Modern Series Episode 115:
The Caretaker
Already struggling to keep her life in the TARDIS separate from her
relationship with Danny Pink, Clara is astonished when the Doctor
arrives at Coal Hill School. He is tracking a lethal alien war machine
called the Skovox Blitzer, and is posing as the school caretaker to
facilitate his search. But the Doctor's efforts to snare the robot in a
time trap are complicated by the involvement of school troublemaker
Courtney Woods. To make matters worse, a frosty rapport develops between
the Time Lord and an unsuspecting Danny -- which comes to a head when
Danny inadvertently foils the Doctor's plan to deal with the
Blitzer.
The structure of Doctor Who's thirty-fourth season was dictated,
in part, by executive producer Steven Moffat's plan to develop the
character of companion Clara Oswald. A love interest, fellow teacher
Danny Pink, was introduced in the year's second episode, Into The Dalek. Moffat then wanted to spend
the first half of the season exploring the tension that resulted from
Clara's efforts to keep Danny unaware of her adventures with the Doctor.
This would come to a head at the season's midway point -- episode six --
when the Doctor and Danny would finally collide, and Clara's secrets
would be revealed.
To write this pivotal story, Moffat turned to Doctor Who veteran
Gareth Roberts. In addition to regular work on the spin-off series
The Sarah Jane Adventures, in recent years Roberts had also
written two scripts for Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor: Season
Thirty-One's well-received The Lodger
and its sequel, the subsequent year's Closing
Time. Both had placed the Doctor in a mundane modern setting,
and Moffat particularly enjoyed the manner in which The Lodger had forced the Doctor to try to
adapt to everyday life. He suggested a similar approach for the new
narrative, with the Doctor taking a job at Coal Hill Secondary School,
where both Clara and Danny were teachers. Moffat and Roberts would
ultimately share the writing credit for the resulting adventure.
The head teacher was initially Miss Coburn, named after
the writer of the original Doctor Who
serial, 100,000 BC
Roberts began writing the script, eventually called The
Caretaker, during the summer of 2013. The Blitzer was initially
identified as a relic of a war between the Skovox and the Olverites. The
Doctor's plan was to teleport it back to its planet of origin -- instead
of the distant future -- and Danny's interference simply gave it a
chance to escape, rather than propelling it three days forward in time.
The Blitzer's refuge was an abandoned house, but it became a derelict
industrial site to provide more space for the war machine to move
around. The head teacher was initially Miss Coburn; she was named after
Anthony Coburn, the writer of the original Doctor Who serial,
1963's 100,000 BC, which had been partly set
at Coal Hill School. Miss Coburn was ultimately replaced with Mr
Armitage in order to align with Into The
Dalek.
Upon learning of the premise of The Caretaker, producer Nikki
Wilson suggested that the Doctor should develop a rapport with one of
the students. Roberts initially devised Courtney Woods as a junior
version of Amy Pond, the Eleventh Doctor's popular companion -- thereby
reinforcing the story's echoing of that era which most obviously
manifested in the lookalike schoolteacher, Adrian. However, this
approach was soon reconsidered, and Roberts instead developed Courtney
as a defiant troublemaker. The character proved popular with the
production team, and it was agreed that Courtney would be inserted into
both the season premiere, Deep Breath,
and Into The Dalek.
The Caretaker was paired with episode three, Robot Of Sherwood, as Block Three of the
Season Thirty-Four production schedule, directed by Paul Murphy. Since
the nature of the other adventure meant that it would benefit from being
recorded a little further into the spring, most of The Caretaker
was made first. As such, the initial work on the episode took place on
March 24th, with an empty building on Bute Street in Cardiff serving as
the Blitzer's lair. The war machine itself made its debut on this day,
operated from within by diminutive actor Jimmy Vee. The Blitzer's design
was inspired by Babyface, the cannibalised toy made from a doll's head
and an erector-set-constructed spider body in the 1995 animated film
Toy Story.
The rest of the week was largely confined to Roath Lock Studios in
Cardiff. March 25th was spent on the desert planet interlude; plans to
record green screen shots of the Blitzer were scuppered by a fire alarm.
The 26th and 27th then focussed on scenes which required the TARDIS set;
part of the latter day also saw a change of venue to the nearby
Doctor Who Experience -- a permanent exhibition on Cardiff Bay --
for the material in the spaceship corridor. Work on March 28th began
with sequences in Clara's flat. Cast and crew then moved to the standing
pub set used for the medical drama Casualty, where a
suspiciously-tanned Clara met Danny for a date. Finally, the black cab
was situated on the backlot of the Welsh-language soap opera Pobol y
Cwm. Production then stood down for a four-day weekend, spanning
Saturday to Tuesday.
