MAY WE HAVE THIS DANCE? SFX TR AVELS BACK IN TIME FOR THE FILMING OF DOCTOR WHO EPISODE “ROGUE”

WORDS: DARREN SCOTT

Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday: la de dah.

WE’VE BEEN INVITED TO A BALL! Fancy being our guest?

It’s 17 May 2023 and SFX is in South Wales – Margam Country Park, to be precise, around two miles from Port Talbot. If we turn around we can see the location used for Rattigan Academy in series four’s “The Sontaran Stratagem” and “The Poison Sky”, but today we’re at the Orangery, where they’ve only gone and custom built a Regency ballroom inside.

What’s particularly exciting is it’s the first time press have been on set for the brand new global relaunch of Doctor Who. SFX is early, arriving in a park filled with trucks and lots of people in period costume outside drinking coffee. It’s a beautiful, sunny day and already there’s plenty of fans being wafted.

The scale is evident – unit base is about a mile away from location, but Margam Park is a hive of activity. The Orangery – a long white building – is split into two halves. The first has all the behind-the-scenes and production going on, while the second has the transformed filming space. There are boxes filled with candles, which members of production are shaving and shaping.

We spy cast members Ncuti Gatwa and Jonathan Groff, in full Regency regalia, outside having a crafty cuppa. They step back inside and Gatwa is slipped back into a well-fitting velvet jacket and taken back to set, a newly constructed balcony overlooking the ballroom.

Groff’s titular character Rogue has an American accent as he and the Doctor exchange stilted greetings when rehearsing a scene. “I think you and I should go outside,” he tells the Time Lord.

“Fast mover!” Gatwa replies in a Scottish accent, prompting lots of laughs from the crew. Someone steps in to apply a make-up brush to Groff.

Behind us, the extras start filing in – they’re in period dress but have modern day jackets and backpacks, and are glued to mobile phones they’ve previously been using to take photos of one another next to the ruins outside. A clapper board comes into shot – 333 take one – and Rogue stands, looking out over the balcony, hand on hip. The Doctor walks in – you can hear his heels on the floor.

“Brooding. Good look. Do you practise in a mirror? Bit more frown, maybe. Like this, yeah? Really, like this.” He pulls a face.

“I didn’t know the Duchess employed a court jester,” Rogue replies.

“Well, I’m hilarious. And you are… funny peculiar.”

The scene is repeated several times, with additional dialogue, and what’s interesting is how many nuances Gatwa brings to the delivery. One line in particular sums up his new Doctor: “Honey, I’m here for fun.”

Production crew are beavering around, candles are being lit. “Mind your armpit,” someone says.

“Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble!” Gatwa jokes, winking to camera. Groff has his hair touched up, Gatwa is joking around. Groff does a shimmy. “Jamie’s coming up so someone’s done something terribly wrong!” Gatwa hoots, the crew laughing along.