2 quick facts I think you'll enjoy: 1. While much of the original is lost (unless it was recently found and I haven't heard yet), the 1st doctor's regeneration included a shot of the TARDIS control panel where several controls moved on their own. I have been told that the specific controls are exactly what Matt Smith did during his appearance at the end. 2. The guy who designed the TARDIS did indeed just throw something together to get Verity to leave him alone. He hated that he was 'forced to work on such a degrading project', and *never* changed his belief that Doctor Who was a waste of time, and insisted he worked on it only because he had no choice.
William Hartnell did live long enough to appear in the 10 year anniversary story The Three Doctors alongside Patrick Troughton and John Pertwee so the show already had a considerable legacy by then. The person who plays the 12th Doctor actually grew up watching the 1st and was a rabid fan (even attempting to become head of the DW fan club at one point...).
Yes, Tom Baker had just taken over the role when William Hartnell died. Patrick Troughton died around the time Sylvester McCoy was filming his first season. Jon Pertwee died just days before the TV Movie was first broadcast.
I think this film is the best thing Mark Gatiss has written. Better than any of the Sherlock episodes he's penned (though I love him as Mycroft). Just an excellent piece of storytelling.
An Adventure in Space and Time is one of the best biopics I've seen. They told the story of how Doctor Who came to be in a compelling, poignant manner. It is partially powered by David Bradley's performance. His "I don't want to go" moment got to me as much as Hartnell's glimpse of the show's future through Matt Smith. Glad you did this reaction, Jess.
Bradley rightly stole the show but Jessica Raine and Sascha Dawan nailed it as Verity Lambert and Waris Hussein. And of course I absolutely adored Brian Cox as Sydney Newman.
I couldn’t agree more. It also feels very powerful when you remember that David Tennant’s Doctor said the same thing in his final moments. Hearing it now here in this movie reminds me of that all over again and makes me want to cry. I try to be brave though, and hold them back.
The 'I don't want to go' part must be one of the most emotional moments of recent British TV - tears every time. I think it's not just the amazing story of William Hartnell but also it speaks to something very deep in all of us about loss and our own mortality. I think Mr Hartnell would be amazed and flattered that 50 years later there wasa show with nn actor playing him playing Dr Who - what a fantastic achievement that is.
One of the most beautiful reactions you’ve ever done. Your comment about how you hoped there was an afterlife so Hartnell knew how special Doctor Who would become really got to me. Just, wow.
You have been marvelous to watch and you emote at just the right times! I was anticipating how you'd be when Matt appears and you didn't disappoint. I am so looking forward to your reactions to the day of the Doctor and this year's Christmas special!
To think that they hadn't thought about regeneration while Bill was the Doctor, it wasn't until he had to stop that they invented it. Thank god their main character was an alien eh!!
I mean that in the description of the Doctor at first it wasn't in the character description. They could have gone down the route of just replacing Hartnell with Troughton but decided that he had this ability to change faces. And also given that Bond has never died on screen maybe he's a time lord in disguise!?
It was also a very nice touch that The Doctor's imaginary parents in Human Nature were called Sydney and Verity - and in the End of Time Joan's descendant is named Verity Newman. I really like this sort of "fanservice" referencing
Me too. In essence, Verity and Sydney were the Doctor's parents. It's a great Easter Egg. It's like with Clara Oswald. The idea of the character initially was modeled after Sarah Jane Smith played by Elizabeth Sladen. So much so that Moffatt gave the character Sladen's real middle name...Clara.
Look out for the cameos: 1. William Russell played original companion Ian Chesterton and can be seen as Harry the BBC security man. 2. Carole Anne Ford (Susan) as the mum Joyce calling her children in from the cold to watch Doctor Who featuring the Daleks. 3. At Verity's leaving party, Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom - 'Daleks Masterplan') and Anneke Wills (Polly - last companion of the First Doctor)
All kinds of cameos in the film. Nicholas Briggs, who plays the Daleks now, played Peter Hawkins, who voiced the Daleks and Cybermen then. Jeff Rawle, Mervyn in this, was in a 1984 serial. Mark Eden, who played Donald Baverstock, was Marco Polo. Anneke Wills, Jean Marsh and Donald Tosh also appeared.
