When critics review a DOCTOR WHO adventure they rarely comment it as a ‘production‘, but instead choose to concentrate upon the ‘story’. Whenever the production aspect comes under inspection two aspects arise - the quality of the writing and, secondly, the interpretation of the Director; seldom is a comment passed on a category of the programme - the set designs.

As soon as the script is finalised the Designer is assigned to the production as quickly as the Director. In effect, the Designers hold a similar responsibility for the final product.

The Producer is responsible for the series as a whole, the Director is responsible for the realisation of an individual serial, but it is the designer who is responsible for the overall visual presentation of the programme. It is something that may make or break a programme as, unlike the Producer’s and Director’s work which is less tangible, the Designer’s contribution is very much in the forefront and seen by the viewer.

Without design technicians DOCTOR WHO could not be produced and the show constantly demands the virtually impossible from such personnel with many of the tales requiring stage sets ‘off the beaten track’. Remember the stunning Space Station Nerva (THE ARK IN SPACE), nefarious claustrophobic caverns (EARTHSHOCK), alien organic spacecrafts (TERROR OF THE ZYGONS) and the gleaming Cybermen hive (THE TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN) - all of which had to be created from the Designer’s imagination and skill.

One Designer that clearly stands out is Tony Burrough. He has brought to the TV screens the art nouveau styled civilisation of Traken (and the calcified Melkur), the cross-cultural environment aboard the Urbankan spacecraft, and an accurate 1920s country house.

The amount of attention to detail is exemplary, understanding that the simplest item out of place could ruin the look and impetus of the story broadcast. In a historical story, are the period details accurate? Do perspective viewpoints look ‘real’?

The latest story to be designated to Tony Burrough is WARRIORS OF THE DEEP, the first story of the 21st season but the road to the studio floor began a long-time ago.

Interview choice cuts: then click Back to return here

• The Tony Burrough recognisable 'house-style' [1]
• Melkur [2]
• Burning sets in BLACK ORCHID [3]
• The true cost of DOCTOR WHO [4]
• FOUR TO DOOMSDAY laid bare [5]
  

  “When I was at school I was totally preoccupied with painting and my objective was to become a painter. I do not become involved with the BBC until 1974. This was 4 years after leaving art school. Initially, I worked for William Design Consultants who specialised in design work for architectural schemes e.g. murals, fountains, mosaics, stained glass windows, etc. This work took me to San Francisco for 2 years and it was on returning from there that by chance I met up with someone from the BBC who suggested that I come along and have a look around. I had an interview with the then Head of Design, and showed him some photos and drawings of schemes and works I had been involved in. he liked my work and offered me a job.”

Having watched DOCTOR WHO since 1972, I had kept a ‘mental note’ of sets I liked and disliked. In the same vein, did Tony have any admiration for a particular design in the BBC Design department?

“The Designer whose work I admired most and who work influenced me a great deal was Tony Abbott, whom I assisted for a long time before becoming a Designer myself.” Was there one programme format that is seen to be better to work on than another? “Drama is regarded as prestige design work and the senior designers seem to work exclusively in that area, but I feel a designer should work in all areas. This keeps one’s ideas fresh.”

Before TRAKEN, had he worked on DOCTOR WHO before, and from the stories he‘s worked on, which stand out as the hardest to realise?

“THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN was my first contact with DOCTOR WHO as a designer or as an Assistant. I think that every WHO story has had its own set of problems and I couldn’t say which one was the hardest.”

Studio time is precious and if obstacles were not fathomed out beforehand then money would be wasted.

“The total time I spend on a 4 part story would be about 8-10 weeks, and that includes 2 studio sessions of four days each. The biggest problem with any DOCTOR WHO is the lack of time and the money to do justice to any story.”

[1] Many designers prefer to retain their own ‘house-style’; was there a ‘Tony Burrough house-style’? I commented on his use of ‘space‘.

“Every story has a feel to it and it is my job to get the atmosphere right for the piece. You are correct when you point out that I like to create space in my sets, I think that’s just an ego trip to try to do things bigger and better than other designers.”

“For DOCTOR WHO, I prefer alien settings, as I said before one can let one’s imagination free. Period settings I feel, if I had the choice, are better in a serious drama production.”

[2] A ‘design brief’ is an outline of the problem to be solved but with few details. What was the ‘design brief’ for calcified evil, Melkur?

“The script for TRAKEN, and most WHO stories, as a brief outline of the writer’s idea of the feel for the setting, but usually after discussions one can impose your own ideas within the context of the story. After all there are no rules and limits to one’s imagination. I discussed the Melkur statue at length with the costume designer (in this case Amy Roberts) and gave her a reference photo as to how I thought it should look. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite as I expected. It was about 7 feet tall and made from molded plastic as I remember.”

The reference photo to which Tony refers is a sculpture titled, “Unique Forms Of Continuity In Space 1913” by Umberto Boccioni. It is roughly 46 inches tall [and is currently on display at London’s TATE MODERN].

[3] BLACK ORCHID’s episode 2 depicted one of the most hazardous stunts. Fire.

“The burning door was recorded in the studio on the set. All the surrounding scenery was clad with Asbestos substitute. The door was made from Balsa Wood. The flames were set off by covering the door with Petroleum Jelly. The stuntman wore a completely fireproof suit and a face mask, and we all crossed our fingers.”

[4] Television is expensive. Very. Is DOCTOR WHO more expensive than others?

“I design the set and make it up as a scale model. We then get it drawn up as architectural elevations. These are submitted to the Contractors, following this we write a Contract for costs. The Contractors build the set and in the meantime I hire all the props and set dressings. It arrives I the studio, assembled and dressed ready for the recording. Personally I am not allowed to make anything except bits and pieces for the final detail. As to the costs, the Design Budget would be about £40,000 but that is broken down into man-hours total, a prop total and material (construction) total.”

[5] For FOUR TO DOOMSDAY?

“You see the studio walls to create depth of field and vastness. The Monopticons were made by the Visual Effects department, and place them with either trick camera or slung from the set. I designed the spaceship exterior and did the drawings but Visual Effects made it.”

Alongside DOCTOR WHO, what other programmes had he worked on?

“The only WHO stories that I have done are the ones you’ve mentioned, however I am about to start, after Easter, a new story called WARRIORS OF THE DEEP set in a sub-terrain sea base. I also designed the sets for the Peter Davison pantomime, CINDERELLA, and most recently set for THE GRACE KENNEDY SHOW."

The plans for the future?

“As to the future - who knows! The BBC has a lot to offer and there are still a lot of things I have not done, but if the right offer should come along who knows."