Recalling my Doctor Who Adventure

As the legendary Doctor Who celebrates his 50th birthday this year, we catch up with alumnus James North, who tells us a little about his experiences working as Associate Designer on the iconic series:

I joined the series as Assistant Supervising Art Director in 2006 at the start of Season Two. It was my first role in TV and I soon learned the ropes under the watchful eye of Stephen Nicholas and RWCMD Fellow Edward Thomas who ran the Art Department at the time.

Then, ten months later, Russell T Davies announced the beginning of the Torchwood series and our brief changed completely; we were now designing and shooting two high-profile shows at the same time and this quickly became three with the arrival of The Sarah Jane Adventures. I became the Associate Designer on Season Three.

RWCMD gave me the practical experience, work ethic, and technical ability to sit anywhere within a TV art department. I’m still Edward’s Associate Designer, and we’re now working on the Starz/BBC Wordwide co-production Da Vinci’s Demons – another huge creative adventure. It’s no surprise that on this production, which has an art department of 50, we currently have 15 RWCMD graduates working with us on a permanent basis and many more ad-hoc additions.

David S Goyer’s Da Vinci’s Demons premieres this Spring on the Fox and Starz networks. The show involves a number of RWCMD alumni, so watch this spot for more info!