DOCTORATE WHO

In the Studio

Ill never forget the first time I visited Television

Doctor and the Who Space War

The production of Doctor Whos earliest episodes was threatened by a protracted debate over where the series should be recorded. In 1964, Sydney Newman took drastic measures to save the show hed helped to create…

Lime Grove

Doctor Whos original production team had to launch the new series in a dated and inadequate facility that wasnt even designed for television production…

Bigger on the Inside

A draftsman from the Doctor Who art department reveals how some of the Riverside Studios sets for The Tenth Planet were recreated at Cardiffs Roath Lock…

Ealing

The BBC invested heavily in electronic studios during the 1950s and 60s, but shooting on film was often a necessity for programmes like Doctor Who.

Rehearsal Rooms

From 1963 to 1989, Doctor Whos actors and directors had the luxury of dedicated rehearsal time prior to studio recording. The venues for these rehearsals were often far from luxurious, however…

Riverside

The cast and crew of Doctor Who were delighted when the series graduated from Lime Grove to a more sophisticated studio in Hammersmith.

TIME AND REVOLUTIONARY DAYS IN STUDIO

Doctor Whos studio scheduling has evolved from the continuous recording of as live performances to more flexible – and less nerve-racking – techniques.

Television Centre

Affectionately described by Terry Wogan as the “Concrete Doughnut”, Television Centre is now a Grade II-listed building. For more than two decades it was home to Doctor Who…

All the Worlds a Stage

In the early days of Doctor Who ingenious BBC design teams squeezed alien worlds, Space Age rockets and historical settings into tiny spaces at Lime Grove and Riverside. For the more ambitious special effects sequences, however, the series had to spread its wings…

Wheal in Space

Senior camera operator Alec Wheal made a huge contribution to Doctor Who, earning the respect and admiration of the cast and his fellow crew members.

The Greatest Show in the Car Park

Thirty years ago, a crisis at Television Centre forced the Doctor Who crew to decamp to BBC Elstree. As a result, the interiors for The Greatest Show in the Galaxy were recorded in a curiously authentic environment…

Unit Q2

In 2004, the resurrected Doctor Who was part of a very different production landscape. Reflecting these changing times, the series was now allocated its own permanent studio space…

Time and (Studio) Space

As part of Doctor Whos brand team from 2006 to 2017, Edward Russell has inside knowledge of all the major studios the series occupied during these years.

Upper Boat

In 2006 Doctor Who continued production in an impressive new facility – one was that large enough to house the series spin-offs, too…

Seconds Out

James DeHaviland was a second assistant director on Doctor Who before he became its production manager. For the last nine years hes been part of the team that helps to keep the series on schedule.

Roath Lock

The series latest studio has played host to numerous Doctors and is currently home to production on the 2018 episodes…

Operation Golden Age

Although best known to Doctor Who fans for his satirical cartoons, Dicky Howett has another intriguing connection to the series…

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