麻豆约拍

Editor's Note - Executive Producer Guy Freeman gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor on the after the programme - in which Peter Capaldi was announced as the next Doctor - was made. We've included it here on the About the 麻豆约拍 blog too.

Phil Dolling, Head of Events, called me whilst we were on location, 鈥淲e鈥檝e been asked to make a live show to reveal who鈥檒l be taking over from Matt Smith, in Doctor Who鈥�

鈥淕reat 鈥� let鈥檚 talk it through after this shoot?鈥�

鈥淲ell, they might want to do it in 3 weeks鈥� time, so we need to start finding a team now鈥�

鈥淥K 鈥� when do we find out who the next Doctor is?鈥�

鈥淲e don鈥檛 鈥� it has to be kept secret and the show isn鈥檛 even going to be billed until the very last minute, in order to keep people off the scent鈥�

And so back in the office, on Monday 15th July, we didn鈥檛 have a confirmed transmission date, a host, a studio, a set or any guests. What we did have though was the now famous codename 鈥淗oudini鈥�, used by Doctor Who鈥檚 Executive Producer, Brian Minchin to describe the mysterious star of our show.听听听

However much I thought I knew about Doctor Who, it鈥檚 nothing compared to what the show鈥檚 global army of fans - the 鈥淲hovians鈥� - know.听Although we were making a show for a very mainstream audience, some of whom might only be casual Doctor Who viewers, we also knew that there鈥檇 be trouble if we didn鈥檛 get the fine detail right for the hardcore fans too!

Luckily, we had a core team in place with a frighteningly good knowledge of the world鈥檚 most famous Time Lord and they set about the task of ordering up tapes of episodes from across the show鈥檚 50 year history, ready for the start of editing.听麻豆约拍 Worldwide have restored many of the classic episodes for DVD release and they very kindly supplied us with their master tapes.

By the end of the first week, our commissioner Pinki Chambers helped us lock the tx date [note 鈥� the date of transmission] 听to 4th August, so that we could book a studio and staff it 鈥� although we still weren鈥檛 able to tell anyone exactly what the show was about.听听听

The biggest challenge was how to recruit a studio audience of Doctor Who fans, without giving the game away.听In the end, we asked Audience Services to place an ad on their website for a new 鈥渆ntertainment pilot, celebrating long-running TV shows. This episode looks back at 50 years of Doctor Who鈥�.听Within two days, 5,000 people had applied for tickets.

Zoe Ball is such a fan of Doctor Who that she was prepared to re-arrange holiday plans to host the show. Only when we met up with her a week beforehand could we tell her that she鈥檇 be revealing and interviewing 鈥楬oudini鈥�.听Never have I seen a more excited presenter 鈥� a real joy to work with.

What first appeared to be a problem, ultimately worked in our favour, I think.听Matt Smith was in LA and so couldn鈥檛 appear live on the show.听However, the interview we filmed with him out there was incredibly revealing.听He was in a highly reflective mood and expressed his feelings about being in the show and leaving it, in a way that wouldn鈥檛 have been possible in front of a live audience.听Our PD [note 鈥� the Producer Director] intercut his remarks with some fantastic clips to create a very powerful package for the show.

As other interviewees were either being booked for the studio or filmed and edited, plans for the studio took shape 鈥� with a set based on the 鈥榮pace time vortex鈥� in Doctor who鈥檚 opening titles.听听All we needed was an authentic model Tardis to hang from the studio grid.听Doctor Who鈥檚 very own prop man rose to the challenge of building one within a week, complete with motor to revolve it and internal lighting.听Very fine it looked too when it arrived in studio 鈥� a perfect, 3-foot high replica.

At midnight, on Thursday 1st August, the press release went out to let everyone know that what had been billed up to then as 鈥淐elebrity Mastermind鈥� was now going to be our show.听At last, we could speak openly about it and do vital things like talk to Red Bee about on air times and tell our studio guests what the show was really about!

On Saturday 3rd, as the press ramped up their speculation about Houdini, one of our co-ordinators drove around Borehamwood, looking for an anonymous car park.听Having given that location to Brian, this is where Houdini was brought to, at lunchtime on Sunday.听Peter Capaldi 鈥� as we could then call him - was bundled into a people carrier, where he lay on the back seat with a blanket over him, as our co-ordinator drove him down Borehamwood high street and into the studios.听听听

Despite the less than glamorous arrival, Peter was in very good spirits, as we continued to keep him well hidden.听As we went on air, the excitement in the studio was fantastic.听Despite Peter鈥檚 name featuring in the press amongst several other runners and riders, no-one knew for certain it was him until he walked out onto that set.听As well as great viewing figures on 麻豆约拍 One, the moment generated half a million tweets and record daytime figures for 麻豆约拍 America鈥檚 live simulcast too.

It was a great thrill for us to be part of it and we wish Peter every success in the iconic role.听Huge thanks to the Doctor Who team for trusting us with their national treasure and to everyone who came together at such short notice, to do such a great job.听

听

is Executive Producer, Doctor Who Live.听

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