The Prince of Wales has been shown around Doctor Who’s Tardis as part of a visit to Bad Wolf Studios, which produces the BBC sci-fi show. William was also given a tour around the set of the upcoming BBC series The Other Bennet Sister by the Cardiff studios’ chief executive, Jane Tranter.
The 43-year-old future king was also introduced to trainees who have come through Bad Wolf’s Screen Alliance Wales (SAW) training initiative and built careers in TV, having been recipients of The Prince William Bafta Bursary programme, by SAW managing director Allison Dowzell.
Tranter said: “It was a complete joy to show Prince William around Bad Wolf. We are so incredibly proud of the outreach work being done by Allison Dowzell and the team at Screen Alliance Wales, and for Prince William to help highlight the work being done at the studios means a great deal.
“He was introduced to trainees from a wide range of departments, and it was fantastic to see him take such an interest in the new generation of TV creatives.
“We are so proud that many of the SAW trainees have gone on to be awarded Prince William Bafta bursaries, and His Royal Highness was fascinated to hear how each of the trainees was using their bursary to further their careers.”
The visit on September 10 came as part of the studios’ 10th anniversary and coincided with William’s visit to the Jac Lewis Foundation centre at the city’s Principality Stadium to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
During the engagement, William also met schoolchildren from St Albans RC Primary School in Tremorfa, Cardiff, during a puppetry workshop held by SAW education and training executive Sarah O’Keefe.
The puppets were used to represent characters’ daemons in the BBC series His Dark Materials, and the workshop aimed to introduce children to the world of TV production.
SAW has arranged 3,772 studio visits, including classroom lessons, since its inception, and created 149 paid traineeships on Welsh TV productions, including Industry, Doctor Who and The Other Bennet Sister.