Age of Steel Press Information, plus Time ChangeBookmark and Share

Saturday, 6 May 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Program information for Week 21 released this afternoon by the BBC Press Office shows that this year's Eurovision Song Contest has had a similar effect to last year, with The Age of Steel moving from Doctor Who's re-established 7pm slot to a 6.40pm start on Saturday 20 May. (There is no word yet of a start time for Doctor Who Confidential on BBC Three that evening.) Last year, "The Doctor Dances" was moved back due to the contest (with a notable drop in viewing figures observed because of the time shift).

Meanwhile, the episode merits a three-page article in the week's highlights(note: PDF file), this week concentrating on the roles of Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith and guest star Andrew Hayden-Smith. 'I think that the Doctor and Mickey do forge a new friendship but it's based on respect,' says Clarke. 'Mickey earns his respect in the Christmas episode and they get to know each other a bit more after that. Mickey's changed as much as the Doctor in terms of becoming a new person but still being [essentially] the same.' He thinks Mickey finally comes into his own this season, becoming braver and more confident than he's seemed before. 'Mickey has to step up to the plate and become a man, so some of the challenges he faces aren't just the monsters that he comes across but also his own fear, really,' Noel explains. 'I think a lot of things that he's involved in [with the Doctor and Rose] help him come to terms with his own uncertainties and really change him. 'He's being tested the whole time, maybe because the Doctor knew that the potential was in him to change.' And what of the relationship between Rose and Mickey? 'Your guess is as good as mine!' laughs Noel.'I think they're in the same sort of on/off situation they always seem to be in; it's never really resolved and you never really figure out what's going on!' He says that 'When you work with someone like [lead writer] Russell [T Davies] and the writers that have worked on Doctor Who, you can only learn from them. Even if your material is different in its content, the tricks and the skills you pick up from them are things that, hopefully, I can put across in whatever I do.' Actor Andrew Hayden-Smith, who guest stars in the next two episodes, syas that he 'suggested that my agent get in touch with the production because I really enjoyed the last series. Funnily enough, they had been watching me on CBBC the night before I put the call in. I went in for an audition, read one of the scenes, and got a call to say I'd got the part a couple of days later.' Of his character, he notes that 'Jake is in a gang fighting against a company called Cybus Industries, which is turning humans into Cybermen,' explains Andrew. 'I didn't see the original Cybermen, but my sister told me that she was terrified of them -- so she is pretty excited that I am involved in fighting them.' Playing an action hero was a new, but exciting, for him. 'It was great!' Andrew enthuses.'There was a lot of running about on the moors in Cardiff, so I had to get quite fit.' The first day of filming was exhilarating, but very demanding, not least because of the fact that the scenes are filmed completely out of sequence. 'It was very scary because it's Doctor Who!' exclaims Andrew with a laugh. 'It was just really exciting. My first day on set was in London, on the South Bank. It was pretty strange because I was filming my last scene [The Age Of Steel], so I had to imagine that I had done all the action scenes which was pretty strange. It was OK, though, as everyone was lovely.' So how does Andrew think his fans will react to his new role? 'I don't know – I'm a bit nervous about it!' he confesses.'The kids who watch me now probably don't remember me from Byker Grove, and won't realise that I've acted before, so I'm a bit nervous about how I come across in it. I hope it's all right!' And would Andrew have liked the opportunity to play a Cyberman himself? 'No, I'm quite happy fighting them, I think,' he says with a laugh. 'I definitely prefer to be a goodie than a baddie!'

There are also further episode details in the Saturday document (also a PDF), as noted below.
Doctor Who: The Age Of Steel
The Cybermen take control of London and start converting the populace, in the conclusion of this gripping two-part episode. While Jackie falls under Lumic’s control, the Doctor, Rose and Mickey are reduced to fugitives in a world of terror. A last, desperate attack on the Cyberfactory is their only chance -- but will they all survive? David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose, Noel Clarke plays Mickey, Camille Coduri plays Jackie Tyler, Shaun Dingwall plays Pete Tyler, Roger Lloyd Pack plays John Lumic and Andrew Hayden-Smith plays Jake Simmonds.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting