Tag Archives: Dorset

Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Fun stuff, Interview

Film & Comic Con Bournemouth, Dorset – September 2016

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Tom Project Indigo outside Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Welcome to Film and Comic Con Bournemouth at the BIC!

Hello and welcome to another Film & Comic Con in Bournemouth!

This is the third convention organised by Showmasters in my home town and it always gets a big turnout. The people of Bournemouth love a chance to meet actors from their favourite TV shows and films and buy awesome merchandise! Showmasters were very generous and gave me a Press Pass so I could report on this event for my Project Indigo readers.  

Film & Comic Con Bournemouth took place at the BIC once more on the 3rd and 4th September 2016. I went on both days because there were different Doctor Who actors there on each day and I wanted to meet all of them!

When I arrived on Saturday I explored the stalls straightaway as I have been caught up in the Pokemon Go craze and I was really keen to find a Pokeball. There were so many stalls that there was bound to be one on one of them. Many stallholders had made their items and liked the chance to show their skills.

Small World Pictures at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Bob shows his Doctor Who Small World Picture

One stall that caught my eye was called Small World Pictures. I met the artist Bob Ford who draws a lot of amazing Sci Fi drawings. He uses pen and ink to draw very detailed pictures with little characters. Each picture takes him 35 hours to make which must be tiring. His Doctor Who picture was spectacular and contains all the Doctors and all the companions up to today. Make sure to take a look at his website to see what he can do!

Doctor Squee and Claire selling Dottie’s Charms
What does your Doctor smell like?

I also saw Doctor Squee from Gallifrey Stands Podcast on another stall. He and Claire were holding a stall called Dottie’s Charms selling sci-fi style jewellery and Doctor Who lip balms and candles. The candles are all inspired by Doctor Who characters such as the Fourth Doctor Jellybean, the TARDIS Blueberry Muffin and the Dalek Dark Chocolate. You should definitely check out Dotties’s Charms if you like Sci-Fi themed goodies!

Tom Project Indigo meets Doctor Who and Blakes Seven actress Jacqueline Pearce at Film and Comic Con Bournemouth
Hello Jacqueline Pearce aka Chessene from The Two Doctors!

After shopping it was time to meet the stars. The first person I met was Jacqueline Pearce. She played Chessene in The Two Doctors (1985) and has done multiple roles in Big Finish episodes. She is most famous for playing Servilan in Blake’s Seven. Jacqueline was nothing like her Doctor Who character as Chessene was a bad guy and Jacqueline was very kind. I asked Jacqueline my questions and she told me all about Seville where she filmed The Two Doctors. If Jacqueline could go anywhere in time and space she would like to go to Edwardian times because she loves the frocks!

sam_9112

After Jacqueline I went next door and met Christopher Fairbank who played Fenton in Flatline (2014). Christopher has been in everything in the world (slight exaggeration!). He has been in Dickensian, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jack the Giant Slayer, Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides and many more that I won’t put because it is making my head hurt to think about it!

I asked Christopher about filming Flatline and he told me all about where he filmed around Cardiff in subways, a blocked off viaduct and a shopping centre and Barry Island. When filming part of the tunnel scene in a disused railway (in Winchcombe) he said that they had to be careful to stay off the railways lines in case a phantom train came. He also said it was very smelly there which added to the atmosphere.

If Christopher could go anywhere in time and space he would not like to go the future but he would like to go to the 19th Century as he is big fan of Charles Dickens. Christopher was a very jolly man and I was very happy to meet him.

After speaking to Christopher I went back home and came back the next day. On Sunday I started off in the Cosplay Zone and watched an epic lip-synch battle. Many people cosplay at conventions and it is a great chance to show what they like. I saw lots of great cosplays including many different Doctors and companions. Check them out here:-

Sarah as the Fourth Doctor
Liam as the Eleventh Doctor
Quinn as the Eleventh Doctor
Ian as the Fifth Doctor
Lucy as the Eighth Doctor
Mitchell as the Second Doctor, Ian as the Fifth Doctor

My first meet of the day was Peter Purves aka the First Doctor’s companion Steven Taylor. Peter is also well known as a Blue Peter presenter so I showed him my badge and told him about Project Indigo being featured on a Blue Peter Doctor Who special.

Tom Project Indigo meets Peter Purves from Doctor Who and Blue Peter at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Hello Peter Purves aka Steven Taylor!

Peter said he filmed Doctor Who in not very exotic locations like Egham Borough Council sandpit. He did get to Frensham Ponds to film the The Myth Makers (1965). He said he got to go to much better places for Blue Peter.

If Peter could go anywhere in time and space he wouldn’t go too far back as there are many things that make it difficult to survive. He doesn’t have much hope for the future so he would be happy just to get to see tomorrow! It was an honour to meet Peter.

Tom Project Indigo meets Doctor Who actor Richard Franklin at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Hello Richard Franklin aka Captain Mike Yates!

Next to Peter was Richard Franklin aka Captain Mike Yates, member of UNIT who helped the Third Doctor. Richard was very friendly and told me about his filming locations. He said he had 1 good location and 8 awful ones. The best was 2 weeks in Aldbourne, Wiltshire where he filmed The Daemons (1971). The first week of filming they enjoyed proper sunshine and the next week they had a snowstorm! He told me I should go there and see the Village Green and all the other places they filmed. Richard’s worst location was Dungeness Beach in January as it was very cold indeed.

If he could go anywhere in time and space Richard would like to go to the first planet with human beings. A place on earth he would like to go is New Zealand.

Tom Project Indigo meets Davros from Doctor Who, David Gooderson, at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Hello David Gooderson aka Davros!

Following Richard I went to see David Gooderson who played Davros in Destiny of the Daleks (1979) and he said the others got to go to a quarry in Swanage but as Davros he was stuck in the studio. If David could go anywhere in time and space he would go to Mars as he has been very intrigued by all the news reports about the exploration of Mars. I had a great chat with David all about school as I was starting big school the next day and he was a very cheery man – most unexpected for the creator of the daleks!

Tom Project Indigo meets Tom Hopper at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Hello Tom Hopper aka Jeff Angelo!

