0:00:00 > 0:00:04# Welcome to behind the scenes On Doctor Who
0:00:04 > 0:00:07# I hope you enjoy the show. #
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Welcome behind the scenes
0:00:10 > 0:00:13of a swashbuckling episode of Doctor Who.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15This episode has it all -
0:00:15 > 0:00:18not one...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19but two heroes.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20En garde!
0:00:20 > 0:00:21A gang of outrageous men...
0:00:21 > 0:00:22THEY CHEER
0:00:22 > 0:00:25..and, of course, an evil villain.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28So I hope you're ready,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32as we're about to shoot through how they revamped this classic tale.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Yes, this timeless British folklore
0:00:42 > 0:00:45was a perfect target for a Doctor Who regeneration.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48You really are Robin Hood and his Merry Men.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50THEY CHEER
0:00:50 > 0:00:54And it was left to Mark Gatiss to scribe this cunning caper.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57We caught up with Mark during a set visit
0:00:57 > 0:00:59to find out how this unique combination came about.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04Well, Steven asked me to do the Doctor meets Robin Hood with robots,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and I've always been a huge fan of Robin Hood stories
0:01:07 > 0:01:08so it was a joy to do.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11The weird thing is, the script calls for the weather
0:01:11 > 0:01:13to be almost too sunny.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15As I was writing the words
0:01:15 > 0:01:16I thought, "This is a hostage to fortune."
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Cardiff - it's going to pour down.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20And, amazingly, this week it's been brilliant.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Like I said, very sunny.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Climate change?
0:01:25 > 0:01:27It's a real romp but with a serious intent.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30It's really about the Doctor wrestling with the idea
0:01:30 > 0:01:31that he's a hero
0:01:31 > 0:01:34by really meeting the greatest hero in English folklore.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Stop!
0:01:36 > 0:01:38The laughing. Are you all simple?
0:01:38 > 0:01:40The Doctor may not have liked the banter
0:01:40 > 0:01:42from this motley crew of outlaws,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45but Peter sure did love having them on set.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47It's great to have all the Merry Men here
0:01:47 > 0:01:50and to have Tom Riley as Robin, who's doing a fantastic job.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52There is no contest!
0:01:52 > 0:01:53THEY LAUGH
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Tom's delivering all those lines
0:01:55 > 0:01:58with a buoyancy and liveliness.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00To be standing around
0:02:00 > 0:02:02with a hat with a feather in it and tights on,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04it's hard to pull all that off.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07It's about time we met this legendary hero
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and found out how he felt
0:02:09 > 0:02:11about appearing in an episode of Doctor Who.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I've basically been a fan of Doctor Who for my entire life,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16and so being able to be part of it
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and to come on to the production and see how it's made
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and spend some time with the new Doctor,
0:02:21 > 0:02:22it's a dream come true.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25And it was Mark Gatiss who put Tom forward for the part,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28but Tom failed to contain his excitement when he got the call.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30You want to play it cool. You know, you want to be a bit like,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33"Yeah, you know, maybe I'll just read the script, Mark,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35"and I'll get back to you." And instead, I sort of said, "Yes!"
0:02:35 > 0:02:37And he said, "Do you want to read it?"
0:02:37 > 0:02:39"Yes, of course! I mean, yes, I want to read it."
0:02:39 > 0:02:40It's a show you want to be part of,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and Mark's episodes are great, he's a fantastic writer,
0:02:43 > 0:02:44so I'm really lucky.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Tom may have said yes straightaway
0:02:45 > 0:02:49but he was still nervous about playing such an iconic role.
0:02:49 > 0:02:50It's always a privilege
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and a little bit terrifying
0:02:52 > 0:02:55to play someone that the world already has a set fixed idea of,
0:02:55 > 0:03:00and so it's been really fun playing with expectations,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02playing with the idea of who Robin Hood is.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It's been a challenge, but it's been such fun.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I haven't had this much fun in years!
0:03:09 > 0:03:10ALL: Yeah!
0:03:10 > 0:03:13And it wasn't just Tom having a great time,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Jenna quite enjoyed this episode, too.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18It felt like stepping into a story book.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I think the scene where we had all of the Merry Men in their cavern,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23you felt like you could just turn a page
0:03:23 > 0:03:25and that's what it would look like.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Well, it's realistic, I'll give you that.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28And also Peter and Tom on set
0:03:28 > 0:03:31are just absolutely hilarious together.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35I was literally going home exhausted from laughing so much.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36I was getting a bit too hysterical
0:03:36 > 0:03:38so I had to go sit away from them
0:03:38 > 0:03:41so that they couldn't make me laugh any more.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Right! That isn't even funny.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45An episode featuring Robin Hood wouldn't be complete
0:03:45 > 0:03:49without the classic villain the Sheriff of Nottingham,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51played by Ben Miller.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I had a fantastic scene with Jenna
0:03:53 > 0:03:57where I was kind of trying to seduce her
0:03:57 > 0:03:59to become my queen,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I have designs on the English throne.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Doesn't every king need a consort?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08But what did Ben think
0:04:08 > 0:04:10of playing this evil man?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13He's a really, really fun character to play.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Hopefully he's menacing. I think he's quite menacing.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18He's certainly not someone I'd like to get mixed up with!
