The Rebel Flesh Short Interviews

Hello. In the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine (which seems to be the main focus on the last few days) some short interviews with some of the crew of The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People were printed. One interview is with Raquel Cassidy (Foreman Miranda Cleaves), Julian Simpson (the director of the episode and Matthew Graham (the writer of the episode). The Matthew Graham interview is a few pages long so I'll only put an extract of it.

Raquel Cassidy

"I think I need to read them (the scripts) a few times," grins Raquel Cassidy, who played Foreman Miranda Cleaves. "I was cast three days before we were due to film, and those days were sort of swallowed up by prosthetics appointmentsand costume and stuff like that. So it was a bit of a speed-read to go 'Can I do this? Do I want to do this?' and then 'What does it mean?' so I think it took a while... and, if I'm really honest, because they were long days filming and because I took my family with me, I'm not sure I really knew who I was for a good couple of weeks, which is pretty scary!"

It must've been fun though? "Oh yeah I certainly remember the first day filming, the first scene we filmed, just looking at Matt, looking at this piece of computer thing in an old ruined castle, thinking 'I'm in Doctor Who! And I don't know who I am!' That kind of carried on for a while, I think. It didn't stop it being fun, but as an actor, obviously that's quite a difficult place to be."

Julian Simpson

Speaking of difficult places to be, filming took place in the middle of Winter at Neath Abbey and three castles - Cardiff, Caerphilly and St Donat's - which were "rugged, cold environments," as director Julian Simpson recalls. "The reason we needed more than one was because the script demanded a whole bunch of different rooms within the monastery, and we knew we weren't going to find them all in one castle - partly because most castles aren't intact anymore, and partly because you want different looks and feels because you're spending two episodes in one place."

Armed with production designer Michael Pickwoad's plan of the fictional monastery, showing how the different locations connected, it looked like everything was going smoothly for Julian. "But I managed to slip on ice outside my apartment on day four, and did all the ligements in my ankle in, so I spent the entire shoot on a walking stick," he laughs. "It was absolutely the right place to shoot, and I'm glad we did it, but it was tough, it was a tough shoot."

Matthew Graham

But if the episodes were tricky for Raquel and Julian,, they were even more so for the writer Matthew Graham who - as he revealed in last issue's preview - originally planned to write a single episode, before having a two-parter sprung on him. "It's a tall order," he admits. "You're hogging two Saturday nights, so you are aware that you've got to tell a really good story. I wanted to tell a good story, with good characters, and for it to be as scary as we could get away with. There were some bits we had to take out, in the end, because they were too nasty, too scary. But that's a good sign. That was the way I wanted to go."

What worries did Matthew have about two-parters before he was asked to write one? "The preconception was that I would go and write a cracking kick-off story - loads of fantastic ideas, loads of jeopardy - and then I'd reach a cliffhanger and wouldn't know where to go from there. What I did was I sort of planned out an endpoint. I knew where I wanted it to finish, and I knew where I wanted Episode 1 to climax. What I didn't have was the bit between the start of Episode 2 and the end. That was probably the hardest script, then. That was the one I rewrote the most.

You can read the whole interview with Matthew Graham in DWM Issue 435.

Was the Battle Won or Lost and the Best Series Six Episode

Hello! So, River is Amy's daughter, the Headless Monks are headless, Melody was a Ganger and the whole episode was brilliant! But what did you think of the episode? Vote in the new poll at the bottom of the page.

While you're there, check out the new poll for the Best Series Six Episode so far. You can vote for: The Impossible Astronaut, Day of the Moon, The Curse of the Black Spot, the Doctor's Wife, The Rebel Flesh, The Almost People and A Good Man Goes to War.

Reviews Coming Soon...

UPDATE - the dates have been changed slightly.

