With all of time
and space to explore,
what keeps bringing
the Doctor back to America?
Is it the scenery?
Is it the locals?
Who the hell are you?
Sir.
I just walked into
the highest security office
in the United States, parked
a big, blue box on the rug.
You think you can just sh**t me?
[ Gasps ]
Hello, sweetie.
Or is it just that he's always
sure of a warm welcome.
Doctor!
Don't worry.
Everything is completely
under control.
Man: The Doctor himself
is such an iconic figure.
One of the reasons
we're sending him to America
more often these days
is he cuts such a different
figure against that backdrop.
Man: Great locations.
Great potential
for great stories out there.
When I look at the stuff we've
done there -- Utah, New York.
You can point a camera
anywhere in New York,
and it looks kind of sexy.
I don't know!
We're in New York!
The world looks to America
for its sort of cultural life
these days,
so I guess it makes sense
that you want to tell
some "Doctor Who" stories
from there, as well.
When the Doctor always
comes back to the U.S.,
there's always that element
of what's going to happen.
It's something
completely different.
I think it's just --
it's got a real epic feel to it
which really matches
the kind of --
the scale and the ambition
of the program.
We are in the U.S. of A.
In most Sci-Fi, [chuckles]
America is the hub of --
you know, hub of where things
are happening.
You know, a spaceship always
seems to be parked over America.
What's the city called?
New New York.
Oh, come on.
It is!
it's the th New York
since the original.
So that makes it
new new new new new...
new new new new new
new new new New York.
I think.
I hope I got that right.
Yes, the idea of being,
that in all the --
in all the planets that
human beings will colonize
throughout future years,
and each one will
become a new Earth
and each one of those new Earths
will have a New York.
We're arriving on new Earth,
which is the Gower.
The Gower peninsula
near Swansea.
And it's blowing a gale.
We were supposed to be here
slightly earlier in the summer,
and various
sh**ting schedule things
meant that we're a bit late,
so it's a little bit
more wintry than intended,
but once the computer people
have fiddled about with it,
it's going to look
extraordinary.
I'm told.
Barrowman: I think
the Doctor took Rose
to new new new new new new new
new new new new new New York --
there's not the right many
of "news" in there --
because, number one, if you're
going to impress a girl,
you take her to New York City,
because although
it's one of the busiest
cities in the world,
it's also one of
the most romantic,
with the beautiful skyline.
I'll never get used
to this, never.
Different ground
beneath my feet.
Different sky.
Can I just say,
traveling with you,
I love it.
It's just impressive to see
that cityscape that was done.
I mean, it looks beautiful.
And for series seven,
the th Doctor
went back to the original
New York to do battle
with one of
his greatest enemies.
With the weeping Angels
in town,
there's another reason why
the city that never sleeps
doesn't close its eyes.
Moffat: There's something with
the weeping Angels and New York,
and I don't know why,
that just made me think
that's a good fit.
I believe the weeping Angels
would infest New York
in their terrible
and vengeful way.
I specified in the script
that we use this whole area
and we use that fountain,
and I specified
that there was little
cherubs on it.
What I hadn't noticed was
there's a whole weeping Angel
standing right on top of it.
So it is wonderful
to have this opportunity
to vilify one of New York's
finest landmarks
by saying it's actually
an evil aggressor
from outer space.
[ Laughter ]
Darvill: The weeping Angels
are back, and it is terrifying.
And it's dark,
and it's how you want
a New York episode
of "Doctor Who" to be.
Smith: It's really exciting,
'cause the weeping Angels
are my favorite monster.
And it's one
of my favorite cities,
so, I think, to have them here,
particularly in the time
that they're in,
is -- I don't know --
thrilling, really.
And I think they're going
to be even more scary
with this sort of mad,
gothic city around them.
So, in one of America's
busiest cities,
did filming "Doctor Who"
in New York's Central Park
go unnoticed?
Okay.
Well!
[ Laughter ]
Apparently not.
Ahh!
Filming in Central Park
is something
that I don't think any
of us would ever forget.
There were hundreds of fans
following us around.
And it was mind-boggling.
It was sort of amazing,
'cause we got to do it
kind of guerilla style.
'Cause, usually, "Doctor Who"
is big sets and everything,
but we got to just take
a couple of cameras,
get out into the park,
sort of bop around.
[ Applause ]
When you hear us yell, "cut,"
please no more screaming either,
'cause we don't like screaming.
