|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | {{article
| + | #REDIRECT [[Gonna need a bigger Tardis]] |
| − | | publication = The Times
| |
| − | | file =
| |
| − | | px =
| |
| − | | height =
| |
| − | | width =
| |
| − | | date = 2010-12-18
| |
| − | | author =
| |
| − | | pages = 30
| |
| − | | language = English
| |
| − | | type =
| |
| − | | description =
| |
| − | | categories =
| |
| − | | moreTitles =
| |
| − | | morePublications =
| |
| − | | moreDates =
| |
| − | | text =
| |
| − | The Doctor Who head honcho Steven Moffat has thrown the Christmas kitchen sink at his first seasonal special. There's plenty of snow, a couple of carols, a bit of Charles Dickens and, of course, a man-eating shark that swims through the air. Well, it wouldn't be Christmas without one, would it? Mix in Michael Gambon as an otherworldly Scrooge, Katherine Jenkins as the damsel in distress, Karen Gillan in her policewoman's uniform and Matt Smith on tremendous form as the Doctor and you have a Christmas treat that will leave the whole family grinning until Boxing Day. "I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything," Moffat says, almost bouncing off the walls as I talk to him at his London home.
| |
| − | | |
| − | After the success of Doctor Who and his reinvention of Sherlock last year, Moffat is the writer of the moment, but he took time out from his hectic schedule to tell us what to expect from the Christmas special and what we can look forward to when the Doctor returns for a new series next year. And if that wasn't enough, he also found time to set his Doctor Who quiz, which you can try your hand at overleaf. Mike Mulvihill So, what can we expect from the Christmas special? Well I suppose it's very much A Christmas Carol. Christmas is always about the past and the future which I think is why A Christmas Carol works so brilliantly. Every Christmas you always think back and you always think forwards. Christmas Day's different from other days; it's the only day you contemplate having a selection box for breakfast! So it's not like it's a typical Doctor Who. It is bigger, more colourful, madder, sweeter.
| |
| − | | |
| − | It's also a magnificently surreal episode Well yes, I know there are moments when you're thinking, 'What on earth is this?' But the thing with Doctor Who is you actually have to have stories at that level because the hero himself lives in a telephone box that's bigger on the inside. And he's 900 years old and he wears a bow tie. I mean, we come in at that level. We can't then simply go and, you know, visit a hospital. You've actually got to go and have huge, mad, insane adventures.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And where did you get the inspiration for that terrifying shark? I thought the shark would be a cool monster. Because we need a monster, obviously, we can't do A Christmas Carol. And when I was a kid, I used to be properly worried that sharks might evolve and come ashore. I was particularly frightened of sharks. Not because of Jaws; this was before Jaws. I was always terrified of sharks. So the idea that they could swim ashore and come to your bedroom was the ultimate for me. I thought a shark zooming through someone's window eating a fish, that would be bloody terrifying! I have to say, I've seen it, and it's a proper jump-out-ofyour-seat moment.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Did writing the Christmas episode differ from writing a normal episode? It was really, properly different. I think Christmas specials should be firmly Christmassy; I think it should be something you want on Christmas Day and maybe not want in the same way on another day. I love the films Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life but I would only ever watch them at Christmas. I wouldn't contemplate them at any other time of year because it's such a specific day.
| |
| − | | |
| − | So it did feel very different .
| |
| − | | |
| − | Do you feel added pressure because it's such a high-profile episode? Do I? Yes, I suppose. But it's mostly just really, really exciting. You could take time out and bother to be nervous and frightened and worried, or you could just enjoy it because it won't last for ever.
| |
| − | | |
| − | How did you get Katherine Jenkins on board? Well, I thought as it was A Christmas Carol there should be a carol in it and it should be a new one. I knew that Murray Gold [the composer] would jump at that, so it came from that. I knew very little about who Katherine was; I just saw the audition tapes and thought: "Well, she's brilliant."
| |
| − | | |
| − | She auditioned for the part? Yes, she did. I think she actually insisted on reading for it because she's not done a lot of acting, which I didn't realise. So she wanted to come in and read and see if she was up for it, because someone in her position doesn't want to louse up. And I just thought on the basis of the audition with only a hazy notion of who she was, that she was terrific. It was a tremendously appealing, tonally spot-on performance.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Was Michael Gambon someone you always wanted to work with? Well, it was quite a conundrum. You think you want a big, classy actor because you want a bit of gravitas - you want it to be someone you've always wanted to see play Scrooge. But you always want someone who's going to appeal to children, who means something to them. So who is that? I mean, actually, when you've arrived at the idea of Michael Gambon, you can't think of anyone better. Because the kids all love him, they all instantly know who he is. He's not the Singing Detective, he's Dumbledore. Yet he's also the Singing Detective, one of the greatest actors of his generation. So we've got all that in one go. We've got a genuinely great actor with enormous appeal to kids.
| |
| − | | |
| − | You're a massive Doctor Who fan yourself. What's your earliest memory of the show? My first memory is arguing with my dad about where Doctor Who had gone, because Patrick Troughton had just taken over and I didn't understand where Doctor Who was. I kept saying: "Where's the Doctor? Where is he? Who's he? He's far too young!" In which direction are you planning to take the series when it returns next year? When the series comes back, I think in some ways it will be slightly edgier than before; I think we've pushed it that way, actually. I mean, Doctor Who's always sentimental but it's a bit edgier now and maybe at times a bit darker. We've got some proper, proper scary stuff in the new series. I saw some footage of the new monsters and they are terrifying. I think the whole thing about an old series is you want to feel as though it's young and punky and slightly naughty.
| |
| − | | |
| − | When you look back on these series, I want people to think it's unpredictable and dangerous rather than this grand old thing that people love and forget about. I want people to watch Doctor Who because you don't know what the hell is going to happen next and I think we've got some proper stuff like that. It will go off in unexpected directions this year; I can guarantee that and I can guarantee some jaw-dropping moments in the script this year.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Fantastic. So back behind the sofas then Back behind the sofas, but also that feeling of "Oh my God, they're not going to do that, are they? Are they allowed to do that?" The sort of feeling that you get when a series is young - you don't know what it's going to do next. You know how, when television series age, you get to know them. You know the limits, you know the rule book in a way, but when you saw that first series you didn't know the rule book and it was much more alarming and exciting.
| |
| − | | |
| − | In a way I'm trying to make Doctor Who feel newer that way, which I think is really working. I want to say: "What makes you think you know him that well; what makes you think you know everything you do?" So I think that's the way we're going with it.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Doctor Who, Christmas Day, BBC One, 6pm
| |
| − | | |
| − | GRAPHIC: 'Doctor Who's edgier now, a bit darker,' says Moffat
| |
| − | | |
| − | }}
| |
