SnoopyStyle
It's 1963. Head of BBC drama Sydney Newman (Brian Cox) wants a new sci-fi show for both kids and adults. He brings in young Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine) who worked under him before to produce it. She's given an Indian director Waris Hussein (Sacha Dhawan) and a crusty character actor William Hartnell (David Bradley) to play Doctor Who. They struggle with limited resources, the old guard, racism, sexism, and everything else. On top of it all, the first episode goes on at the same time as the Kennedy assassination. Sydney is pushed to drop it after 4 episodes but then the show becomes an overnight hit with the introduction of Daleks.This is a very touching tribute to the old show. David Bradley is brilliant. His deterioration is heart breaking. It has the underdog aspect. It's a great story even if you're a passing viewer of the show.
bob the moo
Earlier this year, on the gentle prodding of IMDb user Theo Robertson, I decided that I would go back and watch Doctor Who from the beginning. This was interested to me since I can just about remember the image of Davison as the Doctor but really the actual moments I remember are from the era of McCoy and Baker (an era that brought the show to an end for many years); so watching the originals was interesting to me if for no other reason than I had never seen them. The timing was good because I was glad to have made that connection before all the 50th anniversary stuff kicked off.All through the fuss and hype, I did feel like we were celebrating where the show was right now, not its roots and as a result I was really glad of this film for focusing on the origins of the show. As Theo will probably tell you better than I, the facts are dusted up in the sake of a good story and the film moves better for it. I disagree with Theo where he says this film presented it as some sort of great cultural moment – I thought the film did a good job of showing how throwaway it was, how little interest there was and how it is more or less a matter of good fortune that the characters caught the public imagination and made an impression that has endured for decades. The story is presented in an affectionate manner, particularly towards Hartnell, who is probably given a bit too much nostalgic cheer for what he deserves, but he is given his dues and is very well played by Bradley.The tone of the show is affectionate and humorous; we are not spared the fluffed lines and the set malfunctions and yet these are given over to part of the charm. The supporting cast play up their outsider status in a pleasing way, although as Theo says, I'm not sure if Cox was told that his role was to inject energy and color into the film, but his performance is so overblown as to be pure caricature. Still though, it all works really well and with so much hype and fanfare for the current show, it was so nice to have something looking back with such gentle affection – I didn't even mind the appearance of Matt Smith as I thought that was a nice moment and more a nod to the origins than it was to the present.
Jackson Booth-Millard
As part of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, along with the various documentaries, clips shows, repeats of episodes, and of course the excellent anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor, there was also this TV made film that told the story of how it all started, from writer Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen). Basically, set in 1963, Canadian producer Sydney Newman (Brian Cox) is the head of the BBC TV drama department and wants to fill the Saturday night tea team slot with a new show that will appeal to both the youth generation and the whole family, and he has in science-fiction with some kind of leading figure of hero taking companions on journeys and adventures through space and time, but with no "bug-eyed monsters". He exchanges his idea with inexperienced young producer Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine), who he chooses to create this show, along with young Indian director Waris Hussein (Sacha Dhawan), and with the writers they scan through the various actors that they are interested in casting as the hero, The Doctor. Grouchy but reliable character actor William Hartnell (Harry Potter's David Bradley) is the man chosen to play The Doctor, and they start filming inside the made up set, the inside of the police phone box, this TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), bigger on the inside than on the outside, and the first adventure, An Unearthly Child, sees the characters going to the stone age. There are technical problems and a low budget to contend with, and the recent assassination of President John F. Kennedy threatens the ratings, but Doctor Who is born to good ratings, but ignoring the "no bug-eyed monsters" warning, the creation of the mutant robotic like creatures, the Daleks, with their iconic catchphrase "Exterminate!", wins the show 10 million viewers, Newman is very happy and the show continues its success. Hartnell enjoys the success he has achieved, immerses and enjoys himself playing The Doctor, and is happy bringing joy to his granddaughter and the various children in Britain, but slowly he shows signs of illness as he forgets his lines and requires reshooting, he asks Newman for less working days in order to recover, but he and the producers have already talked, the show will continue, but he will no longer play The Doctor. The decision is made that The Doctor, being an alien, will regenerate with a new face, and the new younger actor Patrick Troughton (Reece Shearsmith) will replace Hartnell, though reluctant to give up the part, and having been attached to Doctor Who for three years, he wishes Troughton good luck, and the show does indeed continue on, with another nine actors playing The Doctor over fifty years. Also starring Lesley Manville as Heather Hartnell - William's wife, Cara Jenkins as Judith 'Jessica' Carney - Hartnell's granddaughter, Jamie Glover as William Russell (who played Ian Chesterton), Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill (who played Barbara Wright), Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford (who played Susan Foreman), Nicholas Briggs as Peter Hawkins (who voiced the Daleks and Cybermen), Mark Eden as BBC1 Controller Donald Baverstock, and a cameo by Matt Smith as the current Doctor. I saw the photograph of Bradley in the leading role before this special was broadcast, and I was very impressed with how spot on he looked to the first actor of The Doctor, he was very convincing as Hartnell, the other stars playing the people behind the creation of the show and elsewhere was very good too, the story is certainly an interesting one, everything about this was filled with nostalgia and authenticity, it certainly makes you appreciate where Doctor Who started and where it is today because of the performance of William Hartnell and the creators behind the show, there is also an appropriate tribute to Hartnell from the various people who knew him and those who enjoyed his time of The Doctor, this is a really enjoyable docudrama. Very good!