It makes us nervous.
Bye!
We're going this way.
We did not expect this
to happen in New York.
It's really odd.
I can't quite get
my head round it.
Yeah, and there's
a girl over there
with a TARDIS
phone cover!
[ Laughs ]
Darvill: Every time
we go to America,
we are always surprised
with the response
from American fans
and just surprised at how big
it is getting over there.
Man: Thank you very much.
Hey, guys, make a hole!
We're coming right through here!
Make a hole, guys!
Darvill: As the days went on,
just hundreds
and hundreds of people
just turned up to watch us film.
Gillan: It's incredible
just to be filming here
in the first place,
and little did we expect
that there are massive crowds
of people all around,
which is amazing.
So we've been having
the best time ever.
Just running around New York,
sh**ting in all
these iconic locations.
Central Park just
looks amazing on camera.
Ooh, can I see the cover?
No, no, I'm busy.
It's your hair.
Is it your hair?
Oh, shut up. It's the glasses.
I'm wearing reading glasses
now, see?
On my nose.
There you go.
I don't like them.
They make your eyes
look all liney.
Oh, no,
actually, sorry.
They're fine.
Carry on.
Rory: Okay, I'm going to go
get some more coffee.
Who wants more coffee?
Me, too -- I'll get 'em.
Rory, do my eyes have
noticeable lines now?
Smith: If I could film
every episode
of "Doctor Who"
in New York, I would.
If it was up to me,
we would film the whole thing
in New York City.
Beware the Yowza.
Do not,
at this point, yowz.
Doctor, what did
the skinny guy say?
He said,
"I just went to get coffees
for the Doctor and Amy.
Hello, River."
River: Hello, Dad.
Where am I?
How the hell
did I get here?
I haven't
the faintest idea.
But you'll probably want
to put your hands up.
[ Shouting ]
Good to see you.
Are you having a nice time?
[ Cheering ]
They turned up
just to see people
kind of getting out of cars
and things.
We weren't really filming
at that point.
But it was very nice
that they turned up.
You know, they were very chatty.
We went out and we just made
sure that they were all quiet
and Matt gave
a very rousing speech.
Firstly, thank you
for being so patient,
and thank you for coming.
But I think we better
go round and do this scene,
so they've asked me to ask if,
when we're doing the scene,
you could be quiet
so they can get the sound.
And I said I would ask you.
"Doctor Who" is going from
strength to strength in America
in ways that have outdistanced
our attempts to keep up with it.
I'm really quite surprised.
It used to be that "Doctor Who"
was that cult show,
then it was that British import.
Now "Doctor Who" in America
is just "Doctor Who."
I love you so much!
Hey!
Me, Karen, and Arthur
now have this sort of
affinity with the city.
We just totally,
totally love it.
Good evening.
Hope we're not interrupting.
Jack Harkness.
I've been hearing all
about you on the way over.
If we're talking about America,
we have to talk
about Captain Jack,
because Captain Jack was
the first American character
introduced to
the new "Doctor Who."
Excellent bottom.
I say, old man, th--
there's a time
and a place.
Moffat: The wonderful thing
about bringing Captain Jack
into the Doctor's universe
is he is a proper
dashing, gung-ho, womanizing,
manizing, shrub-izing soldier.
We should really be off.
Sorry, old man.
[ Chuckles ]
I got to go meet
a girl.
But you've got
an excellent bottom, too.
The difference between
the Doctor and Jack,
the Doctor would never
carry a g*n.
The Doctor, you know,
uses the sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor will resort to
v*olence at the last resort.
So for him to have
this American,
you know, gunslinger with him --
you know, Jack's answer
to everything is to pull out
the g*n and just sh**t them
between the eyes or k*ll them,
that's it.
I hate to use the term
and to quote a President,
but "you're either with us
or against us."
That's Jack's philosophy.
Moffat: We ended up casting,
of course -- thank goodness --
the brilliant John Barrowman.
And we listened
to his range of accents.
He could do it in
his own Scots accent,
which, unaccountably,
I rather liked.
He could do it in his perfectly
perfect English accent.
Or he could do it in his sort of
adopted American accent.
And somehow,
that part just came alive
with John Barrowman being
American as Captain Jack.
Yes, he has an American accent
which, I guess,
gives him a sort of
international feel
as a character.
He's, uh --
but we never really learn
where he comes from or why
he speaks the way he does.
Wh-wh-what are you taking
your clothes off for?
