Piers Wenger steps down as Head of Drama, BBC Wales

Monday, 7 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

A BBC Press release today has revealed that Piers Wenger, one of the excutive producers and creative influences of the Eleventh Doctor's era of Doctor Who, is stepping down as Head of Drama at BBC Wales. His successor in the role will be Faith Penhale, creative manager and executive producer at Kudus Film and Television (Spooks).

The release goes on to explain:

Piers Wenger, who joined BBC Wales in 2007 and, with Stephen Moffat and Beth Willis masterminded the latest regeneration of Doctor Who with Matt Smith, will continue in his role as creative leader of a range of key shows including the Doctor.

Wenger was responsible for the highly successful relaunch of Upstairs Downstairs as well as the extraordinary Eric And Ernie, which was the most successful drama on BBC Two for more than a decade. Having previously held the post as Head of Drama, he now wishes to focus more exclusively on the running of his existing slate of in-house shows as well as the creative development of individual projects, including Sir Tom Stoppard's forthcoming five-part adaptation of the Ford Madox Ford novel Parade's End for BBC Two.

Wenger went on to say:

I am absolutely thrilled for Wales that it has someone as brilliant and experienced as Faith to bring in the next generation of shows. The department has blazed a trail across a wide portfolio of in-house and indie shows in the last few years and it’s exciting for us all to have someone with Faith’s huge talent to build on their success.

FILTER: - People - Doctor Who - Production

Lynda Baron returns to Doctor Who?

Sunday, 6 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Wales on Sunday have reported an actress previously appearing in Doctor Who in the 1980s will be returning to the show, during a summary of cast seen filming last week alongside James Corden in the episode currently being shot by Steve Hughes:

Corden was joined on set in Cardiff by well-known British actress Lynda Baron, Karen Gillan, who plays assistant Amy Pond, and Arthur Darvill, who plays Rory Williams, plus two bus loads of shoppers and a baby.

Lynda Baron appeared in the Fifth Doctor story Enlightenment (1983) playing Captain Wrack, and also sang "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" that featured throughout the First Doctor story The Gunfighters (1966). Outside of Doctor Who she is probably best remembered as nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the Ronnie Barker sitcom Open All Hours.

Update 9th March: No official confirmation of Baron's casting has been made at present, but the actress has been seen on location.

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

New Doctor Who Director

Friday, 4 March 2011 - Reported by Marcus

Steve Hughes has confirmed via his twitter account that he is directing the latest episode of Doctor Who to go before the cameras.

Hughes, who is new to the series, has previously been been lead director on the BBC One drama Land Girls. He has also directed nearly 50 episodes of BBC One's daytime drama, Doctors, as well as episodes of Holby City and and Sky One’s Dream Team.

Filming on the story commenced last night back at the location featured during the first week of production of the revived series, at Howell's Department Store in Cardiff!

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

Torchwood: Who you gonna call?

Tuesday, 1 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The actor Ernie Hudson has today been reported as having a role in Torchwood: Miracle Day:

Michael Colbert: The one and only Ernie Hudson is guest starring on this ep.

The actor has had a prolific career in films and television, having recently appeared in recent television series like Transformers Prime (voice of Agent Fowler), The Secret Life of an American Teenager (Dr Field), Law and Order (Frank Gibson), and Desperate Housewives (Detective Ridley). His sci-fi credentials include appearances in Heroes, Stargate SG-1, as Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Washington in the film Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.

But he will always be best known as Winston Zeddemore, the fourth member of the team in the extremely successful Ghostbusters, and its followup Ghostbusters II. (A third film has been mooted for production shortly!)

The casting follows on from the announcement at the weekend that Christopher Thomas Howell would also be appearing in the series. The actor reported that he would be filming during an interview with SouthLATVFans.

Another actor rising to fame in the 1980s, Howell is best known for his portrayal of Ponytail Curtis in The Outsiders; he also appeared Tyler in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, and other films like The Hitcher, Red Dawn and Soul Man. Notable television roles include Kindred: The Embraced (Det. Frank Kohanek), Amazon (Dr. Alex Kennedy), 24 (Barry Landes), and most recently as Officer Dewey Dudek in Southland. He also has a role in the currently filming The Amazing Spider-Man.

FILTER: - Torchwood - Production - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Torchwood: Week Seven Production

Monday, 28 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

A shorter week for the Torchwood production, with Presidents Day being a public holiday in the States on Monday.

Cast name-checked during the week included John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Mekhi Phifer, though of course many others were involved during filming! Also, Christopher Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, Criminal Minds, Southland, The Amazing Spider Man) mentioned in an interview with SouthLAndTVFans that he would shortly be joining the production.

The weekend before saw the GallifreyOne convention take place in Los Angeles, during which there was a panel involving writers Jane Espenson and Doris Egan who discussed their involvement with the new series; this included dealing with the nuances between UK/Welsh and US modes of speech and the cultural differences in the meaning of words like 'vest', a discussion on the differences that seems to exist between the US and UK approach to scripting a series - especially in terms of the freedom that UK writers have (though with more re-writes), and how the enthusiasm of Russell T Davies 'infects' their own approach to writing! Episodes-wise, it was clarified that the last three episodes are still being prepared, with episode eight in third draft, nine nearly finished, and ten about to be written by Russell. The two writers also admitted that they'd already bandied about ideas for future stories, though no futher series of Torchwood have been commissioned (yet!)

Video by TDrury, via YouTube

Times cited within reports are in Los Angeles local time, except where indicated

Tuesday

Photo: Jane Espenson, via Twitpic

Back to Warner Bros for another long day's shoot. Filming continued on episode three, with John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Mekhi Phifer shooting scenes.

Writer Jane Espsenson reported that there would be a production meeting for episode four that lunch time; she also clarified that the final three episodes were still in the process of being tweaked.

Meanwhile, Shawna Trpcic also explained that no date had been set as yet for the release of the publicity photos.

Jane also provided the first "TW-Spy!" photo of the week, giving us a glimpse of how studio backdrop looks on-set!

