Arthur Darvill, who played Eleventh Doctor companion Rory Williams, has talked about the first time he watched a rough edit of his debut Doctor Who episode, The Eleventh Hour.
The episode, which also introduced Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, first aired on 3rd April 2010, bringing in a new era of Doctor Who. Darvill recalls:
“There was this fateful day where we watched a rough cut of it with no music. The music does so much work in Doctor Who, but we watched it with no music, no VFX. So it was all just like little cartoons on the screen of Prisoner Zero and whatever. We sat in the flat with Piers [Wenger] and Beth [Willis] and Steven [Moffat], who were the producers on it, and myself, Matt, and Karen watched. I still don’t really watch myself on anything, it’s kind of traumatising. I just don’t find it very helpful, it makes me quite self-conscious. So just watching an edit of it was the first time where I was like, ‘Oh wow. This is real.’ It had the opening titles music, and as soon as that came on, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is real. It’s going to be on television and everyone’s going to watch it.'”
Despite him not watching himself on TV, Arthur says he has watched The Eleventh Hour numerous times — and who can blame him?! It’s magnificent.
He goes on:
“It was terrifying, but it really paid off, and I think that’s a testament to Steven and Piers and Beth, and everyone who made it. I think that script is incredible. Karen and Matt were just extraordinary. And we just really committed to it and had such a good time.
“That episode is one of the only ones I’ve watched more than once. Some of them I’ve never seen but I think it’s a brilliant piece of television. It’s got fairytale. The emotional setup of it is so beautiful. It establishes so many characters, establishes places, and really just relaunches the show in such a beautiful, grand, serious and funny way. Matt had, immediately, that ability to play this kooky alien who seemed both really young and really old at the same time.”
The Eleventh Hour is my favourite season opener… but that’s no great shock, seeing as it’s the beginning of both my favourite season of Doctor Who and my favourite era.
The whole thing feels magical and transports me back to happier times and places. I recall seeing the first scene on the big screen while on holiday in Plymouth, then getting back to the apartment in Bodmin we were renting to watch it in full. I was immediately enamoured with this fresh, exciting new Who.
How wonderful to have those memories.
Do you have lovely recollections of seeing Series 5 too? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
