“I was 11 in 2005,” says Doctor Who’s VFX editor Matt Nathan. “We used to get a TV guide delivered where we lived in Derby, and I remember the cover saying something like ‘Doctor Who is back!’ I didn’t know what that was but my Dad thought I’d like it so I watched the first episode, Rose – and that was it, I was a fan. It’s an incredible episode. I loved everything about it – the excitement, the silliness and the way it was all so intriguing. I’m still watching.”
This love of Doctor Who in part informed Matt’s choice to study film at Nottingham University. “But I had no idea how to get into the industry. I worked as a teacher and then with kids in care, but it wasn’t really what I wanted. Then a friend from uni told me about a job coming up as a VFX scanning technician – and I got it! I was taken on for six months, learning to create 3D models of actors and props; those models then went off to VFX companies for putting into scenes. It was amazing: I had the opportunity to work on bits of The Flash and Aquaman movies, and the TV show The Sandman. I was an assistant editor on a reality TV show and then The Swimmers for Netflix. I always had an interest in visual effects so was often being given tasks to do with that. Then I got a job on Matilda as VFX assistant editor, and then Doctor Who took me on as full VFX editor.”