''An Adventure in Space and Time'' is a 2013 British

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

, starring David Bradley, Brian Cox, Jessica Raine and

Sacha Dhawan Sacha Dhawan () (born 1 May 1984) is a British actor. He began his career in the ITV series '' Out of Sight'' (1997–1998), '' The Last Train'' (1999), and '' Weirdsister College'' (2001–2002). He originated the role of Akthar in the play '' ...

. Directed by Terry McDonough, and written by regular ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' writer

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...

, it premiered on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

on 21 November 2013, 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. The biographical film focuses on a dramatised version of events surrounding the creation of ''Doctor Who'' in the 1960s, with emphasis on actor

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (; 8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor, who is best known for portraying the first incarnation of the Doctor, in the long-running British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 t ...

, portrayed by Bradley, as he took on the role of the original incarnation of the show's main character,

the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

. Alongside Hartnell, the story also focused on the behind-the-scene events with the production staff, including the involvement of

Sydney Newman Sydney Cecil Newman (; April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian producer and screenwriter who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, he was app ...

Verity Lambert Verity Ann Lambert (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer. Lambert began working in television in the 1950s. She began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of t ...

and

Waris Hussein Waris Hussein (''né'' Habibullah; born 9 December 1938) is a British-Indian television and film director. At the beginning of his career he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of ''Doctor Who'', inc ...

. The television film received positive feedback after its broadcast and received a number of award nominations. Following his role in the film, Bradley would take part in ''Doctor Who'' in the role of the First Doctor, for the 2017 episodes " The Doctor Falls" and " Twice Upon a Time", and the 2022 special " The Power of the Doctor", as well as for a series of audio adventures for

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...

Synopsis

In 1963,

( Brian Cox) becomes the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's new Head of Drama. To plug a gap between the broadcasts of ''

Grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...

'' and ''

Juke Box Jury ''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American ser ...

'', he devises a new science-fiction series, to be titled "''Doctor Who''", which will cater to children and sports fans alike, and feature a central character who is an old man and a "doctor". Newman recruits a former production assistant

( Jessica Raine) to head the programme as its producer, despite the difficulties she faces from others in her new role. Lambert and

(

), the programme's director, recruit

( David Bradley), typecasted for army roles, to portray

The Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

, despite his trepidation over how it will aid his acting career. Meanwhile, Lambert strengthens her assertiveness and secures a set piece for the programme for the interior of the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...

, the Doctor's spaceship. Production of the pilot episode "

An Unearthly Child ''An Unearthly Child'' (sometimes referred to as ''100,000 BC'') is the first serial of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 Decem ...

" 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 John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onas ...

, 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 Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor. He became best known for his roles in television, most notably starring as the Second Doctor, second incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the lo ...

( 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, 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 ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' is the second serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Martin, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in six week ...

''.

Cast

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 Series 7 episode " Dinosaurs on a Spaceship"; Jessica Raine was in the Series 7 episode " Hide" and the ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a British period drama television series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, ...

'' charity cross-over mini-episode;

Jeff Rawle Jeffrey Alan Rawle (born 20 July 1951) is a British actor from Birmingham, England. He is known for playing Billy in ''Billy Liar (TV series), Billy Liar'' (1973–1974), and for portraying George Dent in the news-gathering sitcom ''Drop the Dea ...

was in the Season 21 serial '' Frontios''; Mark Eden appeared as the title character in the Season 1 serial ''

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...

'';

Nicholas Briggs Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Da ...

, who has voiced the

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...

s since the series was revived in 2005, portrayed his own predecessor and Brian Cox voiced the Elder Ood in " The End of Time". Jean Marsh and Anneke Wills, who both played companions to Hartnell's First Doctor also appeared during Verity Lambert's leaving party scene, while William Russell appeared as security guard Harry. Sacha Dhawan would go on to play the Master starting with the Series 12 episode "Spyfall", while Bradley appeared as the First Doctor costume to play the part himself in the 2017 Christmas episode, " Twice Upon a Time", and then again five years later in

Jodie Whittaker Jodie Auckland Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles on television as Beth Latimer in ''Broadchurch'' (2013–2017) and the Thirteenth Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2017–2022, 2025). She came to pro ...

