A Christmas Carol - Soundtrack details

Thursday, 3 February 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

Silva Screen have released the cover art and tracklisting for the soundtrack to A Christmas Carol. The album was originally due to be released in the UK on 21 February but has now been delayed until 21 March.

1. Come Along Pond
2 .Halfway out of the Dark
3. Pray for a Miracle
4. Geoff
5. You Didn't Hit the Boy
6. Fish
7. Kazran Sardick 12 1/2
8. Ghost of Christmas Past
9. Babysitter
10. Talk About Girls
11. Sonic Fishing
12. Just a Little One
13. Big Colour
14. I Can't Save Her
15. The Other Half's Inside the Shark
16. Abigail
17. He comes every Christmas
18. Shark Ride
19. New Memories
20. Holding Hands
21. Christmas Dinner
22. Goodlucknight
23. Goodnight Abigail
24. This Planet Is Ours
25. Ghost of Christmas Present
26. The Course of my Life
27. Ghost of Christmas Future
28. Abigail's Song (Silence is all you Know), (performed by Katherine Jenkins)
29. Everything Has to End Some Time

The music is composed by now Doctor Who composer of choice Murray Gold and performed by the excellent BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Crouch End Festival Chorus. The album will be released both physically (SILCD1360) and digitally (SILED1360). The TV episode was broadcast on Christmas Day at 6pm and featured Matt Smith as The Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams. They were joined by Michael Gambon as Kazran Sardick and Katherine Jenkins as Abigail Pettigrew.

FILTER: - Music - Murray Gold - Merchandise - Doctor Who - Series 6/32

Russell T Davies talks Torchwood

Wednesday, 2 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Torchwood writer/executive producer Russell T Davies has spoken to BBC Wales Today about the forthcoming series and how he sees the future.

It's brilliant to return to Torchwood - in a way for me Torchwood never went away because it always lives in my head, really. The chance to take those characters, take Eve Myles's character Gwen Cooper and obviously Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman. It's their fourth year of stories now, it's kind of like they have become modern legends, I love that. And I think people of Wales have enjoyed it, everyone's in on the story, they're kind of in on the fun of it all, it's great to keep going.

And on what he'll do afterwards:

It's interesting as to how long I can stay in the science fiction world. Personally I think I'm coming to the end of it now and I've saved the world and blown up the world too many times, and I hope I leave Torchwood in rude health, and then I'll probably move onto something else then

It's time to write something just where people talk in kitchens, at least for me. But I hope we literally leave the franchise in in a very strong position that other writers come in and take it over.

You can watch the full interview online.

As reported earlier in the week, actor William Thomas returns to Torchwood playing Gwen's father Geraint. Russell T Davies confirmed in his interview (above) that Gwen's mother Mary is indeed back too, with actress Sharon Morgan reprising her role.

Since her previous appearance in Something Borrowed, like Thomas she has appeared in both Belonging (Nancy) and Alys (Lisabeth)!

Another member of the cast spotted at filming over the weekend was Ian Hughes (pictured); this was confirmed by his Spotlight listing as playing a character named Ralph Finch; the actor has played roles in Holby City, Casualty, Gavin and Stacey and Robin Hood, and is also a voice-over artist and drama coach.

Two other supporting actors recently mentioned their upcoming appearances online: Martin James Fox reported on Facebook: "Look out for me, as an extra in a police uniform being for the Monday evening filming. Am excited about the prospect of 'spectacular action'"; Graham Burton revealed his rendezvous with the show via Twitter: "I'm travelling down to Cardiff on Monday - filming Torchwood early Tuesday!"

Californian actor's workshop The Actor's Key have reported that Hymnson Chan is a co-star on the show; the actor/stuntman has appeared in Greek and performed stunts in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Internet Movie Database has also listed Brian Guest appearing in the show as Alexander Peterssen, and Denny Torich as "Prison Guard".

With the first three weeks of the shoot now completed and the fourth week well under way, information on the production team involved with the shoot has slowly emerged. Russell T Davies is, of course, the brainchild behind the series, and he is an Executive Producer alongside Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter, plus Vlad Wolynetz on the BBC Worldwide front. Producer in the US is Kelly Manners (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and his UK counterpart is the previously reported Brian Minchin (who previously helmed The Sarah Jane Adventures); line producer in the UK is Debbi Slater (who most recently worked on the BBC's continuation of Upstairs Downstairs).

