An Adventure in Space and Time

While the origins of Doctor Who have been well researched and documented, it was not clear how the story would be dramatised. There were a large number of people involved in creating the program, so it would be impossible to list them all. Would the program focus on the creators or the actors? Mark Gatiss'' story focuses on two major individuals. One of them is Verity Lambert, the new female producer who has to prove herself by making a show that nobody at the BBC liked. The other is William Hartnell, the lead actor, who has gone from playing tough guy parts to playing in childrens television. Both of these characters are stepping into an unknown world.

I was unsure how good Jessica Raine would be at playing Verity Lambert, so I was happy to see that she was successful at it. Raine successfully shows the "piss and vinegar" in Verity that Sydney Newman spoke about, while showing her warmer side when talking with Waris Hussein. The development from a stiff, uncertain new producer into a confident controller of people is well presented.

David Bradley is good as William Hartnell, pulling off the grumpy old actor and the kindlier man who develops as the role of Doctor Who brings him closer to his granddaughter. The only problem is that we do not see his portrayal of Doctor Who after it has been a success. Some of these scenes can be seen on the BBC Website, but it is a shame they couldn't have been included on the page itself. He portrays well the scenes of Hartnell developing from a mad old man to a friend of all children, to a grumpy old man with memory faults. 

 The rest of the cast are smaller. The companions serve as an example of how time has passed. As they start to change, you can see William Hartnell's alienation. Brian Cox is great as Sydney Newman, a larger than life character who feels like he was well recreated from the 1966 interview. Waris Hussein is also successfully portrayed. The racism towards Waris is also shown.

The weakest link in the cast is Reece Shearsmith as Patrick Troughton. He seems to be playing the Second Doctor rather than Patrick Troughton, who was not like the impish man on screen. Fortunately he is only on screen for a few minutes and does not get in the way.

The best moment is seeing the Hartnell regeneration, as Hartnell glimpses the Matt Smith incarnation. It shows the legacy that the show will impart. People may, quite rightly, appreciate the work of Russell T Davies or Steven Moffat, but it's good to acknowledge the people who started the whole thing, and didn't get enough plaudits.

Overall, this is a good tribute to the creators of Doctor Who.

8/10