Twitter gossip for the day included:

07:34 MC  6am call. Sick as a dog. God I want to sleep for 12 hours straight.  
07:52 MP  Just got on set of Torchwood.. Cold LA morning and I am going shirtless!! 
          Not complaining though, just need some ideas on how to stay warm??
09:06 JE  Just got good morning hugs from John and Eve on set. Love this cast!
09:08 ST  Hello faux Monday. Had an amazing fitting with eve at 630 am and
          she was still amazing :-)
09:51 KO  Back to LA tomorrow for a few days filming. | 
12:47 JE  Tour group of UK tourists just spotted John Barrowman on lot.
          Apparently there was much excitement! | 
14:48 MP  having a great time working on Torchwood...
          great cast and great people to work with. lots of action/intensity

Wednesday

Photo: Alana Stone, via Twitpic

Today's "TW-Spy!" is from Alana Stone, who teased us with this shot of a set interior. This evoked a number of ideas, including: "ooohhh...is this at the new Hub?", "Now I really want to know what's behind the door.", "could the 'June 45' be significant?".

The day also saw Kai Owen setting out to return to Los Angeles for some more filming; his time at Heathrow awaiting the flight turned out to be quite a 'happy hour'! (UK time)

14:10 Having a very large vodka tonic at Heathrow,
      Los Angeles beware!!
      a drunk Welshman will be arriving shortly.
14:54 @JaneEspenson I just hope they let me on the plane!!
      theses 'Large' vodkas are getting Larger by 
      the minute!!! Cant wait to see you x 
14:56 Thats's it I'm starting to do typos!1
      i'm drumk and have too bored this plain!!
      see you on the other side  peeple xx
05:48 Hello Los Angeles!!!!!

Other Twitter chat included:

10:51 JE  In scene that shot yesterday.  Gwen: "I got you this."
10:51 AS  In awe! That's all.
12:03 AF  They are filming at WB, but I'm not there today.
          Maybe tomorrow! It is very day-to-day for me.  ^_^ | 
15:02 AF  Torchwood tomorrow!  It is confirmed.  ^_^ | 
15:10 MP  on set on the Warner bros lot in between shots watching short films on
          thirdREEL.com. Definitely a cure for boredom!! Check it out!

The Doctor Who News report on Torchwood last week also seemed to generate a bit of interest!

16:19 AF  @doctor_who_news It's strange to see stuff I worked on posted as "news"!
16:21 ST  Wow great reporting! @alanastone u should read - lots of fun  
          RT @doctor_who_news: Torchwood: Week Six... last week.

Thursday

Photo: Michael Colbert, via Twitpic

Torchwood takes to the roads today! However, in reality this was to actually remain on-set at Warner Bros rather than out and about on the streets of Los Angeles! Whether there would be some "low-loader" shots later in filming is unclear, though scenes were filmed this way back in the UK along the M4.

This was to be a late-nighter for filming in the (cold) studio, eventually wrapping around 3:00am.

Meanwhile production meetings continued, with Jane Espenson heard to say: "Where does the reality end?", whilst the production office reported that prepping for episodes five and six were about to start as filming for episodes three and four continued.

13:21 MC  Back at work FYI I did sleep for almost 20 hours straight. Feel better.
15:18 MC  Complicated multiple-department car gag happening right now 
15:28 MC  Light car gag http://twitpic.com/43dnu7 
16:20 AF  Driving shots. To simulate motion, rotate fake streetlights on
          a contraption resembling a ceiling fan.  :-) 
15:42 JE  Just uttered at Torchwood production meeting: "Where does the reality end?"
          Work stops as we ponder.
16:32 ST  @JaneEspenson Should b a tshirt 
21:05 AF  Torchwood night shoot later tonight.  Freezing outside.
          Did not bring furry boots.  My toes will be sad indeed.  T_T
23:11 BBC Getting wild tonight with the #Torchwood nocturnal crew! Stay warm everyone.
          Also, @KaiKaiOwen we're not going to let you leave...
23:13 BBC Tomorrow, prepping for EP 5&6 while shooting EP3&4.
          Perhaps a second coffee maker is in order. Go team go!! 
00:52 AF  Non-stop for 2 days: commercial -> DJ gig ->
          chilly #Torchwood night shoot ->
          no sleep and on to an 8AM calltime at The Bachelor. Oy. T_T 
01:31 AF  I was just fantasizing about the bananas foster-flavored coffee
          I'm going to make when we're wrapped at #Torchwood.  :-)
03:03 MC  Just past 3 am and finally Martini is called.

Friday

Back out on location for today, with scenes for episode four involving Kai Owen taking place in a hospital - this may have been a return to the Linda Vista Hospital where they filmed previously (a well-used film location), but wasn't confirmed. Another location mentioned by Michael Colbert was described being the "Lethal Weapon House"! The day was interrupted by rain (though fortunately not the snow that beset Los Angeles at the weekend!).

Meanwhile, amidst concerns on Twitter about possible alterations to Jack's character, Jane Espenson reassured: "Not all 'straightening' Jack! Jack is very much still Jack! Fans will be pleased."

04:06 KO  Damn! I'm wide awake, wide awake!! It's 4am here. I'm on set all day.
          Espresso's all day I reckon! Have a good Friday everyone. X 
06:45 KO  I'm shooting at a hospital today. Scenes from Ep 4.
08:05 ST  Early call on first unit late call on second unit
          we are taking over LA units everywhere :-) 
16:57 MC  Ugly rainy night with super cold (for southern Cal) temps.
          All outside and goin till probably 5 in the morning.
          This is what we do for you.
17:00 KO  There's no official wrap time here, so it could be anything really, 
          you finish when you finish. Longest for me so far 15 hours. 
17:05 MC  Sitting in the lethal weapon house.
          Can smell still smell Joe Pechi even with the rain.
17:30 KO  It raining in LA!!
18:50 AS  I'm such a geek. Hehe
20:58 AF  Looks like it'll be several days before I'm back working on #Torchwood.
          On the flip side, I'm working on #Glee on Monday!
21:09 KO  Back at the bar!! Great crew on #Torchwood. It's gonna be one helm of a show. 
          Back to blighty tomorrow.
21:18 KO  One HELL of a show, not one Helm of a show!! 
21:21 AF  My job on TW isn't quite as exciting as you think tho!
          I'm just standing in for now; hopefully more jobs with lines to come. 
21:37 MC  Were WAY past suck tonight already and still have hours to go.
07:34 BBC We're not going to let a torrential downpour stop us from 
          shooting all night. Bring it.
          Also, @KaiKaiOwen safe travels back see you soon! 
00:50 ST  @KaiKaiOwen gave Kai a welcome kiss so glad to have him here feels right
05:54 MC  Finally going home 16 hours later

