05x06 - Death in Venice

[bunniefuu]

I'm kind of done with running down
corridors. What do you think Rory?
How about somewhere romantic?

The best place you could
possibly go for a romantic
weekend would be Venice.

And gets to meet up
with a Venetian count...

Looking for vampires in Venice?

Aaargh! What was that?

It's Venice but not
as you know it.

I think it's alliteration really.
Vampires.

In fact a few things aren't
what they seem to be.

They find out that they're not
actually vampires
they're something else.

What there are actually there is...

you know fish from space.

OK. Move!

What is going on?

And action!

And are the Doctor Who team
really in Venice?

Confidential finds out.

Turn over please.

take two A camera. And action!

The TARDIS touches down
and the Doctor sort of bounds out

and starts describing La Serenissima
this impossible mad city.

Venice! Venezia! La Serenissima!

It really felt like stepping back
in time stepping out into that.

One of the most powerful cities in
the world. Constantly being invaded.

And I think there's a real sense of
vibrancy and colour to that scene.

Ah you've got to love Venice.

And so many people did.

It sets the romp off as it were.

Byron Napoleon Casanova...

It's the perfect start
to a Venetian romp

but it's sh*t hundreds of miles
across the sea in Croatia.

We thought from the beginning
we would like a foreign sh**t

somewhere exotic
and really mix it up a bit.

The trouble with real Venice is you'd
have to spend an awful lot of time

covering up the pizza parlours
and the shops and all that.

Doubling up as Venice was a small
town on the Mediterranean coast

called Trogir.

And it looks
so beautifully like Venice.

The Venetians colonised there
so it's a great double.

It has the look
but when it comes to standing in
for Venice size is everything.

We needed with our Trogir skylines
to have

some proper Venetian buildings
sitting there on the horizon.

So a small crew including
Dave Houghton from The Mill

went over to Venice to get
some of our wide sh*ts.

At the moment I'm looking
for angles

for our opening wide of Venice

so we're trying to match a plate

that we've already filmed
in Croatia.

What we didn't have in Trogir was
some of these painted buildings

that go directly into the water
that have no kind of walkway.

So this side that will go
be turned into Venice and anything

this side of this umbrella
will also disappear.

We'll have gondolas in
the foreground and some piles.

To become the perfect vision
of Venice Trogir just needed

to be time-travelled
back to the th century.

You can see behind us we've
decorated this area of the set

to look like a Venice marketplace
and the breads

and the garlic and all those sorts
of bits that we've brought in.

We've also got some very big banners
that are very Venetian-looking.

It's looked really really amazing.

There was hundreds of extras and
loads of chickens running around.

Chickens and goats and
a guy selling eels.

And all sorts of props everywhere.

And all the local people were in
as people in the market.

This is at the beginning
before Matt turns up.

We were sitting having a coffee
on one of the recces

and this old lady
walked past with a goat

and I said "Right book her
and the goat."

Hello hello hello...

Bless her she was from
a local village

about ten miles out of Trogir
and she had a wonderful goat

but she didn't have a clue
what I was saying.

And then... Watch me. Through here.

I was asking her to do things
and saying "Watch me watch me"

but she kept following me and
I'm going "No no stay there."

No no stay stay there.
Just watch. There.

And unfortunately her little route
kept changing because as
the camera sh*t was changing

that was changing so we were
getting confused so she was
getting even more confused.

Up there through there round...

THEY SPEAK IN CROATIAN

We had a close relationship
by the time we'd finished!

THEY SPEAK IN CROATIAN

OK.

take three A and B.

And background action.

And action!

GOAT BLEATS

METALLIC THRUMMING

Venice! Venezia! La Serenissima!

Confidential took the chance
to visit modern-day Venice
to check out the actual events

behind the Doctor Who story
particularly the great plague
of the th century.

So writer Toby Whithouse went
to meet a man whose ancestors
lived through it all.

Architect historian and TV
personality Francesco da Mosto.

Hello Toby. How are you?

Lovely to meet you.
Looking for vampires in Venice?

Vampires of Venice of course!

'Francesco tells me of a Venetian
vampire story but that's for later.