After David I met Tom Hopper who played Jeff Angelo in The Eleventh Hour (2010), who helps save the world by letting the Eleventh Doctor use his laptop to spread a virus. As well as Doctor Who, Tom starred as Sir Percival in Merlin and Billy Bones in Black Sails.

If Tom could go anywhere in time and space he would like to go back to the 1980’s when he was born, and also go forward to the future – in fact be just like Marty McFly in Back to the Future! He would even like to go the Wild West just like Back to the Future 3. What a creative answer. Tom was really sweet and I enjoyed talking to him a lot.

Tom Project Indigo meets Deborah Watling from Doctor Who at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Hello Deborah Watling aka Victoria Waterfield!

My last chat of the day was with Deborah Watling who played Victoria, companion to the Second Doctor. I told her I had just visited Botany Bay where she filmed Fury from the Deep (1968) and she said ‘I had forgotten all about that. Thank you for reminding me!’.

I asked Deborah if she had been to any good filming locations for Doctor Who and she said that I had to be joking. All her locations were gravel pits and tanks of foam – nothing glamorous. If Deborah could go anywhere in time and space she would like to go to the Moon. I wonder if she knows that the moon is an egg?

The Doctor Who Panel on Day 2 of Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
The Doctor Who Panel on Day 2

My last event of the day was the Doctor Who panel, where Deborah, Peter, David and Richard answered questions from the audience.

They were asked what their favourite episodes were and said:-

Deborah – Fury from the Deep as she loved the monster.

Peter – The Massacre of St Bartholemew’s Eve (1966)  which only exists in audio. Steven was heroic in the story and Peter prefers the historical stories to the monster stories.

David – Destiny of the Daleks as he thoroughly enjoyed playing the man in the chair.

Richard – Planet of the Spiders (1974) as he got to choose street clothes for Mike to wear.

They were all asked if they would like to appear in Doctor Who on TV again. Richard said he would love to but no-one has asked. Peter and David would both like to play the Doctor and Deborah would like to be the first female Doctor!

Deborah spoke about her Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and said thank you to all the fans of Doctor Who who help keep his memory alive.

It was really interesting to listen to other people’s questions and hear all about filming classic Doctor Who.

I had a really exciting weekend at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth. Thank you to Showmasters for bringing these conventions to Bournemouth and giving us all a chance to meet our heroes! Thank you to everyone who took the time to talk to me.  

Thank you for reading and I hope you stay tuned for my next post which will be coming up soon. This week I started secondary school so I will be having lots of homework. I will post as often as I can but will have to do my homework first!

Goodbye! 

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Doctor Who, Fun stuff, Interview, TARDIS

Dunbury Academy TARDIS, Winterborne Whitechurch, Dorset – March 2016

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The entrance of Dunbury Academy TARDIS
Welcome to the Dunbury Academy TARDIS!

Hello everyone and welcome to a new blog post. This time I am not visiting a filming location but rather an actual TARDIS – the TARDIS at Dunbury Church of England Academy! I read about the Dunbury Academy TARDIS in my local newspaper, the Daily Echo, and when I saw the article I thought ‘I want to go there!’. I emailed the school and got invited to have a trip through time and space on the TARDIS…

Dunbury Academy is in the village of Winterborne Whitechurch. It is a small school for the children of the Winterborne Valley in Dorset and the school’s motto is

Inspire, Learn, Empower.

I was given the opportunity to have the day off from my school so that I could visit the TARDIS and I travelled there last week by train and bus. When I arrived at the school I couldn’t help but notice how small it was compared to my own. I felt very welcome and I was immediately greeted by Mr Payne the teacher who made the TARDIS, who invited me to come and have a lesson. On Thursday night Mr Payne was awarded Nursery / Primary Teacher of the Year in the first ever Daily Echo School Awards. Well done Mr Payne!

Entering the Dunbury Academy TARDIS
Entering the TARDIS

I was greeted by some of the Dunbury students and got taken to the TARDIS which was materialised on the first floor. There was no key but I was allowed to open the door using a Sonic Screwdriver. I couldn’t stop saying ‘Wow!’ as I was so surprised – it was bigger than I thought it would be but then again, it is a TARDIS. I started exploring but suddenly Daleks appeared on the screen – we were under threat!

Daleks attack at Dunbury Academy TARDIS!
Dalek attack!
Be quiet you!
Dalek Sec!
Allons-y!

First we had to solve a coded message from Rassilon, the Lord High President of Gallifrey then we travelled around time and space meeting many historic figures. The pupils and I had to solve multiple puzzles to ensure we were safe from the Daleks, including maths, codes, Roman Numerals and Hieroglyphics. First we met Archimedes in 214 BC, then went to Egypt to meet Cleopatra in 69 BC. Next to Rome to meet Julius Caesar in 48 BC who sent us to see the Viking Explorer, Eric the Red, in 991 AD. We then went to see William the Conqueror in 1066 AD who sent us on our way to see the Doctor’s old friend (and mine!) Winnie Churchill in 1940. We finally solved the Tablet of Skaro but it was a trap – the Daleks had kidnapped K-9! After some timey-wimey stuff we found him and we were safe from being blown to space smithereens. Yay!

Told you we went to Rome!
Good doggy!

After all that excitement I had some time to interview the children about their time in the TARDIS. I asked them what they thought when they first saw it and immediately two of them said ‘Amazed!’ at exactly the same time. Someone else said ‘Speechless!’. It was built in the school holidays so when they saw it, it was a real surprise.

They have learnt all different subjects in the TARDIS but it was built as part of a Space Topic. For English they travelled to space to write a description of a planet. For Maths they have had tests and learnt about Roman Numerals. They have visited the planet Kepler 452B which is 1400 light years away. It would take 26 million years to travel there if you didn’t have a TARDIS. Kepler 452B is 60 % bigger than earth and orbits around a star. Like Earth it is in the Goldilocks Zone which means that there could be life on there. To sum it up – they have learnt A LOT of stuff! I also told the pupils about Project Indigo, especially the filming locations I have visited in Dorset which was a surprise for them.