As usual no filming took place at the weekend, though this doesn't apply to writers, as Jane Espenson observed on Sunday:

14:12 Working hard today on #Torchwood episode 8. How much can I get done before #Oscars? 
14:27 Russell is incredibly positive! I've been lucky to work with a number of
      visionaries and he's up with best of 'em!

Key to initials: AF - Allyson Floyd (stand-in); AS - Alana Stone (fashion designer); BBC - BBC Torchwood (production office); JE - Jane Espenson (writer); KO - Kai Owen (Rhys); MC - Michael Colbert (electrician); MP - Mekhi Phifer (Rex Matheson); ST - Shawna Trpcic (costume designer)

Kai Owen is due back to L.A. for three months of filming from the 12th March, and tweets intimated that he'll be joined by Tom Price too!

23 14:53(UK) Im back on Sunday, Then on the 12th March we all head out for three months!!
26 14:41(LA) Tom, Where are you? I'm sitting in the lounge at LAX,
             don't let me come here alone again.

Week Eight sees the production back into the heart of Los Angeles, with filming scheduled on Tuesday at the US Tower Building (also known as the Library Building) - a tall skyscraper at 633 West 5th Street - between 7:00am and 10:00pm; another unit is also active on the same day in a parking garage at 524 South Flower Street, between 6:00am and 2:00pm.

Week 8 of Torchwood aka 80s revival week!

FILTER: - Torchwood - Production - Filming Reports

Craig Owens returns to Doctor Who

Friday, 25 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have officially confirmed today that the actor James Corden will be reprising his role as Craig Owens - the Doctor's landlord from last year's episode The Lodger.

Though unconfirmed, this is believed to be for a forthcoming episode to be filmed that has been written by Gareth Roberts, who also penned Craig's previous appearance in the series. Roberts was a guest at last weekend's Gallifrey One convention, and during a live commentary for The Lodger was reported as saying that his new episode would begin filming "in a week" (i.e. from next week).

"I work in a shop, now."

The news comes after a tweet was posted yesterday unofficially revealing that Corden would be coming back to Doctor Who: "They're filming Doctor Who with James Corden the whole 2nd week of March on my street. Just saying."

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

Torchwood: Week Six Filming

Wednesday, 23 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

After the excitement of the previous fortnight, last week was a relatively quiet week for the Torchwood cast and crew.

Eve Myles rejoined the team in Los Angeles, with John Barrowman, Mekhi Phifer, Dichen Lachman, and Bill Pullman all involved with filming during the course of the week.

Filming was away in private throughout this week, with Monday kicking off at the Orlando International Airport. No other exterior locations were reported last week, with other work taking place back at the Warner Brothers Studios lot. As usual, followers were able to pick up little pieces of gossip from cast and crew via Twitter.

Times cited within the reports are in Los Angeles local time.

Monday

Monday saw the Torchwood team at another airport, this time the Ontario International Airport in Los Angeles (filming took place at Cardiff International Airport three weeks previously). Mekhi Phifer and Dichen Lachman were reported to be on location. Meanwhile, Jane Espenson clarified some differences between the UK and US film schedules.

07:25 AS  Had to be at work at 4:12am in Ontario. I have my Valentine, 
          Dichen Lachman, with me tho so that makes things a little better.
08:33 MC  Had 5 am call at Ontario airport. Run slight risk of $11,000 fines
          and it's cold as hell. This business is great!
11:52 BBC Big day at the Airport location today. We're Also beginning prep for 
          a 2nd Unit tomorrow = DOUBLE the #Torchwood fun. Happy Valentine's day
13:24 JE  I think they shoot on Saturdays in the UK, 
          but have shorter working days.  We def. have Sat/Sun off.  Yay weekends!
19:00 ST  Past the 2000 mark for followers. Welcome all - hope to keep u entertained 
          with stories of costume life on the set of torchwood :-) Peace
06:12 MP  Could use a few more hours of sleep.
          On the phone for 2hrs with moms last night...
          If I just had half her strength!

Tuesday

Eve Myles returned to production in the US, which sounded to be another 'bloody' affair according to Mekhi Phifer. Scenes today were back on the Warner Bros lot. As previously reported, whilst exteriors may have been filmed in Wales, the respective interiors have been shot back in the States, something Jane Espenson reports as meeting the Welsh cast's approval!

10:55 ST  Beautiful Eve back with us today. Even slimmer after all the action
          and -10 weather. Glad to have her back on set. 
13:20 BBC Going to have an exciting reunion with wonderfully effervescent Eve Myles
          this afternoon. Lets see what she's up to... 
15:54 MP  Shooting Torchwood and I'm all bloodied up right now!
          Rain machines, green screen, u name it, we got it!! Dope ass show!
16:25 JE  The Welsh people haven't objected to the interiors,
          so I think they must be good!
16:38 JE  The current thiller / arc / connected-story feel of TW is working
          really well and is best done in shorter runs. 
18:24 BBC "I'm terrified of Twitter because computers hate me, but
          (Cowgirl Voice) Howdy Partners I'm having a blast on set today" - Eve Myles

Wednesday

Shawna Trpic, via Twitpic

Got to visit this set today thanks to Shawna (Kim Evey)

BBC Torchwood, via Yfrog

Kim Evey, via ImgMu

After a few days absence, a welcome return to "TW-Spy!" today as we get to see the inside of the costume truck (Captain Jack, Simpsons-style!), Russell T Davies with a (very!) large cheese, and a set visit by actress/producer Kim Evey.

