Photo Album: Shire Hall - The Locations Guide to Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures

Last Alteration: Friday 25 April 2008

Shire Hall

Filming report from the Shire Hall, Monmouth, by David Kelm, 24th April 2008

Shooting took place outside the Shire Hall beside the Punch House, where scenes for The Unquiet Dead were filmed some years ago. Snow was applied and the lighting suggested a waterside scene. The shoot started at around 8 with twenty or so child actors emerging in panic from large double doors and "Rosita" shouting at them to "keep running" as they scattered for safety.

An earlier scene was then recorded with the kids being lead into the same doors by the undertaker with flashing blue cyber earpieces in. After this, a scene was recorded with two "normal" silver cybermen. The children march up to the door, with the undertaker in charge, and are shocked when the cybermen appear/turn around to face them. They panic, and some try to run, only to be scared back into line by three hissing cyber shades (not wraiths - the crew called them cyber-shades). The undertaker then said something like "Enter the court of the Cyber-King! That is an order - March!" at which point the kiddies march past the cybermen, followed by the shades, scuttling along almost like dogs, hissing as they went.

When David Tennant, David Morrissey and Derva Kirwin turned up, they rehearsed a scene where The Doctor and Rosita are spying on the kids being lead away by the cybermen. They want to follow, by the Dr says that it (the lair) will be too well guarded (some discussion from DT here over the line as scripted "It will be guarded" as they have just sene the guards, so he wanted to change it to "It will be too well guarded". They rush off in another direction, only to be shocked to find two cybermen watching them. The Dr says something like "Whoa! That's cheating, sneaking up like that! Have you got your legs on "silent"? Then Dervla Kirwin emerges to stand between the Cybermen, prompting the Dr to coax her away, saying "don't let them touch you, just come here, slowly". DK replies that she has nothing to fear from her "shining knights". The Dr says that she can't be fully cybernised so she still has free will and can break away. DK replies that she is not converted at all "no-one can make me change my mind".

I also saw then rehearse this scene further. The Dr realises that DK (Her character is called "Mrs Hartigan" or Hartinger, or similar...) is behind the cybermens plans - "and it all has to happen tomorrow, on Christmas day? That was your idea was it?" Mrs Hartinger agrees, and says something about "all of the empire" which I didn't catch. She then asks who the Doctor is and how he knows so much about her comrades (The Cybermen). The Doctor tells them who he is, but the Cybermen say that his appearance "does not match the cybermens visual record". The Dr says something about "ah well, The Doctor, Timelords, mumble mumble...". At some point in this exchange the cybermen are ordered to kill the Doctor who says "Ah well, wait a minute, let me die happy - tell me what you want the children for" Mrs H replies something like "What does anyone want children for?" followed by something I didn't catch. The Dr then throws something at the cyberman, who catches it at informs the Dr that it is ineffective against the cyber race, at which point David Morrissey steps out from behind the Cybermen and Mrs H and (this was only a rehearsal) mimed shooting them and went "boom, boom" as the Cybermen shook and shivered.

Taken: 24 Apr 2008
By: David Kelm

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