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Block 2, Episode 2 - 7pm, Llandaff North. This is a tough little diary to write for you. Why? Well, because- amongst other things- we filmed the final scenes of Episode 2 - which has a nice Spoiler moment! So moving on... The evening shoot began at 7pm in Llandaff North, Cardiff. It's a quiet area of the city which, after our experience of trying to film in the centre, was a joy to behold! We had a very busy schedule to be fair - we had four scenes to film, two with a good few pages of dialogue, plus- being an evening shoot- we were fighting with the daylight. Episode 2 takes place all in one evening in Andrew's life so we are going to film his episode over a number of evenings so we can get the light right! Great idea but brings with it its own set of challenges. On this occasion it wasn't too bad - we shot the scenes in episode order just for this reason. On this shoot we had for the first time on set Rachel Dunston and Lisa Grace. Rachel is playing Andrew's sister in-law Kate and Lisa is playing Andrew's wife Anna. Both are a joy to work with - it's a tough thing to walk into a project at this stage, as we are a month into the shoot and the main cast and crew have formed a close bond. First up was a scene between Rachel and Ben - the scene was great from a director's point of view - they knew it, got it and just gave me what I completely needed. The only problem we found was that everyone in the street was coming home from work a bit later than usual, so we found ourselves stopping and starting. What could have distracted them and taken them out of their performance did the opposite. It fuelled them both and we got it. During a gap in filming that scene, the neighbours returned home- a lovely couple, one asks what we're doing, it turns out she's a massive Doctor Who fan! Next thing we know, we have new Facebook fans and tweets in numbers due to them plus a great behind the scenes pic! We will have one viewer at least! After battling a neighbourhood getting home for the night, we were running slightly behind and had the big end scene to shoot. But I didn't have to worry. Lisa rocks up, enters the scene and we get the first one take of the filming so far! With a few close ups just to be safe we pushed through. Being the writer of this episode, the subject of the drama within this one is very close to my heart so to hear and see the actors not only perform the scene but to perform it and make me forget I was directing - I was watching completely in the moment- was amazing. I can't wait to edit this one and share it. Thank you Lisa, Rachel and Ben. Sadly that was Rachel wrapped with one shoot - so a big thank you to Rachel.

Block 2, Episode 4, 7pm City Centre So we start our first evening shoot, on a stunning Friday evening. With the amount to shoot and the need to get the series into postproduction, we decided the only way to keep up would be to film smaller scenes over various evenings in July and August. The weather was great, busy city centre, perfect for what we need to film. A few set ups, wides followed by close ups and we were done – the joy of a non-dialogue scene! If only we could make a silent web series!! Mind, the shoot wasn’t without it's difficult moments – being asked to stop filming and to move on by security of a local shopping mall was amusing! You could tell it had been a quiet day for the security guards, who fancied doing their best Chuck Norris impression. When we explained what we were doing the guards were much more friendly and chatty. We had the rotten luck of being spotted on camera by the arcade’s Powers That Be. We were filming on a public footpath/street, but packed up and moved on. To be honest, we had finished and were about to film what I call the “one for luck” take. But, know your rights – as a non-profit production we can film on public land – which includes footpaths etc. …Generally you have the right to photograph anywhere that is public property, including public roads, footpaths, rights of way… However, I won’t name and shame the shopping mall and we will carry on regardless! End of Scene. Saturday was a day off for the cast and crew; however myself and Matt were rummaging through the pound shops of Cardiff for props: the largest water pistols we could find so we could paint them up to look like ray guns for episode 2. While we found plenty of water pistols, they just weren’t big or impressive enough; we were after something Arnold Schwarzenegger would fire in a sci-fi film rather than a Walther PPK. Finally, we found what we were looking for: guns the size of a small child. Having bought the paint and sprays we needed, that evening I was eight-year-old me again, outside in the garden, making several water pistols look like giant badass alien guns. A few quid and we’ve got ourselves some really good looking props. The next shoot was to be Sunday 28th June. We were all set to film two large scenes from Episode 3, one being the ending, which takes place in a beautiful part of Cardiff. There was much discussion on where to move the scene after finding out that our first choice, Cardiff Bay, was hosting a large triathlon event that Sunday. So we chose a park near the museum, our second location for that day. We were all set to film the museum, as well as the park, which we had recced and organised exactly what we wanted: beautiful summer scenes, very picturesque. Then... It rained all Sunday morning and early afternoon! This was the first time we had to cancel a day’s filming, not something you do on a whim when you A) Have no budget and B) A number of cast to rearrange a second date to film. This choice actually cost us a cast member – without us knowing, this cancellation made it impossible to rearrange with all three cast involved, forcing us to recast one of the roles. Without wanting to jinx things (fingers and anything and everything crossed), hopefully this is the one-and- only blip while we’re filming.