'First I get a tour
of the da Mosto mansion.'

How old is the actual
building itself?

It's from the end of
the th century th century.

The period of your plague.

Absolutely perfect. It's beautiful.

'This amazing building has been
in the da Mosto family for
over a century.'

Oh my goodness. Look at this.

Here I learnt to ride a bicycle.

It's the perfect space.

Look at this! This is incredible.

Yeah nice shape.

And your Doctor Who
during the plague he was
a doctor of plague or...?

No no our Doctor is not a medical
doctor. He's a time-traveller.

But my episode is set just after
the outbreak of the plague

in the late th century
and a race of aliens

have arrived in the city
and are using the fear

of the return of the plague

as an excuse to close down the city.

'Francesco had something for me
which was an absolute goldmine -

'a collection of documents relating
to the period in which
I set my episode.'

Yeah it was quite terrible
and here I found also

a lot of the people of my family
like this one they d*ed of plague.

As you see "Death by plague."

We say "peste".

That was the black one
called la peste bubonica.

This is the doctor with a stick.

So would that be used as a w*apon?

No in a certain way
to keep a distance.

So you can't come closer
than this point?

Yes there was this danger
of infection.

They were using the mask with
a filter or something like that
in the nose.

And so finally they lighted upon a
way to stop the spread of the plague?

What is sure is the idea
of the isolation

of the infected people dividing
the town in different parts

and also putting the infected people
in different islands that worked.

And there was
the old Lazzaretto the hell.

This is the new Lazzaretto. Now
there is not any more these walls.

Was that the one where
they put the people who were
under observation? That's right.

So on these islands who was actually
in charge? Who was running them?

To run the rules in that period
there were three health officials

and one of these was one of
my family called Pietro da Mosto.

One of your ancestors?

Yes he was one of the bad guys
saying always like that or nothing.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!

Papers if you please.

Proof of residency current bill
of medical inspection.

There you go fella.

He was in charge of all the rules
the strict rules

like no-one could go out
from the islands

everyone has to be isolated.
So it was quite a tough job.

It was the only way of survival
for the town.

What exactly is your job?

Checking aliens visitors from
foreign lands what might bring
the plague with them.

Oh that's nice(!) See where
you bring me? The plague.

Obviously the Venice of today looks
very different to the Venice of .

Too many new shops!

Too many new shops

so we filmed in Trogir in Croatia.

There is quite a funny coincidence.

During the period of the plague
there was one of my family

he was a Count in Trogir.

It's quite interesting. This guy was
called Francesco da Mosto like me.
Can you imagine?!

There was always a person
of a noble family of Venice
controlling the different town...

Oh all the little... Just at that
moment of the plague that was in
Venice he was Count in Trogir.

Where we filmed the episode.
Yes strange. I found that out
yesterday. Quite strange.

I never looked at all the things.
It was quite funny.

Trogir town square.

The cast and crew are preparing
to meet a bunch of bloodsuckers.

# Now baby

# I've got a lot of love to give

# And I've been over oversubscribed
with relationships... #

Ah the look of the vampire girls.

Where do I begin?

It brightened up our day.

The crew I tell you what I have
never ever seen them so occupied

and satisfied and work hungry.
Everyone was happy.

The composer was joking with me
saying I bet there was only one
vampire girl in the script

and by the time we'd got
to the sh**t there were like
vampire girls.

# You've got a little thing
I haven't seen before... #

They looked like s glam rock stars
I think. Sort of bonkers hair.

The vampire girls had to be sexy

but it was important
for me certainly to try

and hark back to some of the classic
Hammer House of Horror
vampire films.

There's something weird and gothic

and brilliant about them. I think
they'll be a real hit. Come back
you're always welcome!

take one.

And set!

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls... #

Actually walking as a pack together
they do look absolutely terrifying.

We were worried it was going
to be a bit too scary

but we thought no
just make it scary!

# Maybe I can learn to settle down
one day... #

How are you doing that?

I'm thrilled. Oh this is Christmas!

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls

# I get all the girls
I get all the girls... #

We needed to destroy all
of the other vampire girls.