I'm going in.
Well, by the looks of it,
I'd say the stet radiation
doesn't affect clothing,
only flesh.
Oh, well,
I look good though.
Part of the joy
of Captain Jack
is that there's --
he's sort of without origin.
We don't quite know
where he's come from
or where, indeed, he's going.
But whether he's actually
come from America,
whether he's just picked
this accent up
somewhere on his travels
is a question you can ask
of John Barrowman
just as much as you can ask
of Captain Jack himself.
For myself, as the actor,
you know, thinking about
where Jack had come from,
all I knew about it,
and all that Steven
and Russell had written
and had told me was
that he was a con artist
and he was a time agent.
And he has traveled through time
doing things for himself to find
out where he came from.
So, to be honest with you,
the history of Jack
was not known.
Little did we know
it was yet to be created.
During his visits to America,
the Doctor has met some
interesting characters
in some very iconic places.
Now, if we go back
and jump back to William
Hartnell's time,
he appeared on the Empire State
building for a brief moment.
Tennant: The Empire State
building featured
in "Doctor Who" in the story
called "The Chase."
Which is quite an odd story.
It seems to just be an excuse
for the production team
at the time
to visit lots of locations
in a hurry.
And then, at one point,
the TARDIS lands on top of
the Empire State building.
So the Doctor did have
some history there.
Hot diggity,
I knew I was right!
You should be wearing
a police uniform.
He then goes back in the TARDIS,
disappears,
the Daleks then come out,
and they meet this guy,
who is a, you know,
a hillbilly or a tourist,
you want to call him,
from the United States,
and it happens
to be Peter Purves.
Say, you sure are
an ugly-looking friend.
Do I played Morton Dill,
who was a genuine hillybilly
visiting New York.
You come all over
in blue spots.
Where I probably had the most
execrable Alabaman accent,
but I played it
for all it was worth.
It really was quite fun.
[ Laughs ]
I know you're there
somewhere about.
Tennant: The idea that
they could recreate this
all in one week was perhaps
slightly ambitious.
I think it works
quite successfully,
from what I remember.
But you know, I think
overambition has always been
"Doctor Who's" great curse
and great virtue.
Why not create
the Empire State building
in the corner of
a tiny studio somewhere?
That's real clever
how they done that.
The United Nations
have issued an edict
asking the citizens
of the world not to panic.
The newsreader Trinity Wells,
I mean, you know
whenever you see her that
it's a global catastrophe.
The President is said
to be furious
that Great Britain has taken
unilateral action.
Trinity Wells...
appeared in more
"Doctor Who" episodes
than just about anyone else.
So far there has been
no explanation
of the planets which have
appeared in the sky.
It's a very simple narrative
device, I suppose,
that works extremely well, that
you have an American newsreader,
so, suddenly, you feel like this
news is all over the world.
The m*llitary are on the lookout
for more spaceships.
Until then, all flights
in North American airspace
have been grounded.
Of course, it's filmed in
a small booth in Cardiff.
She's always there when things
are at their absolute worst.
It's midnight here in New York.
The United Nations has gathered.
England has provided them
with absolute proof
that the massive weapons
of destruction do exist.
And she reports it...
with a sort of, you know,
"It's okay, planet."
You know, "This is
what's happening.
We will watch this situation,
but carefully."
And not everything is fine.
There's no known connection
to the Doctor,
but why it's always her,
I think,
is a really interesting
question.
We are warning anyone
and everyone --
stay away from the cars.
Repeat, stay away
from your cars.
Let's see, over the years,
Trinity has commented on --
I can't -- let's see how
many I can remember.
There's the Atmos.
I remember the Atmos cars.
With the freeways blocked
by Atmos cars,
populations of major cities
are now walking across open
country to escape the fumes.
It is being likened
to a biblical plague.
Some are calling this
the End of Days.
There was the Slitheens.
That was my first one.
The council is voting.
The results should be known
any second now.
The development of the
character then went
to getting the call to do
Sarah Jane.
The President has walked out
of the White House and is
apparently holding hands with
the wife of the Prime Minister.
Then I got a call to do
Torchwood, which was like,
"Oh, wow, so cool!"
'Cause that's the
really grown-up one.
The children of America
are saying:
two three four,
zero zero zero zero.
I do believe there is something
kind of unanswered, really,
in exactly why
that character is there
and why she pops up
when she does.
I wouldn't be surprised if,
at some point in the future,
there's more to that character.