There are lots of lines and moments that are nods as well. "Brave heart, Waris," Hartnell quietly slipping out of Verity's farewell party amid "For she's a jolly good fellow," a la 'The Green Death', the tearful "I don't want to go," etc.
You were so smart to watch this directly after The Daleks. You planned this month well. Hartnell did make one more appearence on Doctor Who in 1973, so he had a general idea of how big the show got. By the way, love the turtleneck.
Delboy359 IMHO it didn't start slipping until the Head of the BBC, who hated the show tried to kill it around the time of the end of Peter Davison run. The ratings was too good, so budgets were cut. The show runner wanted to leave, but no one would take over. Between bad creative choices an administration trying to kill it and eventual harsh audience reaction to Poor Colin Bakers run... Doctor Who slowly faded.frim our lives.
Much as I loved Bill and Pat it was Tom who got the viewing figures back up from the dip in Jon Petwee's later years and IMHO that was mainly down to his personal contribution. Seven years later it was definitely time for a renewal - though I never took to Peter in the same way. But Four injected new life into the show and Tom will always be my Doctor.
Yeah, it´s very difficult to build on the show´s legacy in the right way, referencing it and respecting it while also telling an interesting, exciting story! If it succeeds though, we have quite something magical! Can I also just add real quick, more on a personal note: I´ve probably never felt as conneected and united with a comment section as in this moment right now, probably in my whole life before! Many, many good people around here! Just feels good.......
Today (17th December) would have been Jacqueline Hill (Barbara) 88th birthday. The actress who portrayed Jacqueline in this is called Jemma Powell, other than this you might recognise her as Alice's sister Margaret Kingsleigh in the live action Alice in Wonderland movie. If you want to see more David Bradley - Broadchurch is great, also he plays Abraham Setrakian in FX's The Strain and Charlie in Sky TV's Mount Pleasant. William Russell (Ian) had a cameo as the BBC Commissionaire (security guard). Carole Ann Ford (Susan) had a cameo as the woman calling her kids in from the cold to watch the show. Jessica Raine who played Verity Lambert here, was of course very memorable as Emma Grayling in Season 9 Episode 7 "Hide" Sacha Dhawan who played Waris Hussein was most recently Davos in Netflix/Marvel's Iron Fist. Brian Cox who here played Sidney Newman, previously voiced the Odd Elder in "The End of Time", David Tennant's regeneration episode. Nicholas Briggs who has voiced the Daleks and Cybermen since 2005 can be seen voicing the Daleks (wearing an amazing hairpiece!) as Peter Hawkins the original voice of the Daleks and Cybermen
David was also superb in Our Friends in the North - as were, amongst others, Doctor Nine and Maester Aemon Targaryon not to mention James Bond. Brian Cox is of course a star.
"I don't know why i'm getting so emotional" Because your heart isn't made of stone ;). When I first watched the film I was sniffly towards the end and then Matt Smith's cameo pushed me over the edge into full-on sobs. Just wish I could like a video more than once.
Carol Ann Ford (Susan) & William Russell (Ian) along with a few other companions and cameo are in this, Carol pays the woman calling out to her kids and William plays the guard
Yep, that reaction is pretty much where I go every time I watch this. It is an astonishing piece of television. About an astonishing piece of television.
“Hi Honey” That was genuine, from your heart. And we all felt it with you. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. It was a moment in the DW legacy that will stand the test of time, and your reaction mirrors the hearts of Whovians everywhere.
Every time I think that Matt’s arrival is gonna be cheesy and over sentimental and every time I watch it I start welling up. Surely the best thing Gatiss has written.
That was a really great Reaction! And highly emotional, as it was to be expected. Especially when it comes to "An Adventure in Space and Time". This always get me quite emotional too. Very likely the best thing Mark Gatiss has ever written!
Fantastic - your not alone in sheding a few tears. And thus the regeneration of Time Lords was born - a neat plot idea to solve a tricky problem. Can't wait to see the other big episodes.
It'd be more than that in fact, probably more like 30-40% (the population was around 50 million then but the number of households with a TV would be substantially less than that). But your point stands, quite a huge success by UK standards.
