"Doctor Who"
The Fires of Pompeii (2008)

Director:

Colin Teague

Writer:

James Moran (written by)

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (2005)

Original Air Date:

12 April 2008 (Season 4, Episode 2)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Doctor and Donna visit Pompeii in AD 79, on the eve of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. |

Plot Keywords:

Unlikely Hero | Man With No Name | Eccentricity | Reincarnation | Telephone Box

Cast

David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Catherine Tate	...	Donna Noble
Phil Cornwell	...	Stallholder
Karen Gillan	...	Soothsayer
Sasha Behar	...	Spurrina
Lorraine Burroughs	...	Thalina
Peter Capaldi	...	Caecillius
Tracey Childs	...	Metella
Francesca Fowler	...	Evelina
François Pandolfo	...	Quintus
Victoria Wicks	...	High Priestess
Gerard Bell	...	Major Domo
Philip Davis	...	Lucius (as Phil Davis)

Directed by
Colin Teague

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Moran		written by

Produced by
Guido Cerasuolo	....	line producer: Italy
Phil Collinson	....	producer
Russell T. Davies	....	executive producer
Julie Gardner	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Murray Gold

Cinematography by
Ernest Vincze		(director of photography) (as Ernie Vince)

Film Editing by
Mike Hopkins

Casting by
Andy Pryor

Production Design by
Edward Thomas

Art Direction by
Arwel Jones		(supervising art director) (as Arwel Wyn Jones)

Costume Design by
Louise Page

Makeup Department
Pam Mullins	....	makeup artist
John Munro	....	makeup artist
Morag Smith	....	makeup artist
Steve Smith	....	makeup artist
Barbara Southcott	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Chris Blatchford	....	post-production supervisor
Rhys Griffiths	....	unit manager
Samantha Hall	....	post-production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sarah Davies	....	third assistant director
Jennie Fava	....	second assistant director
Dan Mumford	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Scott Fisher	....	construction chargehand
Raffaella Giovannetti	....	assistant set decorator
Jon Grundon	....	props maker
Matthew Hywel-Davies	....	construction manager
Barry Jones	....	senior propmaker
Phil Lyons	....	property master
Jamie MacWilliam	....	stand-by art director
Jonathan Marquand Allison	....	art department production manager (as Jonathan Allison)
Nick Murray	....	stand-by props
Stephen Nicholas	....	chief supervising art director
James North	....	associate designer
Sarah Payne	....	design assistant
Amy Pope	....	art department coordinator
Will Pope	....	stand-by carpenter
Catherine Samuel	....	props buyer
Phil Shellard	....	stand-by props (as Phill Shellard)
Shaun Williams	....	storyboard artist
Ellen Woods	....	stand-by painter

Sound Department
Kelly-Marie Angell	....	foley editor (as Kelly Angell)
Julian Howarth	....	sound recordist
Paul Jefferies	....	sound effects editor
Paul McFadden	....	supervising sound editor
Tim Ricketts	....	dubbing mixer
Bryn Thomas	....	boom operator
Jeff Welch	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Ben Ashmore	....	special effects coordinator
Neill Gorton	....	prosthetics designer
Danny Hargreaves	....	special effects supervisor
Sarah Lockwood	....	prosthetic makeup artist
Rob Mayor	....	prosthetics supervisor
Jon Moore	....	prosthetics technician

Visual Effects by
Ruth Bailey	....	3D artist
Murray Barber	....	2D artist
Tim Barter	....	digital compositor
Tim Barter	....	on-set visual effects supervisor
Bryan Bartlett	....	2D artist
Charlie Bennett	....	matte painter
Adam Burnett	....	3D artist (as Adam Burnet)
Adriano Cirulli	....	2D artist (as Adrian Cirulli)
Will Cohen	....	visual effects producer
Jean-Claude Deguara	....	3D artist (as Jean Claude Deguara)
Ceres Doyle	....	visual effects editor
Alex Fort	....	matte painter
Andrew Guest	....	3D artist (as Andy Guest)
Russell Horth	....	2D artist
Dave Houghton	....	visual effects supervisor
Rebecca Johnson	....	visual effects coordinator
Marie A. Jones	....	visual effects producer (as Marie Jones)
Marianne Paton	....	visual effects production assistant
Jenna Powell	....	visual effects coordinator
Neil Roche	....	3D artist
Nick Webber	....	3D artist
Simon Wicker	....	matte painter