But that is not a hint.
That's just a guess.
Because she's always there when
things are going really bad.
Maybe she's the cause
of these things.
I don't know, but she's
always there, regardless.
In the Doctor's adventures,
there is one adversary
that he has fought
across time and space
and continues to do battle with
across the whole of America.
The Empire State building
must be completed in time.
This human is our best option.
"Daleks in Manhattan,"
which, as a title,
does exactly what it says
on the tin.
You're dealing
with New York City,
one of the most iconic cities
in the United States.
You're also dealing
with a building,
the Empire State building,
which is one of
the most iconic buildings.
Tennant: The design
of the Daleks from
had a slightly art deco
kind of feel to them,
which somehow suggested
the Empire State building.
Yaaaaah!
What is the attraction
with Daleks
and the Empire State building?
'Cause they've been there
before.
What keeps bringing them back?
You know, is it a tower that can
produce and send signals?
Is it something
that can receive signals?
Is it a giant spaceship?
Is it a rocket?
Who knows?
You know, all that
art deco architecture
in design in Manhattan,
it fits with the Daleks somehow.
The army awakes.
Tennant: There was a kind
of inevitability, perhaps,
that we had to see those Daleks
in the Empire State building.
I didn't get to go to New York.
I stayed filming
in Cardiff, in Wales,
uh, where it rains a lot.
I spent a lot of time in Cardiff
filming "Doctor Who."
I'm very fond of it.
But the idea that we might get
to go to New York for a bit
and do some filming
was very appealing.
We were going to set up
Whooverville in Central Park,
and we were going to film in
the Empire State building.
Of course, we didn't,
inevitably.
I think about three or four
people were sent to New York.
Sorry, sorry.
Can I just point out
our lovely producer Phil
and our director James
and our
special effects man Dave
all got a nice weekend
in Manhattan.
We are in a car park
in Penarth Leisure Centre.
[ Laughing ]
Draw your own conclusions.
I'm ashamed.
And a local dog just
wee'd on the TARDIS.
So it wasn't quite
the trip to New York
that we were hoping for.
It was more of
a virtual trip to New York
for the actual actors involved.
It's real, it's now!
[ Giggles ]
Come on, you.
Where shall we go first?
I think our detour
just got longer.
Man: Stop there.
Aah!
[ Screaming ]
From the top of the Empire
State building in Manhattan
to deep underground in Utah,
the Doctor has traveled
nationwide to take
on the Daleks.
In "Doctor Who's" first year
back in ,
there was an episode
set in America.
Again, it wasn't filmed
in America.
It was filmed in Cardiff again.
In fact, in the bowels
of the Millennium Stadium.
There were a few episodes filmed
in the bowels of Cardiff's
Millennium Stadium.
But then, I suppose one
mad man's underground base
looks very much like another
mad man's underground base,
it turns out.
Away! Away!
It was set in Utah
in the far-flung future of ,
which seems rather funny now.
And that was --
that reintroduced
the Daleks, of course.
Doctor?
Impossible.
The Doctor?
Exterminate!
Exterminate!
Let me out!
Exterminate!
Sir, it's going to k*ll him!
It's talking.
You are an enemy of the Daleks!
You must be destroyed!
That was in America, although
very underground in America.
You didn't see a lot
of America in that one.
And it was another Dalek
episode that led the Doctor
to one of America's
most famous addresses.
Lincoln: That all men
are created equal.
Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln!
That just what I asked for!
The Gettysburg Address!
Moffat: The Doctor acquires
an incredibly useful bit of kit
called
the Time-Space Visualiser,
which can see
any event in history.
You can dial up anything
and eavesdrop on it.
For instance, you could dial up
the Gettysburg Address
and see Lincoln
and actually go and visit it,
which is exactly what the Doctor
and his companions did.
So conceived and so dedicated,
can long endure.
We cannot hallow this ground.
Doctor, can I have a go?
Can I, can I, please?
Yes, yes, yes, now,
all in good time, my dear.
All in good time.
Tennant:
There's something vaguely
sort of unintentionally
educational there
in that it'll focus on a moment
in history and sort of,
uh, you're just expected
to kind of catch up on it.
And I'm sure many children
have been sent
scurrying to history books
or, these days, to Google.
During his time in America,
the Doctor has visited
more than just one famous
presidential address.
Smith: I mean, obviously,
we're not going to go
and film in the White House.
It's impossible.
