 " Dinosaurs on a Spaceship " was conceived to be a fun episode , based on a suggestion from the special effects teams about incorporating dinosaurs into Doctor Who . The storyline and characters were developed between Chibnall and head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat . Due to budget limitations , a wider plot had to be developed because the dinosaurs could not be the centerpiece . The dinosaurs were a mix of props and computer @-@ generated imagery . Along with the third episode , " A Town Called Mercy " , " Dinosaurs on a Spaceship " was in the first production block of the seventh series , with production commencing in early 2012 on large sets and Southerndown beach , Vale of Glamorgan . The episode was watched by 7 @.@ 57 million viewers in the UK and received generally positive reviews from critics , though the reception of the gang of characters and Solomon 's robots were mixed . 