Hello. Many Doctor Who sites have their own Doctor Who reviews and I think it's time Time Lord Eleven did so as well! For the next week, once a day, reviews of the episodes will be posted. A Review Page will be published and links to the reviews will be put on the Episode Page. So here's a list of the days and reviews that will be posted:

Monday 30th May 2011 -> The Impossible Astronaut

Tuesday 31st May 2011 -> Day of the Moon

Wednesday 1st May 2011 -> The Curse of the Black Spot

Thursday 2nd June 2011 -> The Doctor's Wife

Friday 3rd June 2011 -> The Rebel Flesh

Saturday 4th June 2011 -> The Almost People

Sunday 5th June 2011 ->  A Good Man Goes to War

You'll be reading the first review for The Almost People later today. The review for A Good Man Goes to War will be posted after the episode is broadcast.

The Rebel Flesh Cliffhanger Breakdown

Hello. The Rebel Flesh left us all confused and worried for the Doctor, Amy, Rory, Jennifer and all the workers at the factory as war begins to egnite between the 'Gangers' and the 'Originals'. Rory has chased after Jennifer after hearing her scream. The Doctor, Amy and the workers are trapped in the Chapel with the Clone Doctor. But worst of all, the Gangers are coming...
So an extremely bewildering episode with an excellent cliffhanger. This post is a breakdown of the cliffhanger, so let's get started:

The Doctor asks Cleaves what is the most fortified and defendable room in the monastery. She replies with the Chapel.

The Gangers begin to approach the Originals to commence a war...

Jennifer looks around cautiously having seen something in the Chapel. Rory shouts her name.

The Original Jennifer tries to find Rory but what she doesn't know is that Ganger Jennifer has found her. What will the clone do to Jennifer?

The Doctor, Amy and the workers manage to get to the Chapel without the Gangers finding them.

Jennifer screams. Rory begins to doubt whether he should go inside. Amy tries to get Rory inside but the effort is in vain.

Rory runs off to find Jennifer. The Gangers find the workers and the TARDIS Crew.

The Gangers come closer as the Doctor yanks Amy inside the Chapel.

The Doctor reassures Amy whilst the workers barricade themselves in.

A strange voice shouts out. The Doctor and Amy try to find out who it is.

Rory tries to find the shouting Jennifer. Luckily, none of the Gangers follow him.

The workers continue to barricade the door as the Doctor finds the source of the voice.

The Doctor tries to confront the voice whilst Amy tries to get his attention. She points out that they're trapped and that they can't even leave the TARDIS.

As she does this, the voice changes slightly - it changes into a familiar tone...

And then, out of the shadows walks the white, bowtie-wearing clone of the Doctor.

So? Post your thoughts below.

The Rebel Flesh and the Almost People

So waht did you think? Was the episode up to scratch? Or was it twice as bad as other episodes? Vote in the poll now! Clips, trailers and more are on the Doctor Who official website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110521_01/The_Almost_People

The Fourth Dimension is a new section on the Doctor Who website which hides secret messages. This week's message is quite strange:

Message interupted

Also, don't forget to watch the concluding episode, the Almost People, next Saturday at 6:45pm. Don't forget to look out for:

• Hints
• Pictures
• Teasers
• The Rebel Flesh review
• Polls of all the episodes so far
• Reviews of the episodes so far
• More competitions
• "Doctor, Save our Souls!" winner
• A guide to the new pages at the top of the screen
• More Doctor Who related articles

We'll see you soon...

The Almost People Official Air Time

Hello. Episode Six of Series Six, the Almost People, now has an official air time released by the BBC Press Office. The Almost People will start at 6:45pm on the 28th May a week after the first episode of the two-parter beginning with the Rebel Flesh. You can watch both episodes on BBC One and BBC One HD.

After the episode, Doctor Who Confidential is able to watch on BBC Three and BBC HD. You can read the synopsis for the Rebel Flesh and the concluding episode of the two episodes, the Almost People, on the post 'Episode 5, 6 and 7 Synopses' and on the Episode page.

