To the Natural History Museum after work for 'Lates: Doctor Who - Science in the Fiction.' The clever hook for the event was combining the art installation Museum of the Moon with the natural inspiration for the Judoon, first seen in the episode Smith and Jones. The website offered a photo opportunity with the TARDIS, screenings of Smith and Jones, science stations and a talk from Millennium FX.
We arrived at the Museum to find a skating rink and Christmas tree outside. In October. Signage in the Museum was terrible, but we eventually found the Museum of the Moon, and took photos with TARDIS that had been placed underneath it for the event.
We struggled to find the rest of the event. Eventually a member of staff told us the screening of Smith and Jones was in the Attenborough Studio on one side of the museum and the talk with people from Millennium FX, Naturally Monstrous in the Flett Theatre on the other. We were just too late to be admitted to a screening, so had a cup of tea and snack before joining the queue for the Naturally Monstrous, which was already going down two flights of stairs. I think the staff were taken aback by number of people queuing. I suspect if they had realised how popular it would be they would have had a booking system rather than first come, first served. We did manage to get in but others were not so lucky.
The speakers were two special effects artists who had worked for Millennium FX to create the Judoon and Silurians together with one of the curators, whose day job involves studying ear wax from killer whales. The idea was to discuss how the natural world provides inspiration for monster design. Whilst the Judoon are clearly based on rhinos, there are modifications. The eyes are in front, rather than at the sides, so that the Doctor can look them squarely in the face, and the jaw moves in a different way. Millennium FX had brought along an animatronic Judoon head, which they operated whilst the interviewer was speaking. Other monsters are not so clearly based on a single species: the Silurian design was inspired by inspired by bearded dragons and chameleons.
When it came to questions at the end, the Panel were asked which animal they would like to see a monster based on next. The curator, suggested killer whales would also make good space police (being already black and white, they wouldn't need a uniform.) The special effects experts suggested it would be good to base a monster on a chimpanzee as 'there hadn't been a monster based on an ape.' From which we can probably deduce that the Ogrons aren't making a comeback any time soon.
