That was an absolutely glorious tribute to our favourite show - a true "love letter" to Doctor Who. Thank you Mark Gatiss, you did Bill, Verity and Sydney proud.
David Bradley's performance was stunning and he had me in pieces at the end as he prepared for his regeneration scene.
Like Paul Cornell said on Twitter, I questioned Matt Smith's appearance for a mili-second, before realising it was absolutely perfect and fitting - a tribute to Bill's legacy as the very first doctor and a chance to 'show' him that his character would live on and be loved for generations to come.
The single best drama the BBC haas made this year by far, David Bradley was hitting the mark with his portrayal as Hartnell, if anything this is David's best role to date, as for William Hartnell until this dama I was under the impression he was a cold heartless man, apart from the earlier incident with his granddaughter if what we saw was just a taste of the real Hartnell then I feel sad that I never had the chance to meet him. Hartnell was a perfectionist.
Stellar cast, top notch script and an hour and a half of pure enjoyment, special thanks goes to Mark Gatiss for his script, and how can anyone vote it as awful, this deserves to win awards.
Loved that - almost every single moment of it. Brilliantly acted, well made and probably one of the best bits of telly I've seen this year.
Apart from the toe-curlingly awful Matt Smith cameo. Hated it. That wins the award for the worst 'shoe-horned in at random' scene this year.
How on earth was that shoe horned in? It was beautiful. Of course it was dramatic license but why not? It was almost like the scene at the end of Vincent. Bringing the eras together perfectly and having Hartnell realize his legacy would live on. I suppose you either like that stuff or you don't. I completely loved it. Perfect for the anniversary. The same character. Decades apart. Still as brilliant. And every doctor since has been informed by Hartnell. An amazing moment. But even without it. The best TV drama of the year. Hello Bafta!
I was looking forward to this, far more than The Day of the Doctor as I love these true life dramas. I wasn't disappointed. It was a magical 90 minutes of TV. It was clearly a labour of love by all concerned, beautifully acted and a real sense of period. Great seeing Ms Marsh and Ms Wills. Seeing Matt brought a "what the hell?" thought to mind, but seeing both him and Hartnell exchange glances brought a little tear to my mind. Also seeing the old TV centre was another nice touch. Bravo!
How on earth was that shoe horned in? It was beautiful. Of course it was dramatic license but why not? It was almost like the scene at the end of Vincent. Bringing the eras together perfectly and having Hartnell realize his legacy would live on. I suppose you either get it or you don't.
I thought it was dreadful, out of place, and came close to spoiling what had been up til then outstanding televsion. I'm going to pretend it didn't happen.
Ok, so: cameos:
I caught:
Brian Cox/Sidney Newman going up the stairs to the BBC at the start; Matt Smith walked downstairs behind him.
John Barrowman was the camera man taking the first cast photographs.
Paul McGann was the young boy's father, the boy who asked for Willian Hartnell's autograph in the park.
Was David Tennant the photographer taking the second cast photograph?
Was that Arthur Darvil's face as the technician messing with the TARDIS controls, before Bill Harnett said he'd do it himself?
Anyone else I missed out? I was sure I spotted someone else, but can't remember who or when.
Ok, so: cameos:
I caught:
Brian Cox/Sidney Newman going up the stairs to the BBC at the start; Matt Smith walked downstairs behind him.
John Barrowman was the camera man taking the first cast photographs.
Paul McGann was the young boy's father, the boy who asked for Willian Hartnell's autograph in the park.
Was David Tennant the photographer taking the second cast photograph?
Was that Arthur Darvil's face as the technician messing with the TARDIS controls, before Bill Harnett said he'd do it himself?
Anyone else I missed out? I was sure I spotted someone else, but can't remember who or when.
Matt's proper cameo was f**king brill, though.
Good spot and yes Matt's cameo was ****ing the bees knees. A perfect nod from the past to the future and a nice way for Matt to acknowledge that without Hartnell there would be no Doctor Who, Hartnell made it the success it has become.
That was simply wonderful, absolutely wonderful in every respect. It was the most touching piece of television I have watched in a long time, I had tears streaming down my face. I especially loved Matt's cameo at the end, that was completely unexpected and a fantastic way of connecting the past to the present. I can't wait for my DVD to arrive.
