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As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Doctor Who, the BBC has produced this movie about the origins and Bill Hartnell years of the TV show. Writer Mark Gatiss, a longtime Whovian, has dug through all the stories and legends and has produced a fine script.

The thesis of the movie is that Sydney Newman chose a novice producer, Verity Lambert, who proceeded to build an unlikely team: the first Indian director of the BBC; an actor frustrated at his lack of advancement; and the already worn out facilities at Lime Grove. Somehow she managed to hold this together long enough to create a series which has prospered for half a century, despite the best the suits at the BBC could do.

There's some fine casting in this one, especially David Bradley as William Hartnell. It's rather shocking to me to see him, clean-shaven and well dressed and he gives a fine performance as the William Hartnell of the standard story: old, collapsing under the impact of ill health, but unwilling to give up his claim to fame.

That's not precisely the reality of the matter. Doctor Who ran on a killing schedule during Hartnell's term: forty episodes a year, dialogue filled with scientific bafflegab. Almost anyone would have crumbled under it.

Still, the story as written is cogent and should please the series' fans. the production values are top notch and the actors are excellent and look like the ones who played the original roles. I'd like to give a shout out to the stand outs, but I'd have to name just about every member of the cast.

This movie probably won't appeal to people who are not rabid fans of the show, but for those who, like me, are, it's a great treat.

Of course, as a die hard Doctor Who Fan, this film really contained few surprises for me, or I would imagine for any other DW fans who watched it know this story.

The irony is, that if William Hartnell hadn't had his health issues, the BBC would have never been forced to write in the "Regeneration" plot device that has kept the show alive this day.

The scenes with Bradley as Hartnell are kind of touching, where you see an actor who really never quite hit the level of fame he wanted, getting the role of a lifetime and then watching it slip through his fingers because of his own physical ailments.

The portrayal of Verity Lambert as a visionary was great as well. Let's be honest, most of the things that we associate with Doctor Who- The Tardis, (It's bigger on the inside and looks like a police box) The Daleks, the Cybermen, all came from this era of the series.

Kudos also for the recreation of 1960's era England.

When the success of a show is defined by its main protagonist for 50 years, then there is no better tribute then this drama movie. Based on true events, this movie/documentary focuses on the first actor and producer that defined and shaped the first doctor of the British television show Doctor Who. It shows how the production got started back in the 60's and how the actor William Hartnell (beautifully portrait by David Bradley) opened the minds of children and adults to fantasy and sci-fi.

It is however not entirely a happy story, for all good things must come to an end. Without spoiling it for everyone I would like to say that the end is very heart-breaking but filled with hope for the future.

In short, the movie was beautifully told with a fine pace. The acting was good conveying emotions at the right time. Furthermore, I'm very happy that this movie used almost no CGI and a lot of props which I think is becoming a lost art.

I give this movie an 8.

People I really recommend this movie if you want to see a good drama.

I was privileged to attend the premier at the National Film Theatre. The audience was asked not to give away any spoilers, so I'll respect that wish (not that I wouldn't have done so anyway, of course).

The programme was far more emotional that I had expected and the audience's reaction - laughs, tears and much rapt silence - showed I wasn't alone. Admittedly, the place was packed with Doctor Who fans, so it was hardly going to send any of them to sleep, but they could also have been counted on to be highly critical of any factual errors.

The time frame covers 1963 to 1966 and is as much a biography of William Hartnell, the first Doctor, as the early years of the show he fronted. The Doctor is played by David Bradley (no complaints from me about his crotchety but committed portrayal) and is pretty much throughout seen as ailing in physical health or mental agility, which seems like a true depiction but is rather unfortunate for his legacy as someone often described, in his earlier years, as a fine character actor. Hartnell's granddaughter, who was in attendance at the post-screening Q&A) referred to the fact that prided himself on remembering his lines, so his problems with this as depicted here should be taken into context, although it would have been a tall order for the programme to have tried to focus on any more of the man's life without overrunning its 90 minute time.

Many of the key production staff have key roles, although (as writer Mark Gatiss acknowledged during the Q&A) not all of them were included as to do so would have been made the programme too difficult to follow. Thus there is no David Whitaker, for example, but there is much screen time for the Sydney Newman, the Canadian Head of Drama at the BBC, amusingly played by Brian Cox. His pivotal role in appointing and supporting Verity Lambert, the Doctor Who producer, was one of the unexpected revelations here.

Without giving away any really key moments (and there are plenty of lovely surprises) the show is both reverential of the programme as well as poking fun at the ridiculousness of making a prime time science fiction programme on a BBC budget with no computer technology and live editing. Plenty more such contrasts abound: the daleks are both funny and awesome at the same time; Hartnell's crotchety but committed personality is shown to be a benefit and a hindrance.