Then it was time for Assembly and I went along to support the school and see how different it was to my school. The classes are named after trees and there were only two at the Winterborne Whitechurch base. Certificates were handed out and pupils were rewarded for their achievements. The new First Aiders got to use their skills to help out the Headmaster Mr Barker.

Mr Payne in Dunbury Academy TARDIS
With Mr Payne – look behind me!

After assembly it was home time for the pupils and I got to interview Mr Payne. He built the TARDIS because he wants to inspire children and the first time they saw it they flew through the solar system! He has also built Hogwarts and Narnia style classrooms before.

Mr Payne has been a fan of Doctor Who since he was three and his favourite Doctor is Tom Baker because he grew up with him. If you need any proof he is dressed as the Fourth Doctor in his first photo! He is also a fan of David Tennant – and if you need any proof of that he did a Magic Show with him once for Children In Need!

I asked Mr Payne where he would like to go in time and space and he said he is happy right here, right now. He really likes his class and the school and wouldn’t want to change anything. If Mr Payne had to go somewhere he would choose to see the future. He said to imagine what it would be like for someone waking up after 20 years in a coma. I think it would be very confusing to see new pieces of technology at work, and it would very sad if people in your family had passed away.

Mr Payne could design the TARDIS as he was a helicopter designer once. The TARDIS was made in his garage over two weeks – the hardest part was collecting all the egg boxes for the walls, it took him months to get them! A friend of his helped build the console and donated the Doctor Who cardboard cut-outs from work.

I asked Mr Payne if the Headmaster Mr Barker was hesitant in saying yes to having a TARDIS at school or was he quick off the bat? He said that Mr Barker said yes immediately and that the TARDIS has had lots of support from all the staff, parents and children.

The Console at Dunbury Academy TARDIS
Where to next?
Exterminate!
A TARDIS in a TARDIS

After I interviewed Mr Payne I had one last go in the TARDIS before I had to leave. The TARDIS is just Wow! I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone at Dunbury Academy for their hospitality. I felt so welcome and the staff and pupils were all really nice. It is a very friendly, cheerful school and I had a fantastic day.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my time at Dunbury Academy. In a few days something exciting is happening – Project Indigo is turning 2! I hope you will come back and read about my other adventures.

Goodbye!

Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Interview

Day 1, Film & Comic Con Bournemouth, Dorset – March 2016

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Noel Clarke at Film & Comic Com Bournemouth
Meeting Noel Clarke aka Mickey Smith!

Hello and welcome to Showmasters’ second Film & Comic Con Bournemouth! This event was held on March 12th and 13th 2016 at Bournemouth International Centre. I was lucky enough to be given a Press Pass so I could pop along and meet the Doctor Who actors and report back to my Project Indigo readers.

I went along on the Saturday and the weather was very awkward – it was so misty that day that you couldn’t even see the BIC! Luckily I found the BIC eventually – the huge queue was a clue. After I arrived I got my bearings and explored. The layout was different to the last Film & Comic Con Bournemouth and spread over more halls so there was more space for everybody to enjoy themselves.

Noel Clarke giving a talk at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Noel Clarke giving a talk

First I went to see a talk by Noel Clarke aka Mickey Smith, companion of the Ninth and Tenth Doctor. Noel was asked what his favourite episodes are and he said Dalek (2005) as it is the first time we see a vulnerable Dalek. From his episodes it is the ones that show the journey of Mickey’s character – Rose (2005), Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel (2006) and The End of Time (2009-10).

Noel says that he has written a ‘treatment’ of the story of Martha and Mickey just for fun. I would love to see that. Would you like a Martha and Mickey spin-off? Please leave a comment and let me know. Noel said that he would like there to be a Doctor Who Universe of stories just like the Marvel Universe.

Anneke Wills at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Meeting Anneke Wills aka Polly!

After Noel’s talk I went to meet Anneke Wills who played Polly, the First and Second Doctor’s companion. Anneke was very cheerful so I felt confident to ask her my questions.  I asked Anneke where she would like to go in time and space and she said she would love to go to The Globe Theatre in Shakespearean times. She told me that once Sylvester McCoy said exactly the same thing. I would like to see Anneke and Sylvester performing together on the stage at the present Globe Theatre.

Next I asked Anneke where her favourite Doctor Who filming location was. She told me that they were usually filming in the studio but did get out to some lovely locations including Frensham Ponds, Winspit Quarry and underneath the Post Office Tower. I went to Winspit Quarry many months ago at the blast-off of Project Indigo and would like to visit the other locations too. Sadly many of Anneke’s episodes are amongst the missing Doctor Who episodes, and I really hope they are found one day.

Exploring the stalls at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Having a go at Samba De Amigo

After lunch I explored more and played in the Gaming Zone. I also went to the Cosplay Zone and watched a very bizarre version of Blind Date! There were Cosplayers everywhere, apart from Doctor Who I saw many other Sci-Fi characters and this time there were lots of girls dressed as Rey from Star Wars. I also met my #T-shirtTwin Isaac!

Joe as a past Doctor and Thomas Gladwell as a future Doctor
Brendan as the Sixth Doctor
Richard as the Tenth Doctor
Spot the difference! Tom and Isaac #T-shirtTwins!

Next I met Jemma Redgrave – otherwise known as Kate Lethbridge Stewart, daughter of the Brigadier and UNIT’s Head of Scientific Research. Kate was once blown out of an aeroplane but luckily she was caught by her Dad who was a Cyberman at the time! Jemma was very friendly and kind. She said her favourite Doctor Who filming location is The Tower of London, which is where UNIT’s Secret Headquarters are. She also liked filming in the Black Archive (which is really in the BBC Studio in Cardiff).

Jemma Redgrave at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Meeting Jemma Redgrave aka Kate Lethbridge Stewart!

I asked Jemma where she would like to go in time and space and she said she would like to travel near a black hole – because time goes more slowly there and when she came back she would be younger than me! I hope she doesn’t go too close, I don’t want her to get sucked in.

A few stalls down from Jemma was Noel Clarke who was a cheeky chappie and a lot of fun. Mickey is one of my favourite companions and it was a privilege to meet Noel. I told Noel about Project Indigo and he said I should go to Arizona (where Day of The Moon (2011) was filmed).  I will definitely go there one day …. Noel said that his favourite Doctor Who filming location was London.