Almost all of the remaining scenes for The Caretaker were those
set at Coal Hill, for which no fewer than four actual schools were
employed. April 2nd and 3rd brought Murphy's team to Gladstone Primary
School in Cardiff, which offered space suitable for the caretaker's
storeroom. Recording on the 4th took place at the former St Illtyd's
Boys' College in Cardiff. Scenes taped there included those in the staff
room, Clara's classroom, and various corridors, plus the Blitzer
tracking the Doctor in an adjacent alleyway. The location on April 5th
was Holton Primary School in Barry, for sequences outside the storeroom
and on the playground. Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th were days off,
after which Tonyrefail School in Tonyrefail hosted all of the week's
work on The Caretaker. Recording on April 8th took place in the
gymnasium. The school hall and various corridors then became the chief
concern from the 9th to the 11th, alongside the school entrance on the
first two days and the courtyard on the last day; Murphy also shot a
number of inserts.
The team then concentrated on Robot Of
Sherwood, not returning to The Caretaker until April
28th. The day's filming at Roath Lock included material in the TARDIS
console room, over-the-shoulder shots looking through the police box
doors, and green screen effects for Courtney gazing at the Olveron
Cluster, plus the deferred footage of the Blitzer. On June 11th, more
pick-ups and green screen shots were completed at Roath Lock. However,
the major feature of the day was a new closing scene for The
Caretaker which saw Matthew, the deceased Community Support Officer,
meet the unsettling Seb in the Nethersphere. This material was actually
recorded in the costume preparation area of Roath Lock, which offered a
distinctive round window. Finally, the glimpse of Michelle Gomez as
Missy was taped at Enfys Television Studios in Cardiff on June 18th.
During the first few weeks of Season Thirty-Four, Doctor Who had
been routinely assigned a 7.30pm timeslot. This would change with the
broadcast of The Caretaker on September 27th, as the BBC's
reality juggernaut Strictly Come Dancing returned for its twelfth
season. With the celebrity competition effectively taking its place in
the schedule, Doctor Who was pushed further into the evening,
rather than being brought forward to a more typical early timeslot. Each
episode was now slated to begin at 8.30pm, the latest start time that
Doctor Who had ever occupied on a regular basis. Strictly Come
Dancing would serve as its new lead-in, with Casualty
positioned afterwards. Although there was a significant outcry -- with
concern notably being expressed that children would no longer be able to
stay up late enough to watch Doctor Who -- there would be little
change to this schedule for the remainder of the year.
- The Doctor Who Companion -- The Twelfth Doctor: Volume Two,
October 2019, “The Caretaker” by Andrew Pixley, Panini UK
Ltd.
- Doctor Who: The Complete History #78, 2017, “Story 247:
The Caretaker”, edited by Mark Wright, Hachette Partworks
Ltd.
|
|
Original Transmission
|
|
Date |
27th Sep 2014 |
Time |
8.29pm |
Duration |
45'14" |
· BBC1/HD |
6.8m |
Appreciation |
83% |
Cast
The Doctor |
Peter Capaldi (bio) |
Clara |
Jenna Coleman (bio) |
Danny |
Samuel Anderson (bio) |
Courtney Woods |
Ellis George (bio) |
Adrian |
Edward Harrison |
Mr Armitage |
Nigel Betts |
CSO Matthew |
Andy Gillies |
Noah |
Nanya Campbell |
Yashe |
Joshua Warner-Campbell |
Kelvin |
Oliver Barry-Brook |
Tobias |
Ramone Morgan |
Mr Woods |
Winston Ellis |
Mrs Woods |
Gracy Goldman |
Mrs Christopholou |
Diana Katis |
Skovox Blitzer |
Jimmy Vee |
Seb |
Chris Addison |
Crew
Written by |
Gareth Roberts (bio) & |
Steven Moffat (bio) |