Block 1, Episode 1, 8am, Barrack Lane, Cardiff After an absolutely mammoth day of filming on Saturday... we did it all again on Sunday! Sunday's first shoot was for Episode 1, which is set in a queue for a book signing. It's an introduction to our four main characters and their dynamic and also sets up some future storylines which are explored in further episodes. For this shoot, we left the cosy confines of my flat and took to the streets, filming on Barrack Lane in Cardiff city centre. As you can imagine, filming outdoors presents a few unique challenges (especially for a no-budget web series). We had permission from the manager of Coastal Galleries to film outside their shop front (a huge thank you to James for that!). However, Barrack Lane is a public thoroughfare and was used by pedestrians and shoppers as the morning wore on. Everyone who passed by were very accommodating and a few even stopped to watch some of the set-ups and filming! One of the main issues that presented itself was sound. Ambient street noise is one thing. Pneumatic drills, angle grinders, seagulls, reversing cars, church bells, and radios blasting 'Let It Go' from Frozen are quite another. We had to work around any sudden or extended noises, which caused a few delays and caused several takes to be abandoned. A little frustrating, but a lesson in no-budget film-making. Another issue that we particularly had to be aware of was reflections. We had to ensure that the camera operators and the boom mic were not visible in Coastal Galleries' windows during a take. This wasn't easy at the beginning and we took a lot of time to ensure that we were able to shoot without being seen. At one point in the episode, one of the characters returns to the queue with coffee. We have to thank The Little Man Coffee Co. for their generosity in providing those drinks for free. They are an independent coffee shop based on Bridge Street, their coffee is fantastic and their customer service is impeccable. If you fancy supporting a local business, give them a try. We put out a call for background artists to come and stand in the queue and we had 11 people turn up which has really helped us out. All of our background artists were really enthusiastic and helpful, so a huge thanks to them all: James, Charlotte, Daniel, David, Craig, Richard, Vetri, Carwyn, John, Aimee and Stephen! Our guest cast for the episode- Chris, Tom, Emily, and Elena- were also on top form. I do have to give special thanks to Tony, Isabelle, and Harry who were all quite last-minute additions to the cast (due to various scheduling issues) and who all did an excellent job- especially Isabelle who had less than a week to prepare whilst also studying for her exams! Due to time constraints and the way that we filmed the episode- which is essentially one long scene in one location, albeit with many different sections and sequences within it- we were able to release most of our background artists and guest cast at about 11.30am. So we were able to wrap Chris, Tony, Emily, Elena, Isabelle, Tom and Harry. We continued with the main cast for a little while after this to get a few scenes that just involved the four of them. It was getting close to 12.45pm when we finished and it was declared that Episode 1 was wrapped! Now, wouldn't you think that, after doing two episodes- a third of the total project- in one weekend, we'd go home and put our feet up? Well, we didn't. After a much-needed break, we headed up to Llandaff to do some filming for Episode 2. Here we filmed one of the major scenes of Episode 3 - Steph's date. We were very fortunate that Mulberrys Restaurant volunteered their use for this scene, so a massive thank you to Philippa for that! After the issues of exterior shooting earlier in the day, interior shooting was relatively straightforward. Lights were rigged up, cameras positioned and our two brilliant actors- Victoria and Matt (who plays Steph's date Ross)- performed. This scene contains one of my favourite moments of the episode (if not the entire series) and Victoria absolutely nailed it every time. I think the editor will have a difficult time picking the best take for it! When we cast the series, we thought it would be good to put Matt in the role of Ross, the guy who takes Steph on the date. He really impressed us with his reading of the character at audition and we thought he had good chemistry with Victoria when we paired them together. We didn't realise at the time- and only found out later- that Matt and Victoria are a couple in real life! We also have to thank our two background artists, Rebekah and Brya, who travelled a very long way to join us for this scene (and who, but for Cardiff's treacherous road layout, would have also been in the queue). There is a short scene after the date where Steph makes a phone call. We attempted to film this on the street outside Mulberrys but traffic noise made this incredibly difficult. We decided to try on Llandaff village green (used as the Leadworth green in The Eleventh Hour). However, there was a garden party going on which again made this a little tricky. Eventually, we got the shot required just outside the archway to the gardens. With that scene done, the weekend was wrapped. It has been said before and will continue to be said throughout the shoot: a massive thank you to all the cast and crew for their hard work, their dedication and their enthusiasm. Every single one of them went above and beyond on this incredibly tough weekend and there aren't words to describe just how grateful we are for that. Again, massive thank yous to Coastal Galleries, The Little Man Coffee Co., and Mulberrys Restaurant for their help over this weekend too.