I think people forget just how big Doctor Who was. The population of the UK in 1965 (Doctor Who's third year) was 54 million. Doctor Who had an AVERAGE rating of 9.95 million viewers that year. Meaning almost 1 in every 5 citizens watched the show on a weekly basis. I love this movie but I wish they made that point clearer because it shows why everyone started leaving. They were huge celebrities at that point. Just as a point of comparison, at its height the Walking Dead was seen by about 1 in every 20 Americans. Think about how big that show was a few years ago and you can imagine what it must have been like for Doctor Who in '65 (Numbers taken from doctorwhonews.net which has a list of every Doctor Who season and the average ratings each one had)
At this time there were approximately 17million private homes in the UK with around 14million of those with a TV set capable of receiving BBC broadcasts (according to the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board). In the 60s TV viewing figures were usually the number of households it wasn't until 1977 that viewing figure related to individual viewers. So when they say they had 10million views for The Daleks, as I understand it that was 10million households, so the actual viewing audience would likely have been much much higher given there were only 2 TV channels to choose from at the time, potentially up to 70% of the country.
Been waiting for this, and by god was it worth it! A proper testament to the work of William Hartnell, whose era, while not always standing up as much nowdays, was responsible for the show we love and know now.
Yeah once you notice, it's very hard to ignore. I believe the use of green screen is so that upon repeats they can swap in the relevant Doctor of the time, otherwise it may be a bit random for Matt to be popping up in a repeat shown in 2030. So maybe they'll fix it for next time!
"That sucker punched me right in the feels." No truer words about this show have ever been said. An absolutely beautiful reaction. You are knocking it out of the ballpark with Doctor Who December.
Verity Lambert went on to produce a detective show called Jonathan Creek, which if you don't know it is deffo worth a watch! Kind of gothic, often creepy and with some great twists.
I'm very old and been watching since 1963. Imagine our reaction when we saw the first regeneration live! I refused to go to bed that night I was so upset!!
There actually is a tiny documentary after the credits with cast and family, even Bill's granddaughter, all grown up! (The cast from the 60s actually were in the retelling too!) Bill got another two appearances on Doc Who before his death, which is bittersweet!
On another note, you really did choose the perfect time to do Doctor Who December with all the special stuff that came out around the 50th anniversary, and watching you watch it is like experiencing it again. Thank you for a massive and wonderful effort to bring all this to us.
Im sure its obvious to those who've watched this special but you can really feel the heart and soul that people put into it. How much many loved Doctor Who and how doctor who has become even more beloved over the years
Well, I was sobbing through most of that reaction. I mean, I usually do when I watch this, but I think it was amped up by seeing you experiencing it the first time. That was absolutely wonderful, and probably goes up as my favorite day of Doctor Who December so far. I don't have much to say other than what you've already said. I love how this movie portrays legacy, and I think we all wish that somehow, somewhere, William Hartnell is aware about how much he meant to this show, and how successful it's been. And Mark Gatiss, being one of us, got to show that in his own way, having Hartnell literally see the future of this show he loved so much in the current Doctor, Matt Smith. It's absolutely lovely. The acting, the writing (hats of to Mark Gatiss), the scenography - I love everything about this. It looks amazing. There are plenty of cameos in this, and I don't even remember them all. I know that the actor who played Ian Chesterton is the parking guard at the BBC, and that Carole Ann Ford who played Susan appears as a mother shouting for her kids in the street. It's clear that everyone involved with this was loving what they were doing, and that they were all keen on telling this history in the best way possible. I think it definitely succeeded. As someone who's worked a lot with people who's memory are slowly fading, and know people who struggle with that as well, it's heartbreaking to see in this, but I also love how truthfully they've portrayed it. And I also thought that it was so much fun that you'd just watched some of the First Doctor's stories - it really fitted in well here, with the Daleks and all. Thanks for this, the reaction was absolutely lovely (including the tears. I was crying along with you).
“I don’t want to go” That line broke me. To be have to give up or be forced something you love doing and are passionate about due to health or other reasons, it hurts. I hope Mr. Hartnell got to see how far Doctor Who has come and in a way he did, seeing Matt Smith, a young actor portraying his role. I will always respect him for what he started
Virtual hugs to you from all the Whovians out here in Whoville. Fantastic reaction! This show hits all of us in the feels! Thank you again for all the hard work you are putting into this Doctor Who December! Now go hug Rocko!!!