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Oh, he was brilliant.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23He really struck a clever, clever balance
0:04:23 > 0:04:25of the smarmy Sheriff,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29but underneath you could see him kind of calculating,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and also definite anger-management issues...
0:04:32 > 0:04:35that would suddenly come out on a random line.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37The world!
0:04:37 > 0:04:40He's just a very clever villain, I think he was brilliant.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Oi! What you doing here?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46This episode was quite a romp,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and Ben was quite taken with our Doctor Who twist
0:04:49 > 0:04:50of the Robin Hood tale.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Not only do I love Doctor Who,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56but I've always loved the legend of Robin Hood.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57Would you now?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59It's a wonderful thing about Doctor Who,
0:04:59 > 0:05:00is you can visit a Western
0:05:00 > 0:05:03or suddenly visit an episode of Robin Hood.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05It's one of the fantastic freedoms
0:05:05 > 0:05:07that you have is these tremendous one-offs.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09No!
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Robin Hood isn't the first legendary figure,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14who's crossed the Doctor's path.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Not by a long shot.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Very early on in the Doctor's travels he met Marco Polo
0:05:21 > 0:05:23and, in the same adventure,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25he encountered the legendary Kublai Khan
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and promptly gambled away the TARDIS
0:05:27 > 0:05:30when he lost a game of backgammon with him.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32The Doctor's old pal Winston Churchill
0:05:32 > 0:05:35also tried to get his hands on the TARDIS.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38And talking of time machines,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41the author of The Time Machine, HG Wells,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45helped the Doctor defeat this nasty piece of work, the Borad.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47But what is it with the Doctor and writers?
0:05:47 > 0:05:50The Ninth Doctor teamed up with Charles Dickens,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and together they stopped the mischievous Gelth.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56The Tenth Doctor had more literary liaisons,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58battling the Carrionites with Shakespeare
0:05:58 > 0:05:59and solving the mystery
0:05:59 > 0:06:03of the Vespiform with Agatha Christie.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Of course, the Doctor has caught the eye
0:06:05 > 0:06:08of plenty of queens from Earth's history.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10The Eleventh Doctor even came face to face
0:06:10 > 0:06:13with the legendary Egyptian ruler, Queen Nefertiti,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15who took quite a shine to him.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18In fact, she wasn't the first historical figure
0:06:18 > 0:06:21who had designs on becoming the time traveller's wife.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24He had a small fling, a "flingette with Reinette",
0:06:24 > 0:06:27also know as Madame de Pompadour.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30And there was a right royal romance with Queen Elizabeth I
0:06:30 > 0:06:33that ended in marriage.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34To be fair to the Doctor,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38he couldn't be sure his apparent bride wasn't a Zygon.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Either way, after the ceremony, he was "Zygon" in 60 seconds,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and so when Elizabeth did finally catch up with him
0:06:44 > 0:06:47she was happy for her bowmen to have him in their sights.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50And speaking of bowmen,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53this classic tale wouldn't have been complete
0:06:53 > 0:06:55without one particular famous scene.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Today we're filming the grand tournament,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00the famous Robin Hood moment
0:07:00 > 0:07:02where Robin splits the arrow.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05It's a famous bit of Robin Hood lore,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07so I had to put it in the script.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Of course it would have been criminal
0:07:09 > 0:07:10not to include this tournament,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13and with archery being a Robin Hood trademark,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Tom soon had to learn how to use a bow and arrow.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18I used to do archery when I was a kid, like, in the Scouts,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and I was OK at it and I'd kind of forgotten that I ever did it
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and suddenly I can pick up a bow and arrow and it all feels very natural.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26It's quite fun. I keep saying "fun".
0:07:26 > 0:07:28That's the thing about Doctor Who - it's fun!
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Whether they could shot a bow and arrow or not,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33all our cast members were trained
0:07:33 > 0:07:35and under the supervision of an archery expert.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39I am the real Robin Hood.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I'm actually in the Guinness Book of Records
0:07:41 > 0:07:43for shooting the most amount of arrows in one minute.
0:07:43 > 0:07:4519 hits.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Well, you're definitely the man for the job,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49but who has impressed Dean most?
0:07:49 > 0:07:51They've all done really well actually.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53I showed Tom the other day, and he shot some arrows
0:07:53 > 0:07:57and he actually hit the gold three times out of eight arrows,
0:07:57 > 0:07:58so, yeah, he's a natural.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Sorry!
