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273) THE EMPRESS OF MARS 

10 June 2017

Viewing Figure: 5.02M

Plot

The Doctor and Bill land on Mars in 1881 to find British Soldiers battling the Queen of the Ice Warriors, Iraxxa

Cast

Peter Capaldi (The Doctor), Pearl Mackie (Bill Potts) Matt Lucas (Nardole), Michelle Gomez (Missy), Anthony Calf (Godsacre)

Ferdinand Kingsley (Catchlove), Richard Ashton (Friday), Adele Lynch (Iraxxa), Glenn Speers (Sergeant Major Peach)

Ian Beattie (Jackdaw), Bayo Gbadamosi (Vincey), Ian Hughes (Knibbs), Lesley Ewen (Coolidge), Ysanne Churchman (Voice of Alpha Centauri)

Uncredited Cast

Richard Ashton, Jamie Hill, Jason Barber (Ice Warriors)

Crew

Mark Gatiss (Writer), Nikki Wilson (Producer), Wayne Yip (Director), Crispin Layfield (Stunt Coordinator)

Troy Kenchington, Andrew Burford, James O;Daly, Jonny James (Stunt Performers), Marios Hamboulides (1st Assistant Director)

James DeHaviland (2nd Assistant Director), Christoper J Thomas (3rd Assistant Director)

Rhun Llewellyn, Lauren Pate (Assistant Directors), Sean Evans, Paul Watkins (Unit Drivers), Nicky James  (Location Manager)

Beccy Jones (Unit Manager), Adam Knopf (Production Manager), Sandra Cosfield (Production Coordinator)

Nicola Chance (Assistant Production Coordinator), Virginia Bonet, Ruby Jennick, Jamie Shaw (Production Assistants)

Matthew Fisher (Assistant Accountant), Bethan Griffiths (Art Department Accountant), Nicki Coles (Script Supervisor)

Lindsay Alford (Script Executive), Nick Lambon (Script Editor), Emma Genders (Assistant Script Editor) 

Mark McQuoid (Camera Operator), Jonathan Vidgen, Elhein DE Wet (Focus Pullers)

Gethin Williams, Drew Marsden, Dan Patounas (Camera Assistants), John Johnson (Grip), Sean Cronin (Assistant Grip)

Tam Shoring, Christopher Goding (Sound Maintenance Engineers), Mark Hutchings (Gaffer), Andy Gardiner (Best Boy)

Gawain Nash, Gareth Sheldon, Bob Milton, Sion Davies, Andrew Williams (Electricians)

Paul Spriggs, Dafydd Shurmer (Supervising Art Directors), Tim Overson (Art Director), Nick Murray (Standby Art Director)

Adrian Anscombe (Set Decorator), Jen Saguaro (Production Buyer), Jo Pearce, Charlotte Lailey de Ville (Prop Buyers)

Matt Sanders (Draughtsperson), Mike Collins (Storyboard Artist), Paul Smith (Props Master), Kyle Belmont (Prop Chargehand)

Matt Ireland, Jonathan Barclay (Standby Props), Scott Howe, Nigel Magni, Matt Watts (Prop Hands), Jamie Southcott (Storeman)

Sam Lamont (Concept Artist), Lawrence Hearnn (Graphic Artist), Jack Bowes (Graphic Assistant), Paul Jones (Standby Carpenter)

Shadow Rigging (Rigging), Colin Toms (Standby Rigger), Callum Alexander, Austin Curtis (Practical Electricians)

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

John Sinnott (Chargehand Carpenter), Tim Burke, Keith Richards, Matt Ferry, Campbell Frazer, Chris Daniels, Joe Painter

George Rees, Alan Jones, Dan Berrow, Mike Venables, Tom Berrow (Carpenters), Jonathan Tylke (Construction Driver)

Jason Tylke (Construction Labourer), Clive Clarke (Head Scenic Artist)

Steve Nelms, John Nelms, Paul Murray, Debby McShane (Painters), Alan Hardy, Jamie Thomas (Model Makers)

