Rickting Doctor Who is my favorite TV show ever, so admittedly this film will connect to me far more. It's not necessarily a brilliant piece of TV, but it's a lovely drama with great performances, a compelling underdog story, nice visuals, good dialogue and a truly, truly wonderful ending. David Bradley is a superb actor and despite how brilliantly grotesque he was in Game of Thrones and Harry Potter, he's wonderful here and carries the entire film along. All the other actors do a great job and this is also a nice feminist story of a woman triumphing over workplace sexism to produce one of the most beloved TV shows of them all. It's a highly nostalgic work, and as a documentary of the show's beginning it works very well and gets a lot of information across. As a drama, it hits various compelling emotional peaks (Although a lot of it was probably artistic licence to some degree, but that's understandable in a film of this sort). It loses momentum in the last half-hour as it rushes through the first 3 years of the show and feels more like a highlights montage, but there are still good moments throughout this last section. As for that final scene with the Matt Smith cameo, don't get me started on that because believe me when I say this: I will cry. It's that wonderful. On the whole, a very nice tribute to the show, even if the run-time is too short to cover the subject completely. 8/10

d-maxsted A truly wonderful tribute to the beginnings and origins of Doctor Who told in a way that only one could expect it to be told. There is drama,there is humor and of course there are tears in fact if the last 5 minutes of this amazing tribute don't have you reaching for the box of tissues then..well I'll leave it up to you to watch. My final thoughts do hint on the final moments of the movie in which so many people have totally missed the point of why such a scene was filmed or why such a cameo (you'll have to watch to see who) was included,this really irked me after reading all the negative feedback about the scene so here I am only to say that when that scene does arrive think of these little points as the scene plays out... Doctor Who has been on air for more than 50 years and it will no doubt still be on air in another 50 years. It is watched in over 120 countries around the world It is the BBC's biggest revenue earner not to mention its star is one of the highest paid actors in Britian. If you are a Doctor Who fan of if you have never ever seen Doctor Who watch this incredible heart warming tribute to its origins..after that there is another 50 plus years of catching up to do.

Haydo Menso If I had to sum this up in one word, I would: 'Beautiful"."One day, I shall come back..." I live in Australia, and this special was screened on ABC1 at 8:50PM on Sunday November 24, immediately after an encore screening of "The Day of the Doctor". I only got to see the first fifteen minutes or so before being told to go to bed, however I was recording it. When I watched most of it the next night, it changed everything.It was only a few days ago that I watched the special in full for the first time. (It was the third time I'd sen it, however the first in one full sitting). I was home alone, so nobody got to see me crying.That's what happened. The cast and crew of "An Adventure In Space And Time" have created a drama filled with action, emotion and, importantly, history. I congratulate writer Mark Gatiss for his success with the wonderful script. I feel he captures the essence of all seen in the programme as they were in 1963 perfectly. Of course it is an ultimate dream, I Definitely would do something like this, and he has made a work of equisite art of it. Mr Gatiss, your love letter to "Doctor Who" is truly 'fantastic!'.The actors cast as roles are evidently well-thought of. I particularly liked Jesscia Raine's portrayal of producer Verity Lambert, David Bradley's performance as the original Who, William Hartnell; and also Sacha Dhawan's living performance as first director Waris Hussein. All capture what it must have been like during the pioneering days of the series. The portrayal of William Hartell by David Bradley is what made me cry. Hartnell had his hearts broken at least twice, and to see the man who began it all so sad, it nearly broke mine. I also liked the cameo roles from two original companions: actors William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, as the Guard and the Mother, Joyce respectively. Also, the surprise of seeing Matt Smith opposite the First Doctor is a highlight, showcasing that, although no one knew it at the time, the show would reach a golden 50-year landmark. Who'd have thought? These roles added to the spirit, the magnificence on how "Doctor Who" has touched the lives of millions of people.In all, this docudrama fittingly celebrates the Fiftieth Anniversary of the world's longest-running Sci-Fi series. It's emotional, historical, educational, and inspiring. It made me cry, and I haven't done that since David Tennant left in "The End of Time: Part Two".The cast and crew definitely should go ahead and recreate classic/missing Doctor Who stories. Why not? They've got the cast, the production values, the spirit.Congratulations to all involved in the making of this special. It was definitely a highlight of 2013, the year of all time. A fitting way to celebrate the best television show on the planet, or indeed the universe.11/10

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!