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Doctor Who boss on "risky" Midnight: "None of us had any idea if that script worked"
"We sat there going, 'Does that work?' – but it was too late."
BBC
- James Hibbs
- , Morgan Jeffery
Published: Wednesday, 26 June 2024 at 3:25 pm
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Whenever fans are making a list of their favourite Doctor Who episodes, one which is quite frequently near the top is Midnight, the experimental, dialogue-heavy episode in season 4.
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The 2008 instalment saw David Tennant's Tenth Doctor getting stuck on a shuttle on a tour of a diamond planet, along with a group of frightened tourists and an entity which copied their every word. It featured the likes of Colin Morgan and David Troughton in the guest cast, while Lesley Sharp played Sky Silvestry, the woman who was possessed by the entity.
However, it turns out that Russell T Davies and his team didn't know the hit they had on their hands with the episode while they were making it, as the Doctor Who showrunner has described it as "a big risk".
Speaking at a BAFTA event called A Life in Pictures, he said of Midnight: "It was so risky, that one. I love that one. None of us had any idea if that script worked. It was quite hard to follow on the page."
Lesley Sharp and David Tennant in Doctor Who. BBC
He went on to describe the episode's "terrible read-through", explaining: "Poor Lesley had to sit there with all the cast around the table and she simply said all their lines with them and we sat there going, 'Does that work?' – but it was too late, we'd booked them all and we were due in studio.
"I can't tell you what a phenomenal edit that is. There's micro-edits in there to sync up – because no two human beings could ever be quite that synced with each other."
Read more:
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Alice Troughton, who directed the episode, was full of praise for Davies's writing in a previous interview with RadioTimes.com, saying: "Russell's writing in that… I don't ignore anything that Russell writes, including full stops and apostrophes, because his writing is so precise and so glowing, that it offers itself up to you and you follow it.
"It’s just how having a superb writer next to you can liberate you as the director."
She was also praising of the episode's stars, adding that she owes "all of Midnight to that amazing ensemble, Lesley Sharp and David Tennant".
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Doctor Who will return at Christmas on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Authors
James HibbsDrama Writer
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
Morgan Jeffery
Morgan Jeffery is as a TV and Film expert and has appeared on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
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