An adventure in space and time.
This is another posting that I’ve been meaning to talk about for ages, but up until now, I just haven’t gotten around to it – like many things in my life.
So then, if you’re a Doctor Who fan, then it can’t have escaped your notice that this year (2013) is the show’s fiftieth anniversary and the BBC are to mark this golden milestone in many ways, but the thing that I find myself looking forward to the most is the docu-drama, ‘An adventure in space and time’ – I still think that they should have named it, ‘An adventure in Spain and time’ after one of William Hartnell’s fluffed lines.
Basically, it’s a drama about the creation of the television programme, written by a fan and WHO luminary, Mark Gatiss. Beyond that, I know nothing about it really.
So to bring a drama such as this to life, certain props needed to be built to recreate the setting and just recently, several people have sent me links and photographs of these props to see what I thought.
Right off the bat, yes, I can see that they’re not perfect by any means, but this really doesn’t matter one iota – the point is that they’re there, we can clearly see what they’re meant to be and most people watching, even the die hard fans, probably wouldn’t realise anything is amiss – only the Prop-Heads would. They set the scene perfectly!
Above. The TARDIS exterior. Doesn’t this look great? I’ve read several comments on a couple of forums where the fans have said that they’d much rather have this style of TARDIS in the main show, rather than what we actually have. Now I don’t mind the design of any of the props from across the years, but I can see where they’re coming from.
Looking at this recreation, it does seem to me that whoever built it had used a variety of design cues from the “New Series” builds and applied them to the general look of the original prop. I think that it pays off rather well, in an odd sort of way.
This has to be my favourite shot of the lot, the Totter’s Lane Junk Yard set. Very atmospheric. My only niggle about it is the colour of the gates. I’ve always maintained that they were actually green and not blue. Of course I could be entirely wrong about this and if the set designs still exist, it probably says that they were blue. I just prefer green for some reason.
This is another shot that I rather like, it’s quite moody – even if it does make the TARDIS look very cheap.
The subdued lighting doesn’t help either as it blatantly accentuates the fact that the contrast of the white window frames to the blue of the surrounding walls makes certain things look very disproportionate. I won’t even mention the old cliché, despite it being very true in this instance.
Ah, the console room set. It really is the 1960′s!
Hmm, a little design error here.
That wall that the crew are all stood in front of (centre part of the image) should really be a photographic curtain stretched over a framework… but who cares? It’s the original console room! And oh look, a bloke dressed as a Caveman, to the right of that camera.
Of all the recreated props made for the show, this is the only one that I really don’t like as much as the others. Why? I just feel that they’ve crapped out a little bit with these. Even my three year old son picked up on it with the statement, ‘That’s rubbish and there’s a man in there, Daddy.’
Again, despite not being terribly fond, it doesn’t bother me enough to make me rattle out a self opinionated and ranting letter to the BBC, like some folk have been known to in the past. I once heard a terribly funny story about a bloke who wrote several angry letters to the corporation about the bastardisation of the Dalek design with the new Paradigm props.
That said, with all of these props, I do wonder why the BBC didn’t just go back to the originals, most of which still exist in some form or another and take measurements or use castings that were taken from those originals – they’re all out there and are relatively easy to acquire, if you know where to look.
So there we are then, a show about the origins of Doctor Who and I never thought I’d ever see the day where any of this would happen, despite wishing for it. Come November, we’ll have a gloriously authentic looking drama on just this subject to drool over.
This year’s starting to turn out alright…
In defence of the Daleks, the inconsistencies can be rationalised due to their being built by the fans rather than the Beeb…
And I actually like the use of a solid prop wall instead of a photo curtain (although I’ve heard there are photo roundels, and the canopy will supposedly be in-situ thanks to post production) as it almost gives us what Brachaki may’ve intended had there been the budget for it back in the day.
Yeah, I don’t really buy the being made by fans as an excuse, I’ve seen some absolutely astounding fan built Daleks before, but these just look nasty all over, from top to bottom.
But as I said, that doesn’t really matter, to me they only stand out because everything else looks so good.
And yes, I agree about the wall, it does look nice.
