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214) THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT/
DAY OF THE MOON

23 - 30 April 2011

Viewing Figures: 8.86M/7.3M

Plot

When The Doctor is shot dead by a mysterious Astronaut, his younger self and his companions travel to 1969 for answers

Cast

Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (Rory), Alex Kingston (River Song)

Mark Sheppard (Canton Delaware), William Morgan Sheppard (Old Canton Delaware), Marnix Van Den Broeke (The Silent)

Stuart Milligan (President Richard Nixon), Chuk Iwuji (Carl), Mark Griffin (Phil), Sydney Wade (Little Girl), Nancy Baldwin (Joy)

Kieran O'Connor (Prison Guard), Adam Napier (Captain Simmons), Henrietta Clemett (Matilda), Paul Critoph (Charles)

Emilio Aquino (Busboy), Kerry Shale (Doctor Renfrew), Glenn Wrage (Gardner), Jeff Mash (Grant), Tommy Campbell (Sergeant)

Peter Banks (Doctor Shepherd), Frances Barber (Eye Patch Lady), Ricky Fearon (Tramp)

​

Uncredited Cast

Dean Anderson, Kwesi Gepi Attee, Azhar Miah, Sam Steeper, Gavin Clark (Storm Cage Guards). Marcel Cozza (Astronaut [in lake])

Chester Durrant (Astronaut), Mark Gittleman, John Gullo, Jamie Hill, Iestyn Hampson Jones (Silents), Marcel Cozza, Mark Gittleman

John Gullo, Kristian Arthur, Matthew Doman, Ian Darlington Roberts, Dennis Gregory (Men in Black)

Crew

Steven Moffat (Writer), Toby Hayes (Director), Marcus Wilson (Producer), Martin Curry (1st Assistant Director)

James DeHaviland (2nd Assistant Director), Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch (3rd Assistant Director), Michael Curtis (Assistant Director)

Iwan Roberts (Location Manager), Rhys Griffiths (Unit Manager), Geriant Williams (Location Assistant)

David Mason (Line Producer (US)), Steffan Morris (Production Manager), Claire Hildred (Production Coordinator)

Helen Blyth (Asst Production Coordinator), Scott Handock (Production Secretary), Charlie Coombes (Production Assistant)

Rhys Evans (Asst Production Accountant), Lindsay Alford (Script Executive), Caroline Henry (Script Editor)

Caroline Holder (Script Supervisor), Joe Russell (Camea Operator), Steve Rees, John Vidgen (Focus Pullers), Gary Newman (Grip)

Simon Ridge, Svetlana Miko, Matthew Lepper (Camera Assistants), Owen Charnley (Assistnt Grip) 

Jeff Welch, Dafydd Parry (Sound Maintenance Engineers), Mark Hutchings (Gaffer), Pete Chester (Best Boy)

Ben Griffiths, Bob Milton, Stephen Slocombe, Alan Tippets (Electricians), Crispin Layfield (Stunt Co-ordinator)

Jo McLaren (Stunt Performer), Stephen Nicholas (Supervising Art Director), Julian Luxton (Set Decorator), Ben Morris (Production Buyer)

Amy Pickwoad  (Standby Art Director), Jackson Pope (Assistant Art Director), Richard Shaun Williams (Concept Artist)

Paul Aitken (Props Master), Catherine Samuel (Props Buyer), Rhys Jones (Props Chargehand)

Phill Shellard, Katherine Archer (Standby Props), Martin Broadbent, Kristin Wilsher (Dressing Props), Christina Tom (Graphic Artist)

Julia Jones (Draughtsman), Dan Martin (Design Assistant), Kate Wilson (Petty Cash Buyer), 

Will Pope (Standby Carpenter), Bryan Griffiths (Standby Rigger), Helen Atherton (Standby Painter), Jayne Davies (Store Person) 

Penny Howarth, Nicholas Robatto (Props Makers), Medard Mankos (Props Driver), Albert James (Practical Electrician)

Matthew Hywel-Davies (Construction Manager), Scott Fisher (Construction Chargehand), BBC Wales Graphics (Graphics) 

Caroline McCall (Asst Costume Designer), Bobbie Peach (Costume Supervisor)

Jason Gill, Yasemin Kascioglu, Emma Jone (Costume Assistants), Pam Mullins (Make-Up Supervisor) 

Vivienne Simpson, Allison Sing (Make-Up Artists), Alisa Berk (Choreographer), Beewan Athwal (VFX Producer)

Alice Purser (Casting Associate), Becky Torman (Assistant Editor), Cat Gregory (VFX Editor), Nerys Davies (Post Prod Supervisor) 

Marie Brown (Post Prod Co-ordinator), Tim Ricketts (Dubbing Mixer), Matthew Cox, Darran Clements (Dialogue Editors)

Paul Jefferies (Sound Effects Editor), Matthew Cox (ADR Editor), Jamie Talbutt (Foley Editor), Jeremy Lott (Online Editor)

