04x00 - Doctor Who Confidential at Christmas

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Doctor Who: Confidential". Aired: 26 March 2005 – 1 October 2011.*
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Series is described as focusing on the human element of the series, Confidential features behind-the-scenes footage on the making of Doctor Who through clips and interviews with the cast, production crew and other people, including those who have participated in the television series over the years of its existence.
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04x00 - Doctor Who Confidential at Christmas

Post by bunniefuu »

NARRATOR". Christmas came early
in more ways than one this year


for the Doctor Who production team.

Filming began back in the summer.

And today, superstar Kylie is on set
to sh**t Astrid 's encounter


with the deserted Doctor.

It's quite an unusual situation to
find the Doctor in wandering mood.

He arrives an the ship
and he actually has a wander.


He has a mooch about all on his own
and joins in with the party


still feeling like
a little bit of an outsider.


I love that side of him,
that he travels and journeys

to see the world and experience it,

and yet that leaves you
slightly outside it all.

And yet, within seconds,
he is making friends with Astrid.


- There we go.
- Thank you, sir. I can manage.

I suppose as soon as he is on his own,
there must be part of him that,

subconsciously or consciously, looking
out for his next travelling companion.

And Astrid ticks all the boxes.

- Astrid Peth.
- Nice to meet you, Astrid.

Merry Christmas.

She's spunky, she's up for an adventure,
she's quick-witted,

and she's quite easy on the eye, which
seems to be important to the Doctor.

I don't know why it would be.

Just Doctor, not “sir“.

The Doctor and she click within seconds.

- You're not with anyone?
- No, no,just me.just...

Astrid is a dreamer.
She's alone, her dream is to travel.

And in the Doctor, she sees
someone who's living the life

that she has dreamt of.

And there's that
hint of possibility which,

I imagine, she'd kind of lost faith in.

MAN: Background action. And action.

Never stood on another world.

I used to watch the ships heading out
to the stars. I always dreamt of...

Oh, that sounds daft.

She's dreaming of travelling.

In a sense, you'd think
being on the Titan/sis travelling,

and yet she's really
not getting anywhere.

James, is it all right if the artistes
are already there for this one?

Still start at same place
in the dialogue, but...

There we go. And action.

You dreamt of another sky.

New sun, new air, new life.

A whole universe teeming with life.

She meets the Doctor,
who is going everywhere,

and change is happening all the time,
and yet he's lonely.

So you travel a lot?

All the time. just for fun.

That's the plan. Never quite works.

Astrid is one of those one-off
companions that we give the Doctor.

- I should report you.
- Go on, then.

DAVIES". Someone who would be
a perfect companion for him.


And you can imagine them sailing off
into the sunset together.

You can imagine Astrid
staying with the Doctor for a long time.

If it wasn't for that album
and international tour,

maybe she would have hung on
a little bit longer.

DAVIES: The Kylie thing was...

It was all luck in the end,
that sort of thing.


We had a press launch
for series three in London

and Will Baker came along,
who is Kylie's creative director

and a big Doctor Who fan.

Jimmy looks very happy.

I met Russell and Julie at the launch
for the last series,

and they were obviously aware of me
and obviously knew who Kylie was.

We said, “Oh, wouldn't it be marvellous
if Kylie was in an episode.“

And, you know, to be honest,
you just go, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.

“Like that's going to happen.“
We were just laughing.

“Well, all right then.
Wouldn't that be brilliant?

“And Princess Margaret, too.“

I think I agreed to it
before she actually had!

And then the next day, it was real.
He phoned up, and Julie Gardner

was very good at pursuing it.
He phoned up and said, “Really?

“Shall we approach her? Shall we do it?

“And sit down with her and meet her
and run her through the plot.“

Which wasn't even written at that stage,
so sat there and busked.

I busked in front of Kylie Minogue.
just making it up.

And I certainly didn't know
that Astrid would die at that point.

So, hope she doesn't think
I cheated her into that.


The refreshing difference for me
is that this isn't about me.

It's about my character
and the ensemble.

And I guess it just goes back to
my roots of where I started out.

Being on set and being with a crew.
It's really been enjoyable.

I've loved it so far.
I'm sore, I'm tired!

I've just washed the dirt
and all kinds of stuff off me.

But it's great. Happy to be here.

You're very welcome.

With Astrid's costume,
we met four times in total

before we actually
started filming on it.

For Huff's sake).
Look where you're going.


