An Adventure in Space and Time

An Adventure in Space and Time
Written by	Mark Gatiss
Directed by	Terry McDonough
Starring	David Bradley Jessica Raine Sacha Dhawan Lesley Manville Brian Cox
Music by	Edmund Butt
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Matt Strevens
Cinematography	John Pardue
Editor	Philip Kloss
Running time	83 minutes[1]
Production companies	BBC America BBC Cymru Wales
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	21 November 2013 (2013-11-21)

An Adventure in Space and Time is a 2013 British biographical television film, starring David Bradley, Brian Cox, Jessica Raine and Sacha Dhawan. Directed by Terry McDonough, and written by regular Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, it premiered on BBC Two on 21 November 2013,^[2] to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the science fiction television series. Further, international broadcasts of the television film were made after its premiere on British television.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

The biographical film focuses on a dramatised version of events surrounding the creation of Doctor Who in the 1960s, with emphasis on actor

Meanwhile, Lambert strengthens her assertiveness and secures a set piece for the programme for the interior of the TARDIS, the Doctor's spaceship. Production of the pilot episode "An Unearthly Child" is beset by difficulties. Newman dislikes the end results and orders a re-shoot, including a request for Hartnell's character to be gentler and kinder on screen. Lambert and Hussein manage to complete the re-shoot in time for the pilot to be broadcast on its scheduled transmission date. Upon learning that the programme is to be cancelled, due to the diminished audience the pilot episode received in the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Lambert successfully appeals to Newman for it to be broadcast again before the second episode is transmitted and for the next serial to introduce monsters into Doctor Who, against Newman's beliefs. After The Daleks is broadcast, he admits he was mistaken upon seeing strong viewing figures.

Hartnell takes delight in his role, becoming attached to his character and the popularity it brings him with children. As the programme progresses, and both cast and crew change (including Lambert and Hussein), Hartnell's health begins to decline. Concerned over his failure to remember his lines, Newman agrees to his superior's request to replace Hartnell for a new actor, Patrick Troughton (Reece Shearsmith), for the next series. Hartnell agrees to leave, but breaks down upon telling his wife the news, stating "I don't want to go". As Hartnell prepares for his final scene in 1966, recalling how Doctor Who began and his involvement with it, he commends Troughton for being his successor before his first scene is filmed. As filming begins, Hartnell looks across the TARDIS console and sees a brief vision of another actor playing the Doctor decades later,^[a] silently acknowledging his work.

The film ends on an epilogue narrative of each of the main real-life figures in the story, before closing on the real Hartnell's speech made at the end of the serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

A number of the cast have appeared in Doctor Who at one time or another, most notably original companions William Russell and Carole Ann Ford. David Bradley appeared in the

• David Bradley as William Hartnell, who portrayed the First Doctor^[13]
• Jamie Glover as William Russell, who portrayed Ian Chesterton
• Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill, who portrayed Barbara Wright
• Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford, who portrayed Susan Foreman
• Anna-Lisa Drew as Maureen O'Brien,^[14] who portrayed Vicki
• Edmund C. Short as Peter Purves,^[15] who portrayed Steven Taylor
• Sophie Holt as Jackie Lane,^[16] who portrayed Dodo Chaplet
• Robin Varley as
  Ben Jackson
• Ellie Spicer as
  Polly
• Reece Shearsmith as Patrick Troughton, who portrayed the Second Doctor
• Cybermen

• Brian Cox as Sydney Newman, creator^[17]
• Jessica Raine as Verity Lambert, original producer^[17]
• Sacha Dhawan as Waris Hussein, original director^[17]
• Sarah Winter as Delia Derbyshire, producer of composer Ron Grainer's theme tune recording^[17]
• Joseph Railton as Brian Hodgson, creator of sound effects^[17]
• Jeff Rawle as Mervyn Pinfield,^[18] associate producer
• Andrew Woodall as Rex Tucker,^[18]
  director
• Ian Hallard as Richard Martin,^[18] director
• David Annen as Peter Brachacki,^[19] original production designer
• Sam Hoare as Douglas Camfield,^[20] production assistant
• BBC1

• Matthew Sweet as Menoptera
• the Doctor (original 2013 broadcast; replaced by Ncuti Gatwa for the 2023 rebroadcast)^[11]
• Anneke Wills, Jean Marsh, and Donald Tosh as party guests

• Lesley Manville as Heather Hartnell,^[21] wife of William Hartnell
• Cara Jenkins as Judith "Jessica" Carney,^[20] granddaughter of William Hartnell
• William Russell as Harry
• Carole Ann Ford as Joyce
• Ross Gurney-Randall as Reg
• Reece Pockney as Alan^[18]
• Charlie Kemp as Arthur^[20]
• Roger May as Len^[20]
• Kit Connor as Charlie
• Toby Hadoke as Cyril the Bartender^[22]

For the thirtieth anniversary of Doctor Who in 1993, filmmaker

Location filming took place on 17 February 2013, on Westminster Bridge in London. This involved replicas of 1960s Dalek props crossing the bridge, in a recreation of a famous scene from The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964).^[30] Interior scenes replicating early Doctor Who production at Lime Grove Studios were also filmed, with replicas of early television equipment being used.^[31]

On 23 November 2023, the program was rebroadcast on BBC Four to coincide with Doctor Who's 60th anniversary, and featured some alterations, including Eleventh Doctor actor Matt Smith's cameo replaced by Fifteenth Doctor actor Ncuti Gatwa.^[11] Scenes featuring dialogue originally used in An Unearthly Child were removed, which many assumed was due to the family of writer Anthony Coburn withholding licensing rights from the BBC.^[32][33]

The drama was watched by 2.71 million viewers in the UK.^[34] Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 95% approval rating based on 22 reviews, and an average score of 8.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads "Fun, clever, and eminently accessible, An Adventure in Space and Time offers entertaining viewing for Doctor Who newcomers and diehards alike."^[35] On Metacritic, it holds a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[36]

On Monday 24 March 2014, An Adventure in Space and Time was nominated for three

An Adventure in Space and Time was released on DVD in Region 2 on 2 December 2013. Special features included Scene Recreations, Deleted Scenes, and a Making of documentary, narrated by Carole Ann Ford.^[42] A three-disc Blu-ray set was released in North America on 27 May 2014. The set includes the feature on Blu-ray, DVD and An Unearthly Child on DVD.^[43][44] The special was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray on 8 September 2014 as part of a "50th Anniversary Collectors Boxset" alongside "The Name of the Doctor", "The Night of the Doctor", "The Day of the Doctor", "The Time of the Doctor" and "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot".^[45]

Edmund Butt's score was released by Silva Screen Records 3 March 2014.^[46][47]

In November 2023, Gatiss expressed interest in creating a sequel centred around the events surrounding the 1986 storyline

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