Exclusive interview with Steve Hughes (the directer of Closing Time)

The Whoniverse blog have managed to get an exclusive interview with the directer of closing time.

 How was directing Doctor Who different from your other projects?
 "For any director, directing a show like Doctor Who is a big deal. For a director who grew up watching the show and is a huge fan, it's a dream come true. There's nothing else like it on TV. Of course, you always want to do a good job, but working on Doctor Who is different - there's such a huge fan-base, you try to get every tiny detail perfect because you know millions of people will be watching (and scrutinising) all over the world. There's a lot of responsibility when you take on the show."
 As Closing Time was said to be a bit of a sequel to the Lodger, were you aware of trying to vary it from that story and at the same time still giving it a recognisable feel? Or did that not affect the episode too much?
 "I was a big fan of The Lodger and I wanted to retain the same comedy and chemistry between The Doctor and Craig, but I wanted to make Closing Time bigger, darker, funnier and more bittersweet. Thankfully, all those elements were in Gareth Roberts brilliant script."
 You get a lot of say in how the episode looks and feels overall, was there anything you're particularly proud of?
 "As a director, you're involved in every part of the production process. You're asked a hundred questions a day - What colour door knob do you want, how big do you want this picture frame to be, which hand do you want the cut on... You're like an air traffic controller, fielding all these questions and it's up to you make something consistent. I was really proud of everything we did, really. I'm really happy when people tell me they enjoyed it and thought it was funny and scary - what more could you ask for?!"
 What was your favourite scene to direct, and which are you most proud of?
 "I really enjoyed doing the Cybermat attack, although it took well over a day to shoot. But I must admit, I absolutely loved shooting the final scene with River and Kovarian. The rest of the episode was so fun but this scene was incredibly dark and unsettling - it was a great contrast to everything else we'd shot. I loved it." What's the most challenging thing about directing an episode of Doctor Who?
 "You just want to do the best job. Millions of fans are watching and you don't want to let them down. Hopefully we didn't." You can read the rest of it here