I asked him where he would go in time and space and he said he would like to go to the future to check that all the people, animals and the world are ok. That’s a good answer Noel!

A pencil drawing of Matt Smith by artist Chris Baker
Photo or drawing? A pencil drawing of Matt Smith by Chris Baker

After all that I was very tired and decided to go home. As I was leaving I took a last look at the stalls and I bought a life-like Matt Smith print. It is a pencil drawing of the Eleventh Doctor by Chris Baker who is a very talented young artist. His drawings are so authentic that the people look like they could pop right out of the picture! I had a chat with Chris’ family and they told me all about watching the Doctor Who filming that has happened near their home in Cardiff. Chris and his Mum have even made cameo appearances in Sherlock. Please visit Chris’ website www.cjbart.com to see what he can do!

I had a lot of fun at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth- sadly I couldn’t go on Day 2 to meet up again with Simon Fisher – Becker and Iain McNiece as I have met them both before and they are both nice blokes. Thank you Showmasters for bringing these events to Bournemouth – I’m looking forward to the next one in September!

Thank you for reading  and I hope you’ll come back again next time when I tell you all about a special  trip I have just had in a TARDIS …..

Good bye!

Autographs, Convention, Doctor Who

Day 2, Film & Comic Con Bournemouth, Dorset – August 2015

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Tom at the BIC
Welcome to Day 2 of Film & Comic Con at Bournemouth International Centre

Hello,

And welcome to the second day of Showmaster’s Film & Comic Con Bournemouth! After my adventures on the first day I was a bit tired from meeting all the amazing actors but I was very happy to go back to meet more Doctor Who stars!

Sam, Nicola, Colin and Louise at the Q&A
Sam, Nicola, Colin and Louise at the Film and Comic Con Bournemouth

First show of the day was the Doctor Who talk and out came Louise Jameson ( Leela), Nicola Bryant ( Peri), Samuel Anderson ( Danny Pink) and the Sixth Doctor himself, Colin Baker! The Q&A was very interesting and lots of fun. The guests were asked to describe their Doctor Who experience in one word.

Colin said

Eternal

Nicola said

Giving

Louise said

Extraordinary

and Sam said

Mellifluous!

Mellifluous means sweetly or smoothly flowing, sweetened as if with honey. I know, because I looked it up!

Tom and Louise Jameson
Hello Louise Jameson aka Leela!

After the Q&A I said hello to Louise Jameson – I didn’t ask her my golden questions because I asked her already at the Timeless Collectors Fair. Louise was very kindly to me and she told me she enjoyed the Q&A which was the first one she had done with Sam, and she thought he was great!

Tom and Lalla Ward
Hello Lalla Ward aka Romana II!

After Louise I met Lalla Ward who played another Fourth Doctor companion Romana II! It was great to meet Lalla for the first time and she was very polite and answered my Golden Questions.

  1. What is your favourite Doctor Who episode?
  2. What is your favourite Doctor Who filming location? and
  3. If you could go anywhere in time and space where would you like to go?

Lalla’ s favourite Doctor Who episode is City of Death (1979).

Lalla showed me a photo of Romana II in Cambridge in the episode Shada (1979) which was her favourite filming location. Sadly Shada wasn’t finished because of a strike, and wasn’t shown on TV but it was released on video in 1992.

If Lalla could go anywhere in time and space she would like to go back in time and see the dinosaurs, but she would want to take a bodyguard to protect her! She would also like to visit other planets and make contact as she believes that there must be life on other planets if there is life on earth. I think she may be right! It would be nice to know we are not alone in the universe but I hope that aliens would be friendly if they did come to earth.

Tom and Nicola Bryant
Hello Nicola Bryant aka Peri!

Next I met Nicola Bryant – Nicola played Peri , companion to the Fifth and Sixth Doctor. I have met Nicola before at the Fleet Air Arm Museum and she is lovely. I was really pleased to meet her again.

Nicola cannot choose a favourite Doctor Who episode because as soon as she thinks of one she remembers another she likes just as much. She loves them all!

Nicola’s favourite filming location was Seville where she filmed The Two Doctors (1985). She said the food was great. When I met the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, his answer was the same so I guess they had a good time!

Lastly Nicola told me that if she could go anywhere in time and space she would like to travel back 25 years and see her father who sadly passed away. She said the best times are times spent with loved ones. I agree, I would love to use my TARDIS to visit my Great – Nana who I miss very much and my Grandad who I never got to meet.

Tom and Samuel Anderson at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Hello Samuel Anderson aka Danny Pink!

Finally I met Samuel Anderson again – Sam played Clara’s boyfriend Danny Pink and his ancestor Orson Pink. Sam was the first ever Doctor Who actor I met as I got his autograph at the Doctor Who World Tour in Cardiff in 2014!

In the queue I met Luke who was carrying a TARDIS door. He was asking the Doctor Who actors to sign the door then he was going to take the door home to put back on his own life-size TARDIS. I wonder if it is bigger on the inside?

Luke and his TARDIS door
Samuel Anderson signs Luke’s TARDIS door

Sam was mellifluous – Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! His favourite episode is Death in Heaven (2014) – even though it meant he lost his job!

He enjoyed filming in a bar because he got to sneak a beer – shhhh! His favourite Doctor Who filming location was the set of the TARDIS because it is kept under lock and key and not many people get to film there!

Sam would like to travel in time to see the dinosaurs, and the pyramids being built, but he would REALLY like to go to Harlem in the 1940s and see the Jazz Greats performing.  I told Sam that Doctor Who Script Editor Andrew Cartmel told me that as well – they should hang out together.  Sam is a Jazz Singer too – maybe one day Jazz fans will want to travel in time to see Sam singing!

Sam was supercool, it was great to meet him again and he was very encouraging about Project Indigo. Thanks Sam!

Tom and Samuel Anderson at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Chatting with Samuel Anderson

After I met Samuel I decided it was time to leave as I was pooped out from all the excitement of the weekend! As well as the Doctor Who stars there were film stars from all over the world, including actors from many film and TV Series Star Wars, even Darth Vader himself! And The Incredible Hulk!

