'You've got all time and space': B.C. director says making Doctor Who's 60th-year special was 'intimidating'
CBC
Vancouver filmmaker Rachel Talalay already won widespread acclaim — and an award — for the episodes of Doctor Who she directed.
But being invited back into that chair for one of the BBC's three special episodes marking the science fiction franchise's 60th anniversary still made her a bit nervous, she admitted.
"There's nothing more intimidating than a show that's been on for 60 years and crazed fans," she said in an interview with CBC's On The Coast. "There's a reason that it's the longest-running science fiction show ever."
Talalay, formerly an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia's department of theatre and film, directed the episode Star Beast, which aired Nov. 25 as the first of three specials rolling out ahead of the launch of the show's fourteenth season — or Series 14, as it is known by U.K. audiences.
The program reunited fan favourites David Tennant in the role of the Doctor, and comedian Catherine Tate as his companion, Donna Noble, after the pair last appeared in the show together in 2010. It also introduced Yasmin Finney to the series, playing Noble's 15-year-old daughter.
Talalay said working with Tennant, who last played the Doctor in 2013, was a delight, and that he was overjoyed to be back in the role.
"There's a scene where he ... runs through the entire set, and that's pure joy. There's no acting there," she said. "It was a very special event for everyone."
According to the industry publication RadioTimes, the special had an initial audience of 5.08 million people in the U.K., making it one of the biggest programs of the year. It also received positive reviews in both The Guardian and the Sunday Telegraph, with both publications praising the special as a return to form for the long-running series.
Outside of the U.K., the program is available on the streaming platform Disney Plus, where it debuted in the top five programs on the service in multiple countries, including Canada, according to online ratings aggregator FlixPatrol.
Talalay said she got to watch the episode debut in front of an audience of about 800 fans at a Doctor Who convention in Chicago, where it received a standing ovation.
"The reward was incredible to watch it like that."
The director said the magic of the series, since its launch in 1963, is not just its universe of time-travel and alien civilizations, but how much it has always had to say about being human.
"If you're a fan, you understand that it's not just any old time travel show," she explained. "It's very scary and yet it's very loving.
"It's the history of these beautiful monsters and these companions who are very, very human."
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Four in five of the wildfires so far in Saskatchewan this year have been caused by humans — the vast majority of them accidentally. But experts say part of the reason they've spread so far, so fast, is another human factor: climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Just a block away from the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan there's a garden uniting green thumbs in Lloydminster.
Shelley Lindaas has long dreamed of seeing a Kermode bear cub in person.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report outlining the events leading to the death of Erixon Kabera answered some questions for his family and friends, but many remain.
Syed Hassan says he doesn't like to complain much. But when his wife told him she got a parking ticket on Thursday night, he knew he needed to speak out.
Following the public outcry over the Jian Ghomeshi case, some legal scholars and sexual assault survivor advocates lauded changes made to the Criminal Code that would prevent defence lawyers from surprising complainants at trial with past emails or text messages with the defendant.
The Waterloo Region District School Board has been talking a lot about the word "family" this month.
At Pedro's Island Eatery in North Rustico, owner Pedro Gameiro has long been not a fan of using seed oils for frying
The parking lot of the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse was full on Friday, and the building surrounded by well-dressed young people and their proud families. Despite the smoky conditions in the city, there was much to celebrate.
Toronto has moved one step closer to allowing fiveplexes and sixplexes in neighbourhoods across the city.
Warning: Some readers may find photos in this story distressing.
Fifty years ago this fall the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States met in a castle outside Paris for three days of meetings, at the conclusion of which they issued the Declaration of Rambouillet, a 15-point statement of principles and commitments.
An Iranian woman living in Newfoundland and Labrador says she's watching attacks between Israel and Iran with worry for her family back home.