_Approaching the first episode of The Lady of Time the producers sat down with the stars of the show, Georgia Moffett and Eoin Macken, to talk about their upcoming roles. After some quick introductions we get down to business, discussing the new and upcoming Doctor Who spin-off, The Lady of Time, where Eoin has his first major role as an actor following his time on BBC's Merlin, and Georgia is expected to slip neatly into the shoes of her father - and husband.
So, Eoin, we've seen you as Sir Gwaine on Merlin, and recently you've begun trying your hand at directing. Many would assume that you've already got a lot under your belt, so what peaked your interest to audition for the role of Dr. Drake Agon?
"Well, back when I was a bit younger I remember watching reruns of Doctor Who episodes and admiring the actors that managed to score the roles of The Doctor, usually putting in mammoth efforts to simply be this sole man. I always use to think that to appear in the Doctor Who franchise would be something all actors from the U.K. would aspire to do, and when my agent heard of The Lady of Time, he contacted me immediately. I was really excited when he told me able the roles in the series, the main male not being as demanding as The Doctor himself, because I knew it would very difficult to live up to names like David Tennant, amongst others, and we all saw the shit that was copped when Matt Smith was presented as the Eleventh Doctor, despite proving them all wrong."
So you felt like the companion to the Doctor's Daughter would be something easy to do?
"No way," Eoin laughs, clearly amused at the idea. "I knew that any major role so close and far down the Doctor Who series would require a fair amount of effort, but I was willing to take that risk as the experience and notice you get from directors and fans alike is enormous in the U.K., [David] Tenant got roles in many movies after he left Doctor Who, even Harry Potter [Goblet of Fire]. But I did it mainly because I'm not good as actor as I would like to be, possibly my only regret after spending most my time modelling and directing in past years. But I won't move on as soon as I'm recognised everywhere and getting job offers. If The Lady of Time is as successful as the producers hope it will be I'll stick with it until it's over or the writers have killed me off or written me out."
Well that's a relief. So could you tell us anything about the role you're playing, [Dr.] Drake Agon?
"Well, without giving to much away, he's an alien who finds himself on Earth, for whatever reason the writers have magic'd up, and in the company of Jenny as she tries to get herself time borne searching for materials in London. He's not the brightest individual, with a bit more stature to his name than grey matter."
Could you tell us more about his species?
"He's what the writers are calling a Repavesform, a tribute to the Vespiform in the Agatha Christie episode two seasons ago. He comes from the planet Ergos but his transformation abilities are more restricted due to a higher amount of human blood in his system. He is able to product wings from his shoulder blades and breathe a little fire, but he only really half morphs into a dragon, which is lucky for me because I'm not used to having to sit in front of the make-up artists for hours at a time," he laughs.
Would you be willing to tell us what exactly he's doing on Earth?
Eoin smiles mischievously, "Spoilers, my dear. The writers are planning on many little plot twists before they give anything away, just to keep viewers on the the edge of their seats."
Is one of those plot twists a full fledged romance between Time Lord and companion, because we've all been waiting for one of those since the heart breaking end of fan-favourite [Rose] Tyler. Well I know I have, and with a female now at the helm of a TARDIS, it seems more likely.
"The writers are keeping Georgia [Moffet] and myself in the dark about that one, so I honestly don't know, and I don't think Jenny would be too pleased with you for implying that, with a Time Lady as the star of the show, there's a greater chance for romance. I don't think Georgia's husband would be too happy either if the writers had me snogging her in every episode, but I wouldn't mind," Eoin laughs as Georgia nudges him with her elbow and rolls her eyes. "But I think it may have been one of the intentions of the writers, to give the Doctor's TARDIS a bit more romance, something the universe lacks a little."
Well I hope so as well. How is it working besides Georgia Moffet anyway, daughter to one Doctor and engaged to another?
"Excuse my French but, she's a real bitch. Always bossing me around like she's the queen of the Doctor Who universe. She's always yelling at the cast, crew and director like they're absolute idiots and fools, it's like she has a pole stuck up her arse twenty-four/seven. It's been a nightmare working besides her. . . Just kidding, " his wicked grin earns him a playful shove from Georgia, "She's actually an angel compared to some of the actors I've had to work with."
Georgia, you've worked on the set of Doctor Who before, what's it like being back as the star of the show, especially after the birth of your daughter?