If you are even slightly interested in Doctor Who I'm sure you'll love it as much as the audience who gave it a standing ovation. Young children would probably be unlikely to find much of interest in it but older ones with more than a 30 second attention span may well enjoy it. Considering that much of the story of the programme is known to many of us and that there are no deaths or love affairs involved (that's not a spoiler - surely you weren't expecting that?) it is to its credit that it managed to be so entertaining for a film-length duration.

If I had to sum this up in one word, I would: 'Beautiful".

"One day, I shall come back..." I live in Australia, and this special was screened on ABC1 at 8:50PM on Sunday November 24, immediately after an encore screening of "The Day of the Doctor". I only got to see the first fifteen minutes or so before being told to go to bed, however I was recording it. When I watched most of it the next night, it changed everything.

It was only a few days ago that I watched the special in full for the first time. (It was the third time I'd sen it, however the first in one full sitting). I was home alone, so nobody got to see me crying.

That's what happened. The cast and crew of "An Adventure In Space And Time" have created a drama filled with action, emotion and, importantly, history. I congratulate writer Mark Gatiss for his success with the wonderful script. I feel he captures the essence of all seen in the programme as they were in 1963 perfectly. Of course it is an ultimate dream, I Definitely would do something like this, and he has made a work of equisite art of it. Mr Gatiss, your love letter to "Doctor Who" is truly 'fantastic!'.

The actors cast as roles are evidently well-thought of. I particularly liked Jesscia Raine's portrayal of producer Verity Lambert, David Bradley's performance as the original Who, William Hartnell; and also Sacha Dhawan's living performance as first director Waris Hussein. All capture what it must have been like during the pioneering days of the series. The portrayal of William Hartell by David Bradley is what made me cry. Hartnell had his hearts broken at least twice, and to see the man who began it all so sad, it nearly broke mine. I also liked the cameo roles from two original companions: actors William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, as the Guard and the Mother, Joyce respectively. Also, the surprise of seeing Matt Smith opposite the First Doctor is a highlight, showcasing that, although no one knew it at the time, the show would reach a golden 50-year landmark. Who'd have thought? These roles added to the spirit, the magnificence on how "Doctor Who" has touched the lives of millions of people.

In all, this docudrama fittingly celebrates the Fiftieth Anniversary of the world's longest-running Sci-Fi series. It's emotional, historical, educational, and inspiring. It made me cry, and I haven't done that since David Tennant left in "The End of Time: Part Two".

The cast and crew definitely should go ahead and recreate classic/missing Doctor Who stories. Why not? They've got the cast, the production values, the spirit.

Congratulations to all involved in the making of this special. It was definitely a highlight of 2013, the year of all time. A fitting way to celebrate the best television show on the planet, or indeed the universe.

11/10

I only started watching the new series just this summer, but I'm hooked! In Belgium, Doctor Who isn't well known, so that explains a lot why I'm a rather new fan. I've wanted to start watching the Classic Who's, but I never got to it.

After seeing this, I just can't say anything else but WOW! I now understand that Doctor Who has such a legacy and we are so priviliged that it's still on! I loved the cast and how they showed us even the dark side of themselves, by showing us that they didn't really care about the budget of the show when it just started.

The movie was fantastic, it really touched me, I cried... a lot!

So I think I'm ready now to watch the Classics, but now, first of all, the 50th, so every Whovian out there, young, new, classic fan or new fan, Happy 50th, Happy Day of the Doctor!!!

May we have 50 years and more!!

For the 50th anniversary of the first screening of Dr Who on the BBC, infamously on the night of the JFK assassination, co-show-runner of the current globally successful re-boot of the programme, Mark Gatiss wrote and produced this gently reverent story of the initial conception and creation of the show.

To be truthful there's not that much of a story or too much drama either but with its accurate recreation of the time and respectful tributes to key figures like the veteran actor William Hartnell who played the first Doctor, larger-than-life commissioning producer Sydney Lotterby, his protégé, young go-ahead female producer Verity Lambert and the young Indian director of the first show Waris Hussein, it was always watchable and entertaining.

Conventionally told in chronological order, covering the time from 1963 up to Hartnell's departure from the show in 1966 to make way for the younger Patrick Troughton, there were nevertheless some nice ideas here, the passage of time denoted by a time-machine chronometer and the annual publicity photo-shoots for the Doctor's new companions, a great "from-the-floorboards-up" view of the operation of the first Dalek and the modest but effective display of the quickening popularity of the show amongst the young (a mother calling in her children playing outside to see "that programme you liked"). This was nicely rounded off at the finish with Hartnell slipping away quietly from an end-of-show party to the set of the TARDIS and looking across to see Matt Smith, the current incarnation opposite him, carrying the show onto new generations.