Wonderful piece of drama, and a realisation of Hartnells contribution. He does tend to get lost in the black and white world, but he was ace. I love all the itv references from Sydney. I'm a fan of his previous work with pathfinders (bit of a pathfinders fanatic) and such, so wonderful that those are recognised.
The drama itself was wonderful, and I can't wait to see it again!
Ok, so: cameos:
I caught:
Brian Cox/Sidney Newman going up the stairs to the BBC at the start; Matt Smith walked downstairs behind him.
John Barrowman was the camera man taking the first cast photographs.
Paul McGann was the young boy's father, the boy who asked for Willian Hartnell's autograph in the park.
Was David Tennant the photographer taking the second cast photograph?
Was that Arthur Darvil's face as the technician messing with the TARDIS controls, before Bill Harnett said he'd do it himself?
Anyone else I missed out? I was sure I spotted someone else, but can't remember who or when.
Matt's proper cameo was f**king brill, though.
Blimey! Pre-ordered the DVD but it'd have taken me about 207 viewings to get all that lot down! I thought all the 'subtle' cameos (i.e. not Matt) were old-Who actors, how wrong could I be
I agree but I think I'm glad, in some respects, that it didn't get one. The main magic of the piece was that the tone was exactly right, and that would have probably changed if it had been targeted at a more mainstream audience - and as well, from what Gattis has said there were lots of obscure things the limited budget wouldn't let them include. Again, the level of 'geek-out' was exactly right, I think, and a BBC One upgrade, because of the bigger budget they'd have got, would have meant the 'references' were pushed slightly too far.
Wonderful piece of drama, and a realisation of Hartnells contribution. He does tend to get lost in the black and white world, but he was ace. I love all the itv references from Sydney. I'm a fan of his previous work with pathfinders (bit of a pathfinders fanatic) and such, so wonderful that those are recognised.
The drama itself was wonderful, and I can't wait to see it again!
The pathfinders reference in this outstanding drama has made me try to find more about it, there is no doubt the efforts of Hartnell,Hussain,Newman and Lambert were fully acknowledged by this production.
Sad to find out that Verity died in 2007, she was the first true female with clout in TV and she will be remembered for not only DW but her work at Thames which included Minder amongst her many successes.
Ok, so: cameos:
I caught:
Brian Cox/Sidney Newman going up the stairs to the BBC at the start; Matt Smith walked downstairs behind him.
John Barrowman was the camera man taking the first cast photographs.
Paul McGann was the young boy's father, the boy who asked for Willian Hartnell's autograph in the park.
Was David Tennant the photographer taking the second cast photograph?
Was that Arthur Darvil's face as the technician messing with the TARDIS controls, before Bill Harnett said he'd do it himself?
Anyone else I missed out? I was sure I spotted someone else, but can't remember who or when.
Matt's proper cameo was f**king brill, though.
I think your eyes are playing tricks on you, I didn't see any of those and I went back and checked. Definitely not McGann that's for sure.
The pathfinders reference in this outstanding drama has made me try to find more about it, there is no doubt the efforts of Hartnell,Hussain,Newman and Lambert were fully acknowledged by this production.
Sad to find out that Verity died in 2007, she was the first true female with clout in TV and she will be remembered for not only DW but her work at Thames which included Minder amongst her many successes.
Not to mention her own production company Cinema Verity.
Thought it was absolutely brilliant. Loved Bradley's interpretation of Hartnell. I've read the autobiography on him and it fitted in with most of it. Everything seemed mainly factually accurate from Hartnell's Professionalism such as knowing all the controls of the TARDIS Console so the kids wouldn't catch him out to the way the producers talked him round when he became obstinate by discussing his old films etc.
The only thing I wasn't so sure about was Sydney Newman telling Hartnell direct he had to leave the show as I always thought he took a bit of that decision himself as he thought the show was heading in a direction he wasn't happy with. I also would like to have seen more of the decision making that went into his casting but you can't have everything and these are mere quibbles which didn't ruin the show at all.
I also liked the way Verity Lambert's struggles as a young female producer were portrayed and her relationship with Hartnell and Newman and the sexism that prevailed at the BBC at the time.