Directors currently assigned are Bharat Nalluri (Spooks, Hustle) for episode one and Bill Gierhart (Sons of Anarchy, The Shield) for episode two; Director of Photography is Nathaniel Goodman (Heroes). Production design is by Gregory Melton (The Walking Dead) in the US and Ed Thomas (the original Torchwood designer!) in the UK. Visual Effects are supervised by Eric McAvoy (True Blood, CSI).

Costumes are handled by Shanwa Trpcic (Dollhouse) in the US with Alana Stone (fashions), with the UK side handled by Lindsay Bonaccorsi with Maria Franchi (both old hand with Doctor Who). Makeup comes under the purvue of Todd McIntosh (Detroit 1-8-7, Pushing Daisies) in the US and Claire Pritchard Jones (Sherlock, Gavin and Stacey in the UK.

Other UK crew include Gareth Skelding (Location Manager), Paul Davies (Production Unit Manager), Sam Baker (Production Co-Ordinator), and James North (design), plus practical effects from Danny Hargreaves and Real SFX.

The writers of the show are currently known to be Russell T Davies (1/10), Doris Egan (2), Jane Espenson (3,5,7,8), Ryan Scott (8), and John Shiban (6). The writers for two episodes (4,9) are currently unknown.

(The Doctor Who News Page will shortly be launching a full series summary for the show)

FILTER: - Torchwood - Russell T Davies - Production - BBC

Mara Tales: DVD release details

Wednesday, 2 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The two tales featuring the Mara are to be released in the United Kingdom by 2|Entertain on the 7th March 2011 (see here for the North American release date). Details for the two stories in the Mara Tales boxed set, Kinda and Snakedance, are listed below.

2|Entertain released a trailer online last year to promote the set, featuring some of the new special effects that have been especially created for the two tales; this can be viewed in our earlier article about the DVD.

Kinda

Written by Christopher Bailey
Directed by Peter Grimwade
Broadcast: 1st-9th February 1982

On a beautiful, paradise planet, Deva Loka, its inhabitants, the Kinda, are a gentle and seemingly primitive people. On the surface, a perfect place to colonise. But if it is so perfect, why are the colonisation team disappearing one by one?

Unaware of this, the Doctor and his companions choose to rest on Deva Loka. Enchanted by the beautiful Chimes, "the place of dreams", Tegan sleeps and falls prey to the Mara, a malevolent force out to steal her mind. But just what are its ultimate evil intentions?  Meanwhile, the Doctor and Adric are captured by the surviving colonisation team's officers, Sanders and the unstable Hindle. When Sanders disappears, Hindle collapses into a world of paranoid delusions and suddenly the security of the entire base is at risk.

Can the Doctor rescue Tegan from the Mara and defeat it - before it pushes Hindle over the edge? And who is the mysterious blind woman who appears in visions? Will she help the Doctor or ultimately impede him...

Special Features

Commentary - stereo. With actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Matthew Waterhouse and Nerys Hughes.
Dream Time (dur. 34’ 05”) – cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Janet Fielding, Nerys Hughes, Simon Rouse and Adrian Mills, director Peter Grimwade, writer Christopher Bailey, script editors Christopher H. Bidmead, Eric Saward and Antony Root, designer Malcolm Thornton, new series writer Robert Shearman.
Peter Grimwade - Directing with Attitude (dur. 22’ 57”) – a look at the Doctor Who career of writer and director Peter Grimwade. With Peter Grimwade, actors Janet Fielding and Nerys Hughes, writer Christopher Bailey, script editor Eric Saward, production assistant Margot Hayhoe, designer Malcolm Thornton, production secretary Jane Judge, script consultant Ian Levine, and Target Books editor Nigel Robinson. Presented by Mark Strickson.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (dur. 14’ 36”) – a fascinating collection of deleted sequences taken from timecoded domestic videotape copies of the story’s early edits.
Optional CGI Effects Sequence – option to view episode four with the original giant puppet snake replaced by a CGI snake
CGI Effects Comparison (dur. 1’ 34”) – a side by side comparison of the original puppet and new CGI snake shots.
Trails & Continuity (dur. 4’ 13”) – BBC trails and continuity announcements from the story’s original transmission.
Photo Gallery (dur. 4’ 42”) - production, design and publicity photos from the story.
Isolated Music – option to watch the story with the isolated music score.

