Doctor Who Confidential (2005–2011): Season 3, Episode 6 - Monsters Inc. - full transcript
What is a monster?
I prefer to call them creatures myself.
A monster is generally something
that isn't human.
DAVIES: Moxx of Balhoon.
The best kind of monsters
are the ones that terrify you.
What you want is a combination
of suspense...
Hello.
...and then something
that doesn't disappoint.
DAVIES: The Face of Boe.
Weird and wonderful characters
for the Doctor to face.
I don't know what.
What do you think a monster is?
NARRATOR: Safely behind that sofa?
Then we'll begin.
Join Doctor Who Confidential
as we take another look at Lazarus
and celebrate the monster mayhem.
I think it's perhaps more politically
correct to call them creatures.
Okay, cut there.
NARRATOR: Doctor Who's creatures come
in many a monstrous form,
but none more beastly than Mark Gatiss.
It's brilliant, an absolute dream part,
'cause it's three villains in one.
It's a joy to cast Mark.
He's obviously been on our radar
'cause he's worked with us on scripts.
He's a fundamental part of the team,
is Mark,
and we've always been wanting
to cast him in the right thing.
This is only the beginning.
We're not just making history,
we're shaping the future, too.
It was actually very easy
to direct Mark in the old and young
'cause he does it so incredibly well.
I'm going to perform a miracle.
It is, I believe,
the most important advance
since Rutherford split the atom.
I'm going to change from 76 to 40.
You will watch and wonder.
But tomorrow, you will wake to a world
which will be changed forever.
It's a bit strange, really.
I look quite nice in the blond wig,
but it's a bit weird to be sort of ...
I like to interpret it more that
people are looking at me in a funny way
because I've obviously shed 40 years,
rather than because
I've suddenly turned into Brad Pitt.
He's a human who only wants to be young.
I'm with him on this.
What a fantastic idea,
if only it had worked.
I'd give my eye teeth
for my own genetic manipulation device.
I'd be in there.
I am Richard Lazarus.
I am 76 years old
and I am reborn!
NARRATOR: It may be Mark's dream role,
but shooting the show
has literally put years on him.
With any prosthetic, the first thing is
we need a cast of the actor's face,
and this effectively gives us
a reproduction of their head.
Onto that cast, we model the whole look,
so it's all done with wax.
And then we make moulds of that
and we fill that
with a silicon gel material.
And it's really fleshy, really stretchy.
The majority of the prosthetic
is one large piece,
50 that all gets pulled on.
He's covered in glue.
Everything's kind of glued down.
The edges are blended in.
So it's three hours in total
to get it all on there.
It's really quite freaky
talking to you like that.
To me, this is old man at BAFTA.
That's what I asked for.
Probably slightly too old to attend,
but I'm going to come anyway.
It's sensational. I'm over the moon,
and really thrilled
to work with David properly
because we've done a few things together
but we've never had much together.
We've got some proper
scenery-chewing parts in this one.
-PHOTOGRAPHER: That's great.
-Are you looking mean and moody?
-Yeah.
-Good.
DAVIES: The one thing
that's hard to find in South Wales
is things that can work in Doctor Who
as science fiction,
but modern-day settings.
You want something
that's sleek and sophisticated
and shiny and gorgeous.
And sitting right on our doorstep there
was the Senedd building,
which is the Welsh Parliament.
This is where the guests at the party
first see the creature.
They turn around and see the creature
leap from the top up there,
crash, land down on one of the tables.
The table is rigged to explode.
The legs will buckle underneath
and the thing, hopefully, will collapse.
The guests flee, basically.
Everyone down the stairs now.
Don't panic.
Into the foyer. Keep moving.
Lazarus, basically, in a rage,
starts throwing the tables,
one one way, one the other.
MARTHA: Leo!
Having a stuntman is great
because you can have somebody else
get smashed in the face
and then collect
his man points afterwards.