The best way to do that
big expl*si*n.

We are Venetians!

So obviously we created
a house exploding.

Hello everyone.

These are the pots containing
our expl*sive charge.

We've got some soft fine board
here which will go here.

I've pre-weakened this
just to make sure

it doesn't come out like a lump.
It'll actually break up.

What will come out is the expl*sive
charge itself will actually

blow out all the dust and debris
and cork towards the other side
of the building.

Then you go and we can start the
expl*si*n almost at the same time.

We needed Matt to run for his life
and jump in the air and

fall away from where the expl*si*n
was going to happen.

So stunt co-ordinator Crispin had
to just run through that with Matt.

More height and the reaction
in your face.

When you react to the expl*si*n
it's like run run run!

A successful jump is down to
the confidence of the actors.

They're confident about what
they're going to do

they go for it more and they're
a lot more dynamic and obviously
the better it looks in sh*t.

Bang bang bang bang!

Ha-hah!

And then you can look...

We have to rehearse the jump
simply because we have one go
at the expl*si*n.

To reset it was an hour hour and
a half and obviously our schedule
didn't give us time to do that.

We haven't got many of these
have we? We've got one.

That's why we've got to be spot on.
One? Yeah. So it's all
down to you Matt.

No it's not is it?
Yeah. Good luck mate.

# This used to be a funhouse

# But now it's full of evil clowns

# It's time to start
the countdown... #

OK step in Matt. Here we go.

And action!

It does make you jump
it's a big old bang.

But I love all that I love all
the pyros and the explosions.

It's like a good external
that's coming in that

keeps you alive and aware and it
does a lot of the acting for you.

# This used to be a funhouse

# But now it's full
of evil clowns... #

So more explosions please Danny.

# I'm gonna burn it down down down

# I'm gonna burn it down. #

'For stage two of my Venetian tour

'Francesco took me to a place at
the very heart of the plague story.

'A perfectly preserved
th century pharmacy.'

The cave of Aladdin!

This would be similar
to a pharmacy of the time?

Yeah in the period of that plague.

And it's here that they would make
the kind of concoctions and remedies
to supposedly cure the plague?

Yeah supposedly.

But all these things
were quite expensive.

Can we have a look at these?

Nearly all kind of things like

Talco Venetian oil of cod

peels of sulphurs of iron...

We've got more of this.

Acido Tannico.

It's the red thing
that you use to that's...

Like a tannin.

Yeah I like wine but I never...

Never touch that.
It's a mistake you make once.

And Elixir China.

More far away it was expensive.

Of course and because
I suppose the belief was

that if it comes from a culture a
long long way away they're very
wise they must know over there.

Nonetheless no one really knows
if it works.

No they were hoping
more expensive it was
the more people were buying it.

That's something
they still say today.

If it costs an awful lot of money
it must work.

They didn't know exactly so it's
better to try than to die.

Of course!

'I've invited a friend to come
and join me in Venice.'

Matt. Toby! How are you?

Hello. Welcome to Venice.

Thank you.
Come and meet my new friend.

Do you get seasick by the way?
Uh no. Good.

Matt this is Francesco.
Francesco this is Matt.

How do you do? Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you sir.

We're going to come on your boat
are we? Thank you.

Marvellous.

'Francesco is still promising me
a vampire story.

'But first we take a trip around
some Venetian locations
connected to my episode.'

Venezia! La Serenissima!

It's so nice that it's sunny.
We're in luck.

Why did you choose to set it
in Venice?

Because Venice has always had
a very... a very strong sense

of its own individuality
from the rest of the world.

It's always wanted to keep itself
separate from the rest of Europe.

So for the aliens in the episode
if you were going to go anywhere

and be left alone where you could
carry on your business...

Have your own individual empire.
Exactly. With water.
With water exactly.

So it's absolutely ideal.

And it really is.

There's nowhere like it
in the world.

That's true. And the interesting
thing is it's separate
but without walls.

Like all the castles had walls
here nothing.

We only had about five minutes
to sh**t the scene

of Guido punting or gondoling
the Doctor and Rory.

