Nemesis (CON episode)

Nemesis
Broadcast on:	BBC Three
Broadcast with:	The Unicorn and the Wasp
Series number:	4
Broadcast date:	17 May 2008
Runtime:	45 minutes
Key crew
Narrator:	Anthony Head
Doctor Who Confidential
← Previous	Sins of the Fathers
Next →	Shadow Play

"Nemesis" was the episode of Doctor Who Confidential broadcast alongside The Unicorn and the Wasp. It was titled after the Agatha Christie novel of the same name.

Overall, the thrust of the episode was to explain how Unicorn was, in production terms, very much like a traditional hour of mystery television. The story required, because of the storytelling conventions it was trying to honour, a large cast — all of whom had to be equally filmed so that the director's shot choices didn't give away the murderer. This meant, as several participants explained, many more takes of the same scene than usual for Doctor Who. The impact of having to setup multiple times for the same scene to cover different actors was explained several times throughout the episode.

Aspects of production covered

• The visual effects setup of the final scene with the vespiform at the lake.
• The filming of the scene in which the Doctor rids his system of cyanide.
• How cinematographer, director, gaffer and actors came together to successfully film the narratively complex dinner scene against the backdrop of a thunderstorm.
• The problems of filming a car chase with two vintage cars that couldn't actually travel more than about twenty miles an hour, and how a low loader came in handy.

Additional topics covered

• The casting of Fenella Woolgar.
• The use of David Tennant's father as a background extra.
• A montage of the instances of Agatha Christie book titles in the script.
• A look back at moments when other Doctors met "celebrity" historical figures, featuring the first, fourth, sixth, seventh, ninth and younger tenth Doctors.

People interviewed

• Graeme Harper - Director, Episode 7
• Gareth Roberts - Writer, Episode 7
• David Tennant - The Doctor
• Russell T Davies - Head Writer, Doctor Who
• Sandy McDonald - Footman
• Andy Pryor - Casting Director
• Fenella Woolgar - Agatha Christie
• Matthew Prichard - Agatha Christie's Grandson
• Tom Goodman-Hill - Reverend Golightly
• Tim Barter - Visual Effects Supervisor
• Susie Liggat - Producer, Episode 7
• Charlotte Eaton - Mrs Hart
• Rory Taylor - Director of Photography
• Mark Hutchings - Gaffer
• Adam Rayner - Roger
• Malcom McKay - Vintage Car Owner

Elements retained in Cut Down

to be added

Home video releases

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