There were sports stars too. As I left I met footballer Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris and got his autograph – he is a Chelsea legend! I know it isn’t Doctor Who related but I am telling you about it because it meant a lot to me as I love football and support Chelsea (and Bournemouth of course!).

Thank you to everybody who let me interview them, thank you to BH Live, and thank you to the people at Showmasters for giving me a Press Pass and helping me to meet with all the Doctor Who stars. The first Film & Comic Con Bournemouth was SO AWESOME that Showmasters have created another and will be back in Bournemouth next year!

See you soon for my review of the updated Doctor Who Experience – it was fandabbydozy.

Goodbye!

One of the signing rooms at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
One of the signing rooms at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
Autographs, Convention, Cosplay, Doctor Who, Fun stuff

Day 1, Film & Comic Con Bournemouth, Dorset – August 2015

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Tom with Sylvester McCoy
Hello Sylvester McCoy aka MY Doctor, the Seventh Doctor!

Hello and welcome to another post.

Today I am writing what will be a very long post about Film & Comic Con Bournemouth because it is JAM PACKED with Doctor Who actors. This was the very first Film & Comic Con in my home town of Bournemouth and the organisers Showmasters were very kind and gave me a Press Pass so that I could interview all the Doctor Who stars for my Project Indigo readers!

I was very excited and knew that I would ask everybody my three Golden Questions:

  1. What is your favourite Doctor Who episode?

  2. What is your favourite Doctor Who filming location? and

  3. If you could go anywhere in time and space where would you like to go?

As soon as I arrived I went to meet the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, because he is my favourite Classic Doctor and I have been looking forward to this moment for a long time! Sylvester was just as I imagined and he was incredibly cheerful and was pleased to answer my questions.

I asked Sylvester my questions. He said that his favourite episode ever is the first one he saw, a Patrick Troughton episode but his favourite Seventh Doctor episode is possibly The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1988) – my favourite Classic episode. What a co-incidence!

Sylvester’s favourite filming locations are both right here in Dorset! He enjoyed filming The Curse of Fenric (1989) at Lulworth Cove and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy and Survival (1989) in a sandpit in Dorset (Warmwell Quarry which I visited in October 2014). Later, in a talk that Sylvester gave with Bonnie Langford and Sophie Aldred , he said that he liked filming Survival in the sandpit because there was a heatwave and one of the ladies overheated in her cat costume and stripped off and ran away!

Bonnie Langford, Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth
The Doctor Who talk at Film & Comic Con Bournemouth

If Sylvester could go anywhere in time and space he would like to visit America before the Westerners arrived to see what is was like. He said that as the Doctor he would not want to change anything he would just like to observe.

Cosplayer Ozzy as the Seventh Doctor

I felt so happy to meet Sylvester and relieved that I had finally met him as I tried once before but had to leave before I got the chance. He is the Fourth Doctor I have met and I feel like Project Indigo has been given a real boost by meeting him!

Hello Terry Molloy aka Davros!
Hello Sarah Sutton aka Nyssa!
Hello Sophie Aldred aka Ace!

Next I met Terry Molloy (Davros), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Sophie Aldred (Ace). I have already asked them my golden questions before when I met them at the Timeless Collector’s Fair and The Bournemouth Invasion so I just had a little chat with each of them and welcomed them to Bournemouth. It was Sarah’s first visit to Bournemouth but Terry used to live in Bournemouth when he was a teenager. I spoke to Sophie about her new audio drama Strangeness in Space which is for anyone aged 8-80 to enjoy! It sounds really fun and I am definitely going to listen to it soon.

Tom and Bonnie Langford
Hello Bonnie Langford aka Mel!

After Sophie I met Bonnie Langford aka Mel Bush, companion to the Sixth and Seventh Doctors. Like everyone else she was very kind and answered my questions. Bonnie can never remember any titles of episodes but her favourites are the ones with Daleks in them.

Her favourite Doctor Who filming location is anywhere indoors! She said it would always rain on location – except for when they filmed Delta and the Bannermen (1987) on Barry Island. It was really sunny then but everyone got sunburnt!

If Bonnie could go anywhere in time and space she would like to visit Hollywood in its heyday and dance with Gene Kelly.

Tom and Matthew Waterhouse
Hello Matthew Waterhouse aka Adric!

Then I went to talk to Matthew Waterhouse who played one of my favourite ever companions Adric , the companion to the Fourth and Fifth Doctor, from Alzarius. I really hope the Doctor will have another alien companion one day as it was always really good when the companions were from another planet. Please make that happen Stephen, if you’re reading!

Although it is many years since he played Adric Matthew still looks like him. Matthew’s favourite episode that he was in was Keeper of Traken (1981), but other than that it was Spearhead from Space (1970) which was an episode he watched when he was 7 and he was very scared by it! His favourite filming location was Tunbridge Wells as the crew stayed in a hotel for a week and had lots of fun.

Matthew liked the idea of pressing a button in the TARDIS and landing anywhere but if had to choose he would love to go to Elizabethan England and see Shakespeare’s plays performed by his original players. That is just like the Tenth Doctor and Martha in The Shakespeare Code!

I was very pleased to meet Matthew, it is always good to meet someone nice but even better when you admire them. My companion bought a copy of Matthew’s autobiography ‘Blue Box Boy’ so we could learn all about his time in the TARDIS!

Tom and Dan Starkey
Hello Dan Starkey – aka Strax!

Next to Matthew was Dan Starkey who plays the Sontaran Strax who is part of the Paternoster Gang. It felt very strange looking at him as his normal self and looking at him as Strax but I recognised him as I have seen him in Wizards vs Aliens and on University Challenge. Luckily he doesn’t have the attitude of Strax because Strax is VERY weird!

Dan’s favourite episode is The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977), but out of the episodes he is in it is The Snowmen (2012). His favourite filming location was filming The Snowmen at Treberfydd House as he was able to stay at his Mum and Dad’s!

If Dan could go anywhere in time and space he would like to see Stonehenge being built. I wonder if the Pandorica is still there?

