Saturday, September 15, 2012

Doctor Who Western Episode Premiers Tonight on BBC


'Doctor Who' writer on 'A Town Called Mercy': 'The Doctor is volatile'

September 12 2012, 11:48am EDT
By Justin Harp

Doctor Who writer Toby Whithouse has suggested that The Doctor is "more dangerous" than usual in new episode 'A Town Called Mercy'.

Whithouse offered a preview of Saturday's (September 15, 2012 - 9:00 p.m.) episode to SFX, hinting that 'A Town Called Mercy' shows a different side of the Time Lord.

"To write him as a slightly more kind of volatile and unpredictable character was really refreshing and exciting," Whithouse explained.

He also revealed that one scene from the Western-themed installment sees The Doctor brandish a gun, a marked change from his usual distaste for violence.

Whithouse said: "The sequence where the Doctor is kind of forced to use a gun, giving the right sort of emotional journey to that took a lot of finessing, and that was the scene that, from draft to draft, would change the most regularly because the Doctor is a confirmed pacifist and so putting him in that situation is a wonderful opportunity in that it forces you to confront it, and provides you with enormous tension and drama which, as a writer, is what you want."

The writer previously revealed that he did not use Doctor Who's William Hartnell-era story 'The Gunfighters' as inspiration for 'A Town Called Mercy.

"I thought about [watching] it, and I think either Steven [Moffat] or Mark Gatiss forewarned me and said not to bother," Whithouse revealed. "They said it's not exactly the jewel in the crown, so probably best to steer clear!"

Doctor Who continues this Saturday (September 15) at 7.35pm on BBC One. In the US, the series airs on BBC America.



Doctor Who: A Town Called Mercy – English title

A 2012 British, Canadian television production [BBC (Cardiff)]
Producer: Marcus Wilson
Director: Saul Metzstein
Story: Toby Whithouse
Screenplay: Toby Whithouse
Cinematography: Stephan Pehrsson [color]
Music: Murray Gold
Running time: 60 minutes

Cast:
Doctor Who – Matt Smith (Matthew Smith)
Rory – Arthur Darvill (Thomas Darvill)
Amy Pond – Karen Gillan
The Gunslinger – Andrew Brooke
Isaac – Ben Browder (Robert Browder)
The Undertaker - Garrick Hagon
Kahler Jex - Adrian Scarborough
With: Adrian Scarborough, Sean Benedict

Season 7 episode 3 “A Town Called Mercy”. The Doctor gets a Stetson and a gun, and finds himself the reluctant sheriff of a western town under siege by a relentless cyborg that goes by the name of ‘The Gunslinger’. But who is he and what does he want?



1 comment:

  1. Biltmore: A Town Called Mercy debutes on Canadian TV TONITE on Space, the Imagination Station!

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