Snakedance

Written by Christopher Bailey
Directed by Fiona Cumming
Broadcast: 18th-26th January 1983

Surely Tegan must have made a mistake when she set the TARDIS' co-ordinates, because the Doctor certainly hadn't intended landing on Manussa? But upon learning that Manussa was once home of the Sumaran Empire, the Doctor knows that their arrival has been no accident but has been orchestrated by a hostile force - a force which is rapidly gaining control of Tegan's will.

By first infiltrating Tegan's subconscious mind, through strange and disturbing dreams dominated by the image of a huge snake's skull, this force - the Mara - is planning on as a vehicle for its return to power on the planet Manussa.  So just as Manussa prepares festivities to commemorate the destruction of the Sumaran Empire by the ruling Federation, it seems that the Legend of the Mara could be about to come true. According to this Legend, the Mara was never destroyed by the Federation but merely banished.

Furthermore, the Legend claims that the Mara will return in a dream - a precursor to its gaining control of all their minds... It is clear to the Doctor that the first steps in the Mara's return have already been taken...

Special Features

Commentary - stereo. With actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton.
Snake Charmer (dur. 24’ 37”) – cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, director Fiona Cumming, writer Christopher Bailey, script editor Eric Saward, designer Jan Spoczynski, and new series writer Robert Shearman.
Deleted Scenes (dur. 3’ 05”) – scenes from the original ending of episode four, courtesy of a timecoded recording kept by producer John Nathan-Turner.
In Studio (dur. 6’ 12”) – a rare glimpse inside the studio during recording of effects sequences for the story, including the infamous ‘farting Mara’!
Saturday Superstore (dur. 14’ 16”) – Peter Davison guests on the Saturday morning children’s show, where he plays cricket with Mike Read and John Craven and takes questions from callers.
Photo Gallery (dur. 5’ 21”) - production, design and publicity photos from the story.
Isolated Music – option to watch the story with the isolated music score.
Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format.

(Mara Tales is available to pre-order from our Amazon Shop)

FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD - Peter Davison

Bharat Nalluri talks Torchwood

Wednesday, 2 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Torchwood returned to its origins yesterday with filming taking place at various locations in Cardiff Bay. During a quiet moment, fan Chris Williams (aka Twitter's TheTimeKill) was able to have a chat with Director Bharat Nalluri about the show.

Director Bharat Nalluri with Chris Williams

I caught up with Bharat near Sergeant Andy's police station at a converted bank in Bute Street, Cardiff. I took the chance of having a few words with him before Andy delivered his lines in front of a full-sized movie camera in the street.

I started by asking Bharat where he was from. He has a curious accent, some sentences sound pure American, or possibly Canadian, but at other times, he sounds more non-descript. I ws wrong - he's not an American, but a Brit, from Newcastle. He was born in India, lived for most of his life in the English North-East, and moved back and forth to the US to work on shows such as Buffy, and in the UK, Life on Mars, Spooks, Hustle and now Torchwood. It's clear that he is a major, top-rated director - and that Torchwood is well and truly in competent and safe hands.

We spoke about Children of Earth. I said that it was, in my opinion, it was excellent drama, but perhaps too close the the edge. I added that for my personal tastes, it was actually too dark, and wondered whether Miracle Day would be in the same style. Bharat smiled, and said that the 'edginess' came from Russell (RTD), and that would never change. There definitely some bleak or 'heavy' scenes, but that the show was balanced by some really light and very funny moments. He added that some of the humour in the show was at the expense of the American audience, who were believed to be 'naive' about Wales and Welshness... and was primarily meant for us in the UK. Should indeed be fun!

I was curious as to whether the show would be toned down for an American audience, as US TV has very strict codes of 'propriety' - with swearing, lewd behavior, etc pretty much taboo. Again, Bharat was reassuring. The network Torchwood are working with is Starz: a cable TV channel with a US-wide reputation for edginess and a 'gritty', no-holds barred approach to what can be shown. He quoted Spartacus as an example of one of their shows and said that Torchwood was RTD's baby. It would be just the same as ever, cheeky, occasionally rude, perhaps steamy - and very reflective of what we had enjoyed in Torchwood in the past. Bharat made it very clear that Russell would not tone Torchwood down - and that he was still completely in charge of the show. This really was very good to hear!

