Rehearsals start...

Friday (September 7) was the first rehearsal for the play at a secret location in Portsmouth. This was a run through of Block One, which takes us up to the first appearance of the Doctor.

As extra people are needed at the start, for reasons that I can't say, then this is my chance to be seen out of costume (so to speak) as a Dalek. In fact, after David (who is playing Marc Cory) I'm the second person to appear. Excited doesn't even come close to it!

The rehearsal went very well, with lots of laughter and some serious brainstorming to make the scenes flow better. I hope that all the rehearsals will be as much fun as this and look forward to the next one, which will be covering Block Two... and the appearance of the Daleks.



In the tradition of "Production Notes" in "Doctor Who Magazine", Dalek Spy will also be slipping you a selection of words from the script to tease you with. Block One contains:

• steam
• evacuate
• statues

Here's the photos...

• Start of Act One, with me in a Hong Kong Phooey t-shirt
• Nick Scovell (The Doctor) finds David Bickerstaff (Marc Cory) and Helen Stoddart (Katarina Taylor)
• The Doctor checks on Katarina
• Tim Skedge (Bret Vyon) confronts the Doctor

Click on an image for a larger version in a new window

Going, going, (nearly) gone

Tickets are going fast, with somewhere in the region of 1600 in total now sold.

Most performances are now sold out, as is Saturday's mini-convention.

If you haven't got your ticket yet I strongly urge you to get in touch with the theatre, as this will be the last Doctor Who play that we will be able to stage.

Don't miss out!

All together now...

This week (Monday, September 3) saw the majority of the cast and crew assemble for a full read through of the script before rehearsals start. This was held at the theatre and was a fun evening.

There were some surprise guests as well, including Nick Briggs (who will be voicing the Daleks) and Martin Johnson the composer - who allowed us to listen to the score for the first time, including his kick arse main theme!

Afterwards I chatted to Nick Briggs and found him to be a very decent and sociable guy, what's more he bought me a drink as well! Top bloke as far as I'm concerned.

Also there was Sturat Currie and Ashley Nealfuller who are responsible for building the Daleks. Ashley had some photos showing the design and colours... which are a secret at the moment.

An enjoyable evening that helped everyone get thogether ahead of the rehearsald proper that start on Friday (September 7).



Dalek Spy has got some tasty treats for you! First up is a short video showing Nick Briggs in full flow as the voice of the Daleks.

• Nick Briggs voicing the Daleks - will open in a new window

Next up are three photos, these were taken on the stage and the lighting was the best so apologies for the quality.

• Cast and crew, with Nick Briggs voicing the Daleks
• Cast and crew
• Nick Scovell provides direction

Click on an image for a larger version in a new window

Lights, camera, action!

Yesterday (September 1) I found just how much time and effort is required to capture a small amount of filmed footage.

Parts of the play rely on the use of specially shot video footage that will be shown on a large screen at certain key moments. This was shot at the New Theatre Royal on the stage using the old Doctor Who favourite... CSO!

A large blue screen was erected to allow the actors to be filmed against a neutral background so that in post production this could be removed and replaced with the necessary special effects.

It was very interesting to watch as this was the first time that I had been on a proper shoot, let alone one involving effects work. What I didn't realise was that to get the 15 minutes or so required would take close on three hours. Even allowing for some multiple takes, the time was eaten away by constantly having to check and adjust the lighting levels for each section that was recorded. I can see why it takes nine moths to record a single season of Doctor Who!



Yes, Dalek Spy was also there and can give you exclusive access to some video footage showing Sara Kingdom (Laura Ford) and the Doctor (Nick Scovell) doing some blue screen work. The scene was recorded twice, once for sound with them screaming and a second time with the fan (as seen here) for interaction.

• Sara Kingdom and the Doctor - will open in a new window

There's also some photos as well, please note that the quality is not great as they were taken inbetween the filming so there is a lot of wash out from the lighting.

• Mavic Chen, played by James George
• Bret Vyon, played by Tim Skedge
• Sara Kingdom, played by Laura Ford
• Mavic Chen and the Doctor, played by Nick Scovell, face off

Click on an image for a larger version in a new window

Dalek Spy is coming...

Dalek Spy is coming to this blog shortly!

This is your chance to have a sneak peak at the rehearsals, as along with my comments and behind the scenes info about what's going on, Dalek Spy will showcase a special photo from each rehearsal and maybe even video clips...

Dalek Spy will start from next week at the script read through on 3 September. Rehearsals are being held twice a week and as I mentioned below, I'm going to be at all of them. That means plenty of material for Dalek Spy!