I've just finished watching this reaction and I've been crying my eyes out. Thankyou so much for letting us share this experience with you all over again ❤
I'm so sorry to hear you are alone at this time of year but I'm glad, however, that all of us in the comments can keep you in good cheer and provide you with all the warmth we can give to keep you company. Thank you so much for providing us all not only with great reactions but, the genuine emotions that you share with us helps us to feel connected and we can share with your emotions too. That's why Doctor Who is so special to us all, it connects us all through our compassion and empathy for every living thing by showing us that if we can find the courage to embrace change and to face our worst fears and fight for what's right and true and then maybe, just maybe... we can overcome our problems and work together to make things a little bit better for every living thing alive today and yet to come in the future. In the present we can learn from the past, to change things for the better now, to make the future brighter.
This show is going to destroy you. Even I cried again going through this. Broke my heart the first time, especially I don't want to go. I could hug you because you cried so much and I do not blame you.
Sublime Jess, shed so many tears with you. This warm and magical love letter to the TV show and its legendary origins is for me Mark Gatiss' finest contribution to Dr Who. Amazing performances and beautiful reactions. Thank you :)
sea pea Gatis is one of the few willing to write a "historic" based Doctor who script. I really liked some of his scripts, but I can't talk about it yet.
Michael Lukash I totally agree, I'm a massive fan of MG (with one 'future' script in particular being very underrated!) but this for me was head and shoulders above any of his other D Who contributions and a triumph on almost every level.
Chris Bullers hope it gets better mate. Doctor who is always there to help though, I think he's helped us all get through rough patches at one time or another
This was a wonderful reaction. The original Doctor lives on. As some have said Mark Gatiss wrote this he's also wrote numerous Doctor Who episodes but started in the comedy team The League of Gentlemen which you should react to because I'd love to see what you make of that bizarre comedy. Excellent reaction Sesska.
Great suggestion. I really think Jessica would like The League of Gentlemen. Also, looking forward to the LOG 20th Anniversary Specials coming up in the next couple of weeks. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U1sFYAI8nC4.html
This is my favorite show of all time and seeing the love and respect you give to it makes me cry. I get more out of this show then anyone probably should. The courage and guidance I get from this show is what I imagine people get from religion. I love your reactions and the input you bring and I will virtually be here on Christmas Day
Trivia: In the Verity leaving Party Scene in the background are several of the surviving actors who were companions. The Security Guard at the BBC in the beginning was William Russell (Ian Chesterton).
And William Russell is played here by Jamie Glover, son of actor Julian Glover who played King Richard in The Crusade, who knighted Ian Chesterton... and Julian Glover had become an actor after an inspiring school visit by a young actor he admired by the name of William Russell (yes, *the* William Russell)... wheels within wheels (of fortune)...
Need a strong drink after that. The first time I watched this back in 2013 I managed not to cry until Matt arrives, and then I was gone. This reaction though. I can't even form coherent thoughts right now. Thank-you and much love to you.
"Don't kill 'Doctor Who.' We have to get to Matt Smith!" LMAO!!! Yes!!! Gatiss shows his brilliance by putting Tennant's "I don't want to go" line at the proper point!!! THANKS for this!!!
I want you to know you are not alone for the holidays a lot of your fans myself included are with you watching your videos you are amazing Happy Holidays.
Two moments I knew would hit you in the feels like a sledgehammer and induce instant blubbing: 1/ "I don't want to go!" 2/ Hartnell seeing Smith. You didn't disappoint, m'dear. ;)
A wonderful drama and an equally wonderful reaction. Yes it is sad that Hartnell had to leave as he did but it's also uplifting as all of his hard work and dedication (along with the rest of the cast and crew) paid off with DW carrying on to become the huge worldwide show it is now some 54 years later. Amazing achievement.
dravenuk So true. I think people tend to leave the 1sr Doctor out when you talk about the greatest or just forget about him cause it was a long time ago
+Mauricio Ramirez To judge from increased sales of 1st Doctor DVDs in the UK,there was definitely a resurgence of interest after the original transmission of this movie.It's an interest which is still very much ongoing (no spoilers, of course). At the very least,this film brought it home to so many people (who may otherwise have not thought about it)that there was very much a TV series before Ecclestone came along.