A fellow fan (@ohaiadam, a professional V-logger) put it to Bharat that being based in America, Torchwood would lose its Welshness, and become just another show. Yet again, the reply was encouraging. We were reminded that Torchwood was "entirely RTD's baby" - and that Russell was intensely proud of being Welsh, immensely fond of his country, and all it had to offer. The show would continue to be very Welsh ("Gwen will see to that!"). RTD had previously told me that Wales was such an enormous place, and that he'd never run out of stunning, beautiful locations'

Bharat emphasized that although only two weeks of filming was (initially) planned to happen in Wales, we would be amazed how 'Welsh' the show would be. A fantastic number of scenes would be shot here, and often, an external scene shot in Wales would cut to a studio scene filmed in LA. Wales would be 'much more apparent' than we were expecting, and "Russell wouldn't allow it any other way". He added that they'd be returning to Wales for more filming later.

Reassured and happy with Bharat's comments, I tried a question I knew I wouldn't get an answer to. Would any of our favorite characters die in Miracle Day? Bharat again smiled, and said he couldn't comment. Would people who loved Gwen and Rhys be happy after episode 10? Again - Bharat said his contract forbade him to speak.. I couldn't guess anything from his body language, so I guess (gladly, I suppose) we'll have to wait and see!

Bharat added that Torchwood really was going to be a cracking show - and a massive production too. He then posed for photographs and did a stack of autographs, before being dragged away by (producer) Brian Minchin, who quietly said "Can I have my director back now!"

FILTER: - Torchwood - Production

Margaret John (1926-2011)

Wednesday, 2 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The actress Margaret John has died, aged 84.

She appeared twice in Doctor Who, featuring in the 1968 Patrick Troughton story Fury from the Deep as Director of Euro Sea Gas, Megan Jones, and returning in the revived series as Grandma Connolly, victim to the Wire in The Idiot's Lantern. Speaking in a special programme dedicated to her last year (Margaret John: National Treasure ), she was quite proud of holding the title for the longest spanned appearances in Doctor Who until Bernard Cribbins came along (if you count the movies!).

John has had a varied career, with appearances on stage (The Vagina Monologues, Calendar Girls, soaps (Coronation Street, Crossroads), drama (Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, The District Nurse), film (The Baker, Run Fatboy Run), and comedy (High Hopes, Satellite City); she also played alongside Torchwood star Eve Myles and Trevor Eve in the 2009 BBC Wales drama Framed. Her last role has yet to be seen, in an episode of new American fantasy series Game of Thrones.

She was awarded the Bafta Cymru Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

However, she will be perhaps best remembered as Doris, the "unrestrained" neighbour to the Wests from the sitcom Gavin and Stacey. Co-writer and star of the programme James Corden said on Twitter: "All my thoughts are with the family of Margaret John who played Doris in G and S. A great actress and an incredible lady. She will be missed x".

Margaret John (December 1926 - February 2011)

Media coverage by: BBC Wales Arts, BBC News, Wales Online.

FILTER: - Obituary

Doctor Who: casting and filming update

Tuesday, 1 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Agency Gordon & French have listed Danny Sapani as appearing in episode seven of the next series, playing a character named Colonel Manton.

The actor appeared in The Bill as Oscar Danniels in the Witness strand, and more recently played probation officer Tony Morecombe in Misfits and Gustavus Vassa in an episode of Garrow's Law.

Gordon & French have also listed another actor for episode three, Lee Ross, playing the character "Boatswain".

Ross's Who connections include Mick Mahoney in the recent Moses Jones (featuring Matt Smith), and also as Kenny in Steven Moffat's popular Press Gang of the late 1980s. The actor also had prominent roles as DCI Litton in Ashes to Ashes, and was semi-regular character Owen between 2006 and 2009 in Eastenders.

As reported last week, work has commenced on episode three, directed by Jeremy Webb, and the cast and crew have descended upon the harbour of Charlestown near St. Austell, Cornwall, where they will be filming for a few days.

