:
Update: One more source has confirmed an October premier date for BBC One:
"The new season of the acclaimed TV show will feature ten 50-minutes episodes and is set to premiere in October 2018. Crackle will add the eleventh season following its premiere on BBC One..."
Second Update: Now the Radio Times magazine says its August 18-24 issue that the BBC has confirmed that Doctor Who will air "by October".

Third Update: Ooh, Sunday???



Fourth Update: Sunday, SEPTEMBER 23? 

The SideReel website has Episode 1 premiering on Sunday, September 23, a huge departure from the October delivery date given at BBC Worldwide Showcase back in February. I'm told SideReel has been accurate in the past.

Now the Sunday Times Culture magazine is also saying Sunday, September 23.


Fifth Update: in relation to news received on September 4

On September 4, CultBox reported that the air date, Sunday, October 7, could be found on every iTunes website offering Doctor Who Series 11 for presale. BBC Studios promptly sent them a stern letter asking them to take down the story because the air date they reported (which was obviously accurate) was "classified" and a "trade secret". CultBox complied.
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Wednesday, April 4, 2018

News from Doctor Who Magazine 524

News from the magazine is scant. In the Gallifrey Guardian section, it stated, "Work on the new series of Doctor Who continued throughout March, despite the unseasonably snowy conditions that affected much of the UK, and principal recording on several episodes has now been completed."
I can tell you, based on several online CVs, three filming blocks are complete, consisting of two episodes each, directed by Jamie Childs, Mark Tonderai and Sallie Aprahamian.
In other news, Russell T Davies took over the Production News column and wrote, "NO WAY!!!!!! Oh my GOD!!!!!!!!" in reaction to learning the name of a Series 11 guest star after a "No, not him", reportedly from Chris Chibnall when Davies stated, "Naah, too late, he blew it.", likely referring to Alan Cumming.
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