OUT ON THE WINDING WINDY MOOR . . . Blimey, I had a day yesterday. First of all I was late for my job centre appointment and then, after having it re-booked I was told to wait an extra half hour after I should have been seen. Anyway, not in the best of moods, I went home and heard a rumour that the new series of Doctor Who MAY be filming just five miles away from me. Not one to shirk responsibility, I put on my anorak - come on, we all have one - and went, along with my dad and the dog, to Gelligaer Common, approximately five miles from the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil, and about one mile from where the old Doctor Who series, The Green Death was filmed. You know, THE ONE WITH THE GIANT MAGGOTS....

Well, we parked the car and walked up to where we thought the Beeb may be filming. Couldn't mistake it really, not with those bloomin' great vans everywhere. We walked right up to where the cameras were, taking our time and care not to slip over any of the copious amounts of electrical leads strewn around the site. And there it was... The one constant thing about the entire programme... Standing proud, but dejected, atop one of the most bleak places in Wales - and let's be fair, Wales is pretty bleak at the best of times - the TARDIS! FANTABULOSA!!! There it was... In the flesh... Not quite in the flesh, but you get my drift. Any road out, I asked a production chappie if I could stand and watch, and as the site is a public area he said it should be okay. But I WASN'T TO STAND IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS!!!! As if... Ahem, anyway... So, for the next ten minutes I saw a part of Series Two being made. What happened....? If you want to know the bits about the Doctor, skip the next few paragraphs as I ramble on and on about the minutae of what happened on that fateful day... Don't worry, I'll let you know in plenty of time... Oh, to hell with it - hoist up your skirts and let's go...

First of all, there was a black carriage - originally my dad thought it was a hearse - with some horses reined to it. There were some officious, and rather gallant looking foot soldiers with rifles pointing them at the Doctor and Rose. The sargeant atop the lead horse asked the Doctor who he was and this is what was said:

Soldier: (Thick Scottish accent) Who are you? And who is that half-naked strumpet? (At least that's what it sounded like to me)
Doctor: (Thick Scottish Mockney accent) I am Doctor Jamie McCrimmon. I studied under Doctor Bell. (The Doctor shows him his psychic paper)

As the wind was really blowing, I couldn't quite make out what they said next. Rose looked cold. Then all of a sudden there was a booming voice saying "Cut! Lunch!" and they were gone. I do remember an assistant saying "All the soldiers go in the van!"

So there I was, with the TARDIS. Of course, I had photos taken. Sad, but strangely wonderful. Then, thinking that the day was over, we took the dog for a walk around where they filmed THE ONE WITH THE GIANT MAGGOTS. Well, flap me sideways... The production crew were there, along with the extras, scoffing their faces outside the food van. I saw Ms Piper and, being brave, I asked her if I could have a photo, it "Being a fan thing...". Wow! She obliged, and it looks lovely. Thank you Ms Piper!

Anyway, I thought that was enough for the day, and so went home, only to be told by my mum that she wanted to see David Tennant, as she's a big fan of his other work. So, off we traipsed again...

Basically, we saw the same set up, only this time a lot more filming seemed to take place. This time there were more soldiers, given directions to look as if they "meant business", and they all stood pointing their guns at the Doctor and Rose. Those two intrepid travellers walk up to the coach and a coachman opened the door. Blow me down with a feather!! Inside was Queen Victoria. Again the Doctor shows his psychic paper. Queen Victoria leans forward and takes it from him and says:

Queen Vic (not the pub in EastEnders): I see, Doctor. But you failed to mention that it says that you are to be my protector.
The Doctor: Mumbles something I couldn't quite make out
Queen Vic: Very well, Doctor... You shall accompany me... Drive on.

There were numerous takes of this scene - first of all was the rehearsals, then the filmed rehearsals and finally the filming itself. Most ran very smoothly apart from when one of the horses decided he'd had enough and almost fell asleep, causing the carriage to judder violently, and shaking ol' Queen Vic and the camera crew up considerably. There were multiple takes of close-ups, medium close-ups, wide shots, etc. The actor playing the Sargeant had to walk behind the camera crew and then step up a ladder so that his voice - offscreen - could be heard, to give the other actors a reaction to act against. All through this set up, the extras stood around, looking rather stoical, including earlier some as Buddhist monks looking rather cold with their shaven heads nicely catching the suns rays. Mr Tennant and Ms Piper also stood around in the cold, but were immediately given warm anoraks - see, we all have them - to wear. Poor Ms Piper, her outfit as you can see was not practical for time travel in bleakest Wales, and I did feel sorry for her. A break was called and me and my mum had our photos taken with Mr Tennant - see photo.

When with Mr Tennant, I asked him two questions, his answers are as follows:

Me: Mr Tennant, are you enjoying yourself, playing the Doctor?
Mr T: I'm having A WHALE OF A TIME!!!

Me: Aren't you cold?
Mr T: My ears are freezing... I've never experienced anything like this before!

And then time was called, and he had to return to the shoot. As you can see, the photos also show various set ups including Queen Victoria's carriage, and if you look carefully enough, Her Maj 'erself.

All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed watching a bunch of old pros at work, and above all else, I thought that Mr Tennant and Ms Piper were kind and considerate enough to take time from their busy schedule to talk to a sad anorak like me. Thanks.

EPISODE ONE "New Earth" SPOILERS

Contrary to popular belief, the Catwomen are in Episode One and are 'Nuns' - The Matron, the Sister and the Novice, in charge of a 'Plague Farm' where humans are experimented on, several of whom break out. The Duke of Manhattan is an obese character similar to Fat Bastard in the Austin Powers movies, or perhaps Baron Harkennon from Dune.