's final episode as the Doctor " The Power of the Doctor". Bradley also appeared as the Doctor in a series of audio adventures produced by

alongside Jamie Glover, Jemma Powell and Claudia Grant as Ian, Barbara and Susan.

''Doctor Who'' actors

* David Bradley as

, who portrayed the

First Doctor The First Doctor is the original incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell in th ...

* 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 Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter of the Doctor and original Companion (Docto ...

* Anna-Lisa Drew as Maureen O'Brien, who portrayed Vicki * Edmund C. Short as

Peter Purves Peter John Purves (; born 10 February 1939) is an English television presenter and actor. Beginning his career as an actor, he joined ''Doctor Who'' to play Steven Taylor (Doctor Who), Steven Taylor, a companion of the First Doctor, which he play ...

, who portrayed Steven Taylor * Sophie Holt as Jackie Lane, who portrayed

Dodo Chaplet Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet is a fictional character played by Jackie Lane in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An Earth teenager from the year 1966, she was a companion of the First Doctor. Dodo was depicte ...

* Robin Varley as Michael Craze, who portrayed Ben Jackson * Ellie Spicer as

Anneke Wills Anneke Wills (; born Anna Katarina Willys, 20 October 1941) is an English actress, best known for her role as the companion Polly in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Biography Wills's father, Alaric Willy ...

, who portrayed

Polly Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (name), Molly (a diminutive of Mary (name), Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina (given name), Polina, Polona (given name), Polona, Pauline ...

* Reece Shearsmith as

, who portrayed the

Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. Out of his 1 ...

as Peter Hawkins, original voice of the

s and Cybermen

Behind-the-scenes personnel

* Brian Cox as

, creator * Jessica Raine as

, original producer *

, original director * Sarah Winter as Delia Derbyshire, producer of composer Ron Grainer's theme tune recording"An Adventure in Space and Time"
on bbc.co.uk * Joseph Railton as Brian Hodgson, creator of sound effects *

as Mervyn Pinfield, associate producer * Andrew Woodall as Rex Tucker, director * Ian Hallard as Richard Martin, director * David Annen as Peter Brachacki, original production designer * Sam Hoare as Douglas Camfield, production assistant * Mark Eden as Donald Baverstock, controller of

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

Uncredited cameos

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

as Menoptera *

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...

(original 2013 broadcast; replaced by

Ncuti Gatwa Mizero Ncuti Gatwa ( ; born 15 October 1992) is a Rwandan-Scottish actor. After a screen Breakthrough role, breakthrough portraying Eric Effiong in Sex Education (TV series), ''Sex Education'' (2019–2023), he rose to further prominence as the ...

for the 2023 rebroadcast) *

Jean Marsh Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh (1 July 1934 – 13 April 2025) was an English actress and writer. She co-created and starred in the ITV series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1975), for which she won the 1975 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actr ...

, and Donald Tosh as party guests

Others

Lesley Manville Lesley Ann Manville (born 12 March 1956) is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including two Laurence Olivier Awards and nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, four British Academy Television ...

as Heather Hartnell, wife of William Hartnell * Cara Jenkins as Judith "Jessica" Carney, granddaughter of William Hartnell * William Russell as Harry * Carole Ann Ford as Joyce * Ross Gurney-Randall as Reg * Reece Pockney as Alan * Charlie Kemp as Arthur * Roger May as Len * Kit Connor as Charlie * Toby Hadoke as Cyril the Bartender

Production

Development

For the thirtieth anniversary of ''Doctor Who'' in 1993, filmmaker Kevin Davies pitched an idea called ''The Legend Begins'' to the BBC. ''The Legend Begins'' would have mixed documentary interviews with those responsible for the creation of ''Doctor Who'' with a dramatised strand showing the programme's beginnings. Eventually, the dramatisation idea was abandoned in favour of a standard documentary format looking at the entire history of ''Doctor Who'', which was broadcast on

as '' Doctor Who: Thirty Years in the TARDIS'' in November 1993. Ten years later, for the fortieth anniversary, writer and executive producer

pitched the idea for the film to

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

, unaware of Davies's previous attempt. However, the proposal was rejected, and Gatiss was told that there was no available slot or budget.

