My Review of An Adventure In Space And Time

Written by Mark Gatiss
Directed by Terry McDonough

Verity Lambert: "It's like C.S. Lewis meets H.G. Wells meets Father Christmas. That's the Doctor."
William Hartnell: "Doctor who?"

Now that's the question that has still be gripping us for five decades now. Mark Gatiss's biopic was always going to be one of the biggest jewels in the crown for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary and with such high expectations for it, it's amazing that not only did this 83 minute delight rise to the occasion, it also managed to surpass it brilliantly.

At the heart of it, this was a three hander of a story. On one side you had William Hartnell, played to absolutely perfection by David Bradley, who had grown tired of being typecast as hardmen and wanted a challenge and on the other hand, there was also a nice girl named Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine) and her Indian born director, Waris Hussein (Sacha Dhawan) who wanted to make a successful programme in spite of the odds that were stacked against them.

While this biopic did a good job of exploring the fact that Doctor Who was in danger of being scrapped before it had barely begun as well as the show's quick impact on cast, crew and audience alike, the heart of the story is always Hartnell, Lambert and Hussein but mainly the first two. The bond between Hartnell and Lambert is beautifully explored throughout the film and was made all the more poignant when Lambert herself stepped down from the programme and Hartnell was unable to contain his dismay at losing the woman who had encouraged him for the role of a lifetime.

However, it's the last few minutes of the movie that are the most exceptional. You have to made of stone not to have shed a tear when Hartnell was forced to hand over the reins to his successor, Patrick Troughton (Reece Shearsmith) and the use of a certain cameo towards the end only enforced just how much of a legacy this show has truly left on the world in general.

- There was a lot of clever use of catchphrases and dialogue from the series in the episode. Especially with the uses of 'I don't want to go' and 'Braveheart'.
- Did anyone spot some of the companion cameos in this? I at least saw Carole Ann Ford, William Russell, Jean Marsh and Anneke Wills.
- One of the deleted scenes in this was Mark Gatiss playing Jon Pertwee.
- BBC2 aired a short documentary called, William Hartnell: The Original after this had aired. A lovely little companion piece to this biopic.
- I did like seeing the recreation of various stories from Hartnell's era throughout this story as well.
- I think a good 80% of the cast for this alone was comprised of people who have been in Doctor Who or will be in the near future.

This was simply stunning. An Adventure In Space And Time was a gorgeous, faithful, stirring, heartfelt and enchanting look at the making of the best show ever to have surfaced on television. It was an amazing piece of drama with so many exceptional performances (David Bradley and Jessica Raine especially) and it made me cry as well. Mark Gatiss should be extremely proud of himself and William Hartnell would be delighted that his show continues to live on and capture so many people to this day. Sheer perfection.

Rating: 10 out of 10

The Month Of The Time Lord

It's November and while it's the increasingly speedy build up towards Christmas, it's also the month of an anniversary of a certain show as well.

Yes, Doctor Who will finally hit it's 50th anniversary on the 23rd of November with the 76 minute episode, The Day Of The Doctor and while a trailer has yet to materialise (one is rumoured for November 9th), the question is - have the BBC and Steven Moffat done enough for the anniversary? Personally I think so for the most part. The promotion is coming now and spread out over six channels and three radio stations, we are getting the anniversary episode, biopics and documentaries on all of the Doctors (Watch have currently been airing the Revisited things along with a certain story for each Doctor since October 12th). While I do think we should've gotten a full series this year and the Comic-Con trailer earlier, I don't really feel the show has been ignored either. Contrary to what some more vocal fans have been saying on the usual places for the last few months.

Plus, the likes of SFX have done some interviews with Steven Moffat in their latest issue, The Guardian did an excellent photoshoot with 13 companion actresses a few weeks ago and the latest issue of Gay Times have interviews with Matt Smith, David Tennant, Mark Gatiss, Matthew Waterhouse, Kate O'Mara and Sheila Hancock to name a few and we've had the recent story of episodes such as The Web of Fear and The Enemy Of The World found at last (along with rumours of more episodes being found). I guess what I'm trying to say is that now we're into the month of November, it really does feel like the celebrations are underway for the 50th anniversary and perhaps at the right pace too.

BBC Press News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/

Doctor Who - The Day Of The Doctor will air on November 23rd on BBC1 while An Adventure In Space And Time will also air this month on BBC2. Series 7 is currently available on DVD.

Doctor Who - 50th Anniversary Title & Schedule Revealed - EDITED

You wait ages for some news on the upcoming 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and all of a sudden, the BBC give us more than enough to go on.

Remember when Steven Moffat said the show would be taking over television? Well, in November it looks like he was telling the truth. Here's what to look forward to ...