Also thought the actress who played Barbara was eerily like her, I could swear it was her at times! Also liked all the cameo's. Nearly missed Carole Ann-Ford's, only noticing at the last second it was her! Did miss Nicholas Briggs though. Thought Mark Eden's role was amusing, if he'd cancelled it, there would have been no Marco Polo! What a paradox!
As for Matt Smith, it didn't bother me he was in it, it was a nice surprise. I can see the logic behind it but I think the story could have done without it, it did seem to clash with the factual nature of the programme but I can live with him being there!
I thought the last ten minutes covering Hartnell's distress at not being able to remember his lines and then his sadness at leaving the role was a brilliant piece of TV and it really captured his mood superbly. I liked the scene with Troughton and when the real Hartnell popped up at the end in that clip it really brought a lump to my throat. I've seen this done in similar docu-drama's where the real actor shows up in one form or the other at the end and it was great this show followed suit.
Also loved the piece on Hartnell after the show. It was great seeing that rare interview of him. I think in those few seconds that we got it showed how much of a performance he put into the First Doctor and I think in some of his answers he showed a small amount of the difficult person he was that had just been shown.
Loved the tribute as a whole and as has been said already on this thread, it was an excellent tribute which along with the BBC 4 repeat has raised his profile enormously. I really hope it encourages people to watch some of his stories as I think he doesn't get enough credit or is discussed enough on this forum and elsewhere. It was a proper tribute to the man who created the role and it was only right there was a night given over to him for the anniversary.
Think theres a degree of people being deliberately obtuse on this point, what can you do?
More like bloody anal. :mad:
Personally I loved every minute of it and found the Matt Smith scene to be a very touching acknowledgement of the future of the show (that it would be in safe hands) and of Bill Hartnell's enormous contribution to that future. I actually got a lump in my throat watching that. A touchingly beautiful moment.
So that was as good as I expected, what an awesome show, and at the end where Matt appeared gah what a time for someone to be cutting up onions in the house, also the part where Hartnell was at home after being let go and he said "I Don't Want to Go" and started crying, i instantly flashed to Tennants end, i am sure that's when people started cutting those damn onions in the house.
Can't praise that highly enough.
Thank you Mark Gatiss.
Touching and fascinating tribute to a complex man and a show that somehow managed to survive and thrive.
And the Matt cameo was, for me, perfectly pitched.
Bravo Sir, bravo !
I thought it was brilliant, the Matt Smith cameo was wonderful and took me by surprise things like that normally come across as cheesy but I thought it really added to the emotional impact of the last few minutes.
Comments
The Documentary is attached to the end of AAoSaT on BBC iPlayer after the credits.
David Bradley's performance was stunning and he had me in pieces at the end as he prepared for his regeneration scene.
Like Paul Cornell said on Twitter, I questioned Matt Smith's appearance for a mili-second, before realising it was absolutely perfect and fitting - a tribute to Bill's legacy as the very first doctor and a chance to 'show' him that his character would live on and be loved for generations to come.
A beautiful film. Thank you to all involved.
Apart from the toe-curlingly awful Matt Smith cameo. Hated it. That wins the award for the worst 'shoe-horned in at random' scene this year.
No, I meant his TARDIS, not Rani's or Master's or SIDRATS, etc
Stellar cast, top notch script and an hour and a half of pure enjoyment, special thanks goes to Mark Gatiss for his script, and how can anyone vote it as awful, this deserves to win awards.
How on earth was that shoe horned in? It was beautiful. Of course it was dramatic license but why not? It was almost like the scene at the end of Vincent. Bringing the eras together perfectly and having Hartnell realize his legacy would live on. I suppose you either like that stuff or you don't. I completely loved it. Perfect for the anniversary. The same character. Decades apart. Still as brilliant. And every doctor since has been informed by Hartnell. An amazing moment. But even without it. The best TV drama of the year. Hello Bafta!
I caught:
Brian Cox/Sidney Newman going up the stairs to the BBC at the start; Matt Smith walked downstairs behind him.
John Barrowman was the camera man taking the first cast photographs.
Paul McGann was the young boy's father, the boy who asked for Willian Hartnell's autograph in the park.
Was David Tennant the photographer taking the second cast photograph?
