"An Adventure In Space & Time", drama by Mark Gatiss

pixelburp

I didn't spot an existing thread, but figured this upcoming drama about the genesis & early years of Dr. Who is worth talking about. Mark Gatiss is scribbling the screenplay, with David Bradley playing William Hartnell & Reece Shearsmith as Patrick Troughton.

Some stills have already popped up and as is typical with the BBC, the period detail is pretty awesome. The recreated TARDIS and associated sets look fantastic. Bradley also looks the absolute spit of Hartnell:

http://blogtorwho.blogspot.ie/2013/07/an-adventure-in-space-time-promo-pic.html

http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/an-adventure-in-space-time-pics.html

I wonder though; given all those lovely sets & costumes, will they film a few scenes for the 50th anniversary story, with Bradley & Shearsmith playing the Docs?

flazio

I highly doubt that they'd use Bradley as the 1st Doctor. If they were going to do that they would have done it when Clara was redirecting the Doctor to the other TARDIS in 'The Name of The Doctor

Coldzone

flazio wrote: »

I highly doubt that they'd use Bradley as the 1st Doctor. If they were going to do that they would have done it when Clara was redirecting the Doctor to the other TARDIS in 'The Name of The Doctor

They are using Bradley and others who've previously starred in the series

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/David-Bradley-IS-William-Hartnell-the-First-Doctor

YeatsCounty

I'm looking forward to this more than the actual 50th anniversary episode itself.

Das Kitty

I'm looking forward to it too. It's a pretty interesting story, how it got started and the problems they had. I doubt any of them thought there'd ever be a 50th anniversary special!

pixelburp

The Beeb released more photos from this drama; you can always rely on the BBC to get period detail just right:

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/an-adventure-in-space-and-time-pics-54099.htm

aidan_walsh

The Master

Can't believe I've to spoiler a Docudrama line but here goes


BIG BIG SPOILER

The final scene has David Bradly as Hartnell look up from his Tardis console and sees Matt Smith as The Doctor standing on the other side. Seems like a nice way to show that there is/was a future ahead for the show

mike65

Not a Dr Who Nerd but the BBC do these dramas well so I'll be on board for this.

CramCycle

When is this been shown?

Hashtag_HEEL

CramCycle wrote: »

When is this been shown?

Tomorrow night at 9 I think.

Coldzone

CramCycle wrote: »

When is this been shown?

Its tomorrow at 9pm on BBC2

The Master

19 mins away , looking forward to this as much as the day of the doctor......

Coldzone

The Master wrote: »

19 mins away , looking forward to this as much as the day of the doctor......

I have it set to record as I'm sure I'll watch it a few times

campo

Coldzone wrote: »

I have it set to record as I'm sure I'll watch it a few times

Missed it please tell me it's repeating

The Master

Sublime....

Coldzone

The Master wrote: »

Sublime....

That was brilliant

K-9

Stunning performance by David Bradley, never a truer line, "I can tell all that just by a look", summed up his performance.

Delightful film over all, didn't know the first programme was so close to JFK's assassination, some great hints at the history of the time like De Gaul and some great one liners.

The Master

Coldzone wrote: »

That was brilliant

Few mins making of on after , brilliant.

Once again , that was not only a good piece of doctor who tv.
It was a fantastic bit of television.
Another classic BBC drama

pixelburp

That was highly enjoyable, and really shows how much luck and gumption it took to get Dr. Who off the ground. It was a really touching, warts n' all, portrayal of Hartnell too. Well done to all involved and you could tell it was a labour of love. I had been looking forward to this as much as the 50th anniversary story and it didn't disappoint (though I'd have loved if it kept going through the rest of the 60s and charted Tourghton's time; but in fairness this was William Hartnell's story)

The little appearance of

Matt Smith in the control room with Hartnell

should have been cheesy but it bought a little lump to my throat, I must say.

Doctor DooM

Christ you'd have to be stone not to be touched by the ending of that.

pixelburp

Man tears were just about held back when you-know-who appeared.

Coldzone

pixelburp wrote: »

The little appearance of

Matt Smith in the control room with Hartnell

should have been cheesy but it bought a little lump to my throat, I must say.

That got me aswell

Hashtag_HEEL

I'm man enough to admit the ending scenes from the fireplace to the final control scene, I was welling up!