Tom and John Leeson
Hello John Leeson – the voice of K-9!

When I met John Leeson who is the voice of K-9 he was a very polite gentleman. He told me, in the voice of K-9, that his favourite episode is The Sun Makers (1977) by Robert Holmes.

John’s favourite filming locations were anywhere not far from home as he doesn’t like driving for miles. If he could go anywhere he would love to go to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire and have a very nice lunch. He says he has never been there before but would love to go there one day, I hope that his dream comes true.

Tom and K-9
The original K-9!

John was sat with Mat Irvine who was the Visual Effects Supervisor and he had brought along K-9 himself! It was great to meet K-9 and his voice – a double whammy.

Tom and William Russell

Next I went to meet William Russell who played Ian Chesterton one of the first companions who accompanied the First Doctor, William Hartnell, and he was first seen in the very first episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child (1963). There was a long queue to meet William.

William said that his favourite episode is The Aztecs (1964) and he told me all about filming a fight scene for the episode. He didn’t have a favourite Doctor Who filming location as in those days it was mostly filmed in a studio.

William said that if he could go anywhere in time and space he would choose to be right here as he was happy at that moment. Isn’t that lovely? It was a special honour to meet William and I feel so happy to have met him.

Tom and Camille Coduri

After William I met Camille Coduri who played Jackie Tyler – Rose’s mother. Camille was in the very first episode of New Who Rose (2005) and appeared many times until The End of Time (2010). Camille loves lots of episodes – including Blink (2007), Doomsday (2006) and The Christmas Invasion (2005). There were too many favourites to choose from.

Her favourite filming location is the estate where the Tyler’s lived because she said it was always a lot of fun filming there. If Camille could go anywhere in time and space she would like to go the Sixties as they seemed good fun – just like Camille who was a lot of fun herself!

Tom and Rusty Goffe
Hello Rusty Goffe aka Little John!

From Camille I went to see Rusty Goffe – the United Kingdom’s No1 Dwarf! Rusty appeared as Little John in Robot of Sherwood (2014) and that is his favourite episode. He liked filming on location at Forest Fawr and Caerphilly Castle and said that the Merry Men were having so much fun in the forest that they didn’t want to leave!

If Rusty could go anywhere he would go to Samui in Thailand – and he said he would go there right now in a TARDIS if he could as he has been before and loves it there! Rusty was a very nice chap, I hope he gets to go again soon.

Tom and Doctor Squee from Gallifrey Stands Podcast
Hello Doctor Squee!

My final interview of the day was with Katy Manning who played Jo Grant, the Third Doctor’s companion. I met up with Doctor Squee from the Gallifrey Stands Podcast who was waiting to interview Katy too and he let me go first. Thank you Doctor Squee!

Tom and Katy Manning
Hello Katy Manning aka Jo Grant!

Katy had been flooded by fans all day and I was lucky to get some time with her. Katy’s favourite episodes were Terror of the Autons (1971) because that is where she met her Doctor Who family and also The Green Death (1973) – she told me how Jo and Cliff went into the Amazon looking for a magical fungus and that story predicted Quorn! Thank you Jo for discovering Quorn as I am a vegetarian and I eat A LOT of Quorn.

I asked Katy what her favourite location was and she didn’t have one because she was always filming in a cold claypit! Even when she filmed The Sarah Jane Adventures it was freezing. If she could go anywhere in time and space she would go ‘EVERYWHERE because she is greedy and loves adventure!’ Katy was very cheeky and it was great to meet her.

Day One at the Film & Comic Con Bournemouth was very tiring but it was an honour to meet so many stars. Thank you to everyone for a fantastic day and especially to Showmasters for making this happen. Soon I will be able to tell you all about Day 2, I hope you will come back soon.

Goodbye!

Doctor Who, New location

Warmwell Quarry, Dorset – October 2014

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Welcome!
Welcome!

Roll Up Roll Up and welcome to Warmwell Quarry – scene of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy! (1988).

I was lucky enough to visit this private quarry and have an exclusive tour – the filming location for my favourite Doctor Who episode ever.The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is my favourite episode because it is fun, adventurous and the theme of the story is very interesting to me – and of course it features the Seventh Doctor (one of my two favourite Doctors!) and Ace.

Warmwell Quarry is near Dorchester in Dorset and is owned by Aggregate Industries UK. Sand and gravel is extracted from the quarry but this is due to finish in 2017. A company called Habitat First Group is going to develop the area into a holiday resort and nature reserve called Silverlake so I was really pleased to get the chance to see the location before it changed forever.

When I arrived I was happily greeted by Peter Mole, the Quarry Manager. He took me to his office and showed me a presentation about the quarry and it’s history and lots of photographs. Gravel and sand from the quarry has been used for many things including sports pitches and was even used to help build The Olympic 2012 Park. Peter then told me that the quarry was also used in the final Classic Doctor Who episode Survival (1989)as the Cheetah Planet – I was surprised as I didn’t know this before I arrived.

Muddier on the inside!

Next we went off to explore the quarry – I left my TARDIS behind and went in the site car which was really mucky with mud and sand from the quarry all over it! First we went to see part of the site that was used for filming Doctor Who. It is over 20 years since the filming took place so the quarry looked very different. It was less rocky and wasn’t dry – it was filled with lakes so it didn’t look much like the planet Segonax but it was very beautiful.  Segonax was always very bright but it was a wet day when I visited. Soon there will be holiday homes beside this Silverlake – it would be so cool to have a home looking out on an alien planet!

You can see why this will be called Silverlake

Luckily I was wearing wellies as it was really squelchy and my feet were sliding around like I was on ice. I was also wearing a hard hat and a high-vis jacket as it is a very dangerous zone. Peter was wearing an orange jumpsuit that looked just like the Doctor’s spacesuit!

Showing off my safety gear.

Can you see the lake poking out?