The tables flying,
one of which hits Leo,
have to be lightweight
because, apart from anything else,
we can't damage this location.
It's rather precious.
The Welsh Assembly wouldn't be happy
if all their slate was cracked.
I knew that Lazarus was gonna have
Mark Gatiss' face
in some way at the centre of it,
but beyond that,
I'm slightly making it up in my own head
during those scenes.
Whenever there's a monster
in Doctor Who,
we always want to make it CGI.
The Mill... I never cease to be amazed
by the size of the team.
There is something like 50
full-time people sitting at computers.
It's like a hive in there,
and each person's doing
a different thing.
The first versions that we did,
we took a whole load of photos of him.
We built his head fully in CG.
And then when we put that to the model
we were having problems.
It was just looking too much
like a human head stuck on.
And we just had to try and make him feel
a little bit more threatening,
so we added bits in
like the mouth that opens up,
really wrinkling up his face
until it kind of felt right
and it felt that
it was sitting nicely on the model.
I thought it was time to ask The Mill
for a really lively, big, cumbersome,
but lithe creature
that could move like lightning
and strike people down
and have a huge presence on the sets,
so that's what they did.
And there he is, and he's brilliant.
LEO: Mum, get back!
Everyone down the stairs now.
No! Get away from her!
Lazarus! Leave them alone.
And cut. Very good.
NARRATOR: In the past, the Doctor
has faced some frightening foes.
Just what is the secret
behind the scare?
What is a monster?
That's a very big general question,
isn't it?
It's the way it's always been.
The monsters and the Doctor.
It seems you cannot have one
without the other.
Tell me about it.
You've dabbled with aliens.
Now meet the genuine article.
I don't think there are any essential
ingredients when creating a monster.
A monster is a very pejorative term,
isn't it?
A monster is generally something
that isn't human,
but human beings can be monsters.
We say "monsters"...
I don't think you'll ever hear
the Doctor use the word monster.
Nice needlework. Shame about the face.
Oh, you are beautiful!
To him, they're not. They're aliens.
Well, you see, I don't think the Doctor
would call them monsters, of course.
Because when does an animal
become a monster?
They're generally characters that
provide a degree of jeopardy and threat
to the lives of the people involved.
I think the more rooted
in humanity they are,
that's the scarier thing.
-What are you?
-I'm the Wire.
And I'm hungry!
The broader implication is evil
and something to be feared.
And I think, as ever,
it's more interesting
if you think of each creature
on its merits.
You know, you've got to be careful
that to be alien isn't to be bad.
That's not something
you want the programme to say.
We are the Slitheen.
NARRATOR: Back in the studio,
it's not Lazarus
that's putting the fear into the Doctor.
There's a stunt being rehearsed
which is leaving him
rather hot under the collar.
This sequence is tying in
with where the Doctor
is trying to make the lab explode
by turning on all the gas taps.
David, whose idea was it
for you to do the stunt?
I was never consulted.
I just picked up the schedule and I saw
that I was there doing it myself.
It could have been mine
and I don't remember that at all.
MAN: It was yours.
I think it was just generally assumed
that it would be best if you did.
There's this whole thing
about actors doing their own stunts,
and if you don't do your own stunts,
you're in some way, I don't know,
wanting in manliness.
But the truth of the matter
is that I wouldn't be allowed to do it
unless it was completely safe.
This is usually a stuntman's job,
but they asked me if I could use David,
which made me a little bit nervous
'cause, obviously, you're talking
about your lead actor doing it.
I tested it myself
and we checked the heights of the fire
and the distance, the safety distance.
I needed to gauge it
with the heat and everything else
before I could put my main actor in it.
Have you done one before
with a fireball?
-No.
-No.
Action!
And that's cut.
-Thanks, Tom.
-You're welcome.
WOMAN: Well done, Tom.
Monsters! Coming to eat us!
What sort of monsters, sweetheart?
Is it aliens?
Defend yourself.