Zoe Howerska (Assistant Costume Designer), Kat Wills (Costume Supervisor

Rebecca Cunningham, Leila Headon, Jenny Tindle (Costume Assistants), James Spinks (Make-Up Supervisor)

Megan Bowes, Lolly Goodship (Make-Up Artists), Glyn Evans (Unit Medic), Ri McDaid-Wren (Casting Associate)

Louis Constantine (Casting Assistant), Carol Griggs (Business Affairs Executive), Becky Trotman, David Davies (Assistant Editors)

Dan Rawlings (VFX Editor), Hannah Jones (Post Production Coordinator), Mark Freda, Darran Clement (Dubbing Mixers)

Matthew Cox (ADR Editor), Helen Dickson (Dialogue Editor), Harry Barnes (Sound Effects Editor)

Simon Clement (Foley Editor), Julie Ankerson (Foley Artist), BBC Wales Graphics (Titles)

Billy Hanshaw (Title Concept), Geraint Pari Huws (Online Editor), Christine Kelly (Assistant Online Editor)

Chris Rogers (Colourist), music conducted & orchestrated by Alistair Kingmusic mixed by Jake Jackson

music recorded by Gerry O'Riordan, Jack Sugden (Music Score Assistant)

Ron Grainer (Original Theme Music), with thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales 

Ice Warriors and Alpha Centauri created by Brian HylesAndy Pryor CDG (Casting Director), Gordon Ronald (Head of Production)

Tracie Simpson (Production Executive), Samantha Price (Post Production Supervisor), Simon Wheeler (Production Accountant)

Deian Llyr Humphreys (Sound Recordist), Hayley Nebauer (Costume Designer), Barbara Southcott (Make-Up Designer)

Murray Gold (Music), Milk, BBC Wales VFX (Visual Effects), Real SFX (Special Effects)

Millennium FX (Special Creature Effects & Prosthetics), Ed McDonnell (Editor), Michael Pickwoad (Production Designer)

Stuart Biddlecombe (Director of Photography), Steffan Morris (Line Producer), Steven Moffat, Brian Minchin (Executive Producers)  

Uncredited Crew

Simon Morris, Christopher J Thomas (1st Assistant Director), Rhun Llewlyn, Lauren Pate (3rd Assistant Director), Ruby Jennick

Keiran Hayhow, Ella Muir Roberts, Cat Oswald, Ella Morgan, Alyn Luker (Assistant Directors), Ben Davenport (Assistant Director [2nd Unit])

Jolyon Davey, Graham Huxtable, Dave Purnell, Brian Simkin, Darren Davies, Kevin Tucker, Owen Davies (Unit Drivers)

Lucy Noble, Heulwen Jones (Script Supervisors), Elliot Sebestyen-Regan (Assistant Grip), Jack Metcalfe (Assistant Grip [2nd Unit])

Anwen Haf (Standby Art Director), Gayle Woodsend, Beth Johnson, Emily Dawson (Costume Assistants)

Edwina Jones (Costume Assistant [2nd Unit]), Cathy Davies, Linda Corr, Meinir Jones-Lewis, Norma Webb (Make-Up Artists)

Broadcast

Filming Locations

  • Council Chamber, County Hall, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff

  • Redcliffe Caves, Redcliffe Way, Bristol

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 4

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Ext Studio 1

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 1

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 3

Deaths

  • Captain Catchlove [shot dead]

  • Vincey [crushed into a ball]

  • Soldier [crushed into a cube]​

Production Days

  • 18 Days between Friday 27 January - Thursday 23 February 2017

Production Errors

  • [no known production errors] ​​

Working Titles

  • [no known working titles]

Verdict

An average space adventure about colonisation and the greed of the British Empire which could have been so much more than it is. The Ice Warriors are back and are average unlike from their previous appearances, but Richard Ashton and Adele Lynch are excellent. The script fells very distracted filled with puns, jokes and movie references which do not put Gatiss in good light, he is so much better and so much talented than this. The plot again is pushed into the background and is not a priority which makes one wonder what they are actually watching. The episode looks nice and has moments of good direction here and there but nothing that is all that special. **

 

76) THE ARK IN SPACE

Number of Production Days: 5

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