Naman Shrestha
The 2023 Specials of ‘Doctor Who’ is a British science fiction series that revolves around a Time Lord known as the Doctor, who has a human-like appearance but is actually an extraterrestrial being, as he navigates across the seamless universe in his time-traveling spaceship — TARDIS. In ‘Doctor Who: The Star Beast,’ which is an episode directed by Rachel Talalay, the narrative follows the Doctor, portrayed by David Tennant, who is in an intense battle for his life as a spaceship crashes in futuristic London.
However, when the fight to the death intensifies and begins to wreak havoc on the innocents, the destiny of an old friend of the Doctor — Donna — closes in while the Doctor does everything to help her. Besides Tennant, the episode features other talented actors, including Catherine Tate, Jemma Redgrave, Ruth Madeley, Bernard Cribbins, and Karl Collins. Given the fact that most of the episode is set in London, the audience is bound to wonder where it was filmed.
Doctor Who: The Star Beast Filming Locations
‘Doctor Who: The Star Beast’ was filmed in England and Wales, primarily in London, Bristol, and Cardiff. Reports suggest that the production of this particular episode took place between May 2022 and late July 2022, around the time when the special edition was filmed. So, let’s take a look at all the specific sites that served as the magical setting for ‘The Star Beast’ episode!
London, England
A significant portion of ‘Doctor Who: The Star Beast’ was lensed in and around London, the capital of England as well as the United Kingdom. Representing a fantastical version of itself, London’s streets and neighborhoods were utilized by the production team to shoot several pivotal sequences. For instance, the cast and crew members were reportedly spotted taping key portions around Camden Market, which is a small yet popular part of Camden Town, London Borough of Camden.
In order to record most of the UNIT scenes, the filming unit set up camp in and around Wembley Stadium, a football stadium with a capacity to seat over 90,000 people, making it the largest stadium in the entire United Kingdom. Situated in the London borough of Wembley, the stadium is known for hosting major football matches including the FA Cup Final and home matches of the England national football team. Apart from ‘Doctor Who: The Star Beast,’ London has hosted the production of numerous movies and TV shows, such as ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ ‘The Fifth Element,’ ‘John Carter,’ and ‘Loki.’
Bristol, England
For the purpose of shooting, the cast and crew members of ‘Doctor Who: The Star Beast’ also traveled to the city, ceremonial county, and unitary authority of Bristol. Situated in the West of England Combined Authority, Bristol’s streets and neighborhoods were utilized to the fullest by the production team to tape several important scenes. For instance, in order to shoot some of the scenes involving Mr. Emporium, they set up camp around Broad Street, with the Church of St. John the Baptist most likely filling in the background.
Various interior as well as exterior scenes were supposedly shot on location in the city of Bristol. Thus, you are likely to spot a number of local landmarks and attractions in the backdrop, including the Wills Memorial Building, the City Hall, the Bristol Cathedral, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and the Bristol Industrial Museum.
Cardiff, Wales
The director and her team also took the production of ‘Doctor Who: The Star Beast’ to the capital of Wales — Cardiff. For instance, they reportedly took over the Axminster Road and turned it into a film set, shooting multiple key portions for the episode. Situated in the southeast region of Wales and in the Cardiff Capital Region, it is also known as the City of Castles, owing to the numerous castles within the city, such as Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch, St. Fagans Castle, and Llandaff Castle, some of which might feature in the episode.
Read More: Where is Doctor Who Filmed?