All it consisted of
was parallel tracks

and Lucian standing
on the trolley being pushed.

All the way up
put it in front of you.

Standby to sh**t please.

We didn't have time
to talk about it.

It was grab the flambeau
time's running out get it done.

It was like "Right you're on
a gondola. Go!" So that
was interesting.

I've got a great big flambeau there

and we're having to...
Almost like you're riding a horse.

'We take a trip down the Grand Canal
and come across a house

'my character Rosanna
may have lived in.'

Attend!

Attend!

The storm is coming!

Now we are arriving at the
Ca' d'Oro. The Ca' d'Oro this one.

This is an example of how they were

in the Byzantine
and Gothic period.

Inside this the courtyard
with the staircase.

And here we are.

It's funny to see
the reflected light off the water

on the wall there
because you wouldn't believe

the amount of trouble that we had
trying to recreate it.

Because obviously where we filmed
there wasn't the Grand Canal.

Take two A camera.

B camera.

Obviously we got the buildings of
Venice but unfortunately no water.

So as you can see behind me two
of the electricians are rippling away

with shining lights into water

which gives you the ripple effect
on the buildings behind me.

We put mirror tiles on the bottom
of a ripple tray and shine a light
into the ripple tray.

The light bounces off the mirrors
and we ripple the water
to give you the effect behind us.

The fake gondola yeah wow.
Well it was a piece of wood.

Just a bit stuck on the side which
didn't really feel like a gondola
but it looks like a gondola.

Let's just see it rocking guys.

OK. Move these poles over
a little bit.

To the left of frame keep going.

Standby. Thank you.

Here we go. And action!

And here the courtyard.

Where with the well for the water.

There is something similar
in Trogir.

Croatia. It's sort of an
incredible spit really isn't it?

Mummy is hydrating Francesco.

And we'd never interrupt Mummy
when she's hydrating!

Remember when we pop up
in the Calvierri mansion?

And we've built a well like this

not as pretty as this I have
to say which we climb out of.

It has a similar grate
and everything.

Push push!

There we are.

Do you Toby
ever write from locations?

I mean the thing with Venice
is you have a kind of

a sort of slideshow in your mind
of the different...

The aesthetic... Exactly.
..that it could be.

Because you want that kind of
very heavy slightly medieval
architecture.

And that dark and the light
rippling and stuff like that.

Absolutely yeah yeah yeah. Which
all adds up to the very other-worldly

quality of it which is why I think
Venice was the perfect setting for

it because there's something about
it that is quite that is just unlike
anywhere else on the planet.

And there's something very magical
about it. Yeah yeah.

As a Venetian I start
to feel like an alien!

And there's a great line in it
there's a great line.

A young girl is about to be
sent to her death.

She's walking the plank
basically into a pool of
alien piranhas essentially.

And she says...

I'm Venetian!

I can swim!

We can all swim!

A small lake outside Trogir.

The Who crew are here because
there are some water scenes
where only the real thing will do.

I'm six inches off the bottom here.

Ah right you are close then.

It's December. It's cold.

And before making waves
the team's task is to make it safe.

I wanted a water test
because basically

we have the actors jumping
into the water in Croatia

and they had to get pulled under
the water as if they were pulled
by these fish.

They bite!

We had a dry suit
specially made for them

and I need to test whether they were
buoyant whether they managed to get
pulled under the water or not.

So I wanted to do a test for
myself just to see how safe
the costumes and the suits were.

And to prevent floods of tears
a special volunteer
offers to take a dip.

Our lucky lady for the test was
our very own executive producer
Beth Willis

we got to go in the water.

So we put her in a suit.
And she was more than keen to go in.

We had two divers in the water.
In this instance it was
both safety and also I wanted

the divers to assist the actors
getting pulled under the water.

OK.

Is she set?

"JAWS" THEME PLAYS

As soon as we got into
the water this swan suddenly
came out from nowhere

came flying towards us obviously
very protective of its territory.

And we just had to wait and hope
the swan goes away.

So we had a bit of
swan wrangling to do!

OK?

Set? OK.

And three two one under.

Splash about. Get yourself ready.