- This jacket's a genuine Earth antique.
- I'm sorry, sir.

I'd already had quite a good brief
because obviously in the script

she's a waitress, so that won't change.

We didn't want to put her in
some long dress.

I mean, you don't get Kylie Minogue
and put her in a long frock.

I thought it would be great
to have that cigarette girl shape.

Almost like a s
ice cream cinema usherette.

This is amazing. Thank you.

PAGE". We had boots made for her.

Everything we made, we had to do
five of because we had to make for her,

her stunt double, stand-in double,

and then also because she was going to
be clean and dirty,

we had to have those as well.

So five costumes
and also different sized boots.

In fact, she told me it was one of
the most comfortable costumes

she'd worn in years.
So I was very pleased.

We are saying this is a big party
on the Titanic, so you've got

a lot of people, physically,
in the room.

We had, sort of, people in there.

Then you've got our principals,
then we had a band an stage


and then all of us lot to sh**t it.

It was tricky, 'cause in deciding to do
a Titanic, I knew right from the start

we've got to have ballrooms,
we've got to have corridors.

You know, the upstairs corridors,
it's got to look a bit . .


We found some fantastic locations.

By the time you filled it
with extras in gear,

it all becomes rather magical.

It's st of july, and we're about to
go from this studio now

out onto the streets of Cardiff.

We did this big set piece in one
of Cardiff's main streets,

and everybody was kind of worried
there'd be hundreds of people.

There wasn't any fuss at all,
which was a testament to

the production team and to, you know,
particularly to Gareth Skelding,

who was looking after all the locations.
They were brilliantly managed.

We needed a London street
in Cardiff that gave us the scale

where we could do
the Christmas aspect of it,

but also try and sort of keep everything
quiet, keep everything under wraps.

Which I think we've achieved so far,
so fingers crossed.


We're halfway there now.

Evening.

Although we've had a few crowds
and a few photographers and so on,

when we've been going in and out
of locations,

we've been mostly
left fairly untroubled.

I don 't know
if we'll get away with it tonight.


Doctor Who itself tends to
get a bit of attention.


And if you add to that Kylie Minogue,
it might be a little bit tricky tonight.


But the security guards are
desperate for a fight so it'll be fine.

STRONG". We're filming this moment
when they all come to Earth.


It's quite surreal being here,
right in the middle of Cardiff,

and there's no one else here.
It's great.

We actually sealed off a street,
which we've never quite done before.

We've always tried to sneak it in before
the set gets invaded by the public.

MAN: Turn over.

Oh.

Now, spending money.
I have a credit card in Earth currency.

If you want to buy trinkets or stockings

or the local delicacy,
which is known as beef.

But don't stray too far,
it could be dangerous.

Any day now, they start boxing.

Should be full, should be busy.
Somethings wrong.

Oh, but it's beautiful.

Really? Do you think so?
It's just a street.

I mean, the pyramids are beautiful,
and New Zealand.

But it's a different planet.
I'm standing on a different planet.

There's concrete

and shops, alien shops,
real alien shops!

Look, no stars in the sky.

And it smells. It stinks!

This is amazing! Thank you.

MAN: And cut there.
MAN : just clear for me, please.

DAVIES". With Astrid, you want
someone who is a companion.


In my mind, I absolutely consider her
to be a companion

who takes the ultimate step.
Out of those women and men

who would give their lives
for the Doctor, she literally does.

And action.

ASTRID: Mr Capricorn!

I resign.

DAVIES: It's a moment
where there 's simply no escape.


Astrid, don't!

Max has to be stopped.

She's the only one who
knows how to drive that forklift truck!

Forklift drives across the floor,
and it hits the box!

And she's driving at the next box,
engaging forwards and backwards,

and it's not going anywhere.

...and she looks across at the Doctor.

TENNANT: It may be the first time that

the Earth has been saved
by a forklift truck, I'm not sure.


Kind of suited Kylie,
sitting in that forklift truck.


Don't know. I don't know why.

But she seemed at home there.
She wasn't actually allowed to drive it.

Do you know, you have to take
a certificate to drive a forklift truck?

He's gone mad.

What do you mean, gone?
Has been for quite a while.

TENNANT: We had a stunt lady in a wig
for that bit,


but it's very cleverly
cut together, obviously.


And we had George Costigan
in his Max box.


And the two meeting and wheels spinning.
It's a fairly surreal image, really.

Okay, and action.