Episode 5, 6 and 7 Synopses

Hello again. The synopsis has been released for Episode Seven, A Good Man Goes to War. Since there are still episode five and six to watch before we see the Spring finale, the synopsis of the Rebel Flesh and the Almost People are below too.


EPISODE FIVE - THE REBEL FLESH

A solar tsunami sends the TARDIS hurtling towards a futuristic factory on Earth, where human doppelgangers are used to mine dangerous acid, as the time-travelling adventures continue.

A second wave hits and the “Gangers” separate. They can remember every second of their “original’s” life and feel every emotion they’ve ever experienced. But are these memories stolen or have they been bequeathed? Are the Gangers merely faulty machinery that must be shut down or are they living, breathing, sentient beings? Can the Doctor convince the terrified humans to accept these “almost people” and prevent an all-out civil war before the factory explodes?

EPISODE SIX - THE ALMOST PEOPLE

As the solar storm rages, Jennifer, a Ganger driven mad by the memories of being “decommissioned”, is seeking revenge, as the time-travelling drama continues.

She can remember every excruciating second of every “execution” and is determined that the humans will pay. And she isn’t just talking war; she’s talking revolution. As the crumbling factory fills with toxic fumes and drips lethal acid, the “Originals” wait desperately for the shuttle from the Mainland to rescue them. But Jennifer has other ideas.

Can the Doctor convince the terrified factory workers to embrace their own humanity and work together with their Gangers to overcome a monster of their own making?

EPISODE SEVEN - A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR

Amy Pond has been kidnapped and the Doctor is raising an army to rescue her as the drama continues. But as he and Rory race across galaxies, calling in long-held debts and solemnly given promises, his enemies are laying a carefully concealed trap.

In her cell in Stormcage, River Song sadly acknowledges that the time has come at last – today will mark the Battle of Demons Run and the Doctor’s darkest hour. Both sides will make their sacrifices and River Song must finally reveal her most closely guarded secret to the Doctor.

So what do you think of these synopses? Write your theories in the comment box below.

Matthew Graham: Fear Her, the Rebel Flesh/the Almost People and Future Writing

Hello again. Matthew Graham, the writer of the Rebel Flesh and the Almost People, was interviewed recently by Den of Geek about his next few episodes, Fear Her and some other subjects. The link to read the whole interview is at the bottom of the page.

When asked about how he came to write for Doctor Who Series Six:

Well, I was hoping to do the last series, the first Matt Smith series. I had a very nice lunch with Piers [Wenger, executive producer] and Steven [Moffat] and we talked about ideas and had this storyline for a single. And we were quite excited about it, but I was whizzing backwards and forward to America a lot at that time, and I was also gearing up on the last series of Ashes To Ashes, which I knew needed all hands to the pumps.

So, I just panicked and thought I wouldn't have enough time. So, I contacted Steven and said I've got to bow out, regretfully. And then after the series went out, I got an e-mail from Steven, a typical Steven e-mail in capital letters, that read "thanks for abandoning me to do the series on my own. So what about series 2?" I couldn't say no, really!

When asked about the connection between Fear Her and The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People:

It's brand new. It's totally brand new. I've just watched them, actually, and I think they are absolutely fab. I think they're some of the best writing that I've ever done. And it's brilliantly directed, and brilliantly made. And I just hope everyone likes it.

I really hope that those who maybe thought that Fear Her was too childish and too silly, I'm hoping that that will silence them. This is my response!

When asked about Fear Her:

I'm actually thrilled with it. It's not what I'd have chosen if I'd come to Doctor Who, obviously. When you come to Doctor Who, you want to tell a story with monsters. You want spaceships. You want the Tardis in mortal peril. You want big, epic science fiction adventure. Of course, you do. That's why you write it.

But I was just so thrilled to be asked to write it, even when Russell [T Davies] said, "Look, it's going to be a more inexpensive episode, and it has to take place on a housing estate," I still said, "Fine."