Sentimental it may have been at times but as someone who grew up with the series in my own teenage years (although Troughton and Jon Pertwee were more "my" Doctors), this was a well-made and well-acted tribute to a British TV institution which you didn't have be a Whovian anorak to appreciate.

Watched this last night and although I really wanted to watch it, I had no idea it would be this good!!!

It is mesmerising from start to finish. The cast is just superb and although everyone is giving special mention to David Bradley, I thought it was Jessica Raine who stole the show as Verity Lambert.

Some amazing recreations of sets, props and characters from the first three series of Doctor Who means that the film makers obviously have a real passion for the show and the making of this film. It is the ending though that is extremely sad and without giving away spoilers, a perfect cameo at the end just makes it even more special.

Even if you are not into Doctor Who you should really enjoy this. I cant believe how much I enjoyed this and I have ordered the DVD already. By the way, the scene with the Cyberman with the fag on is just hilarious :) :) :)

Without a doubt the best television I have seen all year. 10/10!!!!

Is it too much to state how much that DOCTOR WHO has shaped British popular culture ? Nearly everyone loves the show in all of its variable and diverse eras . That said if you're going to make a drama about the origins of the show then there's a very real danger that you're going to overstate everything and tell the story with embellished hindsight . To quote the late John Nathan Turner " The memory cheats " and if there's a problem with An Adventure In Space And Time it's that it's written with the view that the future of television itself is at stake . This is patently untrue and everything I've read on the origins of the show indicates no one had any inkling of the genie they'd released from the bottle and thought of it as a disposable children's television show that probably wouldn't last . That said the programme begins with a disclaimer - though be it in a pretentious manner - that some artistic licence has been taken by the storytelling

Sydney Newman a bold and brash Canadian newly arrived from ITV comes up with the idea of an educational children's show for the BBC that will fire their interest in both science in history . He decides to call it Doctor Who and delegates the task of producer to a young production associate called Verity Lambert . What the drama does very well is paint the picture of early 1960s Britain as being a million miles away from what it is today . Lambert being a woman - and a Jewish one at that - is an absolute anachronism in this world . Women in those days didn't have careers only jobs and often low paid menial ones at that because they were expected to be baby factories and housewives . She is joined on the debut story by her assigned director a young Indian man called Waris Hussein who is a closeted homosexual and young Jewish woman and closeted Indian homosexual have to fight tooth and nail to get the show off the ground usually against the creator of Doctor Who itself Sydney Newman .

One can understand the point Mark Gattis is making here that a show featuring an outsider in the role of the Doctor has a subtext all of its own in that it's being also being made by cultural outsiders who are about to change the face of television but again is true or is it merely shoehorned history after the fact ? It's interesting that Terry Nation gets name checked but it's a well documented fact of history that Nation only took the writing gig because he'd lost his job writing for Tony Hancock and Nation would always state with great relish he only wrote the Dalek story with the thinking of " Take the money and run " . To him writing the Dalek debut meant paying the rent as a struggling and jobbing writer and nothing more which again indicates that the BBC had little idea or faith as to how popular the show may have become . There's also an unforgiving airbrushing out of script editor David Whitaker from the show's history and Whitaker was probably more responsible than anyone else of shaping the character of the Doctor and bringing him to life and of giving the early show an ethos and unique feel of its own that made it more than mere disposable children's entertainment Whitaker not getting as much as a namecheck is unforgivable

That said the cast of the drama are more than adequate and we get some post modernism by casting William Russell and Carole Ann Ford in cameos as walk on characters . Pride of place goes to David Bradley as William Hartnell who you genuinely believe has somehow miraculously been reincarnated as himself . Unless they were movie stars actors in those days were berefit of the celebrity status where every movement was publicized by the tabloids and remained relatively unknown to the general public . From what we know of William Hartnell he could be very difficult and tiring to work with but at the same time he loved the show and the people he worked with and this comes across very well on screen . The only contentious point about the acting is Brian Cox gives a painfully over emphatic performance as Sydney Newman who seems to be a parody of a Jewish Hollywood movie mogul . This may or may not have been true in real life but Cox is still somewhat overdone

In summary this is an affectionate tribute to both the show itself and the people who created Doctor Who . It's a much better tribute than the much expected noisy mess of The Day Of The Doctor but at the same time many of the " facts " should be taken with a pinch of salt , if not the whole salt packet . It's a drama based on fact but isn't a fly on the wall documentary . Remember that while you're watching

I'm a relatively new fan to Doctor Who and as such searched out the beginning seasons of the series to better understand the premise and origins of the show.

