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227) DINOSAURS ON A SPACESHIP

8 September 2012

Viewing Figure: 7.57M

Plot

The Doctor lands the Tardis on an Ancient Spaceship filled with Dinosaurs to avoid it being destroyed in a missile launch

Cast

Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (Rory), Rupert Graves (Riddell), Mark Williams (Brain Williams)

David Bradley (Solomon), Riann Steele (Queen Nefertiti), Sunetra Sarker (Indira), Noel Byrne (Robot 1), Richard Garaghty (Robot 2)

Richard Hope (Bleytal), Rudi Dharmalingam (ISA Worker), David Mitchell (Robot 1 Voice), Robert Webb (Robot 2 Voice)

Crew

Chris Chibnall (Writer), Marcus Wilson (Producer), Saul Metzstein (Director), Crispin Layfield, Gordon Seed (Stunt Coordinators)

Will Willougby, Rob Cooper, Mike Lambert (Stunt Performers), Nick Brown (First Assistant Director)

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

Iwan Roberts (Location Manager), Geraint Williams (Unit Manager), Phillipa Cole (Production Manager)

Claire Hildred (Production Coordinator), Gabriella Ricci (Asst Production Coordinator), Sandra Cosfield (Production Assistant)

Rachel Vipond, Samantha Price (Production Assistants), Rhys Evans (Asst Production Accountants), Lindsay Grant (Script Supervisor) 

Joe Russell (Camera Operator), James Scott, Steve Rees (Focus Pullers), Gary Norman (Grip)

Meg de Koning, Sam Smithard, Cai Thompson (Camera Assistants), Owen Charnley (Assistant Grip) 

Jeff Welch, Chris Goding (Sound Maintenance Engineers), Mark Hutchings (Gaffer), Stephen Slocombe (Best Boy)

Bob Wilton, Gareth Sheldon, Matt Wilson (Electricians), Paul Spriggs (Supervising Art Director)

Adrian Anscombe (Set Decorator), Charlie Lynam (Production Buyer), Amy Pickwoad (Art Director)

Richard Hardy (Assistant Art Director), Donna Shakesheff (Art Department Coordinator), Paul Smith (Props Master)

Bernies Davies (Props Chargehand), Jayne Davies (Set Dresser), Austin J Curtis (Prophand) 

Phill Shellard, Helen Atherton (Standby Props), Mike Elkins, Ian Griffin, Tom Belton (Dressing Props), Christina Tom (Graphic Artist)

Chris J Lees (Graphic Designer), Helen O'Leary (Petty Cash Buyer), Will Pope (Standby Carpenter)

Bryan Griffiths (Standby Rigger), Penny Howarth, Alan Hardy, Jamie Thomas (Props Makers)

Gareth Fox (Prop Driver), Terry Horle (Construction Manager), Dean Tucker (Construction Chargehand)

Fraser Purfit (Assistant Costume Designer), Carly Griffith (Costume Supervisor)

Katarina Cappallazzi, Gemma Evans (Costume Assistants), Sara Angharard, Vivienne Simpson, Alison Sing (Make-Up Artists)

Alice Purser (Casting Associate), Becky Torman (Assistant Editor), Joel Skinner (VFX Editor)

Tim Ricketts (Dubbing Mixer), Matthew Cox (ADR Editor), Darran Clements (Dialogue Editor), Paul Jefferies (Sound Effects Editor)

Jamie Talbutt (Foley Editor), Peter Anderson Studio (Graphics), Mark Bright (Online Conform), Geraint Pari Huws (Online Editor)

Mick Vincent (Colourist), with thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted and orchestrated by Ben Foster

mixed by Jake Jacksonrecorded by Gerry O'RiordanRon Grainer (Original Theme Music), Andy Pryor CDG (Casting Director)

Julie Scott (Production Executive), Nerys Davies (Post Production Supervisor), Jeff Dunn (Production Accountant)

Deian Llyr Humphreys (Sound Recordist), Howard Burden (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), Denise Paul (Script Producer)

Diana Barton (Line Producer), Steven Moffat, Caroline Skinner (Executive Producers)  

​

Uncredited Crew

Fay Selby, Marcus Wilson (First Assistant Director), Delmi Thomas, Matthew Best (Third Assistant Director), Charlie Curran

Ryan Drawbridge-Harding (Assistant Directors), Steve Walker, Nicki Coles (Script Supervisor), Martin Peters (Grip)

Jack Gibbons, Sio Hopkins, Greg Mould, Jonathan Redhead, Jeb Hawkins, David Evans (Electricians)

Gareth Meiron Thomas (Sound Recordist), Neville Kidd, Nicki Dance (Director of Photography)

Broadcast

Filming Locations

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 6

  • Church Road, Penarth

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 2

  • Southerndown Beach, Beach Road, Dunraven Park

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 1

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 3

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 5

Deaths

  • Solomon [killed in an explosion]

  • Tricey [killed by Solomon's Robot]

Production Days

  • 15 Days between Friday 17 February - Friday 23 March 2012 

Production Errors

  1. The Doctor's sock continually change from stripy blue to black throughout the episode 

  2. The flying reptiles identified by The Doctor as 'pterodactyls are actually pteranodons 

  3. The shots of the Tardis and Solomon's ship next to the Silurian ark reveals it isn't  the size of Canada

  4. During the story, Amy's picks up a small flat white disc, which turns into a spherical ball 

  5. The shot of the Earth, as Brian has lunch  is flipped; Spain is in the east and Saudi Arab is at the west​​​

Working Titles

  • [no known working titles]

Verdict

Its Jurassic Park meets Doctor Who in this good-looking adventure where Dinosaurs, properly crafted Dinosaurs and not silly puppets run around on a spaceship which is about to be destroyed. The narrative seems old and repetitive due to Chibnall always using some sort of countdown clock in this scripts. The Doctor resort to gathering a group of friends who have never appeared in the show before to help out. The sets and direction shine with enough space to get The Doctor riding a Dinosaur to outrun a couple of stupid, blundering robots which could be exciting if it were longer. The script is exciting at moments but the greedy, bounty hunter stereotype Solomon gets old although David Bradley plays him with flair. Once you get over the over top the silly shenanigans, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship can be a truly entertaining tale. ***​

76) THE ARK IN SPACE

Number of Production Days: 5

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