I've done an episode of Doctor Who where I play this Doctor Who boffin who's got this website running about the show and Billie Piper comes to find out about it, Benton tells the Designer Magazine site. "I guess I play the voice of every Doctor Who fan, (laughs), I'm not saying that every Doctor Who fan lives in a shed though. I talk about the Doctor in the way I suppose fans would...and then I get killed."

If you were walking down City Road in Cardiff towards the city centre at around 6.15pm on Friday, 14th January 2005, you would have found it difficult to ignore a large bright light shining out from behind some foliage near the church on Newport Road. The light is a powerful BBC scenic light mounted on a scaffolding tower. It shines through a diffusing grille into the forecourt of Cardiff Royal Infirmary opposite. Except that the CRI has had a makeover. An arched sign over the gates, apparently of cast iron, claims it as Albion Hospital. Behind the walls to either side of the gates are gunmetal coloured sheets of corrugated iron. Behind the gates, the low walls along the ramp to the curved double front doors have been surmounted with goldfish bowl gas lamps and reinforced with sandbags. All the windows have diagonal crosses of white tape and a large cloth banner hangs far above the doors covering much of the frontage. It bears the symbol of the red cross, used during the second world war to prevent aeroplanes from confusing hospitals with military targets. The powerful light casts the shadow of the large tree in the forecourt across this banner to eerie effect. Passers by gaze in confusion at this suddenly anachronistic transformation while twenty-first century cars drive past in ignorance.

Meanwhile, in front of the gates a complicated camera rig is being assembled. When it is ready, the camera hangs in a protected cradle from the end of a long black arm extended from vertical black mount to one side of the gates. Connected to this are the camera monitor and controls. The point of this rig is to give the camera a view of the area in front of the gates without the light across the road casting the camera's shadow into the gate area. A truck stops by the traffic island at the end of the road and two of the reflective waistcoated men who are keeping a watchful eye on events jump down from it. They begin to unload and set out traffic cones to narrow the road lanes. This will slow the movement of traffic, making the location safer and limiting the risk of vehicular shadows being cast across it. The traffic noise will not be a problem as no dialogue scenes are to be recorded tonight. The background noise will be dubbed over with a more appropriate soundtrack during editing.

There is a call for action and the camera rig moves smoothly towards and focuses in on the gates, where precisely nothing is happening. This is a camera rehearsal and when the crew are satisfied, there is a pause while a member of the cast is summoned from inside the hospital.

Soon the camera is repeating its earlier manoeuvre three times in succession and each time, on the monitor, Christopher Eccleston walks along the wall, turns to stride up to the locked gates and pauses to examine the padlocked chain securing them. There is a pause in filming while the next shot is prepared. Eccleston chats to some children and the adults standing with them by the gate, probably relatives of someone connected with the production. A beautiful young camera assistant holding a digital clapperboard asks some onlookers if they are Doctor Who fans. They are pleased to learn that the scenes being recorded tonight are for the two part Doctor Who story The Empty Child, due to be broadcast on BBC1 later in the year. She tells them what is going to be shot that evening and points out some of the scenic crew, who are affixing wooden signs painted with the words KEEP OUT - AREA RESTRICTED to the corrugated sheeting with a drill.

The camera assistant rejoins the crew as the next shot is ready. Now the focus is entirely on the gates. On the monitor, Eccleston walks into shot, pauses again before the padlock and reaches into a pocket to retrieve what looks like a futuristic pen torch. This he shines into the padlock, which comes apart in his hands and he unloops the chain from the gates. He then pushes open the gates and strides through them. A few more takes follow before the final part of this sequence is shot. These takes begin with Eccleston pushing open the gates then the camera tracks him through them, up the ramp to the doors and after trying the doors, Eccleston shines the pen light on their lock, opens them, steps through.

The watching fans are pleased with this as they believe the pen light to be a Sonic Screwdriver, a device used by previous Doctors which generates focused sound vibrations and can be used to loosen bolts or even ignite marsh gas. The crew also seem pleased. Hot drinks are being shared out and the camera rig reset. The fans see this as an opportunity to snatch a quick word with the latest actor cast as their hero but as they cross the road, one of the men in reflective waistcoats sends them back. Soon after, Eccleston has left the location but the camera crew is ready for another shot. The gates stand open. There is almost no traffic now and a concealed smoke machine creates a fog through the forecourt, lending the location an even more sinister aspect than before. The doors of the hospital swing open and a column of figures shamble out, moving at an unnaturally slow, even pace towards the open gates. They all wear primitive gas masks, shaped like badger snouts made of dull green canvas with glass covered eye holes and a round filter at the tip, leather straps buckled around the back of the head holding them in place. One of the two at the front is a thin figure wearing a white lab coat, the other is much thicker set, in black trousers, a white shirt and a maroon tank top. A few are dressed in period nurses' uniforms. Others are wearing 1940's overcoats or dressing gowns. These were presumably patients at Albion Hospital and are of all ages, the youngest being two twin girls in pigtails wearing red woollen overcoats who could be as young as nine and certainly not older than twelve.

This is a scene described earlier by the camera assistant as the sufferers of Empty Child Syndrome emerge. This walking nightmare takes on an even more surreal, dream-like quality when on reaching the gates, these extras suddenly break step, becoming more animated and removing the gas masks. The second take is even more impressive. The third ends with a laugh as an older woman in a magenta dressing gown turns in the act of removing the gas mask after the take and almost causes a passing member of the crew to fall to the ground. The extras re-enter the hospital and the camera rig is disassembled. The camera is repositioned across the road without the elaborate camera rig for the final shot of the evening. A few fans still remain on the site and are initially told that it will be acceptable for them stand to the left of the hospital but they are asked to move to the other side of the road, behind the camera. Possibly their shadows were unexpectedly in shot.