In my opinion William Hartnell Is Doctor Who, and all those portraying the role after Mr Hartnell are reflecting a small part of his performance into their personal incarnation of the Doctor.

That being said, I love this film ! It explains so much about the origin and talent that was behind the beginnings if this now iconic sci-fi series, and shows how the persistence and drive of a few individuals can overcome the overwhelming task of trying to turn an idea into a successful TV show.

An incredible performance by David Bradley in the starring role. His Bio says he's a fan of Hartnell's and it shows. He seems to channel Hartnell's spirit in many of the scenes, and his inflections and mannerisms are spot on. Jessica Raine was great in the role of Verity Lambert the budding producer, as was Sacha Dhawan as the director Waris Hussein, and a strong support role by Brian Cox portraying BBC studio executive Sydney Newman.

This movie captures the look and feel of the early Who shows and is an insightful and sometimes sad story but I highly recommend it to any Doctor who fan, or anyone who appreciates a well executed movie in which the underdogs triumph over incredible odds.

A special drama commissioned for the show's fiftieth anniversary, it shows the origins of Doctor Who, exactly how it came about. It tells the story of the show's conception, the casting, the bold decision of having a female producer, and the rise and fall of lead actor William Hartnell.

Hartnell is gloriously brought to life by David Bradley, he manages to create both William Hartnell and his interpretation of the first Doctor. At times the show feels like an homage to Hartnell, and rightly so, the show would have been nothing without him. How wonderful that Bradley will get the chance to play the first Doctor for real.

It's a hugely interesting show, especially for fans of Doctor Who like myself, I'm not too sure non fans would get it in quite the same way, there are so many references to the show's early years.

A wonderful job is done in recreating the give of the sixties, the costumes are superb, unfortunately some of the more unpleasant attitudes people had back then are also highlighted.

I think it shows how lucky we are that the great show is still going on our screens, and fans should support it even though the less successful times, it is a national treasure after all.

A superb drama. 10/10

Overall, this is a very well-done movie detailing the early days of the Doctor Who series. It is well written, well acted - especially by a touching David Bradley and a sharp, funny Brian Cox - and moves well.

In fact, I would argue that, even though it sometimes relies on a little Whovian knowledge on the part of the viewer, this is a solid portrayal of an adventure in broadcasting that is fun even if you aren't a Doctor Who fan.

And that's why the last part of the movie bugs me. First off, near the end there's a cameo that makes no sense in terms of the movie itself. That is, if you haven't been watching Doctor Who the last few years you'll be perplexed. It's out of place, because there's no setup for it and it is there as very much a fan thing instead of a movie thing. It undercuts the emotional power of the scene and, even if you know who the actor is, just seems weird and pointless.

After the movie ends, there is an immediate mini-documentary on William Hartnell. I don't know if this is officially part of the movie or just something the BBC stuck in to fill in the time, but if the former, it's a problem yet again. It's not that it's uninteresting, but that it once again says, "this wasn't a real movie, it was just this thing to appeal to Doctor Who fans."

This movie is good enough that it didn't need to pander to its likely audience. And it doesn't, until the last 15 minutes.

Faithful and loving recreation of those early days of "Doctor Who", when William Hartnell(played excellently by David Bradley) first took on the mantle of that mysterious wandering time & space traveler the Doctor, with a fine supporting cast portraying his costars(William Russell, Jacqueline Hill, and Carole Ann Ford) and real-life production crew(like producer Verity Lambert, young director Waris Hussein, and their boss at the BBC Sydney Newman.) Behind the scenes turmoil and uncertainty are well portrayed, and were quickly settled once the Daleks debuted, and the ratings climbed to ten million...

The script by Mark Gatiss is quite good, with nice touches that long-time fans will appreciate, though at only 90 minutes, it does move along a bit too fast, with other key participants(like script editor and writer David Whitaker) left out altogether, and the final little nod to the "future" will either leave viewer hot or cold, since not all fans like what the series later became(I stopped at Peter Davison), but those are small complaints in this otherwise worthwhile special, which also gives a most interesting view of the private side of Hartnell, with his loyal wife and granddaughter. Most effective and moving.

An Adventure In Space And Time (2013) -

As a fan I did enjoy seeing how the world of 'Doctor Who' (1963 - 89) came to be but I did have to wonder how much of it, with its little Easter Eggs for the die hard fans would interest a general viewer.