Mr Capricorn!

Okay, cut there. Third position.

The end sequence, when she basically
confronts Max and drives him off

the edge of this cliff was quite
complicated

due to all of the
health and safety reasons and stuff.

We had a stunt performer actually
driving the forklift truck.


, take , A camera mark.

MAN: And action. So, Kylie is driving
across the floor towards the box,

and she hits the box!

Against the box. She's pushing against.
Nothing's happening!

And Paul Kasey steps in to throw.
And he is going to throw the halo.

DOCTOR: He's cut the brake line!

No, no.

MAN: And she looks at you.

And start throwing the debris,
and action...

And she looks back, and she's
going to lurch forward, and she goes!

Maybe she doesn't know,
but she's going to go for it.

And she puts her foot down and she goes!

DAVIES: The brakes have been cut.
She goes all the way.


She goes all the way.
Not just to save the Doctor,

but to save the Earth and to save
everyone still alive on that ship.

It's the ultimate sacrifice.

STRONG". We've seen Astrid fall, and so
we think perhaps that's the end of her.


And then there's this hope.
There's the kind of brief scene,

which we managed to, kind of,
get her back.

And action!

DOCTOR: Rickston! Sonic!

Mr Copper, the teleports,
have they got emergency settings?

- I don't know, they should have.
- She fell. Mr Copper, she fell.

- What's the emergency code?
- Let me see.

- What the hell are you doing?
- We can bring her back.

If a passenger has an accident
on shore leave

and they're still
wearing their teleport,

their molecules are automatically
suspended and held in stasis.

- So if we can just trigger the ship's...
- There!

- MAN: I'm falling.
- She's only halfway there. Come on!

- I keep falling.
- DO(TOR: Only halfway there. Come on.

Feedback the molecule grid.
Boost it with a restoration matrix...

No, no, no, no, no!
We need more phase containment.

A very good Doctor moment, that,

because he can't bring
the dead back to life.

I can do anything!

Stop me falling.

DAVIES". When he kicks the podium,
and David's so brilliant.


He says, “I can do anything.“
But he can't.

He has such mastery
over every situation that he is in

that you really need those moments
of saying, “Actually, that's too far.

“You can't bring her back.“

In some ways, he has
these great powers and great abilities.

And he can save all manner
of solar systems,

but he can't seem to save
the people closest to him.

The truth of it is that
without Astrid sacrificing herself,

there's no guarantee that
the Earth wouldn't have got fried.

She's stardust.

And yet the Doctor is devastated by
the fact that she does, you know,

he would have loved to fly off into
the sunset with her, I think.

And action.

COPPER: Let her go.

DAVIES: She die-s, and she 's gone,
and the Doctor, as ever, moves on.


But in a way, it's almost too fast
and too quick.


And it needs that final coda at the end.

And I like that coda at the end.
It sort of looks very sentimental.

She's just atoms, Doctor.
An echo with the ghost of consciousness.

STRONG". It was actually quite
a logistics exercise because


she's meant to be transparent.

So what that meant was we basically
had to sh**t the scene twice.

Obviously, once with her there, and then
literally David has to act to nothing.

MAN: , take , A camera mark.

Action.

Astrid Peth, citizen of Sto,

the woman who looked up at the stars
and dreamt of travelling.

It was very hard for David 'cause
he had to kiss nothing in the end.

So he's doing this incredibly
powerful and touching moment,

doing it to nobody,
which is really hard, but David's...

Obviously, because he's David,
did it amazingly.

And the end result is stunning.

Astrid Peth, citizen of Sto,

the woman who looked up at the stars
and dreamt of travelling.

She does get to kiss him,

so probably a great number
of the audience

would like to be in my position!

I think that's something that makes

this episode and their relationship
so bittersweet is that

you can see that there's potential
and there's chemistry between them.

And that's her dream. That would be...

That's all she would have
ever wished for.

And the fact that, at the beginning,
she's dreaming,


she does look out at the stars,
and then she becomes one of them.


Well, millions of them as stardust.
I think it's really poetic.


It's a real tragedy for him
when he loses her because...

Again, he's lost someone
who could have made his life

that little bit less lonely.

DAVIES: At the end
he 's left alone again.


That's one of my favourite images,
is the lonely Doctor.


TENNANT". Of course, it's Doctor Who.
He's got to be the lonely traveller.


He's got to be cruelly robbed of
a bit of happiness, hasn't he? Damn.
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