On the takes, the camera simply pans or tracks across the front of the hospital. This will be an establishing shot, showing the warning signs on the corrugated metal, some period fly posters flapping between them, the hospital name, the red cross banner and the taped across windows. On screen this will be a very brief shot conveying the austerity of wartime and the mystery of night. "That's a wrap!", calls a tall man in a red jacket.

A man in a yellow reflective jacket quietly expresses his relief at this. He explains to the fans that he has been there since 8.00am and by the end of a fourteen hour day, his enthusiasm is considerably diminished. A blonde production assistant hurries across and asks if any of the crew want a call sheet for the next recording. The camera assistant folds one up and tucks it into her back pocket before dismantling the camera and stacking it on a trolley. A fan offers to help but she politely refuses, as the camera crew tease her about it and call to her to "Leave those boys alone!".

Soon the camera crew have gone, but the fans linger a little longer. Crossing to the hospital again, they ask the BBC person left watching the site if they can take the period fly posters. After a momentary pause, he says yes. These are 12.5x9.5 inch (190x252mm) sheets, the text printed with a manilla coloured background simulating the look of paper that has been browned in the sun. The centred text in red on a typical example reads:

YOUR
"EMPTIES"
WANTED
Please bring back your
empty cod liver oil
and orange tonic
bottles when you come
for a new supply
ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF FOOD

In a production as complex as Doctor Who, these fly posters are a detail so tiny that when the completed episode is broadcast, it will not even be possible to read their text. By ten'o'clock even the fans have left. It has been a good night. The production team is happy, the fans are happy and the latest Doctor Who adventure is in the can.
--Timothy Farr

I'm just back from watching part of tonight's filming in the restaurant Bistro 10 down at Cardiff Bay. I'm not sure what episode the filming was for, but Christopher Eccleston was present, and sporting the burgundy T-shirt previously seen, if I remember rightly, in the London filming for 'Aliens of London'.

The scene I saw being filmed involved a fairly lengthy exchange of dialogue between Eccleston and a blonde actress (I'm not sure who this was) who were sat facing each other across a swanky restaurant table -- Chris seeming to be doing most of the talking. Since he was pretty much stationed in the centre of the restaurant, and since it is entirely glass-fronted, passers-by -- and the few fans in attendance -- had a perfect view as takes were rehearsed. A number of extras had filled out the restaurant, while further extras were cued to walk past the exterior, study a menu, and thereby provide background colour/movement. A separated-off section was occupied by production personnel, though this was still visible to the public thanks to yet more contemporary stylings in the way of glass-frontage.

I was also fortunate enough to catch some of the raw footage on the monitor which was clearly visible from public space outside the restaurant.

What I saw was a tight close-up of Eccleston shot in exact profile, and positioned towards the right-hand side of the frame facing inwards (i.e. a classic shot for the purposes of continuity editing, likely to create the impression of two people, Doctor and A.N.Other, very starkly and directly facing one another).

The camera stayed on Chris as he spoke, and then very slowly (this was one take, approximately a minute or so long) moved further away and started to circle the table. Eccleston then became more clearly animated and began to gesture as if to emphasize points in an argument or exposition -- a classic monologue or haranguing from the Doctor, perhaps? In any case, seeing the ninth Doctor in close-up on-screen was *amazing*.

Oh, and I was told that there are 9 weeks of filming left, although as with other on-location mutterings, feel free to take this with as many -- or as few -- pinches of salt as you like!

------

Well, it transpires that my decision to leave tonight's filming relatively early was quite a mistake. I've just heard the following from friends -- Martin and Tim -- who stayed on for the duration. I shall report *exactly what I've been told*, however odd it may seem.

Firstly, the director on location was Joe Ahearne. Phil Collinson was also present. I didn't spot these people myself, despite recently having seen pictures of them in various Who-related magazines. No word on whether Phil was dressed in homage to the ninth Doctor's costume.

And now here's where the plot coagulates. The actress dining with Eccleston was apparently Annette Badland, previously confirmed as appearing in 'Aliens of London' (which also seems to chime with Eccleston's colour of T-shirt). I must admit, I did initially think this myself, but as it didn't fit with what I assumed they'd be shooting, I promptly dismissed the notion. So -- pick-up shots directed by a different director? Seems highly unlikely, I would have thought. Another possibility: 'Aliens of London' somehow bridges directly into the Joe-Ahearne-directed ep 6, meaning that there is an overlap in characters? (And that the Dalek story may begin, at least, in a contemporary setting...). Or was this from Paul Cornell's story, while again there is a previously unannounced overlap in characters... Of course, we already know that there are going to be some recurring or semi-regular dramatis personae, and even recurring locations such as the hospital from 'Aliens of London'/'The Empty Child'... It is beginning to seem as though this season's stories, though distinct, may jigsaw together in extremely crafty ways to create far more than the sum of their parts.

(Note added later: Although if pick-ups are being done by the current block's director -- and come to think of it, I have indeed read that before on OG, my apologies for not picking up on it earlier -- then Annette's presence would be less odd.)

Anyway, rampant speculation aside, I'm told that tonight's filming concluded with the most complicated special effects set-ups (as is customary). All the restaurant's occupants were seen to gaze upwards in terror, and a hefty window pane was exploded shortly afterwards, this being followed by the reaction shots of assorted diners -- yet more terror for this contemporary-Gothic Who.

--Matt Hills