We'd just --
you know, Obama wouldn't
have it, I'm sure.
I mean, Obama, if you're
watching, if you ever want
to invite us to the White House,
we would love to come.
But the Oval Office
was a perfect replica.
Darvill: The designers
are so good on "Doctor Who."
And the art department making
everything look so real.
When we walked into
that Oval Office set,
it felt like
we were really there.
It just felt so, so surreal.
Apparently, they did it all
to the right dimensions
and had everything
in the right place.
Yes!
Look at this!
What a set!
You know, you've got a guy
there with Nixon's face on,
so it was, you know,
utterly surreal,
but brilliant, and it really
felt like we were there.
And then you walk outside
and you're in rainy Cardiff,
so it was a very,
very odd thing to do.
Yeah, what a great set.
Doctor, you have to give me
more than this.
I didn't have
any more than this.
What were doing
to Apollo ?
Man: I played George Bush,
I played Eisenhower,
but I've never actually been
in my own Oval Office,
so here I am now finally.
And it's absolutely beautiful.
Beautiful.
Oh, look, this is
the Oval Office.
I was looking for the...
Uh, oblong room.
I-I-I'll just be off then.
Shall I?
[ Laughs ]
Moffat: One of the things
I really, really
want to do this year
was to make sure
there's a huge visual contrast
between each show.
And it suddenly occurred to me
we hadn't done a Western
for years, not since the s,
when they attempted it in
a black-and-white studio.
And I just thought, can we do
a "Doctor Who" Western?
You could fake New York.
We can do that.
You can do that
with a few actors,
but you can't fake that vista,
those distant mountains,
that heat simmer, that light.
We can't pretend.
So, for absolute,
maximum authenticity
with this most iconic moment
in American history
and a landmark in their culture,
we decided to go to Spain.
[ Spring boings ]
Despite the fact that
Matt Smith's legs
were clearly designed
to be fitted round a horse,
he is the least probable
replacement
for Clint Eastwood
in an action-packed western.
So I was just thrilled to put
him into a western town.
That's not right.
And just before
I go into the saloon
in the scene, I said,
"Can I have a toothpick?"
'Cause I wanted to look like
a, you know, cowboy.
And then I thought, well, you
know, as always with the Doctor,
you've got to sort of flip
and reinvent whatever it is.
Tea,
but the strong stuff.
Leave the bag in.
There's a little bit of business
that Matt does
with a toothpick,
which he chews wrongly
and it gets stuck in his mouth,
which sums up perfectly
why he's not a western hero,
yet the Doctor would always
believe that he is.
What you doing here, son?
Son? Ha!
You can stay.
In that episode, the Doctor
gets to play at being a cowboy,
and of course,
it's sort of a silly cowboy.
It's not a very good cowboy,
but he sort of puts his hands
in his trousers
and wears a Stetson
and all that,
but he's kind of just
a bit silly with it.
Action.
Can I borrow
your horse?
Official marshal business.
He's called Joshua.
From the Bible.
It means "the deliverer."
No, he isn't.
What?
I speak horse.
He's called Susan.
And he wants you to respect
his life choices.
Darvill: It's a village,
it's a town.
It's a proper western town
with a saloon
and a bank and everything.
You know, The Good, the Bad,
and the Ugly was filmed there,
and it's got so much
of a film history to it,
but there was no imagination
needed to film there.
I've got a phobia of horses.
Karen, just stroke it.
I've never stroked
a horse before.
I don't really want
to face my --
they can smell
fear though, right?
Smith:
Don't be frightened.
She just hates you.
[ Whistles ]
Oh! Oh, my God!
Can you ride?
Me? I-I'm scared
of horses.
He's friendly.
He's lovely.
Do you touch them there?
[ Gasps ] God, I'm doing it,
like in the films.
Isn't that great?
We could feed him an apple.
Do you want to feed him an apple?
No.
Man: And action!
[ Shouting ]
Darvill: There's a great scene
where the Doctor's frog-marched
Kahler-Jex
to leave the town.
You wouldn't.
I genuinely don't know.
Man: Doctor?
And Amy quite strongly disagrees
with what he's doing,
so pulls a g*n on him.
[ g*nsh*t, crowd gasps ]
Amy: Let him
come back, Doctor.
Or what?
You won't sh**t me, Amy.
How do you know?
Maybe I've changed.
I mean, you've clearly
been taking
stupid lessons since
I saw you last!
