Doctor Who is back in town

THERE was a familiar if unexpected face among the cast and crew filming a new Doctor Who episode in Cardiff yesterday.

Catherine Tate – whose character Donna Noble was written out of the last series – was with David Tennant and Bernard Cribbins in a quiet cul-de-sac in Cyncoed filming what is believed to be the Christmas special.

Tennant, 37, will face a do-or-die drama during the seasonal special and go through the process of regeneration – a change in physical form that sees the Doctor transform into his next incarnation, who will be played by 11th Doctor Matt Smith.

Yesterday’s drizzle failed to dampen the stars’ spirits, with 80-year-old Cribbins, who plays Donna’s grandad, seen sporting a pair of festive antlers after cameras started to roll.

An onlooker told the Echo: “I saw them filming inside a house when it was raining then outside again when it wasn’t. David, Bernard and Catherine were all there and seemed to be in good spirits.

“I caught a glimpse of David and Bernard having a cup of tea and a laugh together as they filmed what looked like the Christmas special. The other day, David went out during the rain to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans.”

Around a dozen fans gathered in Cyncoed to catch a glimpse of Tennant acting out his final scenes in the show. Half a dozen on-set security guards and police officers lined the road, and series fanatics said they could see the Tardis – the Time Lord’s famous time-travel machine – on standby at the set.

The Christmas episode is the one that fans have been anticipating most as the culmination of a series of four seasonal specials, the first of which will be screened on Saturday.

The Easter Special, Planet of the Dead, was filmed deep in a Dubai desert and fans will be able to see the episode on BBC One at 6.45pm.

Caleb Woodbridge, long-standing Doctor Who fan and author of series blog, A Journal of Impossible Things, said that even though the Christmas episode is more than eight months away, fans are already speculating about its plot.

“It’s a matter of great speculation and excitement. We know that David will be regenerated, but also that the show’s writer, Russell T Davies, likes his grand finales, so we expect it to be a very special episode,” the 23-year-old, of Roath, Cardiff, said.

“There are a lot of rumours floating around and fans think renegade Time Lord the Master could come back.”

It is still unclear how Davies will bid farewell to such a popular member of his cast, though he has promised the specials will involve CGI monsters, prosthetic monsters, army, police and an alien planet.

“It’s our last chance to have a bit of a laugh. Now the Doctor’s facing the end of his life, it’s going to get dark,” he said this week.

An estimated nine million viewers tuned in to watch the 2008 Easter instalment of the series.