User:SOTO/Forum Archive/The Reference Desk/@comment-9426728-20130515200501/@comment-9426728-20130517204836

It it likely not thought to be an "official source" by this wiki's strict criteria but the Doctor Who transcripts site (http://www.chakoteya.net/doctorwho/) says this:

For Rose: [Westminster] (Nighttime on the north back of the Thames next to the RAF monument.) Dialogue. Then, change of location to [South bank] http://www.chakoteya.net/doctorwho/27-1.htm

The Bells of St. John [South bank] And them mentions them driving across the Westminster bridge. http://www.chakoteya.net/doctorwho/33-7.htm

Even if you accept these transcripts, they don't prove my point that the TARDIS is landing in the same spot. The only thing they agree on is that we see, first, the Doctor & Rose and, later, the Doctor & Clara both cross the Westminster Bridge.

In Rose, they are running across the bridge towards "London Eye, it's on the south bank of the Thames."

For The Bells of St. John, the transcripts only say that the rooftop terrace where they end up after they have crossed the bridge and driven around has "Lovely view of St Paul's Cathedral dome with Tower 42 just beyond it. St Paul's Churchyard?". I don't know where this is and whether this means they had gone from North>South or South>North.

Then, later in the episode when his spoonhead goes to the Shard, the transcript says, "The Doctor is on his motorbike, speeding across a bridge, but not London Bridge, which would have been the quickest way from St Pauls. Instead, it is Westminster Bridge again. They follow his progress via the cameras."

I grew up in San Francisco and any time there was a show set in the city, the location shoots were all wrong...cops would turn from one street on to another when in reality the street with that name was across town. So, the producers more often go with what they want to show visually than being faithful to strict geography.

I'm not sure what this will contribute to what is arguably a minor point but I will say that whoever contributes to the transcript site is very pretty familiar with England or, at least, London and they always include details about local landmarks caught on camera. The characters don't "say" where they are at so short of getting your hands on a shooting or production script, it will have to be a visual identification. I'm sure this has been done with other episodes when they have filmed outside of Cardiff, like when they filmed in NYC's Central Park and Utah.