THE BBC has responded following claims it was “duplicitous and dishonest” over its request to film a scene of Doctor Who at Durdle Door.
As reported yesterday, Lulworth Estate hit out at the BBC after a final scene of the special centenary episode aired on Sunday night.
It showed Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor with the Tardis on top of Durdle Door as she went through the process of regenerating into David Tennant.
Read more: "Duplicitous and dishonest": Durdle Door owner's outrage over BBC's Doctor Who filming
James Weld, of Lulworth Estate, said: “With any filming request we seek details of what is intended, and no mention was made by the BBC that they were seeking to portray the Tardis and the Doctor on top of Durdle Door, the consequences of which will have a potentially serious impact on our staff and the emergency services.
“We are disappointed that the BBC chose not to be honest with us when seeking our permission and have written to the BBC requesting that they provide us with an explanation about what we regard as a duplicitous and dishonest request to film.”
Read more: Durdle Door's famous arch stars in BBC's Doctor Who special
Mr Weld said the BBC had not provided a “proper description” of what the scene would involve and had the estate known, the request to film would not have been agreed.
He added: “We are considering whether the BBC should now be prevented from filming at Lulworth in the future.”
A BBC Spokesperson said: “Doctor Who’s centenary special regeneration scene was a tightly kept secret. Although we were granted permission to film with a drone we weren’t asked how the location would be portrayed on screen.
“We truly felt that this dramatic scene is one that the Doctor Who audience would come to expect from the show.”
The beauty spot has soared in popularity as a tourist attraction in the past few years, particularly during the Covid pandemic, as crowds on staycation flocked to the famous limestone arch.
In May 2020, at least four people were encouraged to jump from the landmark by baying crowds on the beach, with thousands evacuated from the area as the situation was declared a critical incident by emergency services.
Two people jumped off the top of the arch, which left both severely injured.
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