And it was a nice little tale to tell but I didn't feel that it had anything outstanding about it or told much of a story that I hadn't already seen about the making of any TV series, or that it showed a programme being made any differently than I would have expected. It wasn't as if they were the first to use George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic team, CGI or some other revolutionary technique to make each episode. It was just that the concept was a bit different (At that time).

So, in that respect I felt that it was definitely for the Who followers and would be only mildly enjoyable for others.

Other than that, I like Brian Cox as an actor, but he was a bit of a caricature in this one as Producer Sydney Newman and I did find it annoying that the producers decided to replace Matt Smith's incarnation with Ncuti Gatwa for the repeat showing in 2023 to celebrate the 60th anniversary. It was like when Star Wars replaced Sebastian Shaw playing Anakin Skywalker in 'Return Of The Jedi' (1983). It was disrespectful to the original actor and inappropriate for the film. It was only just appropriate in this instance to do so, but still felt wrong. That was just a minor niggle though and actually I really liked this effort. It didn't have quite the impact that 'Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa' (2006), 'Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me' (2008) or 'Eric & Ernie' (2011) did, but it was interesting to me, fun and it certainly wasn't badly put together.

David Bradley in the role of William Hartnell (The First Doctor) was a cracking casting choice. I could see why they've reused him since to replicate the character again in actual 'Doctor Who' (2005 - 22) episodes. It was good to see him stretching himself from his roles of Walder Frey* and Argus Filch** who were also grumpy old men, but without the heart he showed in this production.

I have appreciated the efforts of the BBC in relation to telling these stories and I'm sure that there are many more that they could deliver. I hope that if they do they will all be as well thought out and carefully structured as this one and the others mentioned above.

728.65/1000.

*Game Of Thrones (2011 - 19) **Harry Potter (2001 - 2011)

Earlier this year, on the gentle prodding of IMDb user Theo Robertson, I decided that I would go back and watch Doctor Who from the beginning. This was interested to me since I can just about remember the image of Davison as the Doctor but really the actual moments I remember are from the era of McCoy and Baker (an era that brought the show to an end for many years); so watching the originals was interesting to me if for no other reason than I had never seen them. The timing was good because I was glad to have made that connection before all the 50th anniversary stuff kicked off.

All through the fuss and hype, I did feel like we were celebrating where the show was right now, not its roots and as a result I was really glad of this film for focusing on the origins of the show. As Theo will probably tell you better than I, the facts are dusted up in the sake of a good story and the film moves better for it. I disagree with Theo where he says this film presented it as some sort of great cultural moment – I thought the film did a good job of showing how throwaway it was, how little interest there was and how it is more or less a matter of good fortune that the characters caught the public imagination and made an impression that has endured for decades. The story is presented in an affectionate manner, particularly towards Hartnell, who is probably given a bit too much nostalgic cheer for what he deserves, but he is given his dues and is very well played by Bradley.

The tone of the show is affectionate and humorous; we are not spared the fluffed lines and the set malfunctions and yet these are given over to part of the charm. The supporting cast play up their outsider status in a pleasing way, although as Theo says, I'm not sure if Cox was told that his role was to inject energy and color into the film, but his performance is so overblown as to be pure caricature. Still though, it all works really well and with so much hype and fanfare for the current show, it was so nice to have something looking back with such gentle affection – I didn't even mind the appearance of Matt Smith as I thought that was a nice moment and more a nod to the origins than it was to the present.

Mark Gatiss always wanted to tell the story about the origins of Doctor Who and although this is a well worn tale for die hard fans. For the casual viewer this is based in a time when the television industry was a lot different.

A Canadian Head of Drama with pizzazz has an idea. A Jewish female producer being the first female producer at BBC drama and an Indian Muslim is tasked with directing the first episode.

Maybe this was a series designed to fail rather than last half a century!

David Bradley well known for playing the curmudgeonly Filch in the Harry Potter films plays the curmudgeonly William Hartnell. An actor well known for playing army types and small time hoods before he got the keys for the TARDIS and enchanted children of all ages.

We have recreations in colour of some of the well known scenes from early Doctor Who, some of these episodes now lost in time.

The drama had to be distilled in 90 minutes so a lot of the story had to be left out. Hartnell could be difficult to work with and had abrasive relationships with some of his producers.

Gatiss managed to get cameos from past actors from the early series and used scenes and lines from previous Doctor Who episodes. An example is David Tennant's final line before he regenerated 'I don't want to go' which was reused here when Hartnell discovers he is to be replaced by another actor.