Don't kill him!
-What do monsters have nightmares about?
-Me!
I prefer to call them creatures myself.
A monster is generally something
that isn't human.
DAVIES: Moxx of Balhoon.
The best kind of monsters
are the ones that terrify you.
What you want is a combination
of suspense...
Hello.
...and then something
that doesn't disappoint.
DAVIES: The Face of Boe.
Weird and wonderful characters
for the Doctor to face.
I don't know what.
What do you think a monster is?
NARRATOR: Safely behind that sofa?
Then we'll begin.
Join Doctor Who Confidential
as we take another look at Lazarus
and celebrate the monster mayhem.
I think it's perhaps more politically
correct to call them creatures.
Okay, cut there.
NARRATOR: Doctor Who's creatures come
in many a monstrous form,
but none more beastly than Mark Gatiss.
It's brilliant, an absolute dream part,
'cause it's three villains in one.
It's a joy to cast Mark.
He's obviously been on our radar
'cause he's worked with us on scripts.
He's a fundamental part of the team,
is Mark,
and we've always been wanting
to cast him in the right thing.
This is only the beginning.
We're not just making history,
we're shaping the future, too.
It was actually very easy
to direct Mark in the old and young
'cause he does it so incredibly well.
I'm going to perform a miracle.
It is, I believe,
the most important advance
since Rutherford split the atom.
I'm going to change from 76 to 40.
You will watch and wonder.
But tomorrow, you will wake to a world
which will be changed forever.
It's a bit strange, really.
I look quite nice in the blond wig,
but it's a bit weird to be sort of ...
I like to interpret it more that
people are looking at me in a funny way
because I've obviously shed 40 years,
rather than because
I've suddenly turned into Brad Pitt.
He's a human who only wants to be young.
I'm with him on this.
What a fantastic idea,
if only it had worked.
I'd give my eye teeth
for my own genetic manipulation device.
I'd be in there.
I am Richard Lazarus.
I am 76 years old
and I am reborn!
NARRATOR: It may be Mark's dream role,
but shooting the show
has literally put years on him.
With any prosthetic, the first thing is
we need a cast of the actor's face,
and this effectively gives us
a reproduction of their head.
Onto that cast, we model the whole look,
so it's all done with wax.
And then we make moulds of that
and we fill that
with a silicon gel material.
And it's really fleshy, really stretchy.
The majority of the prosthetic
is one large piece,
50 that all gets pulled on.
He's covered in glue.
Everything's kind of glued down.
The edges are blended in.
So it's three hours in total
to get it all on there.
It's really quite freaky
talking to you like that.
To me, this is old man at BAFTA.
That's what I asked for.
Probably slightly too old to attend,
but I'm going to come anyway.
It's sensational. I'm over the moon,
and really thrilled
to work with David properly
because we've done a few things together
but we've never had much together.
We've got some proper
scenery-chewing parts in this one.
-PHOTOGRAPHER: That's great.
-Are you looking mean and moody?
-Yeah.
-Good.
DAVIES: The one thing
that's hard to find in South Wales
is things that can work in Doctor Who
as science fiction,
but modern-day settings.
You want something
that's sleek and sophisticated
and shiny and gorgeous.
And sitting right on our doorstep there
was the Senedd building,
which is the Welsh Parliament.
This is where the guests at the party
first see the creature.
They turn around and see the creature
leap from the top up there,
crash, land down on one of the tables.
The table is rigged to explode.
The legs will buckle underneath
and the thing, hopefully, will collapse.
The guests flee, basically.
Everyone down the stairs now.
Don't panic.
Into the foyer. Keep moving.
Lazarus, basically, in a rage,
starts throwing the tables,
one one way, one the other.
MARTHA: Leo!
Having a stuntman is great
because you can have somebody else
get smashed in the face
and then collect
his man points afterwards.
The tables flying,
one of which hits Leo,
have to be lightweight
because, apart from anything else,
we can't damage this location.