[ g*nsh*t ]
I didn't mean to do that.
[ g*nsh*t ]
Everyone who
isn't an American,
drop your g*n.
Darvill: It's brilliant.
I think it is the way
Karen would wield a g*n,
just by flailing it around,
as if she kind of
just made of --
made of spaghetti.
But it was a really fun
scene to film.
It's always good,
'cause, you know,
you've got loads of people there
dressed as cowboys,
and you're in the middle of it.
But I think Karen was really
funny in that scene.
Excuse me, can I --
I told you to just hold it.
Don't talk to me.
I'm sorry, madam.
God!
Man: Let's go.
Keep up, keep up.
Barrowman: One of the oddest
moments for, I think,
any "Doctor Who" viewer --
okay, sorry, guys, girls.
This is it.
You have William Hartnell,
who goes to the O.K. Corral,
to be taken care of
by the dentist,
who happens to be
a gunslinger himself, right.
But then what happens?
You've got Peter Purves,
the character of Steven,
and all of them end up going off
and having a big kind of
sing-along around a piano,
and it's the weirdest thing
that ever goes on
in the world of "Doctor Who."
Tennant: "The gunfighters" is --
it's certainly not typical
of "Doctor Who" stories.
It's a bit of a musical.
♪ The girls come to Tombstone
in their high silk hose ♪
Well, the very fact that
there's a lot of British actors
playing Americans,
with varying success,
has to be said.
[ British accent ]
Not just yet, Doc.
We haven't had our little talk
about brother Rubin,
the late brother Rubin.
This was one of
the wonderful things
about the early "Doctor Whos"
was that there was
a serendipity about it,
because you never knew where
the TARDIS would end up.
Anyway, we ended up
in Tombstone.
I dress rather --
and say rather like Roy Rogers
or Gene Autry, had to sing.
♪ It's your last chance
of boozing ♪
♪ when there's no one to mind ♪
Purves: The director,
Rex Tucker,
cast it wonderfully.
The cowboys were fantastic.
And his filmic style,
in a very small studio
in Ealing,
he created Tombstone.
♪ It's your last chance of rye ♪
♪ it's your last chance
of living ♪
What's going on here?
But I think it's been
rejudged over the years
and found to be rather
a favorite.
One of the things that makes
America an exciting location
for "Doctor Who" is that
it's just so very good-looking.
Moffat: What is the most
iconic thing that says
you're definitely in America,
we absolutely
have flown out there?
So we went for, you know,
the valley of the Gods,
and it just gave it such scale,
such size,
such cinematic grandeur.
[Western accent] Howdy.
Man: A/B common marker.
It's an extraordinary,
expansive, wonderful
piece of land,
piece of the world,
and I think it gave the episode
such great scope.
[ Woman screams ]
[ Breathing heavily ]
Man: Yeah, thank you.
We cut anyway,
and then we...
Gillan: First sh*t of the day.
Yeah, it was basically just
running for my life,
desperate woman, girl.
Man: Suspect directly ahead.
Man: Coming to you now,
over.
It's the altitude,
which is why I'm out of breath.
So that's why.
It's not me being unfit at all.
We were just really excited to
be in a helicopter to film it.
And I didn't get to see --
actually, it was quite nice.
I had a lie-in that morning,
and Karen was
running around the desert
being chased by a helicopter.
It was one of those things
where we were just like,
that means we're basically
filming a big movie.
[ Gasps ]
[ g*ns click ]
Darvill: What's brilliant about
it is it really gives it
the scale of the place,
you know, how vast it is.
It goes on like that for miles.
Smith: Dear Arthur had to --
he got to go
and film in the dam there
up in Utah,
and, I mean, it looks like
he's sort of run out
in a James Bond movie
or something.
It wouldn't surprise me if
James Bond's been filmed there,
or some great big movie has,
because it -- again,
as a sort of piece of
manmade structure,
it's sort of --
it's just incredible.
Action!
Man: Action.
Darvill: They got a bit edgy
about me running around,
'cause I wanted to look like
I was really knackered
and really, you know,
really tired,
so obviously I'm
running up and down,
and every time I got towards
the edge to kind of --
to look over,
could feel everyone there who
had responsibility for us,
all the grown-ups,
as we call them,
just kind of tensing up
and being like, "You don't have
to hit it so hard over there."
Man: Tell Arthur
to give us a good
four-beats look over the edge,
but he shouldn't
throw himself
against the wall.