Next I was lucky enough to get a ride in something big – I’ll give you a clue. IT IS BIG! That’s right – a huge dumper truck. I had to do a little bit of climbing and then there was a big rocky ride in store for me. Another Peter was driving the truck – he has worked at the quarry for many years and was there whilst the episodes were being filmed and met the cast and crew but doesn’t remember much as it was so long ago! It was very high up in the truck and there was a big vibration going through my body. A digger loaded the dumper and we set off for the sorting plant to unload the truck. I had planned to take a lot of photos from the truck but the battery in my camera went, sadly. The vibration was so noisy it was giving me a headache but it was really good fun. When it was time to climb down my legs were like jelly!

That was a smashing ride.

After that adventure we went to see the woods which were used during World War 2 by RAF Warmwell . The area was used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force from 1937 -1946. We saw where the Spitfires would have been kept under cover of the trees to keep them safe from view. We also saw the entrance to an underground bunker where the airmen took cover. The bunker is surrounded by barbed wire to keep people and animals out in case the bunker collapses. The airmen must have been scared inside the bunker, they were very brave. It looked very dark and frightening – I wonder if there were bats inside?

Through the woods we got another close-up view of the filming location- the quarry has changed so much. It looks like the Seventh Doctor just missed out on finding the green bit of Segonax that he was looking for. Luckily there was no sign of the Gods of Ragnarok or the Cheetah People when I visited.

We then went to another part of the quarry which has been left for many years to return to nature. The ground was jagged like a lunar landscape and trees were growing out at different degrees. In the old days quarried ground would be left as it was but nowadays quarry owners work to restore the land once they have finished with it so it can be used for other things, and to leave a nice habitat for the wildlife. Many animals live on the land and when I was there I saw pheasants and other types of bird and I just missed out on seeing a deer. Adders live there too but I was pleased not to see one – I think they were in hibernation.

I then went to the sorting plant and saw how the sand and gravel is sorted by size. It is then sent off to be used for building or bagged up and sold in DIY shops!

Sorting the sand

Finally I explored a secret part of the woods – and discovered a Roomoon for the very first time. A Roomoon is a very special lightweight hanging canvas tent based on the shape of an onion. I pulled a chain to yank myself up into the trees and it felt so safe and cosy inside – it felt great to be up high and I didn’t want to come back down.

To finish off I would like to thank Peter Mole and Peter for showing me around Warmwell Quarry – I had a fab time and would love to have more adventures like this in the future. I really appreciate all the time and effort put into giving me and my companions such a good tour of the site. Thank you both so much!

With Peter Mole, the Quarry Manager

I hope you have enjoyed this post all about this Classic Doctor Who location and there are still many locations left to come. I hope you come back and read about my next adventure.

Goodbye!

Autographs, Convention, Doctor Who, Fun stuff

Charfest, Dorset – August 2014

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K.B.O!Greetings!

Welcome to Avon Social Club in Bournemouth – home of Charfest! Charfest is a festival of many things and is to raise money for the charity Victim No More – and I went along to Charfest 2014 to meet the special guests.

Avon Social Club is a private members club and is where the comedian Tony Hancock made his first professional appearance. I was very happy when I arrived as I was keen to meet some stars of Doctor Who and of other shows and films such as Red Dwarf and Star Wars.

The first actor I met was Ian McNeice who is a famous actor who appears in the episode Victory of the Daleks (2010)  and also The Beast Below (2010), The Pandorica Opens (2010) and The Wedding of River Song (2011). He plays the Doctor’s old friend Winston Churchill who wants to use ‘Ironsides’ aka Daleks to win the Second World War! Did you know  Ian has also appeared in some Big Finish audio stories about the Doctor?

Ian is a great man and very kind. I told him all about my day in London the day before (when I met the Doctor and Clara) and he wanted to see the photos. He was also really interested in some images I took of the poppies at the Tower of London because they were very special.

We posed for a photo together with cigars and then he signed a picture for me and reminded me to ‘K.B.O’! Can you remember what that means????

After I had checked out the music and stalls I went to meet Derek Martin, best known for Eastenders but he also appeared as David Mitchell in Image of the Fendahl (1977) and had small parts in loads and loads of other Doctor Who episodes. Derek and I had a good chat about football as we are both Chelsea fans and I predicted the correct score of the Chelsea v Leicester match that day! I chose a picture of Derek and the Third Doctor for him to sign and we posed for a photo. Derek was super to meet and I really enjoyed it.Two humble Chelsea fans.

Afterwards I went downstairs to have a go on the bouncy castle, then I had a drink and enjoyed looking at the Cosplayers all around. I met someone dressed as the Seventh Doctor which was cool because the Seventh Doctor is my favourite – along with Peter Capaldi! ( That’s the first time I’ve added that bit!). He was sad because he had snapped his special umbrella. There were also people dressed as the Tenth Doctor, Jo Grant, Captain Jack and other Sci Fi characters.I'm gonna steal the hat and umbrella! Robber!

I left after that but came back the next day  especially to see Blogtor Who, Cameron K McEwan who was there to show his movie! I told him all about accidentally bumping into Peter Capaldi and he told me that he and a friend met him by accident once as well. I bought his book The Who’s Who  of Doctor Who (2014) and also  a DVD of his film Who’s Changing (2014). Blogtor Who signed my book and so did Andrew Skilleter who illustrated the book with really cool pictures. Andrew has also illustrated many things for Doctor Who including the  ‘The Five Doctors’ Radio Times cover,books, video covers and calendars. Just chillin' with Blogtor Who and Andrew Skilleter

I got a front row seat and watched the film on a couch in luxury. ‘Who’s Changing – an Adventure in Time with Fans’ is all about how Doctor Who fandom has changed over the years and is full of interviews with stars and fans. People talk about what they like about Doctor Who and why they like it so much. It is a great film and I plead with all Doctor Who fans to watch it because it is so darn good!

I left Charfest after the film but it was fantastico and raised nearly £1000 for Victim No More which is awesome! I hope they do another one next year.

Twelfth Doctor portaitIn other news, this week I received this wonderful drawing of the Twelfth Doctor from one of my readers who loves Peter Capaldi and everything Doctor Who. She is an amazing artist and you can check out her work here on her blog. One of her pictures was shown in New York on the Doctor Who World Tour! I love it and will treasure it. Thank you!

 

See you soon for a very special location report (hint – it is in a new episode) and remember – K.B.O!!!!!!!