Mick Vincent (Colourist), Mark Bright (On-line Conform), with thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

conducted and orchesterated by Ben Foster, mixed by Jake Jackson, recorded by Gerry O'Riordan

Ron Grainer (Original Theme Music), Andy Pryor CDG (Casting Director), Julie Scott (Production Executive)

Dyfed Thomas (Production Accountant), Bryn Thomas (Sound Recordist), Barbara Kidd (Costume Designer)

Barbara Southcott (Make-Up Designer), Murray Gold (Music), The Mill (Visual Effects), Real SFX (Special Effects)

Prosthetics (Millennium FX), Tim Porter (Editor), Michael Pickwoad (Production Designer), Stephen Pehrsson (Director of Photography)

Diana Barton (Line Producer), Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger, Beth Willis (Executive Producers)  

​

Uncredited Cre

Sarah Davies (1st Assistant Director), Jenny Morgan (Assistant Director), Nicky Coles (Script Supervisor), Balazs Bloygo (Camera Operator)

Mani Paliwala Blaxter, Julius Ogden (Focus Pullers), Cameron Lovegrove, Clive Baldwin (Grip)

Marcel Cozza, Tom Lucy (Stunt Co-ordinator), Paul Jones (Standby Carpenter), Dave Mount Stephens (Standby Rigger), Emma Bevan

Elle Kent, Nikki Lightfoot, Caroline Thorpe, Maria Franchi, Rosie Flood, Maxine Brown (Costume Assistants)

Cathy Davies, Ros Wilkins (Make--Up Artists), Ray Parker (Sound Recordist), Balazs Bloygo (Director of Photography)

Broadcast

Filming Locations

  • Tredegar House, Newport

  • Avondale Crescent, Grangetown

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 1

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 2

  • Le Monde, 60 St Mary Street, Cardiff

  • Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cathays Park, Cardiff

  • Cadogan House, West Bute Street, Cardiff Bay

  • Eddie's Dinner, Mermaid Quarry, Cardiff Bay

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 5

  • Millennium Stadium Underground Car Park, Westgate Street, Cardiff

  • Millennium Stadium [Level 6], Westgate Street, Cardiff

  • The Coal Exchange, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay

  • Crockherbtown Lane, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff

  • Troy House, Mitchel Troy, Monmouth

  • Johnsey Estates, Mamhilad Park Industrial Estate South, Pontypool

  • Earth Tunnel; POW Camp-Big Hunt; Main Warehouse

  • Area behind Unit 878, Picketson Site, MOD St Athan, St Athan, Barry

  • Cardiff University Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 6

  • Valley of the Gods, Utah, USA

  • Monument Valley, Utah, USA

  • Lake Powell (Lakeside); Glen Canyon Dam, Page, Arizona, USA

  • Fillcare, Lanlay Road, Pontyclun, Llantrisant

Deaths

  • Joy [disintegrated by a Silent]

  • Silents [blasted by River Song and killed by humans]

Production Days

  • 29 Days between Wednesday 13 October 2010 - Thursday 27 January 2011

Production Errors

  1. When Amy first sees a Silent at Lake Silcenio, she can be seen turning her head towards Rory twice 

  2. When The Doctor approaches the Astronaut, he has a wine bottle in his head. The bottle vanishes in the next shot

  3. The School Bus seems to vanish after Rory and Amy get off 

  4. The Astronaut does not put its visor back down when walking back into the lake

  5. When The Doctor exits the Tardis, he opens the right door, but enters the Oval Office through the left door 

  6. A boom microphone can be seen behind the Agent who Amy talks to outside the toilet 

  7. When the Silence gets ready to kill, electricity can be seen flying into its body, but not in the mirror 

  8. When River backs towards the edge of the building, she is still a few inches away from the ledge when she falls 

  9. The cloth which Doctor Renfew holds moves back and forth between his left and right hand ​​​

Working Titles

  • Look Behind You

Verdict

Totally out of control and so lacking in plot it makes one wonder if they should care about anything. The casting of Richard Nixon is one of the worst compared to other historical figures how have appeared in the show – 169, 180, 195 etc. The whole River Song/Doctor backwards timelines arc begins to confuse and will continue to do so throughout the entire season. They just continue to hammer it in that everything is backwards and forwards depending on which character you pay attention to. The Silents are spooky and eerie at first and are brilliantly voiced by director Toby Haynes but why does the plot have to drag them into the whole Man goes to the Moon and mysterious orphan in the spacesuit plots? Both are just so unrelated, and the two-parter should have concentrated on just one. Amy and Rory are on a downward spiral each getting worse by the episode. Whilst the Orphanage scenes are well realised they do nothing except tell the audience that the Orphanage Girl has a special connection to Amy. I wonder what it could be, she could not possibly be her daughter. There is a picture of Amy holding a new born baby. Amy did say she was pregnant which she is, technically. No suspense. If the two-parter reverted to showing the audience the important stuff than tell them everything this be would a fine couple of episode. As it is nothing drags you in and the money was poorly spent. *​

76) THE ARK IN SPACE

Number of Production Days: 5

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