It's rather precious.
The Welsh Assembly wouldn't be happy
if all their slate was cracked.
I knew that Lazarus was gonna have
Mark Gatiss' face
in some way at the centre of it,
but beyond that,
I'm slightly making it up in my own head
during those scenes.
Whenever there's a monster
in Doctor Who,
we always want to make it CGI.
The Mill... I never cease to be amazed
by the size of the team.
There is something like 50
full-time people sitting at computers.
It's like a hive in there,
and each person's doing
a different thing.
The first versions that we did,
we took a whole load of photos of him.
We built his head fully in CG.
And then when we put that to the model
we were having problems.
It was just looking too much
like a human head stuck on.
And we just had to try and make him feel
a little bit more threatening,
so we added bits in
like the mouth that opens up,
really wrinkling up his face
until it kind of felt right
and it felt that
it was sitting nicely on the model.
I thought it was time to ask The Mill
for a really lively, big, cumbersome,
but lithe creature
that could move like lightning
and strike people down
and have a huge presence on the sets,
so that's what they did.
And there he is, and he's brilliant.
LEO: Mum, get back!
Everyone down the stairs now.
No! Get away from her!
Lazarus! Leave them alone.
And cut. Very good.
NARRATOR: In the past, the Doctor
has faced some frightening foes.
Just what is the secret
behind the scare?
What is a monster?
That's a very big general question,
isn't it?
It's the way it's always been.
The monsters and the Doctor.
It seems you cannot have one
without the other.
Tell me about it.
You've dabbled with aliens.
Now meet the genuine article.
I don't think there are any essential
ingredients when creating a monster.
A monster is a very pejorative term,
isn't it?
A monster is generally something
that isn't human,
but human beings can be monsters.
We say "monsters"...
I don't think you'll ever hear
the Doctor use the word monster.
Nice needlework. Shame about the face.
Oh, you are beautiful!
To him, they're not. They're aliens.
Well, you see, I don't think the Doctor
would call them monsters, of course.
Because when does an animal
become a monster?
They're generally characters that
provide a degree of jeopardy and threat
to the lives of the people involved.
I think the more rooted
in humanity they are,
that's the scarier thing.
-What are you?
-I'm the Wire.
And I'm hungry!
The broader implication is evil
and something to be feared.
And I think, as ever,
it's more interesting
if you think of each creature
on its merits.
You know, you've got to be careful
that to be alien isn't to be bad.
That's not something
you want the programme to say.
We are the Slitheen.
NARRATOR: Back in the studio,
it's not Lazarus
that's putting the fear into the Doctor.
There's a stunt being rehearsed
which is leaving him
rather hot under the collar.
This sequence is tying in
with where the Doctor
is trying to make the lab explode
by turning on all the gas taps.
David, whose idea was it
for you to do the stunt?
I was never consulted.
I just picked up the schedule and I saw
that I was there doing it myself.
It could have been mine
and I don't remember that at all.
MAN: It was yours.
I think it was just generally assumed
that it would be best if you did.
There's this whole thing
about actors doing their own stunts,
and if you don't do your own stunts,
you're in some way, I don't know,
wanting in manliness.
But the truth of the matter
is that I wouldn't be allowed to do it
unless it was completely safe.
This is usually a stuntman's job,
but they asked me if I could use David,
which made me a little bit nervous
'cause, obviously, you're talking
about your lead actor doing it.
I tested it myself
and we checked the heights of the fire
and the distance, the safety distance.
I needed to gauge it
with the heat and everything else
before I could put my main actor in it.
Have you done one before
with a fireball?
-No.
-No.
Action!
And that's cut.
-Thanks, Tom.
-You're welcome.
WOMAN: Well done, Tom.
Monsters! Coming to eat us!
What sort of monsters, sweetheart?
Is it aliens?
Defend yourself.
Don't kill him!
-What do monsters have nightmares about?
-Me!