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Transforming ordinary places into extraordinary settings is Doctor Who's Location Manager, Stage Management graduate Alex Moore
The College and the legendary BBC series ‘Doctor Who’ share a long history: a whole galaxy of students and graduates have worked on the show, from musicians working on the soundtracks with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, designers working in the art, costume and puppetry departments, and stage managers keeping it all the logistics together behind the scenes, the world of Who has provided our community invaluable opportunities.
Travelling all realms of time and space requires a special combination of qualities and skills. Although he doesn't journey through these dimensions himself, RWCMD Stage Management graduate, Alex Moore, roams across Wales in pursuit of the perfect locations for Doctor Who as the Location Manager, finding places that can stand in for distant galaxies, historical settings and alternate realities.
But how did he get to work on one of the most successful TV shows of all time?
Wales: the home of Doctor Who
Working backstage for my school productions, I knew my heart was set on working in stage management.
‘I wanted to find a course that allowed me to explore the various aspects of stage management and technical theatre, and not just specialising on one element. When researching courses across the UK, it was obvious that Cardiff would offer me this and more.
But I didn’t know the extent of the opportunities on offer until I started studying. People seem to think that London is the place to be, but Wales has just as much going on’Alex MooreStage Management graduate
Stage Management – acting as a professional from day one
Getting stuck straight into the course, allowed me to follow and build on my strengths and interests, I took up every opportunity thrown my way.
Working in the theatre industry was always something I enjoyed, but I wanted to explore the world of TV and film. I love the outdoors, chatting to people and making those connections, and I was keen to see if there was a job that combine all these elements together.
The stage management course treats you as professionals from day one. You learn on the job and its flexibility means that you can specialise and explore the areas that interests you.
Never more so than when the College foyer was used to film a ‘Doctor Who’ special:
I was speaking to one of the College’s Tech Ops team who knew I was interested in TV, and they were able to arrange for me to shadow the locations team for a few days during the filming.
Entering the working world: His Dark Materials
As part of my industry placement whilst at RWCMD, I worked with Gareth Skelding, who’s been hunting down eye-catching locations for the biggest dramas shot in Wales over the past two decades.
Working alongside Gareth really opened my eyes to the world of location management and how my studies as a stage manager could be transferred across a variety of roles.
I worked as a Location Trainee on the first series of ‘His Dark Materials’ and my first day of filming was in Bute Park directly opposite the College. It really felt like a full circle moment.
A few years later I found myself back at Bad Wolf and given the opportunity to work as the location manager for ‘Doctor Who’, starting with the David Tennant and Catherine Tate specials, and onto Ncuti Gatwa’s era of the show. Now I find myself between Essex and Barry, well actually just South Wales, working on ‘Gavin and Stacey’ which has been something totally different to be part of.
Scouting for locations: Hunting down the perfect spots
So how do you really find the perfect location? For us the journey begins the moment you get the script.
On something like ‘Doctor Who’, we usually get episode scripts about six weeks in advance. We read through the storyline to find a location to fit the vision, and work with production to create a list of multiple locations that could possibly work.
It could be an historic castle, a local residential street and or we can be looking in the remote wilderness. For every location we have to consider not just the creative vision of the episode but also to practical requirements such as accessibility, safety, and availability for filming dates.
Mastering the art of seamless planning: the logistics
Behind every seamless scene on screen lies meticulous planning and coordination. A pivotal role in this is orchestrating the logistics of filming on location: arranging transportation for cast and crew and ensuring all necessary equipment and facilities are in place, anticipating any potential challenges that may arise.
It’s also essential that filming activities aren’t disruptive or disrespectful. For example, for the latest Christmas special (The Church on Ruby Road), we filmed several scenes outside a church. It was my responsibility to speak with the priest of the church, and the Church of Wales to make sure they were happy with our vision for the episode.
Collaboration, creativity and building relationships
Collaborating across the production teams, and with local communities is important to the smooth running of the filming. The location manager has to work out how to utilize the space for filming and be able to problem-solve on the fly, as well as negotiate with property owners and authorities to secure permission for filming.
One of my favourite parts of the job is building relationships with different people and the wonderful conversations you have with them. When filming ‘The Star Beast’ we used a house which belonged to a couple, and it was my job to spend time with them, explain the filming, what rooms we’d be using and to answer any concerns that they had.
Conquering one location, seeking the next: The journey continues
Once the filming is finished, it’s straight onto the next location.
When I’m watching the filming process on location, my brain is already three steps ahead thinking about the next location. We’re the problem solvers and I love it. That’s one of the key things I’ve taken away from my time studying stage management at RWCMD. We worked as professionals and if we didn’t know something, we found the person who did.
From the tutee to tutor: Investing in new talent
It really can be a small world in this industry and knowing you can rely on people to bring a top level of quality to their work, as well as be mentally prepared, is so important.
‘It’s known throughout the industry that anybody who studied at RWCMD is going to be right for the job because most of us studied there so we know the training, we know their level of experience. We had a stage management student from the College on placement with us on the last series of Doctor Who, and she fitted into our team straight away.’Alex MooreStage Management graduate
‘We're all stories in the end, just make it a good one’
The history of our community working with Doctor Who goes way back. Among them, RWCMD Fellow, graduate, and award-winning costume designer, Ray Holman, regularly engages with Design students and the College, sharing his time and knowledge of his work on Doctor Who working his material magic on humans and extra-terrestrials, including the Doctor him/herself, having designed the iconic outfits for Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker.
By bringing the show's fantastical worlds to life in captivating ways the location manager ensures the magic of the series extends far beyond our TV screens. In the words of the Doctor himself, ‘We’re all stories in the end, just make it a good one.’
So, the next time you find yourself transported to another time or place while watching Doctor Who, take a moment to think about one of the many unsung heroes behind the scenes.
