The Day Of The Doctor: The Cast Talk About Filming The Doctor Who Special



Back in April, The Hollywood Reporter paid a visit to the set of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special, The Day Of The Doctor. During the visit, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman talked about their experiences on the shoot and what significance the events of this episode will have for the Doctor in the future.


Steven Moffat explains what he hopes that the 75 minute episode will achieve: “I wanted it to be the show that ensures the next 50 years. And it celebrates the legend of Doctor Who. The question was: what was the most important thing that happened to the Doctor, the day the Doctor won't forget. It will redefine him."

The episode is particularly exciting in that it sees the return of David Tennant and Billie Piper as the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

"David and Matt are magic together," says Moffat. “The Doctor is the Doctor. He is one man who has different phases and faces. He is the same man inside - the same man at different stages. So, the actors in the special do some of the same things, then suddenly diverge.”

"That's been one of the great treats – acting with David," says Matt Smith as he describes the dynamic between the Doctors. "They disapprove of each other, they get along. It sort of ebbs and flows.  But only you guys think it's competition [between the actors]. We have a pretty even split of screen time. I think it would have been disappointing not to have another Doctor on."

David Tennant found it exciting to be back to join the current star Matt on set. "It's his gig," he says, "I'm a guest on his show. He's been very enthusiastic about this thing happening." He had to do very little work to get back into the role. "I had to go and get a couple of DVDs.  It just sort of came back. It's something about its energy. It's not naturalistic like most other things are. It's the tone that's unlike anything else. That's what people find when they guest on it. It's been a lovely thing to revisit. Coming back to Wales and seeing the trailer and everything hanging there like [before] was strange. I thought: Did I just dream the last bit?"

Jenna Coleman also enjoyed the experience of having David and Billie around, "I enjoy kind of having a gang," she says. "We were all swapping tales and Doctor Who stories. They've lived through what we're doing now."


To read more and find out what the cast thought about working with John Hurt and shooting in 3D visit The Hollywood Reporter


Doctor Who: The Day Of The Doctor stars Matt Smith, David Tennant. Jenna Coleman, Billie Piper and John Hurt. The 75 minute 3D special premieres on Saturday 23rd November at 7.50pm GMT on BBC One and at 2.50pm ET on BBC America, and will be simulcast in 2D and 3D by TV broadcasters and cinemas in over 75 different countries around the world. Click here for a list of participating territories.




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