\nNicole Lampert<\/a><\/p>\n
Last updated at 12:03 PM on 23rd December 2011<\/p>\n
Many moons ago, when Doctor Who was just a memory for a few die-hard fans, the Fast Show\u2019s Arabella Weir was asked to play a female incarnation of the Time Lord for a radio play. She wasn\u2019t going to do it until her Doctor Who mad flatmate convinced her.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n When he had moved in with her, he brought with him a boxful of Doctor Who figurines and a collection of the show\u2019s magazines, which were kept in strict chronological order. <\/span><\/p>\n There is grainy footage from the \u2018making of\u2019 video of the play showing Arabella proclaiming in her loud plummy tones: \u2018I\u2019m only really doing this because my best friend David Tennant loves Doctor Who and he got a part in it. He\u2019s the sixth alien.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Festive: Claire Skinner and Matt Smith<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Eight years on and David Tennant is still probably regarded as the most loved Doctor of all. <\/span><\/p>\n During his tenure on the show (between 2005 and 2010), Arabella was a frequent visitor to its Cardiff studios and begged producers for a part alongside her long-term friend. <\/span><\/p>\n David may have made way for Matt Smith, but the story has come full circle as Arabella is back in Doctor Who for its Christmas special \u2014 this time as an alien. <\/span><\/p>\n And with whom will she be watching her appearance on Christmas Day? David, of course, his fianc\u00e9e Georgia Moffett \u2014 daughter of the fifth Time Lord Peter Davison \u2014 and their seven-month-old daughter, Olive. <\/span><\/p>\n This year\u2019s special is based on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.\u00a0 It is World War II and widow Madge Arwell (played by Outnumbered\u2019s Claire Skinner) and her two children are evacuated to a gloomy old house in Dorset where the caretaker is a strange young man in a bow tie.<\/span><\/p>\n They enter a mysterious blue cupboard where they are confronted by Arabella\u2019s alien character, which \u2018looks something like a Ninja turtle\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n Arabella says she was promised a role in Doctor Who during Tennant\u2019s time on the show. \u2018And even when he left they said they would find one. But I was rather bitter and said: \u201cIt\u2019s too late now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018But now I\u2019m rather excited, because it gets to be my thing rather than my mate\u2019s. Now it\u2019s all about me! <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018David and his family will be at my house on Christmas Day and we had better be watching it. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll want to; he is still a Doctor Who geek.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n Arabella and David have been the closest of friends for nearly 20 years after meeting on the BBC drama Takin\u2019 Over the Asylum. <\/span><\/p>\n There are ten years between them and, on the surface, they don\u2019t appear to have much in common. <\/span><\/p>\n Festive treat: The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe is on Christmas Day <\/p>\n<\/div>\n He is Scottish, the son of a Church of Scotland minister and, apart from Doctor Who, is famous for his serious acting. <\/span><\/p>\n She grew up in North London, the daughter of former British Ambassador Sir Michael Weir, and is famous for her curves and catchphrase: \u2018Does my bum look big in this?\u2019\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n He has admitted that when they met he was overawed by her apparent confidence. But they bonded over their Scottish Presbyterian upbringings. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018We just hit it off in that way that very occasionally in your life you do,\u2019 she says. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018There were a lot of similarities in the way we were brought up. My parents were Scottish and had that whole stern \u201cOch,\u00a0 don\u2019t get ahead of yourself\u201d attitude. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018There was never any sexual spark between David and I, but we became great pals. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018At that time I lived in a big house I couldn\u2019t afford. He said he wanted to move to London, so he became my lodger. He ended up staying for six years.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Like all flatmates, they had their differences. When I tell her that David has called her \u2018anally retentive\u2019, she laughs: \u2018That\u2019s priceless coming from him. David is a total geek. He alphabetises his CD collection and I really did take the mick out of him for his Doctor Who memorabilia \u2014 I told him that no one in their 20s still collected Doctor Who magazines. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018But I do have issues around the dishwasher. I don\u2019t understand why, if something just needs a quick rinse, it has to go in there.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018But we\u2019ve always been there for each other and he\u2019s godfather to my children.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Does my bum look big in this? Arabella Weir as an alien in the Doctor Who Christmas special<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Arabella was one of the first people David called when he got the role of Doctor Who. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018He rang me up and said: \u201cI\u2019ve just got the best job in the world.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018His name had come up as a possible James Bond, so I asked if it was that. \u201cNo, better,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018I was head of my school\u2019s parent-teacher association at the time he told me about the role, so the first thing I said was: \u201ccan you open my summer fair?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018He asked: \u201cCould you not be a bit more excited for me?\u201d I said: \u201cYes, I know it\u2019s your lifetime dream and all of that, but if you do my summer fair we will be quids in.\u201d \u2019<\/span><\/p>\n He did, and there was a queue for more than a mile around the block.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n The pair have always been there to give each other advice when it comes to work. Arabella recalls a time when she had been given a \u2018big, big money offer\u2019 to do Celebrity Big Brother when her career was going through a quiet time. <\/span><\/p>\n David warned her not to do it. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018He told me: \u201cArri, it is the death of hope!\u201d I had to admit, he was right. It\u2019s where you\u2019ve gone when it\u2019s all over for you, so I turned it down.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, she was there for David when he was considering leaving Doctor Who. \u2018He agonised over it, but how long do you stay at the party? He knew he had to do other stuff as he is an actor first and foremost. \u2018I told him he will never know when to leave, but you don\u2019t want to be hanging around until people say: \u201cnot them, aren\u2019t they a bit old for this.\u201d You never know when to stop \u2014 just ask Bruce Forsyth.