BBC1: The anniversary episode itself will be 75 minutes long and has the title of The Day Of The Doctor and will air on the 23rd of November.
BBC2: Mark Gatiss's biopic An Adventure In Space And Time will air along with a Culture Show special by Matthew Sweet titled, You, Me And Doctor Who and Brian Cox will present a show on the science of Doctor Who.
BBC3: The channel will be doing programmes such as Doctor Who: Monsters And Villains Weekend and The Ultimate Guide.
BBC4: A repeat of the William Hartnell story, An Unearthly Child. The four episodes are being shown in a restored format, not previously broadcast in the UK.
CBBC:  12 Again will bring the likes of Sylvester McCoy, Louise Jameson, Tommy Knight, Neve McIntosh, Dan Starkey, Warwick Davis and Jon Culshaw to name a few. The programme will discuss the guests memories of the show when they were children, along with two Blue Peter specials.

And for the radio as well ...

BBC Radio 2:  A 90 minute documentary, will ask "Who Is The Doctor?" - using newly-recorded interviews and exclusive archive material to find an answer. Plus The Blaggers Guide To Doctor Who by David Quantick and Graham Norton will be hosting his show from Doctor Who Live Celebration in London from November 23rd.
Radio 1: A look at the music genre - TROCK (Time Lord Rock) in a 60 minute documentary.
Radio 4 Extra: A three hour documentary, Who Made Who? This will include interviews and audio/archive material from the series.

Overall, I think that's a cracking selection of stuff to be getting on with during the month of November. And it proves that Moffat wasn't actually lying about the show taking over television - because it will, during the month that it should be. Along with December, which leads to another thing ...

Filming for the Christmas special has begun and while there hasn't been anything massive in the way of spoilers revealed, some pictures have surfaced online with Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman filming in a field. From this angle, Matt's wig in this episode looks pretty convincing. Hopefully some interesting spoilers will materialise over the course of filming for this episode but for now, let's enjoy the spoilers that have been released today.

Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24030127
Christmas 2013 Filming: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-09-10/doctor-who-christmas-special-filming-begins---and-matt-smiths-wig-looks-pretty-convincing

Doctor Who will air a lot over November and December. Enjoy folks.

Doctor Who - Series 7 Part 2 Begins

It's March and while we have another 29 days until the second half of Doctor Who's seventh series airs, promotion for it has finally come out at least.

The promo picture released here is representing the first episode of the 2013 series called The Bells Of St John. The episode introduces the Doctor to a modern version of Clara (who will be there for the remainder of the series) as well as some sinister creatures living in the wifi, known as the Spoonheads. If you look carefully into the promo pictures you can see them as well as other monsters for the upcoming eight episodes due to air soon.

Also released last night was a promotional picture for the Ice Warriors, who are set to appear in Mark Gatiss's episode with David Warner and Liam Cunningham. It does seem that unlike the Silurians, the redesign for the Ice Warriors hasn't been radically altered, with only some minor tweaks to the overall design. Another thing mentioned in the press release is that the monsters for the finale are creatures called the Faceless Ones. Now, why does that sound so familiar?

Elsewhere, the last week of filming for biopic An Adventure In Space And Time has come and it's been revealed that Sophie Hoult has been cast as Dodo Chaplet actress, Jackie Lane. Other cast members who have been confirmed for the biopic include Sam Hoare (Dancing On The Edge) as Douglas and David William Bryan as well as Nicholas Briggs voicing the Daleks as well. Also it seems that John Barrowman has been in talks to be appearing in the 50th anniversary special, according to an interview he did today on This Morning.

Series 7 Part 2 Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/Doctor-Who-to-Return-with-The-Bells-of-St-John-First-Official-Picture
Biopic News: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/search/label/An%20Adventure%20in%20Space%20and%20Time

Series 7 of Doctor Who resumes airing from March 30th on BBC1.

Doctor Who - More 50th News

With filming for the biopic nicely underway, more spoilers have been unveiled about what people can expect from Mark Gatiss's An Adventure In Space And Time ...

First of all, Lesley Manville has been cast Heather Hartnell, wife to William Hartnell and last week, the Radio Times posted a filming picture of her and David Bradley in character with the couple's dog. I'm not sure how big Manville's role in the biopic will be but it does make sense that we'll be seeing elements of Hartnell's personal life into the mix as well.

More interestingly though is the casting of Reece Shearsmith (League Of Gentlemen, Psychoville) as Patrick Troughton. I'm actually surprised that parts of the biopic will be covering Troughton but I'm certainly pleased and Shearsmith is good casting as well. I'm still wondering if Gatiss himself will actually appear in the biopic too.

Of course one of the biggest news items about the biopic was the recreation of the iconic London scenes from The Dalek Invasion Of Earth as Mark Gatiss was on set for filming of this particular scene. I'm planning to watch that particular story tonight.

Meanwhile for the show itself, it's been confirmed that the 50th anniversary special will be filmed in 3D and will be getting a cinema release. It is also rumoured to be 90 minutes long and will be directed by Nick Hurran who has previously directed the likes of The God Complex and Asylum Of The Daleks. With filming for the special due to begin in April and hints of a Christmas 2013 special, it's nice to finally be getting some concrete information about the show's anniversary year.