Man: It doesn't matter
at this distance.
There was no chance of me
falling off it.
There was a small chance of me
falling off it, but, you know,
I'm sure someone would have
tried to catch me
if I had have gone.
But it was really -- you know,
I didn't want to go over there.
It was really high
and actually pretty scary.
America has played
an important part
in the Doctor's life,
so it's maybe
not surprising where
the Doctor came to die.
We filmed the Doctor dying,
which actually
turned out to be the Doctor
as a teselecta dying.
So I'm going to get my
arms back, I'll look at you,
and I'm going to go,
gvvvvv, vroom.
Man: Okay, exactly.
Action.
[ g*nsh*t ]
Amy: Doctor!
River: Amy! Stay back!
The Doctor said stay back!
[ The Doctor breathing heavily ]
Amy: Doctor!
I'm sorry.
Darvill: It's just a bunch of us
kind of talking and really
getting, you know,
getting into real
character stuff.
[ Gillan crying ]
Oh, my God, he d*ed.
It's not possible.
There's all the adventure side
of the stories,
but at the heart
of that story is
these four characters,
and when we see the Doctor die,
it was such a huge --
such a huge event
within the story.
Doctor!
Man: Well done.
Good, cut there. Cut.
Darvill: And I think everyone
was on really good form.
It was great to be able
to film that in America.
Smith: Yeah, it's wonderful,
I've got to say.
It's, uh...you know,
we've got these
wonderful locations.
This place is -- I mean,
you know,
you've seen it for yourselves.
It's just devastatingly vast
and epic.
And that's when
I close my eyes,
exactly.
But this is where we lose it.
Exactly. At that point there,
it becomes a different story.
Yeah. Yeah.
So there's this, you know,
huge secret running
throughout the whole series
about his death,
but we didn't know how that
resolved until very,
very late on in filming.
So when they were
filming the scenes
with the Doctor
and the astronaut,
we had no idea
what they were saying
and weren't allowed to know.
You get used to it, though.
It's like, "Oh,
this is all the secret stuff
they're filming.
Okay, fine.
I'll ignore that.
Otherwise, it'll just
eat me up and I'll
want to know about it."
Day three.
In America.
It's pretty cold.
Missing the good stuff right here.
Oh, dear.
So...
How's it going out there, Matt?
It's day three in Amer--
we've already done that.
I know,
I felt a bit left out.
Oh, come in.
Come, get in this sh*t, you.
Why are you in sun--
it isn't hot, Arthur.
I'm trying to
pretend it's hot.
Yeah. He's got sensitive eyes,
apparently.
Arthur went in
the water today.
That was pretty cold.
It is so cold here.
And the burning of the boat
was just brilliant.
Smith: We filmed there about
: in the morning.
I mean, the light
in Utah is incredible.
It was like the sort
of dawning of --
like being on Mars or something.
I mean, it was freezing cold,
and poor Arthur had to
get in the water.
Darvill: Everyone was like,
"oh, are you all right
in the cold of the water?"
And I think I might have
milked it slightly,
but I just couldn't
wait to get in.
It was great.
We had to do it at sunrise
to make it look like sunset,
so we got there really
early in the morning.
It served us brilliantly
in the episode
and gives the ep such expanse
and scale and style.
Darvill: Just having the image
of that burning boat
and sending it out there
is just --
it was great to film.
Another great moment in
the world of "Doctor Who"
was the first time that
"Doctor Who" went to Comic-Con.
If the world was a little more
like Comic-Con,
the world would be
a better place,
because there's a lack
of cynicism there
which is just about celebration.
Hello!
Hello!
Tennant: The only time
I actually got to
physically go to America
for "Doctor Who" was --
I'd already finished filming
and I went to Comic-Con
in San Diego
in .
Barrowman: And it was
the only time David
was actually in the states,
to something to do with
"Doctor Who,"
and he was stuck in a hotel room
and a convention center!
He didn't get to
go do anything!
It was really
quite overwhelming.
[ Cheers and applause ]
It took us a little
by surprise, I think.
[ Cheers and applause ]
As someone involved in the show
and someone who's
a great fan of the show as well,
you want to sort of --
it was fun to go over there
and proselytize
a bit about it
and see its reach growing.
Woman: Hi, David!
Hi!
[ Laughter ]
[ Screaming ]
You're all very lovely people,
aren't you?
[ Cheering ]
I was so -- I didn't realize
there was going to be seats.
