ANATOMY OF A SCRIPT THE CAMERA SCRIPT
The camera script is the director’s template for an episode of Doctor Who – but even this draft can be subject to change, as JONATHAN MORRIS explains.
Opposite page left from top: The Trojan horse in The Myth Makers (1965); a Slitheen from Aliens of London/World War Three (2005); Field Major Styre (Kevin Lindsay) in The Sontaran Experiment (1975).
Opposite page below right: A page from the camera script of Flashpoint, the sixth and final episode of The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964).
During the 20th century, Doctor Who was usually recorded in studio sessions. In the 1960s this meant a day of camera rehearsals at Lime Grove Studios, Riverside Studios or Television Centre, with the recording of the episode taking place in the evening at around 8.30pm, aiming to finish by 9.45pm as studio bookings only lasted until 10.00pm. If a recording overran, it would not only incur overtime payments but delay the dismantling of the set, which in turn would delay set construction for the production using the studio the next day.