0:08:02 > 0:08:04I just keep getting bull's-eyes by accident.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Although the actors were expertly trained,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08the Doctor Who special effects team
0:08:08 > 0:08:11had to help them split the arrows in two.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Danny Hargreaves and his team oversaw this effect
0:08:13 > 0:08:16as it required specialist knowledge.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17But how was it done?
0:08:17 > 0:08:20What we're doing on this funky rig that you can see here,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24we've got six arrows lined up in order.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25We pull the arrow up
0:08:25 > 0:08:27onto the bow, fire it,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29hits the spot using the cable,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and then the idea is that, the second one,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35we do exactly the same thing and it will split the arrow.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Now we've only tested it very briefly and it was very successful.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41We're quietly confident it's going to work.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Well, Danny, now it's time for the big moment.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Three, two, one!
0:08:47 > 0:08:48CHEERING
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Nice! Time to shoot the rest.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53With the arrows fired successfully,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56it's another job well done for the effects team.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59They all split and they all hit the mark, so I'm happy.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03It wasn't only the fantastic special archery
0:09:03 > 0:09:05that caught our eye in this episode.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07We also had some wonderful period costumes.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10There was like a Clara's modern version
0:09:10 > 0:09:12of wanting to be Maid Marian,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I think, so that was very fun.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16Clara may have liked her costume,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18but the Doctor didn't even get a look in.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21I quite like the fact that I don't have a period costume in this,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24because it means I cut more of a swathe through them all,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26otherwise I'd just disappear.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Although the costumes looked the part,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31they weren't the most comfortable for the cast.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Yes, the costume is a little tight.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35It's tight in all the wrong places.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39I currently can't feel my ankles, but these are pretty tight trousers.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I'm full-on skinny-jeans Robin Hood.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42So, don't you like your costume?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44It's lovely, it's just hot, you know,
0:09:44 > 0:09:45it's hot to sword-fight in,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49it's hot to jump about on beams and roof-to-roof under studio lights in
0:09:49 > 0:09:51with the leather pressed against your skin.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53And just like their costumes, things got really heated
0:09:53 > 0:09:56when these two archenemies had their epic duel.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00I have a sword fight with Robin Hood
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and there's a lot of sort of jumping up on beams and ropes
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and a lot of kind of derring-do in our swordplay.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09That's all been great fun to rehearse
0:10:09 > 0:10:11and I've never done a sword fight before,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13so that's really good fun.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14I'm all right at sword-fighting.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I've done a lot of sword-fighting for stage.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18It's quite different, sword-fighting for stage than TV.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21On stage you're actively trying not hit each other,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23but with TV you have to make it look like it can connect.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26First of all, just concentrate on getting the moves right,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28but then, as you progress,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31you actually want to really try and hit the other person
0:10:31 > 0:10:34where you are supposed to be hitting them.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Are you still talking?!
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Argh!
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Well, it appears the Sheriff was the better swordsman after all.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Bow down before your new King.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47But someone is a bit of a sore loser
0:10:47 > 0:10:49The Sheriff didn't beat me.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53I mean, what are you talking about, am I'm gutted the Sheriff beat me?
0:10:53 > 0:10:54The Sheriff didn't beat me.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57When does the Sheriff of Nottingham ever beat Robin Hood in the end?
0:11:00 > 0:11:02The Sheriff may have been beaten in the end,
0:11:02 > 0:11:03but it wasn't as easy
0:11:03 > 0:11:06when Tom went toe-to-toe with the Doctor.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Me and Peter had a fantastic fight -
0:11:08 > 0:11:11the Doctor with a spoon versus Robin with a sword.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13This is my spoon!
0:11:13 > 0:11:14En garde!
0:11:14 > 0:11:17The Doctor's sword skills are impressive, to say the least.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Even the Doctor had a fencing match with Robin,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23but how did Peter get on with such a technical scene?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I'm just useless at all that stuff,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29any kind of, you know, physical activity, dancing or anything.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It's one of those things you have to just keep practising,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34you have to absorb it into your muscle memory.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36And there's dialogue with it as well.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Errol Flynn!
0:11:38 > 0:11:40It all looks easy. That's the trick of all this stuff,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43is to try and make it look effortless
0:11:43 > 0:11:44but, believe me, it's not.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48After a hard day's filming,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Peter got a nice surprise on set.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52I didn't tell anybody,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55because you reach a certain age when you just don't want to
0:11:55 > 0:11:57make a fuss or anything,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00but the runners had put all balloons and happy-birthday banners
0:12:00 > 0:12:01up in my trailer
0:12:01 > 0:12:03and bought me wonderful gifts
0:12:03 > 0:12:05and there was a cake on set.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Everybody was just so kind.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09It was lovely, it was absolutely great.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12With another episode complete,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14there's only one more thing left to say.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Thanks for watching!
0:12:16 > 0:12:18THEY LAUGH