Kai Owen also revealed that he'll be heading back to L.A. next week, which indicates that the return to the UK for filming wasn't to happen after all.

07:43 ST  One of the walls in the costume truck :-)
          that's our set crew!
10:07 MC  Barrowman is a tighty whitey man.
11:50 KO  Nate: Hey mate! What's happening?
          Just having a glass of red and thinking of you!!
          Nice to be home? I'm back with you next Wednesday.
          Looking forward to have a burger with you!! Kai x 
12:46 DL  Mekhi Phifer has just been showing me his website
          called 'thirdreel' on the torchwood set.
          Check it out. 
14:47 BBC Russell stands proud with the mystery cheese sent
          to us from the UK. Who's the culprit???   
15:42 KE  Got to visit this set today thanks to Shawna
15:51     Sarann: Are you doing exciting costume
          related things on the Torchwood set today?
      ST  Always :-)
19:04 MC  Eve Miles is about the nicest person I've met in awhile -
          charming, friendly, energetic. Super cool.
20:25 DE  Just back from the Torchwood set, where I forced
          John Barrowman and Eve Myles to look at pictures
          of my dogs.

Thursday

Michael Colbert revealed more plane antics for the cast and crew, though this is was on a set rather than a inside a real plane. He also noted that a number of the production crew were unaware that they were working on a series with quite a legacy!

Michael Colbert, via Twitpic

09:31 ST  Eve Myles told Kim Evey that she is the voice of one of
          the characters on the DragonAge II game. Small world 
10:54 MC  10 am call spending the whole day in
          an airplane set on 27
11:01 ST  Forgot to wear my hearing aid today
          Driving my crew crazy. Huh? 
11:36 AS  I'm on a plane!
14:32 MC  Strangely enough a large portion of the crew have
          no idea that this is season 4.
16:49 NG  Kai: can't wait to see ya. Give the baba a kiss fer me.
23:11 MC  I have met Barrowman he's a really sweet and 
          hella funny guy. Big Captain America fan
          (if you didn't know)
23:25 MC  Wrap!
00:16 DL  LOVE Torchwood peeps. Having so much fun.

Friday

BBC Torchwood, via ImgMu

Another day on set, and more mysterious items that may or may not be what they seem! With conventions and holidays on the way nobody wanted another late night Friday, though Bill Pullman continued to keep everybody entertained as production completed for another week.

13:42 BBC It seems the line between salad dressing and
          chocolate custard is little hazy today.
          You only live once!
22:47 ST  The rain makes me tired well that, prepping 3 episodes
          while shooting two, cleaning house, feeding the kids.. 
          Time for a meeting & chocolate
17:30 AS  Is it really Friday?
18:44 ST  Alana: should not be a fraterday I hope :-)
22:19 BBC We're coming to set, Shawna, Alana,
          its dark and lonely over here.
22:25 AS  BBC_Torchwood: yay!!! Can't wait for your visit! 
          Bill is being awesome as usual.

Speaking of Bill Pullman, his fan site published a photo of him with John Barrowman in their Jack/Oswald mode!

Saturday

Friday brought an end to filming for the week, and an extended weekend was due with a holiday on Monday for Presidents Day, not to mention Jane Espenson and Doris Egan attending the GallifreyOne convention over the weekend too!

However, it wasn't a complete halt to proceedings:

01:20 BBC We're location scouting in a couple of hours!
          That's right we work Saturday's in the US too!
          (But let's be honest not a full days work)

Director of Photography Nate Goodman also commented on Torchwood so far ...

19:26 NG  One week back from Wales. Saw some of Ep 1 cut together. Epic.
          Not your mother's Torchwood...

Key to initials: AS - Alana Stone (fashion designer); BBC - BBC Torchwood (production office); DE - Doris Egan (writer); DL - Dichen Lachman; JE - Jane Espenson (writer); KE - Kim Evey (visitor); MC - Michael Colbert (electrician); MP - Mekhi Phifer (Rex Matheson); NG - Nate Goodman (director of photography); ST - Shawna Trpcic (costume designer)

With a short break for Presidents Day, production resumes Tuesday, though with Kai Owen confirming that he is flying out to Los Angeles on Wednesday it seems that the anticipated return to the Welsh shores for filming is not to be this week, after all!

FILTER: - Torchwood - Production - Filming Reports

Doctor Who: production roundup

Saturday, 19 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Back at the beginning of the month, David Walliams revealed that he would be appearing in an episode of the next series of Doctor Who; more details have now been released regarding his role by the BBC and other media outlets:

It's been confirmed that David Walliams will appear in the new series. He'll feature in a spooky episode playing a character called Gibbis.

Walliams said, "I am a huge fan of Doctor Who and am so looking forward to working with Matt Smith and running up and down some corridors with him."

His episode has been written by Toby Whithouse, whose previous contributions include The Vampires of Venice and School Reunion.

Further casting details for episodes have been revealed through agencies over the course of February.

Spotlight lists a number of guest stars under the direction of Peter Hoar. Actress Frances Barber plays a character named Kovarian; recent roles include Elizabeth in the BBC Christmas Tale Nativity, and Janice in ITV's The Fattest Man in Britain. Christina Chong plays Lorna Bucket - she will feature as an Interpreter in the forthcoming film sequel, Johnny English Reborn. Meanwhile, Joshua Hayes takes on his first television role as a character named Lucas.

Actor Geoffrey Burton has been listed as "Nasa Man" - though no director has been listed, this credit would seem to tie in with the American-themed opening two-parter for the series written by Steven Moffat and directed by Toby Haynes. Burton is better known for stage roles, but has appeared in Law and Order and Family Affairs.

Michael Begley has been listed as appearing as Mulligan in the just finished episode three written by Steve Thompson and directed by Jeremy Webb (coverage below); the actor has recently featured as Mark the hospital chaplain in Being Human, and as Orson in the revived Minder.

