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253) LAST CHRISTMAS

25 December 2014

Viewing Figure: 8.28M

Plot

The Doctor and Clara must safe a North Pole Research team when it's infiltrated by Kantrofarris

Cast

Peter Capaldi (The Doctor), Jenna Coleman (Clara), Nick Frost (Santa Claus), Samuel Anderson (Danny), Dan Starkey (Ian)

Nathan McMullen (Wolf), Faye Marsay (Shona), Natalie Gumede (Ashley), Maureen Beattie (Bellows), Michael Troughton (Professor Albert) 

Crew

Steven Moffat (Writer), Paul Frift (Producer), Paul Wilmhurst (Director)

Crispin Layfield, Jo McLaren, Andy Merchant (Stunt Coordinators), Belinda McGinley, Matt Crook (Stunt Performers)

Ailsa Berk (Choreographer), Scott Bates (1st Assistant Director), James DeHaviland (2nd Assistant Director)

Danielle Richards (3rd Assistant Director), Gareth Jones, Chris Thomas (Assistant Directors), Sean Evans, Kyle Davies (Unit Drivers)

Iwan Roberts (Location Manager), Nick Clark (Unit Manager), Steffan Morris (Production Manager)

Adam Knopf (Production Coordinator), Sandra Cosfield (Assistant Production Coordinator)

Matthew Jones, Jamie Shaw (Production Assistants), Bethan Griffiths (Assistant Accountant), Angela Godfrey (Script Supervisor)

Lindsay Alford (Script Executive), David P Davis (Script Editor), Mark McQuoid (Camera Operator)

Jonathan Vidgen, Jason Oxley (Focus Pullers), John Johnson (Grip), Bobby Williams (2nd Grip)

Cai Thompson, Katy Kardasz, Tom Rowe (Camera Assistants), Sean Cronin (Assistant Grip)

Tam Shoring, Christopher Goding (Sound Maintenance Engineers), Mark Hutchings (Gaffer), Francis Sparey (Best Boy)

Andrew Williams, Grant Armstrong, Rick Tombs, Pip Keeling, Dave Cornelius, Gafin Riley, Shaun Keane, Gawain Nash (Electricians)

Sian M Hughes (Supervising Art Director), Anthony Rutter (Stand by Art Director), Adrian Anscombe (Set Decorator)

Linda Morgan (Production Buyer), Vicki Male (Prop Buyers), Kartik Nagar, Alex Woodward (Draughtsmen)

Paul Smith (Props Master), Kyle Belmont (Props Chargehand), Liam Collins, Ian Davies (Standby Props)

Scott Howe, Nigel Magni (Set Dressers),  Ryan Milton (Trainee Prop Hand), Jamie Southcott (Storeman)

Chris Lees (Concept Artist), Nina Dunn (Graphic Designer), Sophie Powell, Christina Tom (Graphic Artists)

Paul Jones (Standby Carpenter), Bryan Griffiths (Standby Rigger), Christian Davies (Practical Electrician)

Alan Hardy, Jamie Thomas (Props Makers), Gareth Fox (Prop Driver), Terry Horle (Construction Manager)

Dean Tucker (Construction Chargehand)

John Sinnott, Chris Daniels, Lawrie Ferry, Matt Ferry, Julian Tucker, Joe Painter, Tim Burke, George Rees, Keith Richards (Carpenters)

Clive Clarke (Head Scenic Artist), Steve Nelms, Matt Weston (Scenic Painters), Jonathan Tylke (Construction Driver)

Carly Griffith, Karen Homer (Assistant Costume Designers), Melissa Cook (Costume Supervisor)

Michelle McGrath, Gemma Evans, Charlotte Bestwick (Costume Assistants), Ann Marie Williams (Make-Up Supervisor)

Amy Riley, Emma Cowen (Make-Up Artists), Glyn Evans (Unit Medic), Alice Purser (Casting Associate)

Katrina Aust (Assistant Editor), Dan Rawlings (VFX Editor), Samantha Price (Post Production Co-ordinator)

Tim Ricketts (Dubbing Mixer), Matthew Cox (ADR Editor), Darran Clements (Dialogue Editor), Harry Barnes (Effects Editor)

Jamie Talbutt (Foley Editor), BBC Wales Graphics (Graphics), Billy Hanshaw (Title Concept), Geraint Pari Huws  (Online Editor)

Gareth Spensley (Colourist), orchestra conducted by Ben Foster, music mixed by Jake Jackson

orchestra recorded by Gerry O'Riordan, Ron Grainer (Original Theme Music), with thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales 

Andy Pryor CDG (Casting Director), Julie Scott (Production Executive), Nerys Davies (Post Production Supervisor)

Maria Hurley (Production Accountant), Deian Llyr Humphreys (Sound Recordist), Howard Burden (Costume Designer)

Claire Pritchard-Jones (Make-Up Designer), Murray Gold (Music), Milk, BBC Wales VFX (Visual Effects)

Real SFX (Special Effects), Millennium FX (Prosthetics), Adam Trotman (Editor), Michael Pickwoad (Production Designer)

Neville Kidd (Director of Photography), Tracie Simpson (Line Producer), Steven Moffat, Brian Minchin (Executive Producers)

Uncredited Crew

Harry Bunch, Leighton Davies, Bedwyr Gullidge (Assistant Director), Matthew Jones (Assistant Director [2nd Unit])

Rob Carter, Alf Tramontin (Camera Operators), Stuart Biddlecombe, Jax Oxley (Camera Operators [2nd Unit]), Gareth Edward Evans 

Sam Vines (Focus Pullers [2nd Unit]), Dan Alexander, Russell Torode (Camera Assistants), Hannah McKimm (Camera Assistant [2nd Unit])

Andy Green, Dan McCole, Jack Crew, Lee Masters, Pete Trevena (Electricians), Tom Hopkins (Costume Assistant)

Ros Wilkins, Charlotte Giles (Make-Up Artists), Tim Surrey (Sound Recordist)

Broadcast

Filming Locations

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 3

  • Vaendre Hall, Vaendre Close, St Mellons, Cardiff

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 1

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 4

  • Pobol y Cam Lot

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 2

  • RAF St Athan, Picketston Site, St Athan

Deaths

  • Professor Albert [killed when he wakes up in the real world]

Production Days

  • 27 Days between Monday 8 September - Friday 3 October 2014

Production Errors

  1. When Clara slaps The Doctor across the face, he clutches his left side of his face, and not the right

  2. The CGI shots of Ben Ben are inaccurate and out of scale. The shots with Big Ben portray the landmark as either very tiny or the sleigh and its occupants as massive ​​

Working Titles

  • [no known working titles]

Verdict

An enjoyable Christmas special which displays that light-hearted entertainment can sometimes be the best. The script is a non-stop joy ride filled with jokes, twists and turns and an intelligent script which delves into the world of dreams and reality and displays how they can make for excellent science-fiction. The cinematography is on top of its game creating a whole series of worlds. The episode continually takes new turns which keeps everything fresh and intriguing which never thaws out. The plot is full of inside, hidden expositional clues which are kept hidden and play to the episodes’ advantage. An excellent cast who pours everything into their roles which adds the icing on the cake to this episode which is good enough to eat. ****​

 

76) THE ARK IN SPACE

Number of Production Days: 5

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