Beautiful show! Will definitely buy the DVD.

K-9

pixelburp wrote: »

The little appearance of

Matt Smith in the control room with Hartnell

should have been cheesy but it bought a little lump to my throat, I must say.

It was a bit, but Smith saved it, the twinkle in the eye made it.

FloatingVoter

Shows what a top drawer actor like Bradley can do with the part. I wonder if a few casting directors are wondering why he didn't get the Doctor role proper...or was he offered it at some point The bit about playing Sergeant Majors and villains applies to both Bradley and Hartnell.

Killer_banana

Absolutely loved it. There's always been a debate over just exactly what happened that caused Hartnell to leave and I can't be sure just how accurate this was but it seemed like a pretty good midpoint between the various different versions of his exit. Although the scene where he broke down was very moving I didn't like that he used the same words as Tennant's Doctor before regeneration (I don't want to go.') Seemed cheap and disrespectful to me. But then it could be completely unintentional to have the same words, in which case I'm being stupidly pedantic.

I didn't particularly like Matt appearing in the TARDIS at the end, I know it was to show that there was a future but personally I thought it a bit cheap. Just my own feelings though. I liked very much that they ended on real footage of Hartnell as the Doctor and they picked the perfect scene I feel, but then that scene is a favourite of mine.

I liked the few minutes of people who actually knew him speaking after the credits, very nice.

Even being familiar to an extent with Hartnell's story I didn't expect something so moving. I may have shed a tear or two...or twenty.

Agent Coulson

Really enjoyed that. Doctor Who week is making me smile every day so far

It is up on the BBC iPlayer for those who can get it and want to watch it again or have missed it the firrst time around.

Killer_banana

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Really enjoyed that. Doctor Who week is making me smile every day so far

It is up on the BBC iPlayer for those who can get it and want to watch it again or have missed it the firrst time around.

Isn't the iplayer only available to those who are in the UK?

Agent Coulson

Killer_banana wrote: »

Isn't the iplayer only available to those who are in the UK?

That's why I said for those who can get it.

Killer_banana

Agent Coulson wrote: »

That's why I said for those who can get it.

My bad, I misread it.

Das Kitty

How good was that?!

I got a bit misty a couple of times. Susan's departure always gets me from the character point of view, and it got me here too.

The little behind the scenes part after the credits was really special.

Christmas has come a month early for me.

Killer_banana

For various reasons I'm haven't got the highest expectations for the 50th. I am excited but not as excited as I would have been a year or so ago. As disgustingly cheesy as it is, I'm glad we got this. It really is fantastic.

Now, if you excuse me, I've only got The Smugglers and The Tenth Planet left to watch out of Hartnell's episodes so I think I'll watch them all through tonight.

flazio

Watch all of the Tenth Planet? Is there something you want to tell us?

In relation to that finish scene

I thought it was beautiful, and I loved that they got Matt to fiddle with the controls a little, not run around like a madman with a box, just, hold the controls. It's making me even more sad about Matts impending departure. Also I do think this means we won't see this Tardis set in the 50th Special, I know people were crying out for Moffat to use this set for the 50th special so for me this is a good compromise.

Patty O Furniture

That was a wonderful but poignant story of the obstacles they faced in bringing Dr Who to screen & the love they had for the show.

I havent seen Dr Who from the start but was avidly drawn in to this story of the love they had for the show & Hartnell's hartbreak of not wanting to leave the show, after the people he had adored left before him.

Rigor Mortis

That was really special.

The

Matt Smith

moment, I still cant figure out how I felt about that, I want to roll my eyes and yet somehow it seemed to add to the whole sentimentality of it.

I hope that Saturday is great, but even if it isn't the anniversary has been properly marked by this.

8mv

I enjoyed that a lot, especially the last 10 minutes. What upsets me is that the cars and costumes were so old - was I really approaching my first birthday when the first episode aired? I'm feeling really old this morning!

MrVestek

Onions. Somebody was cutting onions towards the end of that docudrama, I'm sure of it.

I don't get why alot of people didn't like the Matt Smith cameo. The scene was already very upsetting and you could see that Hartnell was upset about having to leave. I didn't see it as an 11th Doctor cameo as some people are suggesting, I rather saw it as Matt Smith the actor giving a nod to Hartnell, letting him know that without him there wouldn't have been a show and that the show will go on for a very very long time... that he was leaving his legacy.