Mark Jermin Management has also listed two child actors to appear in roles this series.

Edmond Moulton appeared in the two-part story written by Matthew Graham and directed by Julian Simpson, playing a character named Adam.

Oscar Lloyd's character has yet to be revealed; he appeared in the BBC's Lark Rise to Candleford as the original Sidney, and has since been prominent as Will Wylde in ITV's Emmerdale.

In Production

After the media-intensive, public-friendly filming for Doctor Who in Charlestown at the beginning of the month, February has since seen the production crew retreat from sight back into studio and other private locations to continue work on the Steve Thompson-penned episode three.

Though 'over the horizon', Hugh Bonneville continued to regale us with tweets on the 'high seas' during the course of his filming schedule:

07 19:07 Skulduggery on the high seas was knackering today.
         Talk about poop-decked. Well done crew.
08 12:00 *gallops up hill on charger, grabs fluttering flag, brandishes it aloft*
         BRING BACK #JustWilliam #BBC !
08 12:08 I get about *gallops off towards Tardis, horse gets wedged in Police Box door,
         hat falls off*
08 17:58 Am having a fab time running around the Tardis at the mo. 
         Congrats on the wonderful body of work. Hx 
08 22:47 me gunwales have been awash with them pirates. And none of them rinse.
08 22:53 My buckle has never felt so swashed. Having fabblass time thanks. 
         It's Dr Who - what's not to love?!
09 07:40 I'm here all weak, folks.
09 09:56 Today is a load of old bilge water. In a good way. 
12 13:54 Thanks to Steven Moffat & the brilliant #DrWho crew for a fantastic fortnight
         on the high seas. #BeardGone #ColdFace
12 14:51 Steven Moffat: What, you've shaved ALREADY??  What if we've forgotten a bit??
12 15:01 Hugh Bonneville: Too bad, land-lubber! Mwahahaha *sets sail for horizon*
12 15:03 Hugh Bonneville: Some pirates are extremely fast. I'm one of them.
         I came top in my class at Pirate Academy.
12 15:35 Steven Moffat: That's not the horizon, shipmate.
         That's the CONVENTION CIRCUIT.
12 15:38 Hugh Bonneville: yikes!

Work on the episode continued until Tuesday last week, as reported by Director of Photography Dale McCready:

13 22:46 last two days shooting on this show, it's been a nice short blast. 
15 20:18 Wrapped tonight on a fun show with a lovely crew.
         Start tomorrow planning and scheming for Merlin IV |

Next Time ...

Production on the next block is now under way, with a base being set up in Porthcawl this weekend in readiness for filming.

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production - Filming Reports

Fanzines & Archives

Friday, 18 February 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

The Third Zone

In this issue:

Reviews; We have reviews both by myself [Andrew Weston] and by my esteemed colleague Mr Joe Ford, covering all the latest releases in the worlds of DVD and audio.
The Evelyn Escapades; A look at the Big Finish audios in the manner of ‘The Time Team’, taking one character at a time. No prizes for guessing who’s first up!
Fiction; There’s fiction in the form of The Shadow Makers, part 1 of a 3 part tale, this month featuring the First Doctor and written by yours truly.
A Matter of Perspective offers a new look at the world of Who in print, as I quiz Joe this month about Steve Lyons’ The Witch Hunters.
Interviews; We have not one but two exclusive interviews this month with Big Finish producer David Richardson, and Bernice Summerfield actress and director of Big Finish audios Lisa Bowerman.
Debate The Seventh Doctor’s era comes under the spotlight in our debate section this month.
Who Online takes a look at ‘The History of the Doctor’.
Non-Who Opinion; as both mine and Joe’s other half watch a Doctor Who story and share their thoughts. Be warned, there may be some colourful language!
Essay Last, but by no means least, Joe has written an essay on the joys of the Hartnell historicals – and if that doesn’t convert you, nothing will!

We hope you enjoy reading issue 1 as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Any comments can be added on the site or be sent to thethirdzone@hotmail.co.uk, and we’ll post some next issue.

Rassilon's Rod: Issue 3

Christmas Carol assessed
The Third Doctor
Delgado
Matrix Data ****; your queries answered by Salateen and Chellak
Opening Nights; what makes a good first episode
Reconstructed; fan recons and The Web Of Fear
The Krotons part 3
Philip Hinchcliffe's Production Notes

Plus toons and daft gubbins.

20 pages, A4

UK - 'Gift' £1.50 by paypal to davidmacgowan@hotmail.com

REST OF WORLD - 'Gift' £3 by paypal to davidmacgowan@hotmail.com

Fish Fingers and Custard: Issue 4

In this latest Issue:

Reviews of A Christmas Carol
The Third Doctor
RTD: Genius or Mad Man?
An In Depth Look At Dalek Empire
The Secret Diary Of A Whovian
Hots and Nots - The Doctor Who Fandom Style Guide
An Unearthly Child: 2010AD

And Much More!

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Doctor Who Appreciation Society's Celestial Archive: Voices from the Past

Having started in 1976 the Society has accumulated over the years a huge library of material, and in this part of the website we will make the best parts available for you to view, with a new theme added each month.

Wherever possible we have presented the selected articles in their original format, to give a true flavour of what those old publications were like. In the coming months we will present a selection of items drawn from Society publications - Celestial Toyroom, TARDIS, Cosmic Masque, STINFOs and more, including correspondence and photographs you may not have seen.

Although we have an almost complete set of DWAS publications much of what has been printed over the years was 'of it's time' and is unlikely to be of general interest today. Therefore, in order to present the best of what is available we have selected articles, features and interviews based around specific themes and will bring them together here in different categories. There are also a small number of Society publications that we can present in their entirety and some will also be available to view online in due course.