Block 1, Episode 6, 8am, Terrance's Flat - Cardiff Bay, Cardiff If you were ever planning on creating a web series, there are several pieces of advice I can now give you. One of these beautiful pieces of wisdom is do not try film two episodes in two days. We tried it. We did it. I’m still not sure if this was a brilliant or crazy idea. Friday night (19th June) saw the start of the biggest weekend in the Whovians filming schedule to date: the second rehearsal for episode one (the first rehearsal had been Wednesday). We gathered our episode one cast together to run a few tests for dialogue and camera techniques before heading home for a good night's sleep in preparation for the busy weekend ahead. 6.45am on Saturday morning (20th June) came around rather quickly, getting up to go and collect various members of the cast to go to film Episode 6 down in Terrance’s flat in Cardiff Bay. Blearily we sat down and were swiftly fed croissants and coffee before starting the packed day ahead. The day passed though very quickly and we learned a few things along the way, such as that Rob (playing Bradley) was wearing his best dating jogging bottoms and that cold tea in orange juice might make the correct cocktail colour required but it certainly didn’t taste good. There was set up after set up for both cameras and lighting, the flat had 13 people in it, all varying their roles of cast or crew. It was an extremely busy, varied and hot day. The morning was focused on scenes taking place in the living room (which features the previously-mentioned cocktails). Breaking at 12.30pm for an hour to get food and fresh air was a good idea before pushing on into the evening to get the rest of the episode and focusing on scenes in the kitchen. The last scene filmed was outside the flat, in the hallway. However, after the first take, our sound engineer Andy asked whether any available cast and crew could come out into the hallway with blankets, towels and duvets to try and dampen down the echo. It's a good job none of Terrance's neighbours came out into the hallway at this point! After 12 hours, many camera battery changes and some cat wrangling later, we were done. Wrapped. For the entire episode. It might have been the most exhausting day for the shoot but we have had some hilarious bloopers and brilliant comic moments, including the cast singing the Doctor Who theme loudly and badly…. Make no mistake, it was an emotionally and mentally taxing day but quite frankly everyone worked very hard and was an absolute joy to work with. At 8.30pm everyone left to go home and collapse before Sunday's filming…8am in Cardiff city centre because there is no slaking in this production!

Saturday June 13th, 8am, Terrance Edward's Flat, Cardiff. Filming Block 1: Episode 3. Day 2 of filming saw mostly interior shots for Episode 3. We had a pretty packed schedule, fitting in seven scenes in just over three hours. With the exception of one longer scene (approximately three pages of dialogue), the scenes were short and- in some cases- dialogue-free. It was Victoria's second day of filming but was the first day for Ellen Thomas, who is playing Steph's flatmate Olivia. Considering Ellen and Victoria only met briefly at the full cast readthrough, their chemistry is amazing and both actresses really sell the idea that Steph and Olivia are good friends who have known each other a long time. As writer of the episode, I was overjoyed with both Ellen's and Victoria's performances- and I know everyone else was too. Neither needed any direction in terms of 'could you say this line with more intensity' or 'try saying this with more humour'. They both absolutely nailed the friendship dynamic and what was important in the scenes and I cannot wait to see how it all comes together in the final cut. The scenes were shot at my flat, using the kitchen, hallway and living room. At one point, virtually everyone was in the hallway... which isn't that big! We have a cat- Dave- who was very inquisitive and wondered who all of these new people were? Ellen and Victoria both loved him and we were trying to see if we could get him on-screen for the last scene of the day. The old adage of 'never work with children or animals' holds true! He was more than happy to nose around and be fussed in between takes - and occasionally made his presence felt during a take... One of the other major challenges of the day involved props and costumes. The episode is set over a week, which meant a lot of costume changes for Ellen and Victoria. There are also scenes where the characters are having dinner and having a cup of tea and, later, a glass of wine which meant making sure there was plenty of tea and food available in case of multiple takes. Neither actress could actually drink the wine as they were driving (which is fortunate, as the red wine had basically turned to vinegar). I've since joked that the next thing I write will be set in one place, in one day, with no costume changes, props or dialogue! The day went very well and, after the final scene, we were able to say it was a wrap for Ellen. Huge thanks to her for all her hard work and enthusiasm! We're filming both days next weekend and it's a bit of a gruelling filming schedule, if we're honest. However, once completed, we will have completed filming on one third of our episodes. Tez

Action! Sunday June 7th, 8am, Queen Street, Cardiff. Filming Block 1: Episode 3. The cameras roll... With the first morning of shooting, we deliberately took it easy – a few simple set ups: Victoria walking down Queen Street talking on the phone to her character's mum, then a few set up shots of her walking to work. The team was on hand: Andy on sound, Tez on clapper duty, myself on camera and Matt on kit duty. We quickly got through a few takes of Victoria, who was fantastic and nailed it every time – but I am a man who likes to have multiple takes and options when I sit to edit. One tip for any film makers – don't wear flip flops whilst filming, no matter how warm. This will result in a mad sound department. After completing the work for the morning, it was time for breakfast. We then grabbed a coffee and made the final changes to the script for Episode 6 . Now we can concentrate fully on the rest of the shoot. Rhys

It was a early start at Starbucks (other coffee chains are available!) for the production team and, for the first time, our main cast members were to be united! The day started with a few hours' rehearsal of Episodes 1 and 6 - we spent time with our actors working straight away on their individual characters. After a quick spot of lunch, we got back for the full cast to join us - all squeezed around a large meeting room table, we sat and- for the first time- we heard the characters come alive and the series was unfolded as a whole. Our cast were our test audience. The writers' nerves where high as each one liner and gag was said and suddenly our cast was in fits of giggles. After the best part of three hours, we got to the climax of Episode 6 and applause went round the room - and we, the team, began to let out a huge sigh of relief that our casting choices have not only been correct but more than we could ever imagined! We are humbled to have these talented people wanting to give their free time to this project. Next, it's just a small matter of filming the series……

We have had a very long weekend with the team having had two days of auditions. People have literally come from all over the country to read for us! Very exciting and very greatful for all who made the journey and gave their time to get involved.We have a few more people to see and casting is still officially open at this time. We are getting close to having a full cast and once we have confirmed we will of course announce here!

While we are deep in process of organising the Auditions this coming Saturday, We were interviewed by Made In Cardiff TV on the 16th April, great news item many thanks Ellen Thomas.

Nearly two years ago myself (Rhys Jones), Matthew Ford and Terrance Edwards sat down to begin writing this Web Series. I brought my two friends together with the idea to write and make a Web Series based on the lives of four friends with one common interest - Dr Who. Too write stories of Whovians, but more importantly to show everyday drama within fun weird tales - the kind of things that only happen to us fans of that Show. Two years later after many, many... many re-writes and debates and large ammount of coffee. We are here - at the start of the filming process. The three of us brought into the production Andrew White who will be our Sound Supervisor and Rebecca Sawyer as Production Manager. Here we are at one of our initail meetings before going public here online! Myself (Rhys) far left, then Matt, Becca, Andy and Tez. Let the casting begin.........