Was that Arthur Darvil's face as the technician messing with the TARDIS controls, before Bill Harnett said he'd do it himself?
Anyone else I missed out? I was sure I spotted someone else, but can't remember who or when.
Matt's proper cameo was f**king brill, though.
Good spot and yes Matt's cameo was ****ing the bees knees. A perfect nod from the past to the future and a nice way for Matt to acknowledge that without Hartnell there would be no Doctor Who, Hartnell made it the success it has become.
http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/28316/mark-gatiss-on-an-adventure-in-space-and-time
Telegraph review http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10465249/An-Adventure-in-Space-and-Time-BBC-Two-review.html
Good review from The Telegraph.
My OH is not a DW fan but was literally in tears during the Matt cameo, this deserved a slot on BBC ONE.
The drama itself was wonderful, and I can't wait to see it again!
I agree but I think I'm glad, in some respects, that it didn't get one. The main magic of the piece was that the tone was exactly right, and that would have probably changed if it had been targeted at a more mainstream audience - and as well, from what Gattis has said there were lots of obscure things the limited budget wouldn't let them include. Again, the level of 'geek-out' was exactly right, I think, and a BBC One upgrade, because of the bigger budget they'd have got, would have meant the 'references' were pushed slightly too far.
The pathfinders reference in this outstanding drama has made me try to find more about it, there is no doubt the efforts of Hartnell,Hussain,Newman and Lambert were fully acknowledged by this production.
Sad to find out that Verity died in 2007, she was the first true female with clout in TV and she will be remembered for not only DW but her work at Thames which included Minder amongst her many successes.
I think your eyes are playing tricks on you, I didn't see any of those and I went back and checked. Definitely not McGann that's for sure.
Not to mention her own production company Cinema Verity.
The only thing I wasn't so sure about was Sydney Newman telling Hartnell direct he had to leave the show as I always thought he took a bit of that decision himself as he thought the show was heading in a direction he wasn't happy with. I also would like to have seen more of the decision making that went into his casting but you can't have everything and these are mere quibbles which didn't ruin the show at all.
I also liked the way Verity Lambert's struggles as a young female producer were portrayed and her relationship with Hartnell and Newman and the sexism that prevailed at the BBC at the time.
Also thought the actress who played Barbara was eerily like her, I could swear it was her at times! Also liked all the cameo's. Nearly missed Carole Ann-Ford's, only noticing at the last second it was her! Did miss Nicholas Briggs though. Thought Mark Eden's role was amusing, if he'd cancelled it, there would have been no Marco Polo! What a paradox!
As for Matt Smith, it didn't bother me he was in it, it was a nice surprise. I can see the logic behind it but I think the story could have done without it, it did seem to clash with the factual nature of the programme but I can live with him being there!
I thought the last ten minutes covering Hartnell's distress at not being able to remember his lines and then his sadness at leaving the role was a brilliant piece of TV and it really captured his mood superbly. I liked the scene with Troughton and when the real Hartnell popped up at the end in that clip it really brought a lump to my throat. I've seen this done in similar docu-drama's where the real actor shows up in one form or the other at the end and it was great this show followed suit.
Also loved the piece on Hartnell after the show. It was great seeing that rare interview of him. I think in those few seconds that we got it showed how much of a performance he put into the First Doctor and I think in some of his answers he showed a small amount of the difficult person he was that had just been shown.
Loved the tribute as a whole and as has been said already on this thread, it was an excellent tribute which along with the BBC 4 repeat has raised his profile enormously. I really hope it encourages people to watch some of his stories as I think he doesn't get enough credit or is discussed enough on this forum and elsewhere. It was a proper tribute to the man who created the role and it was only right there was a night given over to him for the anniversary.
More like bloody anal. :mad:
Personally I loved every minute of it and found the Matt Smith scene to be a very touching acknowledgement of the future of the show (that it would be in safe hands) and of Bill Hartnell's enormous contribution to that future. I actually got a lump in my throat watching that. A touchingly beautiful moment.
Well done Mark.
Thank you Mark Gatiss.
Touching and fascinating tribute to a complex man and a show that somehow managed to survive and thrive.
And the Matt cameo was, for me, perfectly pitched.
Bravo Sir, bravo !