My excitement about this production overwhelms all my niggling concerns about the accuracy of the sets. I’m with you on the green doors, though — I can’t see them as being anything but:
http://deck12.deviantart.com/art/Totter-s-Lane-November-1963-352589785
Oh yes, that image is rather lovely – with just the right shade for the gates.
This yours, or something you found?
Thank you — that’s mine. It’s a 3D project, I’m working on the entire junkyard as well.
An ambitious project and lovingly executed thus far, I’m impressed.
I always wanted to build a model of this set at about 1:5 scale. I’ll never get around to it though.
I’d like that too. It’s an atmospheric little set. I think they must have based it roughly on the Steptoe & Son set which was standing at the time in another studio.
Here’s another view of the gates:
http://quartus.net/nbridges/images/tardis/gates75s.jpg
In a funny connection, I was in one of the charity shops in town and they had a postcard with a pair of Daleks “trying” to board a vintage London bus, the photo was black and white but they looked like the silver and blue ones of that era… one of which had what looked like telltale marks on the back, potentially from where the dish was once mounted.
You know, I have a faded memory of that image, or one like it at the very least.
I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled – not that I spend much time in charity shops, or the town for that matter.
This looks like it. http://www.bigsmoke.org.uk/?p=66638
That looks like it could be it, though I thought it was shot from a different angle. Either my memory is playing tricks on me, or there were other images released from that session.
There are a few different Dalek with buses on Google Image Search. That was the first one and shows the holes in the back where the dishes were. So Post-Dalek Invasion and Pre-The Chase.
Actually, those Daleks are the Dead Planet ones – the holes you are seeing are actually the painted on (or bits of tape) “indicator stripes” for it.
One has one blue stripe, then another has two (the one we can see in the image to the right) and the others carry on up like this to four.
Good spot though.
Good work Bill, that’s the one.
i have to say this is one only thing im so looking forward to this year ,who wise
\new series will pale in comparison its just so gorgeous i got a big grin seeing that console room ,the actors look great id swear that was a behind the scenes shot of Jaquelin Hill ,perfect recreation of the Totters lane ,i agree about gate color,(why couldent they do that for remembrance? )
But them DIOE Dalek props are realy bad and poor the eye is like three pieces the shoddy skirt section these are a massive let down and going off what we know this being entire hartnell era these props will recur a lot so quality is not there which is a shame
And generally fan builds are far superior to anything BBC make due to the time effort they make and cost involved so thats no excuse sems someone making these and not done there homework properly the square windows narrow posts ,to bright a blue on the TARDIS prop for example, but not bothered really best thing is it really is back on TV
Wow, I’ve fallen so far out of the loop, I didn’t even know anything about this. But now I’m happy because I have something to look forward to!
Also, it might be lame, but I’d totally love to be the person inside the Dalek. Awesomeness would be attained. We are getting ready to have our huge convention here in Orlando (Megacon), and I guarantee that would be the star of the show. I could mow down all the avengers cosplayers.
*thump* whoops… sorry Hiddleston obsessed Loki cosplay fangirl… you just got hit by quality.
I think a lot of us are looking forward to this one.
Now, if only I had a Dalek that was in a state ready to be trundled in, and I lived somewhere near you, I’d loan you one to do some quality trundling in.
Say hi to “Uncle Lew”. He might have his TARDIS there as he’s in Orlando.
I have to admit, when i saw that TARDIS set my jaw dropped
a Who set in orlando florida very cool Tardis on the beach
Oh I have been so neglectful to come back here and read these blog posts. XP I keep getting the notices in my email but it’s been so hectic here.
Anyway this post is really intersting. I am So looking forward to seeing this docu-drama. Some of those behind the scenes images, I really thoughtt hey were color photos from 1963 when I first looked. Everything is SO period accurate…then I noticed the Tardis’ walls, lol. If ONLy they had the budget for those back then but hey, it’s a remarkable recreation.
The Daleks aren’t…too horrible i guess. On film I’d expect they would look passable though just being abole to see the driver inside kills me. Lol, I almost have to wonder if they did that on purpose so people watching it get that realistic “I’m watching them make a program” documentary feel, like, they WANT you to think it’s a prop.
Casting on this looks amazing. I am very much looking forward to seeing David Bradley’s portrayal as Hartnell. He was a very interesting choice for sure.