Set. In three two one under.

We just thought it would be
a good idea if I could go in

and I can honestly say
how cold or not cold it is.

And it was cold but it was do-able.

I'm not looking my best! Thank you.

I think if I'm asking
anyone else to get in the water

I've got to be able to say
whether or not I think it's OK.

Now I do so I feel much better
about it having done it.

I wasn't massively looking forward
to it. But it was fine
and everybody was lovely.

Apart from the swan
who was a bit active.

But other than that it was fine.

However before you go dunking
members of the cast there's
something else to take on board.

That's the way you're going
to be pulled under.

It's essential the crew are high
and dry when filming on water.

That's always the tricky thing with
water. It's a nightmare to sh**t on.

So the local Croatian
art department built us a wonderful
pontoon a movable pontoon.

And that took both the cameras
we got the monitors on there.

Essential equipment that needs
to be on there. It was great
it really worked for the day.

So we had one camera
on the floating pontoon.

The other camera I was very keen
to get the camera as close to
the water surface as possible.

And so in order to achieve that
with very expensive

non-waterproof cameras we had to put
the camera into a glass housing.

We had a waterproof fish t*nk.

So you put the camera
in the fish t*nk.

The fish t*nk submerges slightly
and the camera is right
on the water level.

So it's a little bit of a cheat
but it works really well.

One of the trickier things
that we had to achieve

was to get two actresses to jump

into freezing cold water. Erm...

It's not cold enough to get that
ice cream head that we often get.

The only way to do that was with
a great deal of persuasion.

It's not like that. It's cold
but it's not like oh my God
you know this is unbearable.

I for one had to jump in myself
in a previous recce to check it out.

So by the time we got to them
doing it they didn't really
have any way out.

take one B camera.

And action!

I'm Venetian! I can swim!

We can all swim!

So I literally had to jump into
freezing cold spring water.

It was an initial shock
but once you're in you're in.

So it wasn't too bad.

Diver in position please.

Are you OK? Yeah cool. Standby.

'I didn't really have to act
at all because you genuinely
were freezing cold.

'So it was pretty good.
I can definitely imagine
how she would have felt.'

Bubbles.

And action!

Something touched my leg!

It bites!

'There was a bit of cramp going on
there because of the shock.'

But I think if you just
relax and stuff.

Well as relaxed as you can be
jumping into freezing cold
water in December.

'But just... you relax
and just go with the flow.'

And action!

Something touched my leg!

It bites!

SHE SCREAMS

CREW CLAP
OK take her to the side.

Back on dry land Arthur and I
are getting ready for a fight.

Here we go.

take one A camera.

Still on camera.

Let me go to the smile to begin.

So we don't see the teeth to begin
with then you reveal them.

And action!

Oh yeah the sword fight!
It was brilliant.

And I was there looking very
concerned about the whole thing.

But it was just incredible.
Arthur and Alex totally thrashed it.

And Arthur was hilarious.

It was really cool to watch.

'I'm glad that I didn't have
to look cool.'

I looked less cool when I watched it
than I thought I did.

'But I think if I'd have had to be
particularly good at sword fighting
it might have been a problem.'

I think I'm quite far off
being an action hero.

I think I'm going to stick to doing
what I do but it was fun to do
a taste of it.

take two A camera. Get set.

And action!

# Anything that's worth having
is sure enough worth fighting for

# Quitting's out of the question

# When it gets tough
gotta fight some more

# We gotta fight fight fight
fight fight for this love

# We gotta fight fight fight
fight fight for this love

# We gotta fight fight fight
fight fight for this love

# If it's worth having
it's worth fighting for... #

He's just defeated Francesco so
she's very proud of him secretly.

I'm being reviewed now am I?

He's just battled a vampire
who's turned into a fish
and exploded on top of him.

The last thing he thinks
is going to happen is that
Amy is going to kiss him.

It was funny it was really
embarrassing actually.

Because just before I did it
Jonny the director was like
"No pressure Karen.

"But make it the kiss of his life."
I was like "Oh my God! Right..."

Well I basically just told Karen
what Arthur Darvill had asked me
to say to her.