"Like you said, it's all about Doctor Who in my world," she laughs, "My father, Peter Davison, played the Fifth Doctor. I went to school with the daughter of Colin Baker, so I was sort of under the impression that everyone's Dad was Doctor Who. I tried out for the part of Rose Tyler, did the voice acting for the Doctor's companion, Cassie Rice, in Dreamland, and ended up in the role of the daughter to the Tenth Doctor, where I met my husband, David [Tennant]. And now we have our own little Doctor's daughter," Moffett grins proudly. "During filming, whenever David stops by to visit, the crew will look at us holding hands or kissing, and this look will cross their face, and we know exactly what they were just seeing. But it's all good fun, even if being the leading lady is a lot of hard work."
As the "leading lady", do you think you could shed any more light on the series for us?
"I don't know about that," she laughs, "The producers don't want us spilling too many of the trade secrets so early on. We haven't even aired a single episode yet! You'll all just have to wait and see what we've got in store for you, but I can guarantee that it'll be good. "
Well I hope so, apart from Torchwood, the other DW Spin offs haven't been as successful. Could you tell us what's so different about The Lady of Time, and what would make it so attractive to the modern audience?
"I think the most obvious difference is in the fact that we have a female lead role, unlike Doctor Who and Torchwood. It isn't called The Lady Of Time for nothing," she laughs. "I think the audience would like to see how a female Time Lord handles herself when confronted with horrible monsters similar to those the Doctor usually faces. And where Torchwood and Sarah-Jane are stuck on Earth, and River is more or less stuck in her own time situation, Jenny is able to get out there into the universe to really follow in her father's footsteps."
Speaking of River Song, Sarah-Jane Smith and Captain Jack, is there any chance that fans of the Doctor Who universe will be able to see these three in action in this season?
"Well, we've already seen River in the Christmas Special - and let me just say that it was great fun working beside Alex [Kingston] even if we weren't really in a scene together. But without giving anything again, I can confirm that at least one of those infamous three will be starring later in this season, though I can't say for how long or what doing. As for any future seasons... I really have no idea."
Do you see Jenny as a daughter who is craving to be like her father, or just someone who is trying to prove herself able to protect the universe from the many horrors it faces?
"Aren't those the same things?" she laughs again, "I think Jenny really looks up to her father. She admires his selflessness and what he does for the universe, and would like to think that she could live up to his legacy. She wants to be like her father because he protects the universe from the many horrors it faces, and I think the Christmas Special really crystallised what it is that Jenny is looking to gain out of finding him - it's the sense of family and kinship that she's never really known."
Talking about facing horrors, how is working with the directors and writers of of such a demanding role as the Doctor's daughter?
"They're all a lot of fun to work with and they like hearing what ideas and suggestions I have for Jenny. As inexperienced as they are, they've got some really great ideas and some amazing episodes planned out for you guys."
Worth the wait?
"Oh, definitely."
So, Eoin, we've seen you as Sir Gwaine on Merlin, and recently you've begun trying your hand at directing. Many would assume that you've already got a lot under your belt, so what peaked your interest to audition for the role of Dr. Drake Agon?
"Well, back when I was a bit younger I remember watching reruns of Doctor Who episodes and admiring the actors that managed to score the roles of The Doctor, usually putting in mammoth efforts to simply be this sole man. I always use to think that to appear in the Doctor Who franchise would be something all actors from the U.K. would aspire to do, and when my agent heard of The Lady of Time, he contacted me immediately. I was really excited when he told me able the roles in the series, the main male not being as demanding as The Doctor himself, because I knew it would very difficult to live up to names like David Tennant, amongst others, and we all saw the shit that was copped when Matt Smith was presented as the Eleventh Doctor, despite proving them all wrong."
So you felt like the companion to the Doctor's Daughter would be something easy to do?
"No way," Eoin laughs, clearly amused at the idea. "I knew that any major role so close and far down the Doctor Who series would require a fair amount of effort, but I was willing to take that risk as the experience and notice you get from directors and fans alike is enormous in the U.K., [David] Tenant got roles in many movies after he left Doctor Who, even Harry Potter [Goblet of Fire]. But I did it mainly because I'm not good as actor as I would like to be, possibly my only regret after spending most my time modelling and directing in past years. But I won't move on as soon as I'm recognised everywhere and getting job offers. If The Lady of Time is as successful as the producers hope it will be I'll stick with it until it's over or the writers have killed me off or written me out."
Well that's a relief. So could you tell us anything about the role you're playing, [Dr.] Drake Agon?
"Well, without giving to much away, he's an alien who finds himself on Earth, for whatever reason the writers have magic'd up, and in the company of Jenny as she tries to get herself time borne searching for materials in London. He's not the brightest individual, with a bit more stature to his name than grey matter."
Could you tell us more about his species?
"He's what the writers are calling a Repavesform, a tribute to the Vespiform in the Agatha Christie episode two seasons ago. He comes from the planet Ergos but his transformation abilities are more restricted due to a higher amount of human blood in his system. He is able to product wings from his shoulder blades and breathe a little fire, but he only really half morphs into a dragon, which is lucky for me because I'm not used to having to sit in front of the make-up artists for hours at a time," he laughs.