Ian Scoones Interviewed - Ian Scoones (1940-2010) contributed Visual Effects to many Doctor Who stories inclusing City of Death, Curse of Peladon and The Invisible Enemy.
Interview - Gerry Davis - Gerry Davis (23 February 1930 - 31 August 1991) was a British television writer, best known for his contributions to the science-fiction genre. He also wrote for the soap operas Coronation Street and United! From 1966 until the following year he was the script editor on Doctor Who, for which he co-created the popular cybernetic monsters the Cybermen.
Interview - Verity Lambert - Verity Ann Lambert, OBE (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of Doctor Who and for her many credits including Adam Adamant Lives!, The Naked Civil Servant, Rock Follies, Minder, Widows, G.B.H., Jonathan Creek and Love Soup.
Michael Craze - Ben Jackson - Michael Craze (29 November 1942 – 8 December 1998) was a British actor noted for his role of Ben Jackson, a companion of the Doctor, in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. He played the part from 1966 to 1967 alongside both William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton.
The Direction - Peter Moffatt - To tie in with the 20th Anniversary special The Five Doctors the DWAS produced a large format commemorative booklet called The Making of the Five Doctors. This is an interview with director Peter Moffat about taken from that publication.
The John Wiles Interview - Part 1 - John Wiles (20 September 1925-5 April 1999) was a television writer and producer, now best known for being the second producer of Doctor Who, succeeding Verity Lambert. He was credited as producer on four serials between 1965 and 1966, namely The Myth Makers, The Daleks' Master Plan (which lasted for twelve episodes), The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve, and The Ark.
The John Wiles Interview - Part 2

Oxford University Doctor Who Society - Tides of Time archive: First Doctor special

The Tides of Time started publishing in 1990, just as BBC Video turned their attention towards releasing more Doctor Who on VHS and also increased the proportion of black and white serials in their schedule. This context, combined with fannish curiosity about the early years of the programme and a scholarly drive to seek the essence of Doctor Who in the origins of the series, meant that Tides has never neglected the first Doctor. I’ve now uploaded some fiction featuring the first Doctor published over the years, as well as a few story reviews and our tribute to Sydney Newman.

All the articles are scans from the original photocopied or inkjet-printed fanzines, except for the reviews of The Aztecs and The Dalek Invasion of Earth where the quality of the originals was too poor. These have been reset.

All the articles remain the copyright of the contributors.

Fiction

A Pescatorial Conundrum, or A Fishy Problem by Corinne Berg - The Doctor influences some literary giants of Anglo-Saxon England. From Tides 16 (1995)
Brought to Book by David Bickley - Susan’s reading matter was even less innocent than it appeared. From Tides 27 (2001)
The Picture of Doctor Who by Matthew Peacock - Ben and Polly begin to discover the complexity of the relationship between the Doctor and his craft. From Tides 28 (2002)

Reviews

The Aztecs reviewed by Matthew Kilburn. From Tides 5 (1991)
We Are the Masters of Earth! A review of The Dalek Invasion of Earth by Paul Dumont. From Tides 6 (1991)
The Tenth Planet reviewed by Alistair Harrison and David Bickley. From Tides 22 (1998)

Other

Beyond Our Vision by Matthew Kilburn. A tribute to Sydney Newman. From Tides 21 (1998)

FILTER: - Fan Productions

Torchwood: Week Four/Five Filming (US)

Saturday, 12 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As work continued on the first block of filming in the UK, production resumed in Los Angeles, with prep-work on Monday 31st January taking place in readiness for director Bill Gierhart to oversee the second block from Tuesday 1st February.

The fortnight saw more of the cast assembled to play their parts, with scenes featuring Bill Pullman (Oswald Danes), Dichen Lachman, Lauren Ambrose (Jilly Kitzinger), Arlene Tur (Dr. Vera Juarez), Alexa Havins (Esther Drummond), Daryl Crittenden, and Rachel Leah Cohen (Laurie). Having finished their UK scenes, Mekhi Phifer returned to the States on Wednesday 2nd, with John Barrowman flying back on Thursday. By the following Thursday (10th), the BBC Production Office had reported: "EVERYONE IS BACK IN LA! The UK shoot was outstanding. What honor to collaborate with the original TW Crew."

Filming during the two weeks saw much activity on set at the Warner Bros Studios, though the production did venture out to a number of locations, with a return to Los Angeles City Hall, filming at the Title Insurance & Trust Company Building, the Golden Gopher bar, and an 'alleyway' Frank Court for location work. The crew also 'checked into' a 'seedy' motel for other scenes!

The US version of the on-location base signs has now been spotted at filming - a completely different design to the 'traditional' UK "BM" style!

Times cited within the reports are in Los Angeles local time.

Monday 31st January - Wednesday 2nd February

Monday saw prep-work get started for episode three of Miracle Day, with the crew re-assembling after a week or so off thanks to concentrated action in the UK. Not that everybody was happy with the thought of more early mornings!

11:09 ST  Back home and back to Torchwood
          Everyone well rested ready to rock n roll :-)
11:46 BBC Julie is back! The US crew is prepping.
15:19 AS  Back to the grind at 4:42am
17:33 BG  Torchwood fans....we start the US filming of the 2nd block tomorrow.
          Starting off with an easy day then it'll get crazy!
19:27 BG  6am crew call on Torchwood tomorrow. 
          Which means 4:42am for hair, makeup, wardrobe and 2nd A.D. Yikes.
          4am for catering.

Tuesday saw day one of filming begin, though you'd think the chairs were the stars judging by the crew!

07:11 JE  We've got sweet chair backs at Torchwood!
08:24 JE  names are on the other side
08:29 JE  Here's one with a name...
08:41 JE  mine just says "producer". So boring!
12:14 DL  By @BillyGierhart Torchwood

Photo: Jane Espenson
via Twitpic

Photo: Dichen Lachman
via yfrog

Meanwhile, Bill Pullman was on set today, impressing everybody with his acting!

14:05 AS  Dear Mr. Pullman, how do u act so creepy when u are actually a
          nice NOT creepy guy? I know that it's 'acting' but where does it come from?
15:43 AS  (What sort of costume is his character wearing...?)
          he has had like 5 changes so far...
          For the most part they r what u would expect/imagine.