And he said "Jonny just make sure
you say to her make it the kiss of
your life." So that's what I did.

take one camera A. And action!

So yeah I just had to go for it.
Do you know what? It was fine.

But I actually when I was kissing
him forgot that I was the one

who was supposed to stop it
so it went on for ages.

God and they were like
"Karen? Karen!"

Why don't we go and see the Doctor?

Cut that.

But that was just the first time.

Yeah it was funny.

Let's put it this way.
The episode was running short!

THEY ALL LAUGH

Should we just do that once more?
Reset please.

# We gotta fight fight fight
fight fight for this love

# We gotta fight fight fight
fight fight for this love

# We gotta fight fight fight
fight fight for this love

# If it's worth having
it's worth fighting for. #

Now we go help the Doctor.
Cut there. Very nice.
Cut there thank you.

'Next stop on my tour one of
the plague quarantine areas

'that Francesco told me about
when we first met.'

Francesco we are on our way now
to the islands.

We are going to try to arrive
in the old Lazzaretto.

Where there were the people
not only suspected but infected.

So this was the one you really
didn't want to go to.

It was the last chance.

The place where you say bye
to everyone.

It was like a place
no-one gets out of.

Right. That was the situation.

OPERA MUSIC PLAYS

So this where we're going now
is the old Lazzaretto.

Lazzaretto?
Yeah it was the hell place
where the people were coming to die.

There is all these walls
which are surrounding it.

Why don't we stop here?
What do you think?

Yeah. Let's climb in.

Now we are going to break in
to the plague...

the house for the poor people
that had the plague

and were brought here
to peter away and die.

God it feels particularly
dilapidated.

'It's a grim place
with a grim purpose.

'But how else did you stop
a plague in the th century?'

The only thing was isolation. You
had to isolate the infected people.

Yes yes but so who would
determine... Well obviously if
you are wasting away...

There were the doctors arriving.
When they see that you
start vomiting.

One of Francesco's relatives was
one of the health officials.

Yeah. He decided the rules.

Because our episode is set in the
s so it's just a couple of years
after the plague has d*ed down.

But still the fear within the city
having experienced this
unbelievably traumatic event

that would have touched absolutely
every family and everyone who lived
in Venice would have lost someone.

And so that's why they used
the fear of that coming back again
as an excuse to close the city down.

Because just the word would
fill everyone with such terror
that it was coming back again.

We follow the plan.

Let them hammer on our door.

Beg to be taken.

There's that great line
at the top I walk into the city
and to the gates of the city

and someone says
"You can't come in because you
are them what bring the plague."

My character says...

How interesting. I heard
the plague d*ed out years ago.

Not out there!

No Signora Calvierri has seen it
with her own eyes.

Streets are piled high with bodies
she said. Did she now?

And of course as you say it's
Rosanna this mad fish alien.

This lie that's been put around
that it's coming back.

It's like vaccinations. I had it.

'With Matt on board
Francesco finally gave us
his Venetian vampire story.

'A tale that came to life
when archaeologists found
the remains of a plague victim

'whose burial bore all the hallmarks
of something even darker.'

They found a skull of a woman
that has a brick inside the mouth.

Because when they d*ed
what was happening they also
when they were dead

they found blood coming out.

And the veil a little eaten. Right.

But blood comes out
as a result of the plague?

Yeah but after the death.

So that was strange.

So they were thinking
that the body this person
could pass this thing to other dead.

And then the plague
was going around more.

And so they were putting this brick
so she could not move the mouth.

Strange!

'Tales of deadly creatures
sucking the blood of the living.'

It looks like I was closer
to the truth than I expected.

Perhaps there really were
vampires in Venice.

Well Francesco sir.

Thank you for
a wonderful brilliant

and completely insightful tour
of Venice. It's been a joy.

It's been fantastic.
Absolutely fantastic.

Thank you for showing us around
this beautiful city.

We found the plague we found
the cure for the plague.

It does feel kind of alien
as a world. Yes.

It's been good.

Thanks for watching as well
Doctor Who Confidential.

Do come back and er...

Yeah.

It will be great.