Digital Spy James Strong Interview

Digital Spy
Easter is traditionally a time for family, perhaps a visit to church - and of course, chocolate by the bucketload. But perhaps even more excitingly, Easter is also the time we'll get to see the first of this year's four Doctor Who specials, the ominously-named Planet of the Dead. The one-hour episode sees Michelle Ryan join The Doctor on a bus-trip which takes "a very unexpected detour into danger". Intrigued, we gave Doctor Who director James Strong a call to find out more.

What's the story of Planet of the Dead?
"Well I'm not allowed to give away everything, as you can imagine, but basically it's a modern day story and the Doctor encounters the mysterious Lady Christina de Souza (Michelle Ryan) who is halfway through a robbery, basically. The Doctor is simultaneously tracking a wormhole which may or may not be threatening the Earth and basically they are - by various means - transported through this wormhole into another planet. So then it's working out what's happening and whether they can get back or not."

So this is set in the modern day, then?
"It starts off in the modern day, a contemporary story set in London."

What sort of a companion does Michelle Ryan make?
"It's back to basics – she's probably more of a traditional, romantic kind of Thomas Crown Affair kind of heroine, if you like, whereas Catherine Tate playing Donna was a bit more of a best mate. It echoes to me of Rose, in that there may be a good old fashioned romantic connection between them. She's young, she's beautiful, she's sexy, but whereas Rose was a very ordinary, normal girl, Lady Christina is a lady, she comes from a very privileged, very elite background. She's different to any of the companions we've ever had in that she doesn't particularly want to get caught up with the Doctor. She's got her own thing going on, so she's very much a match for the Doctor and very much an equal. Often in an adventure the Doctor will take control and everyone will do what he says. She's very much in control – the two of them are in a sparring way, battling against each other to get through this adventure."

That romantic interest in each other – it's reciprocal?
"Oh yeah – it's a good old fashioned flirt! It's two very young, sexy people who are thrust together and there's chemistry. They might not actually get on that well to start with but there's definitely something... there's a connection between them."

Is it fair to say this episode is more fun than, for example, the Christmas special?
"Yes – I think it's very fair to say after the more sombre element of the end of the last series and indeed even the Christmas one, which was a quite sombre affair, this is a complete contrast. It's probably the last chance for a bit of fun, excitement and adventure before things start to take a darker turn towards the end of this Doctor's reign as the Doctor. I think it's very much a standalone story. It doesn't really play into anything that's happened before or is going to happen afterwards - it's a very self contained adventure and I think because of that it has a kind of feel of its own which is great. You're not necessarily bound into what's happening before and what's happening afterwards."

You say it's quite contained but we know that Captain Magambo is back from 'Turn Left' – what's her involvement in it? Is it more of a major role this time?
"Basically, without giving too much away, the wormhole is a doorway between this world – our world in modern day London – and this other planet, the Planet of the Dead. But this wormhole is obviously creating a big fuss this side and that side so UNIT are involved in dealing with what's happening on this side of the wormhole, while the Doctor works out what's going on and tries to get back on the other."
Read the rest here.