Would you be willing to tell us what exactly he's doing on Earth?
Eoin smiles mischievously, "Spoilers, my dear. The writers are planning on many little plot twists before they give anything away, just to keep viewers on the the edge of their seats."
Is one of those plot twists a full fledged romance between Time Lord and companion, because we've all been waiting for one of those since the heart breaking end of fan-favourite [Rose] Tyler. Well I know I have, and with a female now at the helm of a TARDIS, it seems more likely.
"The writers are keeping Georgia [Moffet] and myself in the dark about that one, so I honestly don't know, and I don't think Jenny would be too pleased with you for implying that, with a Time Lady as the star of the show, there's a greater chance for romance. I don't think Georgia's husband would be too happy either if the writers had me snogging her in every episode, but I wouldn't mind," Eoin laughs as Georgia nudges him with her elbow and rolls her eyes. "But I think it may have been one of the intentions of the writers, to give the Doctor's TARDIS a bit more romance, something the universe lacks a little."
Well I hope so as well. How is it working besides Georgia Moffet anyway, daughter to one Doctor and engaged to another?
"Excuse my French but, she's a real bitch. Always bossing me around like she's the queen of the Doctor Who universe. She's always yelling at the cast, crew and director like they're absolute idiots and fools, it's like she has a pole stuck up her arse twenty-four/seven. It's been a nightmare working besides her. . . Just kidding, " his wicked grin earns him a playful shove from Georgia, "She's actually an angel compared to some of the actors I've had to work with."
Georgia, you've worked on the set of Doctor Who before, what's it like being back as the star of the show, especially after the birth of your daughter?
"Like you said, it's all about Doctor Who in my world," she laughs, "My father, Peter Davison, played the Fifth Doctor. I went to school with the daughter of Colin Baker, so I was sort of under the impression that everyone's Dad was Doctor Who. I tried out for the part of Rose Tyler, did the voice acting for the Doctor's companion, Cassie Rice, in Dreamland, and ended up in the role of the daughter to the Tenth Doctor, where I met my husband, David [Tennant]. And now we have our own little Doctor's daughter," Moffett grins proudly. "During filming, whenever David stops by to visit, the crew will look at us holding hands or kissing, and this look will cross their face, and we know exactly what they were just seeing. But it's all good fun, even if being the leading lady is a lot of hard work."
As the "leading lady", do you think you could shed any more light on the series for us?
"I don't know about that," she laughs, "The producers don't want us spilling too many of the trade secrets so early on. We haven't even aired a single episode yet! You'll all just have to wait and see what we've got in store for you, but I can guarantee that it'll be good. "
Well I hope so, apart from Torchwood, the other DW Spin offs haven't been as successful. Could you tell us what's so different about The Lady of Time, and what would make it so attractive to the modern audience?
"I think the most obvious difference is in the fact that we have a female lead role, unlike Doctor Who and Torchwood. It isn't called The Lady Of Time for nothing," she laughs. "I think the audience would like to see how a female Time Lord handles herself when confronted with horrible monsters similar to those the Doctor usually faces. And where Torchwood and Sarah-Jane are stuck on Earth, and River is more or less stuck in her own time situation, Jenny is able to get out there into the universe to really follow in her father's footsteps."
Speaking of River Song, Sarah-Jane Smith and Captain Jack, is there any chance that fans of the Doctor Who universe will be able to see these three in action in this season?
"Well, we've already seen River in the Christmas Special - and let me just say that it was great fun working beside Alex [Kingston] even if we weren't really in a scene together. But without giving anything again, I can confirm that at least one of those infamous three will be starring later in this season, though I can't say for how long or what doing. As for any future seasons... I really have no idea."
Do you see Jenny as a daughter who is craving to be like her father, or just someone who is trying to prove herself able to protect the universe from the many horrors it faces?
"Aren't those the same things?" she laughs again, "I think Jenny really looks up to her father. She admires his selflessness and what he does for the universe, and would like to think that she could live up to his legacy. She wants to be like her father because he protects the universe from the many horrors it faces, and I think the Christmas Special really crystallised what it is that Jenny is looking to gain out of finding him - it's the sense of family and kinship that she's never really known."
Talking about facing horrors, how is working with the directors and writers of of such a demanding role as the Doctor's daughter?
"They're all a lot of fun to work with and they like hearing what ideas and suggestions I have for Jenny. As inexperienced as they are, they've got some really great ideas and some amazing episodes planned out for you guys."
Worth the wait?
"Oh, definitely."