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n The one time she ignored his advice was when she was offered Dancing On Ice \u2014 though she had to pull out of the show after an accident. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Actually, I hate reality shows and have always turned them down in the past,\u2019 she says. \u2018I get offered Come Dine With Me all the time, but why would I want somebody such as Michael Barrymore\u2019s former boyfriend looking around my house?\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n Arabella is strict about what her children can watch on TV. No reality talent shows are allowed and they also could not see her in the controversial Skins. So another pleasure of taking the Doctor Who part, which also stars Bill Bailey, is that she can watch it with her children.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018I think this may be the last Christmas where I don\u2019t have to pin them down to watch Doctor Who with me,\u2019 she says. \u2018But they still think it\u2019s a bit cool.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s thrilling to do something that people love this much. Even adults \u2014 when I tell them I am in the Doctor Who Christmas special \u2014ask: \u201care you really? Good God.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s like I\u2019ve slept with someone out of Take That. Which I haven\u2019t done, by the way. I really haven\u2019t. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018I wouldn\u2019t have minded Robbie Williams, but the rest of them look like estate agents\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n And she\u2019s off again. <\/span><\/p>\n The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe is on Christmas Day, BBC 1, 7pm.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>……………………………………………………………………………………………. The last time we saw Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson, they had been cornered by the evil Moriarty. Several guns were pointing at them, while the detective was aiming his own firearm at a bomb that could blow them all apart. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long 18-month wait to find out what happens to Arthur Conan Doyle\u2019s fictional creation. But the good news is that Sherlock is back. And, without trying to spoil things, it appears that he escapes Moriarty\u2019s clutches \u2014 for the time being at least \u2014 as there are three new episodes.<\/span><\/p>\n Sherlock is clearly back in fashion again. At the cinema you can see Robert Downey Jr in a Hollywood sequel of the famous sleuth. And on the small screen you can catch the much more erudite Benedict Cumberbatch (pictured with Martin Freeman, right).<\/span><\/p>\n Both have been huge hits, with the BBC version winning nine million viewers and being sold to 180 countries. The actors admit they were surprised at its success. The last time we saw Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson, they had been cornered by the evil Moriarty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018We were confident about making it as it was so clever,\u2019 says Benedict. \u2018But it was brilliant how big a deal it was. The other day a group of girls fell over each other because they were so busy pointing at me.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Martin Freeman, who plays Dr John Watson, adds: \u2018The popularity was beyond all of our wildest dreams but I wasn\u2019t surprised that people liked it \u2014 I knew it was quality and had great writing.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n The problem over the second series has been pinning down the successful team behind it. Writers and creators Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss also look after Doctor Who. Then there is Benedict, star of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the forthcoming War Horse. <\/span><\/p>\n And finally Martin, who nearly turned down the starring role of Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson\u2019s new movie franchise The Hobbit because it coincided with filming for Sherlock.<\/span><\/p>\n Fortunately, Jackson just happened to be a Sherlock fan and halted filming in New Zealand for four months to allow Martin to return to Britain for the series. \u2018Everyone did juggling on my behalf to make it happen,\u2019 says Martin, who found fame as sales rep Tim in The Office. <\/span><\/p>\n I spent a day on location with Martin and Benedict in Cardiff where the set for 221b Baker Street is in two parts in a huge hangar-style hall. <\/span><\/p>\n Next door is the set for Doctor Who, but that is firmly under lock and key. <\/span><\/p>\n No detail has been left to chance in Sherlock and Watson\u2019s flat. There are test tubes on the kitchen table, dirty dishes in the sink, Sherlock\u2019s violin near the window and a copy of the Daily Mail on a shelf. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018I have always loved this shambling,\u00a0 slightly chaotic room,\u2019 says Martin. \u2018There is a mish-mash of designs, but it\u2019s believable.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n This Sherlock version is set in the present day. The detective uses forensic science and Twitter as much as his more famous methods of deduction. <\/span><\/p>\n Hurrah! Downton’s back to its best<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There was some controversy at the idea of it, though Sherlockians (as fans are known) have taken it to their hearts. That is partly because despite all the technology it retains a Victorian feel.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018People wanted to hate it, but couldn\u2019t because it was so true to the Sherlock ethos,\u2019 says Mark, who, as well as co-writing the show, plays the detective\u2019s big brother Mycroft. \u2018Sherlock has always been at the cutting edge of technology. This time there will be stuff about the Olympics and Twitter because he is set in the modern world.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Holmes has some pretty big brains to compete against. First, there is the mysterious Moriarty played by Andrew Scott. And Spooks star Lara Pulver is cast as seductress Irene Adler. <\/span><\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019ve played on the presumption of the gay thing, but Sherlock and Watson are not gay,\u2019 says Benedict. \u2018Irene is beautiful and smart. He is sexually unattainable so they have a merry dance with each other\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009and there\u2019s an amazing seduction scene.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the villains, at the heart of the drama is the friendship between Sherlock and John \u2014 but producers struggled to cast the role of Dr Watson until Martin read with Benedict. <\/span><\/p>\n Offscreen they are good friends.\u00a0 But just like their TV characters, they could not be more different, with Benedict admitting he has some sympathy for Sherlock\u2019s detachment. Martin, the Surrey comprehensive boy, is just as you would imagine; delightfully down-to-earth, his comments littered with jokes and fruity language. Benedict, who went to Harrow school, is more reserved and several octaves quieter. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"Festive:](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/b306article-0-0F38330D00000578-879_468x666.jpg\")
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