Production base, more vehicles yet to arrive apparently:

4 or 5 guys were in the process of putting up the black awning which was massive and shrouded almost the entire eastern harbour wall (presumably to cover up whatever normally resides behind it). Another half dozen or so guys were unloading props onto the first ship on the western side of the harbour.

A title has now been attributed to episode seven, thanks to the Spotlight entry for guest star Simon Fisher-Becker. As with others that have emerged over the last few months, this may only be a working title for the episode (see the series summary for details).

Finally, another director for the series has been identified as Nick Hurran, at least according to details listed under Production Designer Michael Pickwoad; Hurran recently directed the remake of The Prisoner, and also directed the pilot episode for The Last Detective (starring former Doctor, Peter Davison). He joins fellow director Adam Smith in being listed but having not been seen in action thus far - episodes 8,10-13 have yet to be recorded.

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

Doctor Who in France

Monday, 31 January 2011 - Reported by Marcus

Matt Smith's first full series as The Doctor comes to France 4 next month when the channel begins showing the 31st series of the show, starting with Le Prisonnier Zéro (The Eleventh Hour) on February 12, at 8:35 PM.

Viewers in France got to see the end of the Tenth Doctor last Christmas day when France 4 showed La Prophétie de Noël.

The series will continue with Épisode 2 — La Bête des bas-fonds and Épisode 3 — La Victoire des Daleks.

In addition French-speaking Doctor Who fansite Beans On Toast has revealed that series 4 of Doctor Who will be released on DVD in French.

The news has been confirmed by France Television Distristribution, the DVD editor in charge of the DVD releases of the first three series in France. French-speaking fans have been campaigning for a DVD release of the series with Beans on Toast launching an online petition in August 2010.

Series 1, 2 and 3 are also to be re-released on DVD, and this time, the series 3 boxset will include the original English version with French subtitles. The current DVD edition only offers the French dub.

For discussion on this news see the Beans On Toast Forum.

FILTER: - France - David Tennant - Series 4/30 - International Broadcasting - Europe - Series 5/31

Doctor in Stubble

Monday, 31 January 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has released some details about the upcoming series of Doctor Who, featuring Matt Smith - seen here from the new series trailer as the Doctor chained and sporting a considerable beard.

The actor commented:

It was a glued-on beard. I wouldn't be able to grow a full-on beard like that in time. They had to remove it with a substance smelling like white turps.

It's also been confirmed that Smith has filmed special scenes, scripted by show runner Steven Moffat for the new interactive exhibition opening at London's Olympia next month, the Doctor Who Experience.

It gives a sense of the TV show. I've filmed some scenes for the experience. It places you, the fan, at the heart of the action and become the companion, in a sense. There's a Tardis, which you can go on. The museum has all things Doctor Who. It should feature costumes from all the Doctors over the ages, and I'm sure I've got a few bits in there.

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Series 6/32

Torchwood: Week Three Filming

Sunday, 30 January 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

This week saw Torchwood: Miracle Day return to its 'ancestral' home of South Wales!

The lead-up to the week saw the cast and crew out in Los Angeles make their way to the United Kingdom; of the principle cast, this meant a return home for John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Kai Owen and Tom Price, and joined (so far) by Mekhi Phifer and Dichen Lachman. Crew-wise, Director of Photography Nathaniel Goodman and Directors Bharat Nalluri (episode one) and Bill Gierhart (episode two) also travelled over.

Last and certainly not least the two series masterminds Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner were also back amongst the familiar faces from the UK, including Producer for the UK segments Brian Minchin, whose name forms the basis of the "BM" production signs for the shoot.

Filming this week saw the crew ranging between Cardiff International Airport, a village farm, Rhossili Bay and the streets of Swansea!

Unlike in the US, production in the UK has not been shrouded in heavy security, and with a (mostly) UK production team in attendance, the traditional approach to filming that fans here are used to have continued. This has, of course, meant that the public have been able to witness more of the proceedings than in the previous fortnight, so this week's roundup includes many of their observations as well as the cast and crew's usual tweets!

Times cited within the report are in GMT.

Monday

A new week and an early start for production, and after California it was a bit of a weather reality check as Dichen Lachman observed:

05:33 It was Cardiff. So inspiring... Up at 3:30am ready for first day.
11:19 Have not been this cold in years!
12:00 So hard to speak when you can't feel your face!!!!
18:47 Only just got my lines out my face was so numb.

