Friday Press Clips

The filming this week at locations in Wales attracted not only Outpost Gallifrey's eagle-eyed fans (see set reports yesterday) but also reports in the press. The South Wales Echo on September 28 said "The Doctor Who team have been spotted out and about filming one of the latest episodes for the sci-fi series. A desolate spot on the mountainside at Gelligaer Common, in between Bargoed and Merthyr, was where the stars and the film crew starting setting up from dawn yesterday. New Doctor Who star David Tenant and actress Billie Piper were reported to have been on site - and the famous Tardis could be seen in the distance. A carriage and horses were also seen from the road which was blocked off by two police officers while the cameras rolled. Traffic was stopped while action was being filmed about quarter of a mile from the narrow winding road leading to Bedlinog. Curious passersby were being discouraged from going near the film set. BBC Wales have constantly kept their filming locations a closely guarded secret as well as the plot. A BBC spokesman said: 'The film set is a closed set and we always turn down requests for interview and pictures to ensure the story line is kept secret.' A passerby at the scene, who did not wish to be named, said the director had told him they tried to keep filming locations within 45 miles of Cardiff. He also got the impression from the crew that Gelligaer Common was the perfect setting for a werewolf theme. Local firms were also being used on site as part of the filming scene." On September 29, the South Wales Evening Post discussed the other filming location. "It may be a long way from Gallafray [sic] to Gower, but that clearly hasn't put off one time-travelling tourist. Proving that the reputation of Worm's Head now reaches beyond the stars, the renowned inhabitant of the fictitious planet turned up in Rhossili. And as his famous blue police-box Tardis slowly materialised, Dr Who's latest adventure began to unravel in front of a BBC film crew and the bemused stares of bewildered sheep. Makers of the popular show revealed earlier this year that Gower would be used as one of the locations for an episode in the latest series, which has once-again been penned by Swansea-born writer Russell T Davies. But the specific location remained top-secret, so that filming wouldn't be held up by unintentional interruptions from over-enthusiastic fans. David Tennant, who plays the latest incarnation of the Timelord from Gallafray, was joined by Billie Piper, who plays companion Rose, on the cliff-tops overlooking the stunning sweep of Rhossili - to the delight of passers-by. One visitor, Viv Richards of Port Eynon, was there with her grandchildren. She said: "They are great fans of Dr Who, so they were delighted to be able to see the filming. 'It was fun for the children to see it being filmed here in Swansea. We stayed there a couple of hours watching them. They seemed really nice people.' It's not the first time that Dr Who has visited Swansea. Last year part of the marina was transformed into a scene that re-created a Dickensian Cardiff street. And thanks to Mr Davies' fondness for his home country, numerous sites across South Wales have been used for filming, including Cardiff Bay

An article at ic Sefton and West Lancs profiles a Dalek casings builder in Ainsdale. "Hidden away in an incongruous-looking shed are two of the universe's dreaded tinpot dictators - the Daleks. There's no need to worry. The long-standing Doctor Who baddies are in fact casings, lovingly fashioned by engineering whizz Andy Shaw. And it's not just the Daleks you'll find around Andy's garden. Robots based on the film Forbidden Planet and US sci-fi show Lost in Space are also dotted about the rockery. The machines reflect an interest in robots that Andy, 41, has had since childhood. ... One of his creations now stands at Spaceport, the space-age attraction at Seacombe Ferry in Wirral, and there has been interest in his work from the USA. ... Even before the successful Doctor Who revival on BBC One this spring, it was Andy's Daleks which attracted the most interest. They appear at conventions organised by Indelible, the Merseyside arm of the series' fan club, and fundraisers for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. Former Doctor Who Colin Baker, whose baby son Jack died suddenly, chaired the Foundation for eight years."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg)