An Adventure in Space and Time
Broadcast Date: November 21, 2013 9pm BBC 2 (UK). November 22, 2013 9pm ET BBC America (USA). November 22, 2013 9pm ET SPACE (Canada)
Written by: Mark Gatiss
Directed by: Terry McDonough
Produced by: Matt Strevens
Executive produced by: Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Full Cast: David Bradley as William Hartnell, Jamie Glover as William Russell, Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill, Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford, Reece Shearsmith as Patrick Troughton, Sophie Holt as Jackie Lane, Nicholas Briggs as Peter Hawkins, Brian Cox as Sydney Newman, Jessica Raine as Verity Lambert, Sacha Dhawan as Waris Hussein, Sarah Winter as Delia Derbyshire, Jeff Rawle as Mervyn Pinfield, Andrew Woodall as Rex Tucker, Ian Hallard as Richard Martin, David Annen as Peter Brachacki, Sam Hoare as Douglas Camfield, Mark Eden as Donald Baverstock, Lesley Manville as Heather Hartnell, Cara Jenkins as Jessica Carney, William Russell as Harry, Carole Ann Ford as Joyce, Reece Pockney as Alan, Charlie Kemp as Arthur, Roger May as Len, Kit Connor as Charlie
This special one-off drama travels back in time to 1963 to see how the beloved Doctor Who was first brought to the screen. Actor William Hartnell felt trapped by a succession of hard-man roles. Wannabe producer Verity Lambert was frustrated by the TV industry’s glass ceiling. Both of them were to find unlikely hope and unexpected challenges in the form of a Saturday tea-time drama, time travel and monsters! Allied with a team of brilliant people, they went on to create the longest-running science fiction series ever, now celebrating its 50th anniversary.
In order to the show to be accessible to those without intimate knowledge of Doctor Who several sacrifices have been made including the negation of David Whitaker, who’s real life role as story editor is now merged with Mervyn Pinfield and the omission of Terry Nation and Raymond Cusick’s creation of The Daleks. The show will however feature recreations of some of Doctor Who’s most iconic moments including scenes from An Unearthly Child, The Daleks, Marco Polo, The Dalek Invasion of Earth and The Tenth Planet.
BBC Trailer
ABC Trailer
BBC America Trailer
Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUtOs0lUvX
Quotes
“These were brilliant, complex, talented people making something revolutionary. And, in William Hartnell, we have the very affecting story of a man redeemed by the role of a lifetime who then, sadly, had to let it go. I think we can all relate to something like that in our lives. In this 50th anniversary year, I hope fans will enjoy and be thrilled by An Adventure in Space and Time and all the kisses to the past it’s laden with. But my greatest wish is that it appeals to people who know very little or nothing about Doctor Who and see the struggle of talented people (almost) accidentally creating a legend!” - Mark Gatiss
“It has to be said, after some initial reluctance to do something for children’s TV I think William was quickly convinced that it was the right thing for him to do. He felt quite insecure about it as it was new territory for him, but once he started he embraced the whole idea of the part. I know he had a reputation at times for being cantankerous and rather difficult and one has to play that. It was clear from research and hearing his colleagues talk about him that he was a perfectionist. He demanded a lot of himself and he expected everyone around him to show the same level of commitment. He was invited to school fetes in the full outfit and I thought how brilliant and touching that was. It’s clear that he absolutely loved it and found it very hard to let go. That’s an element that Mark Gatiss brings out in the script.I think maybe when people joined the show later, different directors and different actors, if they showed a lack of commitment then it would upset him and he would let people know that’s how he felt. There are moments of sadness in ‘Space and Time’ where he becomes aware that he hasn’t got the strength to do it anymore.” - David Bradley
“[Verity Lambert] was very strong willed, very compassionate and very warm. As the first female drama producer at the BBC she had to be very determined. She had a real fire in her belly about projects she believed in. We concentrate more on her work, but we do get a little slither of the fun side of Verity. Apparently she used to hold these art parties and invite the artist and all of her mates around and have a sort of exhibition, a bit of music and a bit of dancing. While I was auditioning I did look for video clips, but they were all from recent years, but it was interesting to see her. I felt she was very composed, very classy, very warm, but you could see real steel there. I also watched the original episode that Verity, Waris and Sydney, to a certain extent, created and I was really struck by how it holds its own. It’s eerie, weird, intriguing and it’s incredible that they were able to do that on such a minuscule budget. I think the film encapsulates a time in the Sixties when we’re on the brink of this huge change, and it does it really subtly. We’ve got Verity Lambert walking in to the BBC, who is a woman. We’ve got Waris Hussein, the first Indian director at the BBC. The stakes are very high and that reflects what was going on in society at the time.” - Jessica Raine
“Sydney Newman was a formidable force in television. He started at ABC and kind of revolutionised drama. I first worked at the BBC in 1965 and did my first ever television play, A Knight in Tarnished Armour and Sydney was there and I actually met him very briefly. You could always spot Sydney in the BBC club because of his brightly coloured cravats and waistcoats. And his personality was the same! The BBC was very stuffy, however. There were very good producers and directors, but it was all done by the board and delegation committee, and lots of memos. Sydney had a very different approach, a hands on approach, and I think that’s what made him unique. He brought a breath of fresh air. Ultimately he was a populist. He believed in making drama popular. I think he took forward the original Director General, Lord Reith’s philosophy in wanting to get the best possible drama to the maximum number of people. I think there’s something very positive about Sydney and he was a force going against the norm of the day. In a sense, I’m very empathetic to him; he’s very much my kind of guy.” - Brian Cox
Other Photos
Videos
Mark Gatiss speaks on An Adventure in Space and Time (BBC)
Mark Gatiss reports on Dalek invasion in London! (BBC)
David Bradley Talks About An Adventure in Time and Space (SFX)
Mark Gatiss and David Bradley at Comic-Con (HappyCool)
David Bradley Interview (Flicks and the City)
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