Another early morning on Wednesday, with Shawna Trcpic finding herself around 6:00am back on the stage where she worked on Doctor Horrible and Angel, a set she termed "The evil league of evil :-)"

Photo: Shawna Trpcic
via Twitpic

The day also saw costume fitting for both Lauren Ambrose and Rachel Leah Cohen, whilst Mekhi Phifer was on a flight back to L.A. alongside Russell T Davies (both of whom had been on location the previous evening). As the Production Office noted:

09:31 BBC RTD and Mekhi are on a plane back to LA! Not going to lie, 
          the US crew wants RTD back can you blame us? Safe travels gentlemen.
09:35 BBC Currently we are shooting EP 2/3 together. We've got a seriously great cast 
          and crew (UK/US) pulling this off, very well may we add.
09:38 BBC With the time change we just realized that Torchwood is shooting
          AROUND THE CLOCK.

Thursday 3rd February

"Doesn't this make u wanna take a nap?"
Photo: Alana Stone (via Twitpic)

The Torchwood production hits the streets once more, returning to Los Angeles City Hall, with a day shoot running from 7:00am to 10:00pm; documentation revealed they are filming under the name Bad Wolf Productions LLC! (See our previous article for more details).

The Production Team indicated that today was the first day that Lauren Ambrose (Jilly Kitzinger) would be on set with Arlene Tur (Dr. Vera Juarez).

Shawna Trpcic reported that she wouldn't be able to reveal details on costumes like Jack's new coat until after the press photos are released (they were taken in the UK the previous Friday), though she did clarify that the lining of the coat was rayon in order to accomodate the heat in California!

Photo: Jenni Cole/lilferret
via Twitpic

Made another trip to an on location filming of Torchwood. Again they were at City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles which is SUCH a great location; the building and the city are really beautiful. Today wasn't quite as eventful as my last trip out, but of course anything Torchwood has me excited!

So here's the rundown. Last week I got a message from a friend saying he heard they were filming this time and location. And the details of the filming were HILARIOUS. It said: "Bad Wolf filming in L.A. Thursday, Feb 3, 2011 Bad Wolf Productions" Ha, Bad Wolf, that's amazing. Of course he saw this and knew it was Torchwood, especially since it was at the same location as last time.

I was actually considering not going because I didn't have anyone to go with but this morning my friend Jenni said that she and her husband Jeff could come. I jumped at the chance and we were off! When we got there we saw the set up shown in the picture. And that was pretty much our view the rest of the night. The only recognizable cast member on set was Lauren Ambrose who is playing "PR guru" Jilly Kitzinger. Let me tell you guys, she is GORGEOUS in person, her hair, her wardrobe was adorable, I bet this is gonna turn into a cosplay look. Heck maybe I'll grab a wig and try it sometime. Good on her being so pretty and well done to costume, hair and makeup, just aces.

The scenes filmed outside were rather uneventful. Mostly just walking and talking with some woman, couldn't tell you more if I wanted to. That being said, we had fun it was great being on the set none-the-less. They also spent about 2 hours filming inside the building which we couldn't watch so it's POSSIBLE other cast members were there, but we didn't see if they were. Also, we got shushed at one point, from across the street! I think maybe we were having too much fun, but can you blame us? It's Torchwood!

Photo: Jenni Cole/lilferret
via Twitpic

(with thanks to Dana Shukartsi from Barrowman Day - read her full blog entry on-site)

Friday 4th February

Photo: Alana Stone (via Twitpic)

Photo: Daryl Crittenden
(via Twitpic)

Today's filming took place at a motel, somewhere in the Los Angeles county area, as Alana Stone teased, "So tell me... Where r we shooting today?"

The night shoot involved Lauren Ambrose and Bill Pullman, plus another character played by Daryl Crittenden (Heroes, Days of Our Lives). On-set gossip included:

16:03 DC  on Torchwood today.... going to be a BLAST!
16:44 ST  Just getting started on set after long day in the
          office. Probably shoot till 7am Sat.
          Just as long as I'm up for Superbowl :-) Go Steelers!
17:40 BBC We've got a wonderfully long night ahead of us here
          in the US with Bill and Lauren.
          Gotta love night shoots.
          Coffee is your life partner!
20:44 DC  Here we go...
02:53 DC  Phone died while on set... :(
          here's all I'm going to show you...
          amazing night!

Monday 7th February - Wednesday 9th February

I've got straight hair!
Photo: Rachel Leah Cohen
(via Twitpic)

My Trailer
Photo: Rachel Leah Cohen
(via Twitpic)

After a weekend off(!), it was back to work on set at Warner Bros Studios for the production team. From Monday the cast were joined by Rachel Leah Cohen (Laurie), and also Alexa Havins (Esther Katusi) - the latter was reported to be accompanied by a special guest who's intimated to be Jurassic Park's Wayne Knight (see our earlier article for details).

10:20 AS  back to school... and work...
12:20 BBC We've got Alexa Havins here with us today with a
          special guest, here's a clue 
          "uh uh uh didn't say the magic word".
12:59 RLC I got straight hair! !!!
13:28 RLC with an hour to kill.....
          just walking around the Warner brothers lot
15:30 RLC still waiting to shoot with a super fun guest star!
16:22 RLC just waiting to go to set
16:44 RLC great set. great people!
20:37 AS  "Dodgson! Dodgson! We've got Dodgson here!
          See? Nobody cares. Nice hat!"

Tuesday continued with more intrigue happenings on-set:

13:04 JE  Oh my! Sexy happenings on the Torchwood set today
16:00 BBC Go team Torchwood !

22:54 RLC the hair a tad wind blown...but by my trailer.

And finally on Wednesday it seems a wrap for Rachel, at least for now, whilst the cast and crew hit the streets once more for the following day ...

20:45 RLC Had a blast. Great cast and crew!
22:43 JE  Back on location for Torchwood tomorrow.
          And it's a creeeepy scene. Can't wait!
          Sleep now!