The cold place in question turned out to at Cardiff International Airport, with the airport itself confirming the location being used:

19:30 BBC's Torchwood has been on site filming today near
      the British Airways Maintenance hangar.

The airport was doubling up for London's Heathrow, and scenes there featured John Barrowman, Mekhi Phifer and Tom Price - the latter playing a newly promoted Sergeant Andy Davidson! Price also provided us with the latest "TW-Spy" images of his car and fresh uniform! Being a private location fan photos of filming weren't very likely today, though a passer-by did manage to spot the crew at work.

12:27 Tom Price (photo via Yfrog)

CHECK OUT MY NEW WHEELS. Bargain Hunt in the front seat. Bling.

14:52 Tom Price (photo via Yfrog)

Annoyingly playing a police officer means everyone on set thinks you're an extra. Facial expression doesn't help.

12:31 Ben (photo via Yfrog)

They're filming Torchwood about 100 ft away from me

However, this wasn't the only filming for the day, with a second unit in operation a few miles away at a farm near Llantrithyd:

These scenes are believed to have involved Eve Myles, as reported by Nate Goodman:

16:39 Day 1 in Wales finished! UK crew awesome. Eve Miles rocked today..
      Now if I only could overcome jetlag

The Torchwood Production Office summarised a successful, if cold first day in a new country!

19:10 Everyone made it safely. Despite jet lag, the cast and crew have hit 
      the ground running in Cardiff!
19:18 Mekhi is definitely feeling the UK cold, tomorrow's temperature doesn't
      look any better. Don't fret we're sending 2tons of heat packs stat.
19:21 Julie and Russell are so happy to meet old friends from the crew of
      the original Torchwood, Doctor Who and Sarah Jane.
19:25 Lets give a warm welcome to director Billy Gierhart who has completed
      the first scene from Ep.2 and say hello to Bharat Nalluri for us!
19:29 We're having some serious RTD withdrawals over here, the office is just
      too quiet and the time change, gross. Very jealous of the UK crew.

Tuesday

The first of a three day shoot saw the cast and crew assemble at the National Trust's Old Rectory Cottage at Rhossili Bay. Kai Owen and Eve Myles were filming, braving the cold, wet and windy Welsh weather as helicopters swept over them.

The filming was watched by Chris Williams, who was able to survive the weather conditions without the aid of catering!

I heard a few rumours from normally reliable sources that Torchwood were heading off to Gower... and, coincidentally, to Rhossili Bay, popular with tourists, surfers and one of my favourite places in Wales. Getting close to the Bay, I was beginning to wonder if my 60 mile journey would be in vain.. but the reassuring 'BM' sign at the Scurlage turn off put my mind at rest.

Today was a grey day, and umbrellas and winter coats were evident. Clearly, the cast, crew and security guys were freezing, and the Gower Peninsula was not showing itself at its best. The Base, Rhossili's car park, was packed full of the usual trucks, including make up, FATTS, lighting & special effects, though the catering trucks almost caused me to trespass!

Two helicopters caught my eye - one brown and military looking, the other sleeker, and I think, there to film the other in action. They were constantly circling Rhossili Bay, and Rectory Cottage, a farmhouse on a very steep hill. I wasn't clear what was happening at first, but one of the air crew told me the 'action' was actually in the cottage, but the track to it was closed!

Still, I found myself an alternative path down, the one I normally curse when struggling down in the summer with my surfboard. There were loads of trucks, and red & white mini-buses ferrying crew and cast up and down from the hill to the base.

I was quite pleased to see external lighting rigs and shields, as this clearly meant we'd see some action outside. Soon after I spotted Kai Owen, wearing a ridiculous cardigan and a pair of 'farmer's' corduroy trousers. Kai was relaxing between takes.

A few minutes later, the helicopter was back, circling the cottage - and security staff telling me to get out of the way of the shot. The shot comprised Kai, as Rhys tending a fire in his yard, puahing twigs around with a shovel. He noticed the helicopter - and appeared worried when it appeared to 'buzz' the cottage. Was someone unwanted looking out for Gwen and Rhys?

I heard from a crew member who had read some of the scripts that the helicopters contained the 'bad guys', possibly from some government agency, and they were actively seeking Gwen. We'll see in July if that turns out to be the case!

