Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today celebrated 50 years of Doctor Who with a visit to the show’s home in Roath Lock studios, Cardiff Bay. The Prince and The Duchess met the Doctor, Matt Smith and his companion Clara, Jenna Coleman, alongside showrunner Steven Moffat.
On meeting Their Royal Highnesses, Matt Smith, said:
“It was great to welcome The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to set today. Showing them how to fly the TARDIS was a real treat and something I never thought I would be doing when I first took on the role. The Prince of Wales said he remembers watching the show when he was 15 and seemed very knowledgeable on the Who history, so it’s nice to think they are watching.”
Meanwhile, Jenna Coleman who plays Clara, added:
“Meeting The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today was such an honour. The Prince was particularly interested in the mechanics of how the TARDIS works and the storyline for the upcoming 50th anniversary special, but I didn’t give too many secrets away.”
Touring the Doctor Who production office Their Royal Highnesses saw displays from the show’s costume designer, locations manager, graphics artist, set decorator and production designer.
After being given a rundown on how to fly the famous TARDIS, The Prince and The Duchess were introduced to the most famous of Doctor Who monsters, the Daleks, before production secrets were revealed with a green screen display, demonstrated by SFX. This was the first Royal visit to BBC Cymru Wales Roath Lock studios, since they officially opened in March 2012.
The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special premieres on BBC AMERICA on November 23, 2013.