'You've got all time and space': B.C. director says making Doctor Who's 60th-year special was 'intimidating'

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."