Filming With Mark Gatiss: http://www.cultbox.co.uk/news/clips/6210-video-mark-gatiss-and-the-daleks-invade-london-for-doctor-who-biopic
Biopic News: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/search/label/Documentary

Series 7 Part 2 will air on BBC1 from March 30th and the specials will air in November.

An Adventure In Space And Time - More Casting Announced

With the first week of filming for An Adventure In Space And Time completed, further casting has been revealed for the 90 minute biopic.

Relatively unknown actress Claudia Grant has been cast as Carole Ann Ford. Grant's casting was reported by the same agency that is ran by William Hartnell's real life granddaughter, Jessica Carney. Recent filming have also had the sets look like the same sets back in 1963 when the original cast were photographed together as well.

Former Waterloo Road actor Jamie Glover has been cast as William Russell. Glover is the son of both Isla Blair and Julian Glover, both of whom have previously appeared in the Classic Series and the film editor of this 90 minute biopic has been confirmed as Philip Kloss who has previously worked on Tennant era episodes like The Doctor's Daughter and The End Of Time as well as Torchwood.

And for the casting of Jacqueline Hill we have got Jemma Powell, whom most viewers will recognise from things such as Alice In Wonderland and Foyle's War. I have to admit the resemblance that Powell has to Hill is strikingly good. Of course the most interesting casting that has been announced for this biopic is ...

William Russell. Yes, the original Ian Chesterton himself will be appearing in the biopic playing a character named Harry. No further details have been given about his character but this is certainly a massive coup for the special, huh?

More Details: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/search/label/WHO50

An Adventure In Space And Time is due to air on BBC2 over the Autumn period.

An Adventure In Space And Time Casting Announced

With filming for the 90 minute biopic from Mark Gatiss due to start filming, the casting for An Adventure In Space And Time has been announced by the BBC and it's bloody good.

David Bradley will be playing First Doctor actor William Hartnell and his was the first casting announced, leaked by writer Mark Gatiss at the Radio Times covers party last night. Bradley has already appeared on Doctor Who recently, playing the role of ruthless smuggler, Solomon in Dinosaurs On A Spaceship, so it's going to be interesting to see him take on the role of Hartnell for this special.

The role for BBC head of drama's Sydney Newman will be played by Brian Cox, who most fans will remember as playing the Elder Ood from David Tennant's final story, The End Of Time. Newman was instrumental in the show's creation but he wasn't the only influential person working behind the scenes of this show.

There's also Verity Lambert, the show's first female producer back in 1963, who at the age of 27 was responsible for producing the series. She will be played by Call The Midwife's Jessica Raine, who will also be appearing in an upcoming Series 7 episode, rumoured to be titled Phantom Of The Hex.

The last casting announced for now (because casting has yet to be confirmed for William Russell, Carole Ann Ford and Jacqueline Hill) is Sacha Dhawan, best known for his roles in both The History Boys and The Mystery Of Edwin Drood. Dhawan will play director Waris Hussein, the very man responsible for helming the show's first story, An Unearthly Child. The 90 minute special will be directed by Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad) and will be produced by Matt Strevens (Misfits) and being made along with BBCAmerica as well. I have to admit that casting wise, there are some great choices here. I can't wait to see this biopic.

BBC Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/David-Bradley-to-play-William-Hartnell-in-Celebration-of-Doctor-Who

An Adventure In Space And Time will air on BBC2 around November.

Doctor Who Gets A 50th Anniversary Docudrama

Is anyone surprised by this in the slightest? Nope, didn't think so but following the likes of The Road To Coronation Street on BBC4 in 2010, it's nice that our favourite traveller in time and space is getting one too.

The 90 minute drama, entitled, An Adventure In Space And Time will be penned by Mark Gatiss (not a shocking but he will be in his element scribing this, I bet) and will air on BBC2 in 2013 in the build up to the show's 50th anniversary. Casting has yet to be done but production for the 90 one-off drama (which is also being produced by Steven Moffat) will begin next year. I don't know about you, but I am delighted with this news. Another reason to get excited for the 50th anniversary, isn't it?

Meanwhile production has finally begun on the Christmas 2012 special and while the episode will be most noteworthy for finally debuting Jenna-Louise Coleman into the Doctor Who fold, it will also feature guest stars such as Withnail & I's Richard E. Grant (rumoured to be playing a villain in this one), Silent Witness actor, Tom Ward as well as Life On Mars actress Liz White (playing a maid in this episode). Also rumoured to be featuring in this episode are Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax with some reports also suggesting that our new girl Clara may be from the Victorian period after all (which is where this special is based in). I'll bring more news as I find it.

Press Release: http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a398330/doctor-who-mark-gatiss-to-write-series-biopic-for-2013.html
Filming Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cardifftimelord/with/7742211626/#photo_7742211626

Doctor Who will air later in the month on BBC1.