I wanted to write for David Tennant, for Billie Piper, and be part of TV history. So, I said, "Absolutely." I was thrilled with it.

What we had set out to do right from the start with Fear Her was tell a story that was aimed very much at children. For children, not really for adults, not really for the older Doctor Who fans.

It was aimed at the kids, because Army Of Ghosts and Doomsday were coming up, and they were going to be very big, very dark and very traumatic. And Russell wanted a playground adventure. He said, "How old is your son?" At the time he was seven. So, he said, "Write this one for your son." That's what I did. I did something that was in primary colours, that had a scary voice in the cupboard. I always say that other people got cybermen, I got two blokes with a red lamp rattling a wardrobe!

But, to be honest with you, I didn't go online particularly and read the responses. From my side of it, the response was brilliant. I had loads of kids write to me and say how much they enjoyed it. And it was only later I realised that the older fans had reacted badly to it. So, I went, "Well, it's a shame that they have, but it wasn't meant for them."

The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People are different. As far as I'm concerned, this is proper, across the board Who. Adults, kids- if they can watch it, because it is scary. I showed it to my wife the other night, and there were a couple of images in it where she went, "Actually, that's quite scary. That's not very pleasant." And I notice that it's going out a bit later. I wouldn't be surprised if they put a warning out beforehand.

I was happy with Fear Her, but when I came back I did say, rather selfishly, "I want epic, I want monsters! And science fiction, and gadgets, and lots of stuff happening." And they gave it to me!

When asked about the Flesh:

The Flesh? Well, all the stories in Doctor Who start with a basic idea from Steven. And I went and spent a day with him in his kitchen, and he said, "I want to do something about avatars." And I said, "Oh, Steven, are you sure?" I mean, the film was still playing at the time in cinemas. And he said, "No, no, no, this will be good. This will be like The Thing."

So, it's workers that create copies of themselves to do jobs that are too dangerous, too unpleasant. And he said, "I don't know how, but somehow, these things take on a life of their own." And I thought, "Okay, that's better," and then we started talking.

He planned to set it in a factory and I had it in my head that I wanted to do something in a monastery with a The Name Of The Rose feel to it.

When asked about any ongoing narrative bits:

Yes, yes I have. But I've got two cliffhangers, which is not bad for a two-parter. I've got my part one cliffhanger, and I've got a part two cliffhanger that leads into Steven's A Good Man Goes To War.

I can say this because the premise of this final scene was given to me. I wrote [the cliffhanger scene] and I put my own dialogue in. [Steven] said, "This is what's got to happen," and it was just great. Just whoa! People are not going to be able to wait until next Saturday!

When asked about the episode cliffhangers:

I wrote the script, I said, "I'm finished," and then Steven said, "Now I know exactly what I'm doing with episode seven. I need you to do something like this." And he explained what he wanted it to include and I loved it.

I've said it before, I think, that it's like being the writer and the viewer at the same time. And you're also going, "Wow, what's going to happen next?"

What I find about cliffhangers is that there's the easy cliffhanger, which is to put the Doctor in jeopardy. And everyone knows that the next week he's not going to be dead. They used to do that in the old days as well. I tried to make my cliffhanger something that is just a ratcheting up of the story. So, at the end of The Rebel Flesh, you're not thinking, "Is the Doctor going to die?" You're thinking, "Oh, my God. What's going to happen now?"

Finally, when asked about writing future episodes:

I haven't, no. I said to Beth at the read through that if I can do any more I'd love to, and she said, "Oh, yeah. That'd be great."

But I didn't push it then, because I know they've still got their heads still full of this series. But I floated it out there, that I'd happily come back.

They seem very, very pleased with the episode, so I hope that they'd consider asking me back.

To read the whole interview, follow the link below:
http://www.denofgeek.com/television/891987/matthew_graham_interview_on_writing_doctor_who.html