As New York Comic Con 2016 kicked off on Thursday, three cast members of Doctor Who -- Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor), Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) and Alex Kingston (River Song) -- sat down for a Q&A during which they discussed their experiences on the show.
Early on, when asked what form they would like a TARDIS of their own to take, Coleman was quick to respond, “I love the diner,” referring to her character Clara’s TARDIS, seen in the second part of the Season 9 finale, “Hell Bent.” She added, “I also love the idea that it’s still broken down somewhere, they haven’t quite worked it out.”
Kingston ventured a somewhat more controversial opinion, when she said, turning to Smith, “I have to say, I’m sorry Matt, Peter Capaldi’s TARDIS was the most fun to fly… I was playing around on that console for days and days.” Her exaggerated delivery, like fondly describing an old boyfriend, prompted the moderator to ask, “This is a PG-rated panel, right?”
Adding (playful) insult to (mock) injury, when Smith confessed his preference for his first TARDIS, Kingston dismissed it as “too organic… like being inside a pumpkin.”
Not to be outdone, Smith likened his own ideal TARDIS to something out of Howl’s Moving Castle, “sort of a house… with, like, weird legs” that could comfortably accommodate a piano and a sofa.
The conversation then turned to the actors’ favorite Doctor Who moments, whether as cast members or as fans of the series. Coleman and Kingston were quick to mention the Van Gogh episode (“Vincent and the Doctor,” Season 5). “The ending always makes me cry, every time I watch it,” said Kingston.
Smith, meanwhile, recalled the 2013 50th Anniversary episode, “The Day of the Doctor,” particularly the scene in which the Eleventh Doctor lands the TARDIS in London’s Trafalgar Square, which required him to dangle from a very large crane. “That was amazing,” said Smith. “I shit my pants though. It was really high, higher than Nelson’s bloody column, which is high. Like 90 feet, it was.”
While the dramatic stunt work required for the 50th anniversary episode was mercifully accident-free, this wasn’t always the case for more typical days on set. “I broke the TARDIS on, like, my first day,” Coleman admitted. Smith also fessed up to busting a few Who relics of his own. “I mean, yeah,” he said, “endless props. They made four sonics… I’m just useless at stuff. Honestly, clumsiness is a disease.”
Be sure to check back for more of iDigitalTimes’ coverage of New York Comic Con 2016 and more information about Doctor Who Season 10!
What would be your ideal TARDIS? What’s your favorite Doctor Who moment? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
