Outlander | South West Doctor Who twists history

Rich inspirational magic – sorry sci-fi fans, we mean science – Doctor Who continues to travel through the creative universe no matter what is happening with the TV or radio show. Now, the South West-based Timelord-inspired film Outlander is set to pulse into the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey o’sphere.

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Doctor Who: OUTLANDER – Trailer

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“We’re making our own original project,” Outlander producer and creator Mark Bray tells D&CFilm. “And with Doctor Who not being in the limelight for potentially a couple of years, I hope that it shines a light on the fact that Doctor Who’s not going away – it’s so loved and so cared about and it has survived worse. Fans are always keeping it alive and keeping it relevant.”

Previously, when the show wasn’t on the air, people went out and created their own wonderful stories. But Outlander has very deep roots.

“I am someone who’s been making Doctor Who content off and on for the better part of 20 years,” says Mark. It started out with the next door neighbour and a little Kodak digital camera. “We ended up running around our parents’ gardens and fighting with our siblings and filming.”

*Outlander’s* a love letter to making physical stuff

It’s a tradition that has continued, and 20 years later – not on the same camera and not with the same cast – Mark is still riffing off Doctor Who’s imagina-verse. He’s been making Doctor Who films with school friends, college friends and uni friends, and now he’s dipping his toes into working with some wonderful industry professional people.

Outlander is a history-twister story of the Kennedy assassination. It follows three characters – Frank, Jack and Katherine. Frank is your traditional kind of guy, who’s not in the best place with life: his job, his relationship with his dad, and his girlfriend seems slightly off. His brother Jack is the traditional idea of a young guy in the early ‘60s who’s living the American. His wife cares about him, but maybe worries a little too much, with the Vietnam War looming on the horizon. And she’s dismissed and not listened to.

You’ve got a lot of references to maybe William Hartnell’s Doctor Who era, which started in 1963, the day after the Kennedy assassination, the year the show is set.

“Outlander has been a wonderful chance for people of all different places of life to come together and to make something that they’re proud of”

“A lot of things align around that feeling of a fresh start of Doctor Who, and there’s a nice sci-fi element that potentially changes history, a bit off-course,” says Mark. “Doctor Who is about escapism – we want to resonate with the companion and we want to go on an adventure – he is the eyes for the audience.”

In fact, the whole idea is to root for the companion; to go on that journey with them.

Outlander was an idea that had been on the back burner for a long time. Part of that was getting the right crew and the right team together to turn the South West into 1960s USA.

“It’s been really powerful and really moving, and so nice to see so many people who wouldn’t have met had it not been for this community coming together,” says Mark. “Outlander has been a wonderful chance for people of all different places of life to come together and to make something that they’re proud of. It’s been a very warm and touching experience.”

And what a community it is. There have been around 80 people on the project – including those with experience in productions for Disney and Netflix – with very few Doctor Who fans within them, which has been beneficial, allowing the story to be a jumping-in point for anyone, whether they are Whovians or not. And the organising of such a big team has been a step up for Mark.

“There’s something about running through woods that are lit up for filming that’s just so powerful”

Shot around Bristol and Bath, and a wonderful ’60s garage called John’s Motors in Northampton, filming has been epic.

“Maybe there’s an element of workaholic mindset that I have, or maybe it’s just that I have found what I love, but it is so rewarding to overcome obstacles.”

And it was incredible to see a team of talented filmmakers light a set – including the Tardis – create sound design, craft ’60s costumes and props down to two plane tickets that appear for a brief shot which is derived from research that includes names, destinations and actual cost, says Mark.

Don’t know about you, but that looks a bit tight…

“I’ve learned a lot, and that is something I’d like to explore professionally,” says Mark, who has two other projects on the go.

Outlander’s a love letter not just to Doctor Who, but to making physical stuff, rather than relying on a green screen or other techniques.

The team turned the South West into 60s USA

“There’s something about running through woods that are lit up for filming that’s just so powerful for me,” says Mark. “If it didn’t have Doctor Who in the title, it could just be a historical piece set in the Kennedy assassination that involves sci-fi.”

“I was very fortunate I knew people in the industry. I have friends who I’ve grown up with who have gone on to work on wonderful things, but people kind of flocked to it.”