Took me a good twenty minutes to get over that, I found the overall scene very very touching. I can see why some people may have thought that it was cheesy or just an excuse to have him there but to me the writers behind the episode thought about it much deeper than that.

Suffice it to say it really has ramped up my excitement for tomorrow.

Doctor DooM

Achilles wrote: »

Onions. Somebody was cutting onions towards the end of that docudrama, I'm sure of it.

I don't get why alot of people didn't like the Matt Smith cameo. The scene was already very upsetting and you could see that Hartnell was upset about having to leave. I didn't see it as an 11th Doctor cameo as some people are suggesting, I rather saw it as Matt Smith the actor giving a nod to Hartnell, letting him know that without him there wouldn't have been a show and that the show will go on for a very very long time... that he was leaving his legacy.

Took me a good twenty minutes to get over that, I found the overall scene very very touching. I can see why some people may have thought that it was cheesy or just an excuse to have him there but to me the writers behind the episode thought about it much deeper than that.

Suffice it to say it really has ramped up my excitement for tomorrow.

I read it the exact same way. I saw it as Hartnell realising despite being heartbroken, that he had begun something amazing and that others would always owe him a debt, and he took some level of comfort in that. That wasn't actually the

11th Doctor

there.

Mr Bloat

It was really enjoyable and like others, I began to roll my eyes

when Smith appeared towards the end

but within seconds I realised it was really poignant and understood what they were trying to say with the scene. I was glad that the BBC announcer mentioned sticking around after the credits because I had the remote poised to switch over to BBC4 to watch the actual episode of An Unearthly Child. I would have missed the interview with Hartnell's granddaughter if I had switched too fast.

The Master

Doctor DooM wrote: »

That wasn't actually the

11th Doctor

there.

Well technically it is and it isn't
That's Bradly playing Hartnell playing the 1st doctor and it's Matt playing the current Doctor. It's showing both the actor and the character.
Gattis has already said as the actors weren't on set together for that scene whenever the show is rebroadcast whoever the current Doctor is can be cropped into the scene

Sleepy

Damnit. Forgot all about it. Will have to try get a copy for tonight.

Will it absolutely bore the pants of my non Doctor Who fan wife?

Mr Bloat

Sleepy wrote: »

Damnit. Forgot all about it. Will have to try get a copy for tonight.

Will it absolutely bore the pants of my non Doctor Who fan wife?

My wife is kind of a sci-fi fan but not necessarily a Doctor Who fan but she enjoyed this.

cml387

Not ashamed to say that I had a few welling up moments during this superb drama.

The part that got me going was when

Verity Lambert was called to Sidney Newman's office (again) and he looked up after a few moments and said "ten million" .

SparklersJo

Darn it! I missed it as well! If anybody knows of it being repeated anytime soon let us know!

Killer_banana

flazio wrote: »

Watch all of the Tenth Planet? Is there something you want to tell us?

Only that I was counting the reconstruction as an episode.

In regards the ending

I saw it as Matt, not the Doctor and I got the motivations behind it but it still didn't work for me. It just seemed...well silly. Maybe if it were played differently, if Hartnell hadn't smiled, hadn't appeared to take comfort in something we know he didn't see I could get behind it but it was played as if Hartnell actually saw him and I felt like such a fiction in something based on real events made no sense and took away from the sadness of the scene. But as I said earlier that just me, I understand why others liked it.

dball

Sleepy wrote: »

Damnit. Forgot all about it. Will have to try get a copy for tonight.

Will it absolutely bore the pants of my non Doctor Who fan wife?

brilliant bbc drama - doesn't matter if it was Dr who or not - great bbc production and anyone who enjoys television should enjoy this

rossie1977

very enjoyable watch. i thought david bradley was superb in his role

Killer_banana

Sticking this here because don't know where else to ask, sorry if it's too off topic; We've never been told what happened Susan have me? It's been implied she's dead but we've never been told anything else have we?

The Master

We've never been told explicitly what happened to her but the 9th doctor said his whole family were killed during the time war, he also once said he used to be a father and a grandfather but not anymore...

mach1982

I was streaming it using an app on my Raspberry Pi , the dam thing kept crash( about 6 times) at ever important part , lucky I also set the sky box to record it , will later.