Doctor Who, TARDIS

Life and Death in Doctor Who, Bournemouth University – June 2014

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Hello Professor Iain MacRuryHello!

I’m sorry I’m a bit late with my post this week, I have been away with my school and it has been my birthday so I have been tracking a bit off schedule. I shall start by telling you about the lecture I went to this week at Bournemouth University called ‘Life and Death in Doctor Who’.  This was part of the University’s Festival of Learning which is a programme of exciting events for local people, now in its second year. 

I joined the audience which was full of fellow Whovians, all different kinds of people -young, old, men and women, boys and girls. I was the youngest but some people there remembered watching the very first episode when it was broadcast 50 years ago. The lecture was given by Professor Iain MacRury who is Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange at Bournemouth University. He is an expert on the Doctor and, along with Michael Rustin,  wrote the book The Inner World of Doctor Who: Psychoanalytic Reflections in Time and Space. Phew, that was a bit of a mouthful!

The Professor compared the TARDIS to a magic box, and the stories to children’s books such as Alice In Wonderland.  He talked about how Doctor Who is about growing up and becoming an adult and showed us clips of the companions to make us understand. One clip showed the Ninth Doctor holding on to Rose’s hand saying he could feel the world spinning. He said the latest Doctors are more caring towards their companions than the old Doctors, and he compared the Fifth Doctor after Adric died to the Tenth Doctor saying goodbye to Rose in Darlig Ulv Stranden. The Fifth Doctor just wanted to cheer his companions up by taking them to the Great Exhibition but the Tenth Doctor visited Rose in a parallel universe and burned up a sun to say goodbye!

Afterwards the Professor answered lots of questions from my fellow Whovians, but I was speechless. I met him at the end and he was very kind. Ace called the Seventh Doctor the Professor, maybe that inspired him to become one.

Just a quick news flash – I saw yet another blue box! The Professor told me to go to Weymouth House, part of the university and there was a TARDIS in reception. Not mine, I wonder which Doctor had stopped by for the Festival of Learning? I wonder if a future Doctor was in the audience but we didn’t recognise him?

It was so cool to be at Bournemouth University in the Media School because Richard Senior, the director of Let’s Kill Hitler, graduated from Bournemouth University in 2002. Maybe one day I’ll direct a Doctor Who episode myself, you never know!

See you next week, goodbye.

Doctor Who, New location

Masters Quarry – May 2014

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I'm the king of the quarry!A dusty greeting to you all.

You find me in the Masters Quarry (why doesn’t the Doctor have one?) I found this location on my way home after a trip to Monkey World in Wareham a couple of weeks ago, in May 2014.  ( Big shout out to Jethro the Monkey!) This location features in The Caves of Androzani (1984).

Masters Quarry isn’t really named after The Master, it is the name of a quarry in Dorset that produces aggregates, which means things like sand and gravel for building projects. This is the first quarry I have been to in Doctor Who history, but I expect to see many more as quarries have often been used as locations as they can look like different planets.

It was a very sunny day when I visited, the sky was as blue as the TARDIS and it was so hot. The quarry was so quiet, there were rocks and stones as far as my eyes could see and everywhere was dusty. I could easily have believed I was on Androzani and not on Earth at all. I could only look, it wasn’t safe to explore too far.

The Caves of Androzani was filmed more than 30 years ago so the quarry looks very very different to the surface of Androzani Minor in the episode. More trees, less sand!!  This is a very popular story, and has been voted 4th best episode of all time by readers of Doctor Who Magazine, as announced this month. (The Day of the Doctor came top!).  The Fifth Doctor and Peri are captured on the mining planet Androzani Minor and are sentenced to death. Luckily there was no sign of the baddie Sharaz Jek but I still looked out for him!

This was the story in which the Fifth Doctor regenerated which I found very sad. The Fifth Doctor was a really good Doctor and I really liked his companions, especially Adric and Turlough.

I am going to a lecture on Doctor Who next week so I will be back to tell you all about it. Goodbye for now!

 

 

Doctor Who, New location

Athelhampton House and Gardens, Dorset – May 2014

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Garden of the year 1997My FAVOURITE way to spend a sunny day outside is go to places where they have filmed Doctor Who of course! So on a beautiful sunny bank holiday weekend I went to Athelhampton House and Gardens, location of The Seeds of Doom (1976).

The Seeds of Doom features The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane and Athelhampton is used as the house of eccentric millionaire Harrison Chase. He has a seed pod found in the arctic permafrost which contains a Krynoid…. OF DOOM.  The Doctor and his companion must stop Harrison and the carnivorous Krynoid from destroying the world.

In the 8 years of my life, this is only the second time I have visited Athelhampton. I used the chameleon circuit to disguise my TARDIS as a car and parked in the car park which was very busy because there was a plant sale. It is lucky there were no Krynoid pods for sale so I didn’t have to worry about fighting plants! First I explored the surprising gardens, one called The Great Court had pyramid shaped yew trees! There were spitting fountains and a huge pond – I couldn’t see any fish but I did see pond weed and pond snails.  I took a walk along the River Piddle and was very glad it was made of water! I then entered the whiffy Dovecote which was quite dark, cool and a bit smelly because it was full of doves.

Next I visited the house which was built in the 15th century – you can’t look in every room because people live there. It was quite dark inside and I had to be patient on the stairs as there were a lot of other visitors. Everything was very old but I felt very welcome there. On the top floor there were paintings made by Marevna who was an artist who once lived at Athelhampton. My favourite was one with a man and a goat – look out for it if you go there.

I left via the gift shop where you can buy Doctor Who stuff and all that jazz and I bought the book The Seeds of Doom and The Deadly Assassin.  The receptionist was very kind and said that I should read John Challis’ autobiography if I want to find out more about the filming at Athelhampton as he played Scorby in the episode.

Athelhampton was also the location for ‘From Time to Time’ (2009) and ‘Sleuth’ (1972). I hope you keep enjoying the locations in this blog  – which location do you think I should do next? Have you been anywhere that Doctor Who has been filmed? Please leave a comment with your answer to these questions, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!