Thursday 10th February

The cast and crew were back into Los Angeles today, using the Title Insurance & Trust Company Building (former government offices) on South Spring Street, which has been closed for a while now and up for sale. Filming was scheduled to run between 7:00am and 10:00pm, so not quite such a late night for a change!

"TW-Spy!" saw writer Jane Espenson present us with some doughnuts! However, as she pointed out, "Don't eat them; they're working". She also confirmed that in general writers are usually on-set during filming for shows in the States, though her writing commitments had meant that she hadn't been on the Torchwood shoot as much.

Meanwhile, costume designer Shawna Trpcic reported that she'd had an interview on the re-design of Captain Jack's costume with AOL's television critic Maureen Ryan: "asked if I was nervous changing it but I have experience with great Captains coats". She also responded to a question about the series, saying that it is a "US continuation of BBC".

As one might expect, access to see filming wasn't likely with an internal shoot.

Torchwood - Face of Building

Get it? Face of Building? Like Face of Boe? I really struggled with a title on this entry. Filming tonight was in an office building so I thought about doing a play on the "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" office scene...I almost went with "don't want you getting over-excited" but it seemed a bit wordy. It would have been fitting though because honestly I have very little to report. My friend Jenni and I made the trek down to Downtown LA where we saw the outside of a building! Very exciting I know. The picture there is from across the street but really we didn't see anything. I assume they were filming indoors and there was security at the entrance. Tomorrow we're going to check out two locations as well, maybe we'll have more luck. I'll be sure to keep you updated.

(Photo: Jenni Cole/lilferret, via Twitpic)

(with thanks to Dana Shukartsi from Barrowman Day - read her full blog entry on-site)

00:47 BBC Our apologies for the suspense. EVERYONE IS BACK IN LA!
          The UK shoot was outstanding.
          What honor to collaborate with the original TW Crew.
00:54 BBC Gave RTD a grand welcome back hug on set today, we missed him.
          Our call tomorrow is late at a night club, break out your dancing shoes!

Friday 11th February

Mystery man with me and John Barrowman
Shawna Trpcic
(via Twitpic)

Friday saw a long day's filming in not one but two locations in Los Angeles! Scheduling showed that the crew were filming in the Golden Gopher - a bar that holds a licence hailing back to 1905! - on West 8th Street between midday and 3:00am; later, filming took place in/around an alleyway called Frank Court behind South Spring Street between 3:00pm and 6:00am.

John Barrowman was back on set for today, flamboyant as ever, as caught by Shawna Trpcic during a break in filming.

11:45 AS  Trying to prepare for another Fr-aturday...
18:07 JE  On Torchwood, it's still three hours until lunch. 
          I'm staring at food truck anyway.
18:31 BG  Gratzia!
20:09 ST  Hey what Torchwood fans r watching our production meeting :)
20:49 JE  (we call a food truck in Texas "the roach coach")
          We call them that too, but this is actually the truck
          of the on-set caterer. Delicious hi-qual food! Yummy!

Photo: Jenni Cole/lilferret
via Twitpic

The best thing I saw today was THIS cone, the cone right there, I cannot tell you the amount of joy I got out of the TorchCone. To be fair by the time me and my companion (ha) Jenni got to the TorchCone we had already walked a couple of miles, searching locations and generally getting lost. We were exhausted and I am inclined to believe the TorchCone was more amusing to us than it actually was.

Filming today was...uneventful for the observer. As far as we could tell all the filming was taking place indoors so we didn't get to see anyone, but I had a bit of fun in seeing the buildings and imagining Jack atop them.

We did actually have some exciting fan moments. We were in viewing distance for part of a production meeting. We couldn't hear anything but it was cool seeing certain faces like RTD and Jane Espenson. We saw a lot of emphatic gesturing but nothing to be given away certainly. it looked like a fun group and Jane was kind enough to come mingle with us mere mortals; she was very sweet. Oh and we got a twitter wave from Shawna Trpcic who does the costumes and earlier tonight tweeted a pic of her and John on set, which I'm sure has made rounds by now.

All in all we had a lovely time, which was, as always, enhanced getting to talk to the lovely folks on set. We met a particularly kind security guard who chatted with us, Danny I think his name was. He did a fine job, hopefully we helped make his shift a little more enjoyable. As for spoilers to share, afraid I don't really have any and you know from past reports how I am about that.

Photo: Jenni Cole/lilferret
via Twitpic

(with thanks to Dana Shukartsi from Barrowman Day - read her full blog entry on-site)

(via Twitpic)

Meanwhile, back at the studios, Russell T Davies goes beyond the call of duty once more ...

11:41 BBC Russell went up to greet a fan who was fixing our
          air conditioning here at Warner Bros. AWESOME!

(contributions with thanks to BarrowmanDay, Dana Shukartsi, Jenni Cole, and the Torchwood Cast & Crew)

Key to initials: AS - Alana Stone (fashion designer); BBC - BBC Torchwood (production office); BG - Bill Gierhart (director); DC - Daryl Crittenden; DL - Dichen Lachman; JE - Jane Espenson (writer); RLC - Rachel Leah Cohen (Laurie); ST - Shawna Trpcic (costume designer)

The filming schedule for the next week or so is currently unknown, though - with Kai Owen and Tom Price having been cited as pulling out of next weekend's Gallifrey One convention due to the "UK filming schedule on the next series of Torchwood" - expectation is of more sightings of the cast and crew in action in South Wales soon!

FILTER: - Torchwood - Production - Filming Reports - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Previous 10 Stories

Piers Wenger steps down as Head of Drama, BBC Wales

Lynda Baron returns to Doctor Who?

New Doctor Who Director

Torchwood: Who you gonna call?

Torchwood: Week Seven Production

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Craig Owens returns to Doctor Who

Torchwood: Week Six Filming

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Doctor Who: production roundup

Fanzines & Archives

Torchwood: Week Four/Five Filming (US)

Monday 31st January - Wednesday 2nd February

Thursday 3rd February

Friday 4th February

Monday 7th February - Wednesday 9th February

Thursday 10th February

Friday 11th February

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