Eve appeared to be lurking by a wall, either keeping out of shot, or just quietly freezing. I was disappointed not to be able to get a decent picture of her! Maybe the next couple of days will bring us better luck!

At this point, I spotted Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner, now both based in Los Angeles. They called a set meeting, and after a huddle and a few words, Rhys again did his 'fire' scene, and the helicopter dutifully came back for a further spin. It also started to rain - heavily! It felt real good to see Russell and Julie back in Wales.. wish they were back here permanently!

I hear they're filming at Rhossili for two more days, and at some point, pyrotechnics are promised. I may return to see!

You can find more of Chris's photos from the day in his Torchwood! Facebook photo album.

Wednesday

Second day at Rhossili Bay, and today saw John Barrowman join the team for filming. As Chris mentioned, pyrotechnics were indeed present, too, both on the beach (for testing) and around the back of the cottage. Ryan Farrell was on hand to see some of goings-on:

16:12 Just been stopped on my beach walk... Because they're setting dynamite off!
17:07 Lots of machine gun shots. Helicopter is back. 
      Seems to be hovering behind the house
17:15 Looks like they're getting rid of the Real SFX van, trucks etc 
      so they can get some shots of the house from the helicopter
18:42 The cast and crew have broken for tea. Looks like a night shoot.

The day was summed up by John Barrowman's agent, Gavin Barker:

20:55 fun day freezing on a south wales beach with
      Torchwood and lots of exciting helicopter action...

Thursday

The last day on location at Rhossii Bay saw a move away from the house today onto the beach, where various scenes were shot involving vehicles ranging across the sand, and the establishment of a large tent structure by the cliffs. Eve Myles, Kai Owen and John Barrowman were all on location today, and the helicopters were pressed into service once again!

Summary of the day from the Production Office:

22:17 "Today's car chase on Rhossili beach is the most complicated
       and thrilling action sequence we've ever attempted" - Russell, Julie

Friday

After three days on the Gower Peninsula, it's back into town ... Swansea beckoned, with the crew descending upon the Bishop Gore School in Sketty. This caused quite some excitement with its occupants, with Nia enthusing: "WOW. John Barrowman is filming 'Torchwood' in our school right now!".

However, the school was actually serving as the base for production and photo-call, with filming to take place a few streets away at Cambridge Street - with residents there being informed of activity on their street back in December! The public notice informed that two days filming were expected, though it could carry on for up to five days in total!

The shoot involved life at the Cooper household, involving Owen, Gwen and her parents Geraint and Mary (William Thomas and Sharon Morgan). John Barrowman and Mekhi Phifer also had scenes, plus as the evening progressed Tom Price arrived to brave the cold evening, alongside a swathe of ambulances, police cars and SWAT.

Russell T Davies was also spotted, watching his creation take fruit (scenes are believed to be for episode one, as Bharat Nalluri was overseeing the activity).

The Base seemed smaller than usual - I'd not be surprised if we later hear of a second unit, working somewhere else in the area. It was fantastic meeting up with the main man, Russell T. Davies at the Base. We've met a few times before, previously in & around Cardiff, and we always manage a chat. I'd not caught up with him since his move to LA, so this was a welcome re-acquaintance.

I asked Russell how he was finding life in LA. He said that it was beautiful and he loved it, but it was clear he was more than pleased being back in Swansea, his beloved home town. When I asked if LA was a permanent home for him, he quickly replied that he was out there for 'a few years', but his firm intention was to return to Wales.

The topic of Ianto Jones and the campaign to resurrect him briefly came up. It was pretty clear that Russell hadn't really picked up that there was a campaign, or that it had somehow not really registered on him. He was very excited about 'Miracle Day', and secretive too. The vague few details he did allude to, I'm not going to print.

Russell confirmed that filming in Wales was scheduled for two weeks, but didn't seem to feel that this was fixed in stone. I'd not be surprised to see it extended. Did Russell expect to see future series of Torchwood? Yes he did, he certainly hoped so, and 'couldn't see why not'.

When I said that I was a little worried that Wales would possibly become less & less a part of any ongoing future Torchwood series - Russell said that he felt Wales would always feature in the show. He said that in a warm & sincere way.