I was going to do
stage-diving.
[ Cheering ]
Now, I was there
with "Torchwood"
because we were there
for the first time,
but also I was there
because I was being put into
some elements
of the "Doctor Who" world,
because Captain Jack
obviously flips and crosses over
from both worlds.
The full plan of the day,
you're going to see
someone else that
I'm going to ask
my lovely friend
to stay for that.
John Barrowman,
ladies and gentlemen.
Barrowman: And we were
all there on the panel
and we came on and the crowd
just went nuts.
Aw, isn't that cute?
I'd kiss him, but, no.
And we talked for a little bit
and then they started
shouting stuff,
and I looked at David
and David looked at me
and we just laid
the biggest smackerooney
on each others' lips,
and the crowd went nuts.
[ Cheering ]
[ Laughs ]
I've slightly got all flustered,
I really have.
[ Laughter ]
I've been waiting
for that for years.
Thanks, David.
It wasn't John
and David kissing,
it was the Doctor
and Jack kissing.
It was a little bit
of John and David,
and it was really,
really good,
and I hope David thought
it was good, too.
For the American launch of
series five of "Doctor Who,"
some of the cast
traveled stateside
and were surprised by
the warm welcome
they received.
First press trip me, Karen,
and Steven made to New York
is probably one of the greatest
experiences of my life.
I mean, I fell in love
with New York.
Where are we, Karen?
We're in NYC.
NYC, baby, New York City.
Just, you know,
casually walking down
an NYC street.
And we're about to go into
The New York Times
and talk to them
about "Doctor Who."
It's the best show in England,
we want to make it
the best show in America,
and look who it is!
It's Steven Moffat.
Oh, no!
Hi, Steven!
It feels like seconds,
it really does.
So, Matt and Karen went out to
New York without me,
which was nice.
New York is amazing.
Smith: And it's just exciting
to bring the show here,
because it's brilliant
and we've got a brilliant
first episode
and we want people to get
into it like they should.
And, look, man, the grates
and stuff, the fire --
I just -- I just look back to
that day on the beach,
our very first day filming,
and look where we are now,
and all of this stuff has
happened in between,
and it's just --
it seemed impossible,
really.
Yeah, it felt like it never
actually would sort of
come to this,
if you know what I mean.
We had no idea that
the fans would respond
as vocally as they did and be
in such numbers as they were.
[ Cheers and applause ]
There's a queue.
Yeah, apparently there's a queue
right round the block,
which is really exciting,
'cause we weren't sure
is this is it?
How people were -- oh, God.
[ Laughs ]
[ Crowd cheering ]
Man: Karen, Karen,
Matt! Karen!
Man: We've been standing here
all morning!
Smith: It just blew my mind.
There's people
waiting all night.
Man: Is that a first, Matt?
That's my first head,
yeah, yeah.
[ Laughter ]
I did like a signing
in an Apple store.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Smith: You know what?
I have to say,
we've all been overwhelmed,
and I'm not just saying this.
I know it sounds like
a kind of political, "hey!"
But, like, we've been
overwhelmed by
the welcome that
we've had in New York.
You guys are great.
You clap all the time.
It's cool.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I know!
We need to get
some of this in England,
I'll tell ya.
Man: It was surprising
to know that they were
coming to New York,
but very gratifying,
because it's --
to me, it's just as much
a sign that Doctor Who is
a success here
as it is overseas.
Woman: And now he's on the sides
of buses in New York. It's wild.
Yeah, it's --
you can't escape him,
and he's made tweed fashionable,
which makes me very happy.
And bow ties are very hip.
I see it in Chelsea.
I couldn't --
well, but --
I'm not going to
go there.
It was amazing.
It was something
I'll never forget.
With all of time
and space to explore,
it seems the Doctor
can't help but keep
returning to America.
Tennant: America is --
it's where so many of our
stories come from,
so much of our sort of
cultural life comes from,
that it would be weird
if we didn't
take the Doctor there
now and again.
Smith: It's just
a beautiful country
to film in, and I think
there's so many stories
to tell there.
The scenery,
the locals,
and a very warm welcome
looks likely to
keep him coming back
in the future...
Or even the past.
Best Of The Specials - 02x05 - Doctor Who in the US
Moderator: Kitty Midnight
The further adventures of the renegade Time Lord, Doctor Who and his companions, from cross-overs to Christmas Specials. 2016-12-25 - "The Return of Doctor Mysterio"
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