An Adventure in Space and Time chronicles the birth of Doctor Who, and broadly covers the period 1963-66, the tenure of the first Doctor William Hartnell. Without giving too much away (I hope), this drama really centres on the original creation of the show - the strength of character of Sidney Newman and his idea for a Saturday tea-time sci-fi programme, the uncertainties of (female - unheard of in the early 60's) first-time producer Verity Lambert and Indian director Waris Hussein, and the crotchety Hartnell, dragged from his typecast grumpy on-screen persona to play the grouchy but mischievous and mysterious alien Doctor. It latterly moves forward apace, and concludes with a weary Hartnell basically having been removed from the show and reluctantly handing over to his successor at the end of The Tenth Planet in 1966.
The first thing to say is that nobody does these self-referential television movies better than the BBC. Mark Gatiss' excellent script teases the initial wonder and subsequent popularity of the show out beautifully, but doesn't shy away from the many budgetary and performance shortcomings that are clearly there on-screen if you re-watch the original material. The casting is universally superb, as are the performances (David Bradley as Hartnell especially) and this is a handsomely mounted production full of nostalgia and pathos, with a clear undying love for the source material. The scene near the conclusion demonstrates this the best, with a tired Hartnell staring into the distance on "his" TARDIS set, wondering what will become of "his" show and "his" Doctor after he leaves - to be confronted by a grinning but clearly reverential Matt Smith as the latest incarnation - is bursting with the magic and charm that made the early show the phenomena it was, and demonstrates why it's still on today. No true fan could watch this without welling up I suspect.
It's the last drama to have been made at BBC Television Centre in Shepherd's Bush prior to its closure, and it never looked finer. Well done BBC. I couldn't think of a better tribute to one of your greatest creations. One final note - many of the early Who's were wiped and no longer exist in the archives. Why not reassemble the cast of this drama and do shot-for-shot B/W remakes to plug the gaps? I'd certainly watch - and I bet there are legions of fans who'd say the same after watching this.
The first thing to say is that nobody does these self-referential television movies better than the BBC. Mark Gatiss' excellent script teases the initial wonder and subsequent popularity of the show out beautifully, but doesn't shy away from the many budgetary and performance shortcomings that are clearly there on-screen if you re-watch the original material. The casting is universally superb, as are the performances (David Bradley as Hartnell especially) and this is a handsomely mounted production full of nostalgia and pathos, with a clear undying love for the source material. The scene near the conclusion demonstrates this the best, with a tired Hartnell staring into the distance on "his" TARDIS set, wondering what will become of "his" show and "his" Doctor after he leaves - to be confronted by a grinning but clearly reverential Matt Smith as the latest incarnation - is bursting with the magic and charm that made the early show the phenomena it was, and demonstrates why it's still on today. No true fan could watch this without welling up I suspect.
It's the last drama to have been made at BBC Television Centre in Shepherd's Bush prior to its closure, and it never looked finer. Well done BBC. I couldn't think of a better tribute to one of your greatest creations. One final note - many of the early Who's were wiped and no longer exist in the archives. Why not reassemble the cast of this drama and do shot-for-shot B/W remakes to plug the gaps? I'd certainly watch - and I bet there are legions of fans who'd say the same after watching this.