Directed by |
Paul Murphy (bio) |
|
Producer |
Nikki Wilson |
Stunt Coordinators |
Crispin Layfield |
Gordon Seed |
Stunt Performer |
Rashid Phoenix |
1st Assistant Director |
Jo Lea |
2nd Assistant Director |
James DeHaviland |
3rd Assistant Director |
Danielle Richards |
Assistant Directors |
Gareth Jones |
Chris Thomas |
Location Manager |
Iwan Roberts |
Location Scout |
Nick Clark |
Unit Manager |
Iestyn Hampson-Jones |
Production Manager |
Simon Morris |
Production Coordinator |
Adam Knopf |
Assistant Production Coordinator |
Sandra Cosfeld |
Production Assistants |
Matthew Jones |
Katie Player |
Assistant Accountant |
Bethan Griffiths |
Art Department Accountant |
Maria Hurley |
Script Supervisor |
Steve Walker |
Script Editors |
David P Davis |
Derek Ritchie |
Camera Operator |
Martin Stephens |
Focus Pullers |
Jonathan Vidgen |
Matthew Waving |
Grip |
John Robinson |
Camera Assistants |
Cai Thompson |
Katy Kardasz |
Gethin Williams |
Assistant Grip |
Sean Cronin |
Sound Maintenance Engineers |
Tam Shoring |
Christopher Goding |
Gaffer |
Mark Hutchings |
Best Boy |
Stephen Slocombe |
Electricians |
Gafin Riley |
Andy Gardiner |
Bob Milton |
Gareth Sheldon |
Supervising Art Director |
Paul Spriggs |
Art Director |
Vicki Stevenson |
Stand by Art Director |
Amy Pickwoad |
Set Decorator |
Adrian Anscombe |
Production Buyer |
Holly Thurman |
Prop Buyers |
Donna Shakesheff |
Helen O'Leary |
Draughtsperson |
Kartik Nagar |
Prop Master |
Paul Smith |
Props Chargehand |
Kyle Belmont |
Standby Props |
Liam Collins |
Matt Ireland |
Set Dressers |
Jayne Davies |
Mike Elkins |
Jamie Farrell |
Storeman |
Jamie Southcott |
Assistant Storeman |
Ryan Milton |
Concept Artist |
Chris Lees |
Graphic Artist |
Christina Tom |
Standby Carpenter |
Paul Jones |
Standby Rigger |
Bryan Griffiths |
Practical Electrician |
Christian Davies |
Props Makers |
Alan Hardy |
Jamie Thomas |
Props Driver |
Gareth Fox |
Construction Manager |
Terry Horle |
Construction Chargehand |
Dean Tucker |
Carpenters |
John Sinnott |
Chris Daniels |
Lawrie Ferry |
Matt Ferry |
Julian Tucker |
Mark Painter |
Joe Painter |
Tim Burke |
Head Scenic Artist |
Clive Clarke |
Scenic Painters |
Steve Nelms |
Matt Weston |
Construction Driver |
Jonathan Tylke |
Assistant Costume Designer |
Carly Griffith |
Costume Supervisor |
Claire Lynch |
Costume Assistants |
Michelle McGrath |
Gemma Evans |
Charlotte Bestwick |
Make-up Supervisor |
Emma Cowen |
Make-up Artists |
Amy Riley |
Ann Marie Williams |
Unit Medic |
Glyn Evans |
Casting Associate |
Alice Purser |
Assistant Editors |
Katrina Aust |
Carmen Sanchez Roberts |
VFX Editor |
Dan Rawlings |
Post Production Coordinator |
Samantha Price |
Dubbing Mixer |
Tim Ricketts |
ADR Editor |
Matthew Cox |
Dialogue Editor |
Darran Clement |
Simon Price |
Effects Editor |
Harry Barnes |
Foley Editor |
Jamie Talbutt |
Graphics |
BBC Wales Graphics |
Title Concept |
Billy Hanshaw |
Online Editor |
Mark Hardyman |
Colourist |
Gareth Spensley |
With Thanks to |
the BBC National Orchestra of Wales |
Conducted & Orchestrated by |
Ben Foster |
Mixed by |
Jake Jackson |
Recorded by |
Gerry O'Riordan |
Original Theme Music |
Ron Grainer |
Casting Director |
Andy Pryor CDG |
Production Executive |
Julie Scott |
Post Production Supervisor |
Nerys Davies |
Production Accountant |
Jeff Dunn |
Sound Recordist |
Deian Llŷr Humphreys |
Costume Designer |
Howard Burden |
Make-up Designer |
Claire Pritchard-Jones |
Music |
Murray Gold |
Visual Effects |
Milk |
BBC Wales VFX |
Special Effects |
Real SFX |
Prosthetics |
Millennium FX |
Editor |
Will Oswald |
Production Designer |
Michael Pickwoad |
Director of Photography |
Mark Waters |
Line Producer |
Tracie Simpson |
Executive Producers |
Steven Moffat (bio) |
Brian Minchin |
|