Doctor on Tour: Day One

29th Mar 2010

20:00: The Long and Winding Road

The heating on the bus isn't working and although we've just entered British Summer Time it feels like mid-winter. No matter. Temperatures may be low but spirits remain high.

We're en route to Inverness and Matt's still working. Another phone call. Another interview. He talks about everything from Daleks to dickie bows. He enthuses about the magnificent Amy Pond, the new look TARDIS and how great Steven Moffat's writing is. Occasionally he recalls something from a script and laughs uproariously. Now and again he tantalises the audience with a half-hint, like when he advises someone to keep their eyes peeled when watching The Eleventh Hour because there are four or five things in there that turn out to be very, very important. And when he mentions the return of the Weeping Angels he lets slip that they're now deadlier than ever...

It's been a long day and Inverness is still hours away, but everyone on the bus is upbeat because the reception Matt and Karen have received throughout the first leg of the tour has been fantastic. The young audience in Belfast loved The Eleventh Hour and it feels like excitement is building around the new Doctor's début adventure. But before that there's Inverness, Sunderland, Salford and Northampton - more than enough to keep us going. Heater or no heater.

16.30: Doctor on the Bridge!

The ferry from Larne, Northern Ireland to Cairnryan, Scotland took about two hours but high winds and choppy waters made it feel a lot longer for some members of the team!

Many of those onboard the European Highlander were surprised to see the Doctor and his new companion sharing the decks, with Matt taking time out to say hello and sign autographs for his fellow passengers. One young fan even dusted off the old, 'Knock, knock... Doctor who?' gag but Matt happily posed for a photo with him anyway!

There was more than enough time for Matt and Karen to visit the bridge and meet some of the crew. The encounter was filmed by James Brailsford and will be featured in the new series of Doctor Who Confidential which begins on BBC Three straight after The Eleventh Hour on Saturday.

When the ferry reached Scotland the team clambered onboard the bus and settled down for the six-hour drive to Inverness. From the back of the bus, Matt could be heard starting up a chorus of The Long and Winding Road...

09.30: Queen's Film Theatre

After a successful photocall at City Hall it was time for tour to begin in earnest which meant meeting the important people - the audience! The Doctor Who tour bus reached the Queen's Film Theatre at about 9.35 and the whole team was amazed and delighted by the huge welcome they received.

Crowds of children and parents cheered Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as they emerged from the bus. Matt was particularly delighted as the first person to greet him was a young fan wearing a bow tie! 'Cool bow tie!' he exclaimed before signing dozens of autographs for the Doctor's fans.

Staff at the Film Theatre were taken aback by the level of excitement Matt and Karen generated. Chief Projectionist Chris Murphy said, 'This is very unusual - to put it mildly! So many people turning up. They absolutely loved Matt and Karen. I think they arrived ahead of schedule so they came out and signed magazines and things for ages. They [the fans] loved them!'

One of the other managers, Judith Mayne said quite simply, 'Brill!' She added 'We're all really excited about the new series. Matt and Karen were lovely. I must admit, even I got their autographs!'

The screening at Queen's Film Theatre is the first of the tour and will be followed by a Q&A session with Matt and Karen.

07.30: 'It's the closest I'll get to be being a rock star!'

The tour has begun!

As the world slept the Doctor Who tour bus swept into Belfast, collected Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and the rest of the bleary-eyed team, and sped off to City Hall.

At approximately 07.30am the first photo shoot was underway with Matt and Karen looking better than anyone has a right to before 8.00am! With a backdrop of Belfast's striking architecture, it was great to see the shoot generating a reaction. Cars slowed down to take a look, pedestrians paused and a thousand flash bulbs flashed.

After the flurry of photos it was back on the bus and minutes later an interview with Chris Moyles on his morning show. Matt spoke about the new series starting on Saturday and revealed his mum is now convinced he should play James Bond! 00-Eleven, perhaps?

In another interview Matt Smith talked to the Good Morning Ulster team at BBC Radio Ulster which you can listen to below...