Abstract

On the 23rd November 1963, the BBC launched a new science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Still very much alive and kicking 46 years on, the series has seen an evolution in television drama production techniques, from the grainy black and white “studio-bound” era in the 60s, to the “location-based”, high definition single-camera approach employed now. Associate Dean Andrew Ireland, of the UK’s Bournemouth University Media School, has produced a 1960s realisation of a contemporary episode, “Tooth and Claw”, as part of his practice-based PhD that explores the evolution of television drama performance space. The episode was written by Russell T Davies and originally broadcast in 2006. How did the script have to change in order to accommodate the different production processes of the 1960s? In what ways did the “studio-bound” method ‘constrain’, and ‘liberate’ production? This session will include a screening of the 1960s remake, and will feature a talk and Q and A.