Writing

In order to make the film comprehensible among a general audience, not all personnel involved in the creation of ''Doctor Who'' are represented. For example, the role of original story editor David Whitaker is merged with that of associate producer Mervyn Pinfield; co-creator Donald Wilson and writer C.E. Webber are also excluded. Part of the production involved the recreation of scenes from the classic series, including missing episodes such as ''Marco Polo''. Gatiss also had ambitions to recreate the death of Sara Kingdom from '' The Daleks' Master Plan'' using original actress

to play the increasingly aging Sara, and to use Super 8 footage of a recreation of the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' publicity photo-shoot for '' The Three Doctors'', with himself as

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...

, but the budget did not accommodate these ambitions.

Filming

Principal photography for the film began in February 2013. Filming primarily took place at Wimbledon Studios in London, and the

BBC Television Centre Television Centre (TVC), formerly known as BBC Television Centre, is a building complex in White City, London, White City, West London, which was the headquarters of BBC Television from 1960 to 2013, when BBC Television moved to Broadcasting H ...

; it was the final drama to be recorded at the latter, which closed one month after filming concluded. Location filming took place on 17 February 2013, on

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge crossing over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats ...

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). Interior scenes replicating early ''Doctor Who'' production at Lime Grove Studios were also filmed, with replicas of early television equipment being used.

2023 alterations

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 The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation (otherwise known as regeneration) of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as five specials. As wi ...

actor

's cameo replaced by incoming

Fifteenth Doctor The Fifteenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa in two series and two specials. Within the series' narr ...

actor

. 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.

Reception

Ratings and reviews

The drama was watched by 2.71 million viewers in the UK.

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

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." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, it holds a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Awards and nominations

On Monday 24 March 2014, ''An Adventure in Space and Time'' was nominated for three BAFTA Craft Awards; Suzanne Cave for 'Best Costume Design', Philip Kloss for 'Editing – Fiction' and Vickie Lang for 'Make Up and Hair Design'. Lang was successful in her category, with Gemma Chan presenting her the award on Sunday 17 April 2014. Speaking to Jenni Falconer, she described how she 'absolutely loved the project, nd thatit was a hair and make up artist's dream.' Further nominations for the production from the

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

for 'Best Single Drama' and the

Hugo Awards The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by t ...

for ' Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form' were received on Monday 7th and Saturday 19 April 2014. The BAFTA Award was won by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's ''Complicit'' at the ceremony on 18 May. The winner of the Hugo Award was announced on Sunday 17 August 2014. The award went to the ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'' episode " The Rains of Castamere".

Home media

''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. 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. 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 Night of the Doctor" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was made available on BBC iPlayer and YouTube on 14 November 2013, as part of the BBC One lead-up to the show's 50th anniversa ...

", " The Day of the Doctor", " The Time of the Doctor" and "

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot ''The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot'' is a 2013 comedy spoof and homage to the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It appeared on the BBC Red Button service after the broadcast of "The Day of the Doctor", the official 50th ann ...

Soundtrack release

Edmund Butt's score was released by Silva Screen Records 3 March 2014.

Track listing

Potential sequel

In November 2023, Gatiss expressed interest in creating a sequel centred around the events surrounding the 1986 storyline '' The Trial of a Time Lord'', including the programme's nine-month hiatus and the eventual firing of

Sixth Doctor The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual t ...

actor

Colin Baker Colin Charles Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor. He played Paul Merroney in the BBC television drama series ''The Brothers (1972 TV series), The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the Sixth Doctor, sixth incarnation of The Doctor (Do ...

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventure in Space and Time 2013 films 2013 in British television 2013 television films 2014 soundtrack albums BBC television dramas British television films Films about actors Films about television Films set in 1963 Films set in 1964 Films set in 1965 Films set in 1966 Films set in London Television shows written by Mark Gatiss Works about Doctor Who