Whilst The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe was shooting, we managed to speak to three of its stars - Bill Bailey, Arabella Weir and Paul Bazely. Over the course of two days we talked to them about the Christmas Special, Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee, what it feels like to be in Doctor Who and a whole lot more...
We've gathered together snippets of our conversations and present them now as a single interview...
Q: How does it feel to be in Doctor Who?
Bill Bailey: It's fantastic. It's the equivalent of some sort of knighthood isn't it, really?
Arabella Weir: Yes, it's very good fun and it's great to be in the Christmas Special!
Paul Bazely: It's pretty wonderful!
BB: But it's extraordinary the reaction to the news that I'm in Doctor Who... I just mentioned on my Twitter feed that I was going to be in the Christmas Special and the whole thing just lit up like a Christmas tree! People were going 'Ooh, ooh, what you gonna be? You gonna be an Ood?' No, no! 'What are you? Baddie? Goodie? What you gonna be?' But I couldn't say too much... I'm just worried I'm going to be tackled to the ground by some BBC spy team saying, 'No, don't tell them anything!' [laughs]
Q: How have you been enjoying the shoot?
BB: It's been brilliant.
AW: Yeah, it's great.
PB: [nodding] Absolutely.
Q: Are you long term fans of Doctor Who?
BB: Oh, yeah! I've watched Doctor Who for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories of watching TV are watching Doctor Who. I have very clear memories of the classic 'behind the sofa' moments - Cybermen particularly, but the Sea Devils, as well and the Master.
PB: I was lucky enough to meet Jon Pertwee [the Third Doctor] about 18 years ago. I was working with his daughter, Dariel Pertwee, up in Scarborough and I met him through her. He was one of the only people I've ever met that I was totally star struck by because he was the Doctor! My first Doctor! It was Jon Pertwee and he was charming and lovely! I think that's the effect Doctor Who has on you as a kid. I've met loads of famous people but he was someone special.
AW: I met Tom Baker doing a voice-over when David [Arabella's friend, David Tennant] wasn't at all well known. We were doing this voice-over together and I said to Tom, 'Oh, my friend's a really, really big Doctor Who fan,' and he replied, 'Wait!' He got his cheque book out and asked, 'What his name?' I said 'David Tennant'. He wrote, 'To David Tennant, seventeen pounds forty five', signed it and I asked him what it meant. He said, 'He'll know...'
Q: What are your characters like in the Special?
AW: I don't think we're allowed to say that just yet!
BB: We can't say that! It's a plot spoiler alert... Come on! Page 1! [laughs] We can't say much right now, but we play futuristic, forestry commission workers. We're like space gardeners...
Q: Your costumes are incredible!
PB: We were shooting all night the other evening and we were the jammy ones because everyone else was freezing but we were saying, 'I've got a wet suit on, I'm fine' but today [in the heat] we'll pay, I promise!
BB: These costumes are fantastic!
AW: They're amazing.
BB: They've articulated joints and there is this kind of suit underneath. They are fantastic and they're beautifully made.
PB: The guy who made ours also made the Judge Dredd costume for the last Judge Dredd film so I felt quite excited that I was a bit like Judge Dredd!
BB: I did a rock festival in the summer and I had a mask of myself made by the same guy. He did a fantastic job with that and this [costume] is amazing. As you can see, there's a sort of a samurai thing going on...
AW: The costumes conceal quite a lot. Bill's beard is much longer, but it's all inside!
BB: Yep! It goes all the way down... all the way down to my knees!
Q How long does it take to get in and out of the costumes?
BB: Because it's all in sections, it takes about...
AW: 20 minutes?
BB: Yeah, 20 minutes or so to get into costume itself...
PB: And once you've got them on you can't actually see your legs!
BB: No, and it gets increasingly difficult to get a cup of tea up to your lips so you have to get someone to hold tea up to you!
AW: It's good practise for having arthritis!
BB: We have gauntlets which cover the forearm which are beautifully made... the whole effect is fantastic. We haven't got the helmets to show you, but the visors are fantastic. There's all manner of things going on [with the costumes. ] They're slightly 'insecty' and a bit agricultural...
Q: Bill, are you bringing any of your musical talents to this Special, like Katherine Jenkins did last year?
BB: Not at this stage, but we'll have to see!
Q: And will you all be watching the episode when it goes out?
AW: Oh yeah! For sure!
PB: Yeah, on Christmas Day!
BB: Yes, I'm sure we will be, yes.
AW: Only the bits we're in, though, obviously! [laughs] No, of course! We would have watched it, anyway.
BB: Definitely, oh yeah!
Big thanks to Bill Bailey, Arabella Weir and Paul Bazely.
The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe is on BBC ONE, 7pm on Christmas Day.
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