A loving reaction to a wonderful telling of the start of the greatest adventure through time and space. Billy H had so much faith in the show and said it would go on forever! @8:53 is the cutest noise I've ever heard. X
For the past 17 days (as of today), I've woken up feeling like a kid on Christmas Day. The first thing I do each morning, even before getting out of bed in search of breakfast, is check this channel. Whovember is a wonderful present for us all, and this reaction was awesome. Thank you. FYI, many of the cast in this have been in Dr Who before ... including the actor who played the security guard/parking attendant, William Russell: the same actor who played Ian Chesterton all those years ago.
Good reaction Jess. Now you know the history, the ups and downs and the battles to get the show off the ground. Good that you watched it after your Daleks reaction.
Just piping in to say I'm loving the entire month of reactions, Sesska, especially around the 50th when there were so many significant and interesting events and extras in and surrounding the show. Merry... Holidays!
Something else to note as well, in The End Of Time where The Doctor visits Joan Redfern's descendent, her name is Verity Newman as in Verity Lambert and Sydney Newman
Yes, it's a great and very touching movie. 2013 was a really special time for us fans, with this docudrama, plus "The Day of the Doctor", "The Five(ish) Doctors", and all sorts of other celebrations going on. You should get a real kick out of "The Day of the Doctor". Try to watch "The Night of the Doctor" and "The Last Day" first, if you have access to them, as they set things up a bit for the anniversary special.
And now you know why we all looked forward to you reacting to this from the moment you started watching Doctor Who... *gives virtual hug* (And that moment where Matt appears emotionally sucker punched all of us. It's as if Mark Gatiss ( you know Mycroft Holmes wrote this, right? 😉) gave William Hartnell a glimpse of the future through that scene to somehow comfort us fans in our sadness for him... I don't know, but it was beautiful)
Lol, I was just waiting for the reaction to that end cameo - I wasn't disappointed. Hope you also enjoy "Day" and "Time". Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Yes, I was waiting on this. Finally saw it for the first time last night. It's a beautiful story about the first Doctor who I think is either underrated or just forgotten.
Mauricio Ramirez it's not so much that he's underrated or forgotten. It's that a majority of his episodes are lost. Only a chunk of The first two Doctors episodes still exists. The second Doctor had a little better luck since he was in the tenth, 20th anniversaries and a 6th Doctor team up story. Due to his ill health Hartnell could only do a small cameo in the Three doctors. And the famous Susan farewell speech was played at the beginning of the 20th and the First Doctor was played by another actor.
Michael Lukash That's true but I think the 2nd doctor has more lost episodes. I've seen the first 3 seasons on the first Doctor and I'd say only about 20% are lost.
I have watched innumerable reaction videos to all sorts of shows. And I keep coming back to this one. This is perhaps the best reaction video on all of RU-vid. I would like you to know that.
In the episode Human Nature, The Doctor as John Smith says his parents names are Sydney and Verity. That is a reference to the people who created the show.
Robert Payne same here. Just finished booing my eyes out to this. Such a beautiful film, such a beautiful reaction. We all knew what was going to happen when Matt popped up. We all went through it before, and I was just as moved this time. So glad she has finally got to see this 😁
Like many I was thinking "She's gonna need to save some tears for later". It doesn't help that I'm fighting a dose of flu too, so even Christmas TV ads get me emotional. Hap-py Christmas! :-)
Every time I watch a reaction in which you cry I star crying myself (even though I watched this film a dozen times before) Your reaction was perfect(I was waiting the whole time for the appearance of Matt and you didn't disappoint) and the things you said at the end of the video were lovely and really emotional. Keep going! Your channel is amazing! I can't wait for you to watch the 50th anniversary special and the Christmas special. It's going to be awesome, believe me. PS: Sorry for my English, I'm not a native speaker ^^
I’m really enjoying your December series, thankyou so much for making these episodes. I can’t wait until you catch up with what’s to come, you are are in for such delights 👍🏻😎
And then Mark Gatiss just utterly RIPS your heart out and eats it in front of you by giving Bill the Tenth Doctor's words, "I don't want to go." And of course, the Matt Smith part. Fffffuuuuuu.
So happy you reacted to this as it is something that deserves to be seen for all the superb acting and THAT moment. It does sadden me that so many chose to ignore it during the 50th celebration.