Stunts
Tom Lucy	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Julian Barber	....	camera operator
Peter Chester	....	best boy
Keith Freeman	....	stand-by rigger
Mark Hutchings	....	gaffer
Albert James	....	practical electrician
Steve Rees	....	focus puller
John Robinson	....	grip
Rory Taylor	....	camera operator
Jon Vidgen	....	camera assistant

Casting Department
Andy Brierley	....	casting associate
Amy Rogers	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lindsay Bonaccorsi	....	costume supervisor
Rose Goodheart	....	assistant costume designer (as Rose Goodhart)
Barbara Harrington	....	costume assistant
Louise Martin	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Mark Bright	....	on-line editor
Marie Brown	....	post-production coordinator
Matthew Clarke	....	on-line editor
Carmen Roberts	....	assistant editor
Mick Vincent	....	colorist

Music Department
Ron Grainer	....	composer: original theme music

Other crew
Olivier Ager	....	production accountant (as Oliver Ager)
Ailsa Berk	....	choreographer
Nicola Brown	....	production runner
Guido Cerasuolo	....	line producer: Italy
Debi Griffiths	....	assistant production coordinator
Lisa Hayward	....	contracts assistant
Sheila Johnston	....	continuity
Brian Minchin	....	script editor
Kevin Myers	....	production secretary
Chris Rogers	....	finance manager
Julie Scott	....	production executive
Gareth Skelding	....	location manager
Heddi-Joy Taylor	....	floor runner (as Heddi Joy Taylor)
Jess Van Niekerk	....	production coordinator

Makeup Department
Stuart Bray	....	special makeup supervisor
Neill Gorton	....	special makeup and prosthetic effects
Rob Mayor	....	special makeup supervisor

Production Management
Lowri Thomas	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sean Clayton	....	second assistant director
Chris Hill	....	third assistant director
Alex Mercer	....	third assistant director

Sound Department
Colin Cooper	....	adr mixer
Dave Humphries	....	foley recordist
Richard Ostroff	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Charlie Bluett	....	special effects senior technician
Benjamin M. Esterson	....	special effects coordinator
Waldo Mason	....	special effects makeup

Camera and Electrical Department
Gareth Hughes	....	camera operator: second unit

Other crew
Ian Gruchfield	....	brand manager: BBC

Production Companies

• BBC Wales

Special Effects

• Any Effects (special effects)
• Millennium FX (prosthetics)
• The Mill (visual effects)

Other Companies

• BBC National Orchestra of Wales  thanks
• BBC Wales Graphics  graphics
• Cinecittá Studios  thanks

Runtime:

45 min (50 episodes)

Certification:

UK:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

BBC Wales

Trivia:

Much of this episode was shot at the Cinecittà studio in Rome, Italy. This marked the first time Doctor Who had been substantially filmed outside the UK since the 1996 revival TV movie was produced in Vancouver, Canada. (The last regular series installment to include substantial production outside the UK was the 1985 two-part episode "The Two Doctors").

Quotes:

[the Doctor and Donna think they're in Rome]
Donna Noble: Have you been here before?
The Doctor: Yes I have, and before you ask that fire had nothing to do with me. Well, a little bit.

Movie Connections:

References "Fawlty Towers" (1975)

James Moran makes his mark with a great Doctor Who story

After seeing "The Fires of Pompeii" I am confident that James Moran is here to stay and to become an excellent Doctor Who writer in the future. Moran's previous work is the screenplay for the horror/comedy "Severance" and for an episode of Doctor Who spin off "Torchwood". His script for "The Fires of Pompeii" shows real gratitude to and respect for the legacy of Doctor Who, as Moran does not attempt to introduce more spaceships to London's skies, but rather writes a surprisingly effective and very exciting story in the vein of classic Doctor Who stories from the 70's and 80's.

I love anything that addresses the TARDIS translating languages because that's one I always get asked when people attempt to ridicule Doctor Who. Anyway, this story's guest actors all do a terrific job and the script itself is really a fantastic piece of writing, combining classic Doctor Who elements with wonderful bits of humor and some of the best drama in this incarnation of Doctor Who outside of Steven Moffat's episode, as well as rousing adventure and action scenes. I'm loving Catherine Tate as Donna too, she makes an excellent companion.

By writing a smart, balanced script with a tinge of classic Who added in for good measure, James Moran has crafted one of the best debuts for a writer in Doctor Who's history. I look forward to more from him. Great stuff, and boy did it look good as well.

9/10