As for today's filming, Russell suggested it might not be that exciting... perhaps a couple of people rushing into, and out of a house.

Russell then finished his coffee, posed for a couple of pix, and disappeared to record an episode of 'Confidential'. Whether he meant 'Confidential' - or 'De-Classified', I'm not sure.

Off to the location. A lovely & very typical row of Swansea terraced houses in the Town Hill part of the town. This clearly was going to be a lengthy shoot. I'm told the shoot was at 'Geraint's house' - he's Gwen's dad, played by Will Thomas. Perhaps some 'family time' was about to occur! The road was closed to all traffic from 0800 thru midnight, and heavy duty lighting rigs were all over the place.

I briefly chatted to producer, Brian Minchin, he of the 'BM' fame. He confirmed things were going well, and that the shoot was expected to take two weeks. Again, Brian hoped that Torchwood would continue beyond Miracle Day.

A larger number of security staff perhaps reflected the urban environment, and for the first time ever - photography was 'strictly banned'. I was told, oddly, that the director (a long haired, bearded, hippy-like character who's name I couldn't pronounce) was 'jumpy' when it came to cameras!

At this point, with powerful lights were trained on the target property, and runners were running, majorly, it was time to head home. A quick spin around the area, a trip to Mumbles and one of Joe's famous ice-creams - the best Wales has to offer!

You can find more of Chris's photos from the day in his Torchwood! Facebook photo album.

Eve Myles, John Barrowman and Tom Price were present, as was RTD. There was an ambulance, and a Police car. As well as Andy there was also a SWAT team of officers with large guns.

Cambridge Road itself is only short, and you can see from one end to the other, so getting photos wasn't too hard.

(additional photography from Dave Edwards)

Also worth noting, the Police/ambulance had Welsh on them, so this is specfically Wales rather than the UK (sort of a given really).

Filming is to continue tomorrow according to locals.

Some final updates from the Production Office:

18:16 We've just got word that today's unit base is located
      at the school where Russell's mother used to teach. Quite nostalgic.
19:23 Mekhi's just finished his photo shoot dressed in a blood soaked shirt.
      All we can say is YES!
03:32 Temperatures are falling to -2 on tonight's shoot.
      The wet down of the location is cancelled in case of freezing.

Saturday

The second day of filming on Cambridge Street. Eve Myles was again present, as were Danny Szam ("surveillance") and Ian Hughes (Ralph Finch). Activity during the day seemed to involve more various comings and goings at the Cooper household, both furtively and in a more official capacity.

It was the first time I'd visited a Torchwood location since they filmed the "Newport riots" for Children of Earth in October 2008. Security was much tighter yesterday. I doubt they'd've blocked the road off with barriers in the past. That said, the security guards didn't seem bothered by my taking a few pics. Perhaps that was because filming was too far away to get more than a few pixels even with my 24x zoom!

Still, it was worth the trip to see Torchwood back on a typical South Walian street. The highlight of that last day in 2008 was Eve Myles turning up in a pair of green wellies, so it was nice that yesterday's scene was also all about Eve. It was hard to tell what was going on, but it seemed to involve some official-looking chaps paying a visit to Gwen at Number 27.

(additional photography from Leanne Haywood)

You can read more filming reports from Alun at his blog Posterous, and further photos from Saturday on Flickr

Finally, a view more shots courtesy of the locals of Cambridge Street who have lived with the cast and crew taking over their street for the last couple of days!

Filming is expected to continue in Sketty for another couple of days, with reports of activity at a recently closed butcher's shop.

Around the corner. They are going to drive a car into the front of my butcher's shop. Luckily he stopped trading last month. I do hope they put it back nice. Beautiful curved corner of old-fashioned shop fronts.

Another possible location is in the Magor area for Monday 31st January, though currently unconfirmed - as there are two episodes with two directors currently active it is possible that two units are operational in different parts of South Wales!

Tuesday 1st February sees the team filming at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff Bay - just a mere stone's throw away from the original home of Torchwood at Roald Dahl Plass!

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

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Previous 10 Stories

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Russell T Davies talks Torchwood

Mara Tales: DVD release details

Bharat Nalluri talks Torchwood

Margaret John (1926-2011)

Doctor Who: casting and filming update

Doctor Who in France

Doctor in Stubble

Torchwood: Week Three Filming

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