Episode 6, June 11th 2016
It’s happening again! Just over a year since we started filming Whovians, here we are making a
second series.
Apart from Christmas (as dedicated as we all are, none of us are missing out on
turkey, presents, and arguing over board games), we haven’t stopped. Myself, Rhys and Matt, we’ve
been planning, plotting, like a Bond villain in their secret volcano base. And this is it, the first day of
filming. We’re tackling the series finale, episode six, written by Matthew Ford. Just the one scene
today, but not just any scene, the very last one. Once again, we filmed at my flat (bedroom to be
precise, including fish tank with miniature TARDIS). Andrew Machin and Linda Bailey are back as
Liam and his mother, Jackie.
Dave, the cat and Whovians mascot, once again behaved like a diva,
trying to sneak his way into every shot. Craig Handley is back on board, only this time he is in the
director’s chair, taking the helm on episodes two, three and six. We also have some new additions,
crew-wise: Kayleigh Barratt is our sound / Boom Op, alongside Luke Walters as our
cameraman/cinematographer/budding Emmanuel Lubezki.
While there were fewer cast and crew hemmed in the flat compared to when we shot the last series
finale, due to filming in one room, half-a- dozen people, plus lighting, today was like being one of
those pre-packed, microwaveable burgers. Everyone involved was a trooper. Even though this was
the first time Andrew and Linda had acted together, you wouldn’t know it. There was a warmth and
instant chemistry between them. You would have thought they were a real-life mother-and- son,
confiding in each other, gossiping, and having a laugh for years.
Kayleigh was always ready to go for another take, arms aloft for ages with that boom, and a perfectionist when it came to making sure the sound was as good as we could get. Luke has an eye for an attention-grabbing shot, taking a simple set up and giving it even more of an impact.
When the three of us (myself, Rhys, and Matt) messaged each other the week before filming, Matt
said how nervous he was. His script’s up first and it’s the final scene. After seeing the footage, what
came out of today, Matt’s words were, “I’m not nervous now; really excited about the next few
months.” That definitely speaks for all of us.
Tez