Hartnell was cast because, although only in his fifties, he had proven his ability to convincingly play older characters on screen. As the original intent was to run the show 52 weeks a year they needed someone who was relatively young and fit in order to keep up with the workload. I think that Hartnell's performance was so consistent that the character and the actor became confused even in contemporaries; many of the bumbling mannerisms and hesitations are a deliberate performance. A number of fellow actors have said, once off camera he lost all those affectations and, as we saw in the Massacre of St Bart's Eve, when he played the Abbot he showed no sign of any such ageing effects. It is certainly true that Hartnell had health problems in his last season but the extent to which this affected his performance is subject to some disagreement. Although some cast and crew recall his needing to use cue cards from time to time, others have said that, of all the cast, he was the greatest stickler for knowing the script right from the start of rehearsals (bearing in mind that rehearsals were across only 4 days). It's also worth remembering that he was by far the most experienced actor among the regular cast having appeared regularly on stage and screen for decades before Doctor Who. If his memory was quite as bad as some suggest, it is somewhat surprising that he went immediately into a long running touring play where he would have needed to prove his ability every day (and twice on Saturdays) to live audiences. The truth, I suspect, is that while Hartnell was beginning to struggle with the combination of his encroaching illness and the unremitting workload, the main driver for replacing him was the perception that the show was losing audience and needed to be refreshed. Knowing the affection in which Hartnell was held, the official line was, and remains, that his illness had made it impossible to continue.
This is extremely emotional for me. My Mum passed away suddenly on 18th November 2013. As a lifelong Whofan, I was booked for the 50th anniversary event at ex-cel on the Friday. The family insisted I went and I was meeting friends at the cinvention but watched this on my own in the hotel on the Thursday night of its broadcast. Not helped that I had left my ticket for the event at home, I was already frayed at the edges and cried all the way through; your reaction is touching.
I think I'm probably the only person who didn't like the Matt Smith 4th wall break. It just drew me out of the narrative and didn't make any sense within the reality they'd built up so far. (If this was a scene from the actual Doctor Who program, sure, people could jump in from the future or past, but this was supposed to be based in reality. So when I first saw this I just said: What the hell? This isn't the actual show but a reality based biopic.) I know why they did it and I get the point they were making, but I just would have rather seen Matt Smith appear as a different character within the narrative rather than do a 4th wall break to pop him in there.
Hi love. I watched your reaction just know. To see the 11th Doctor honor the First made me cry as well. You are very much not alone in that. What an amazing legacy to leave us. Beautiful.
The scene with Matt Smith at the end has an immense impact on me personally, as the first and eleventh doctors, while not my favourites, were certainly the two that I associated with most, and were also the first two doctors i watched extensively too. You should definitely feel lucky about this, simply because very few doctor who fans know literally _nothing_ about the classic series and can experience it like this. It's also fascinating to see how someone would react to seeing these for the first time without spoilers, so to quote a thing, we guide people to a treasure we cannot possess.
I certainly got pretty emotional the first time I saw this in 2013... there was this and then the 50th anniversary episode within the space of a few days. It really was emotional overload. :) I imagine William Hartnell would be surprised, but not astonished, if he knew the show was still running today - he always had faith in it to be a success.
I love how Heather Hartnell, his widow, said at the Longleat 1983 "Twenty Years of a Time Lord" celebration that she hoped he would not be forgotten as the Doctor. She would've been overjoyed to see how, thanks to videos, DVDs, repeats and continuing and growing fandom, he would come back. Yes, one day, he would come back... total legend.
I can remember watching 'An Adventure in Space and Time' on its original broadcast back in 2013. I was the only person in my family who got emotional towards the end because I was the only one who actually liked William Hartnell.
Haha! I knew "i don't want to go!" would get you! ...Probably 'cos that line gets everyone! You've been voluntarily manipulated into "maximum cry mode" here. Adventure in Space and Time is an emotional docudrama for all fans, but after you've just relived the whole Hartnell era in order, and for the first time, then it's going to be an extra hard emotional punch. Believe it or not we are all watching you enviously here. Yes, even as you carve your way through the tissue box!
Congratulations on reaching 200 subscribers! - What a wonderful production that was. Yes it was at the end of the voyage of the damned they did a tribute to Verify Lambert. People back then did look older than they do now at the same age, it was because smoking was popular and it has a terrible effect on your body and skin as you age. Never worry about crying during these, people will be wanting to know if you reacted in the same way they did, and boy did they cry too! :)
It's odd to think that Hartnell and Capaldi were the same age when they appeared as their respective Doctors. The former was clearly older than his years (even when taking his wig into account!)
Beautiful. 💕Glad you went and got the tissues. Happy you recognised the cameo by 'Ian'. 😍 Yes you saw 'Susan' ...also 'Polly' and 'Sara Kingdom' at the farewell party..... Yes best show, wonderful reaction. Thank you 😊🤗 and got very emotional at all the same bits
This is a great tribute to the show. Doctor Who is My favorite Show Ive been watching it since I was 4 years old. Great Reaction as always cant wait to see Power of The Daleks.
As someone who watches a lot reactions, I actually come for the tears! Also, before I had to purposefully look for your reactions, but since I think episode 3 or 4 of The Tenth Planet, you've started to appear by simply searching 'Doctor Who Reactions'. But that'll put a smile on your face! I love Power of the Daleks, the next serial. I'm torn as to which version you should watch though. The animated version is pretty good and also available in colour. But the original has telenaps and quite a few clips, more than the serials you've seen so far. Then later on in this same series, The Macra Terror is the best they've done in terms of the animation. The Moonbase is also a fav of mine from this series.
It's wonderful hearing your thoughts and reactions. I highly recommend you seek out the biography on Hartnell by his granddaughter Jessica Carney called "Who's There". It puts a lot of things in context about him which I think helps rebut some of the criticisms that existed for a while. I think An Adventure in Space and Time also helps to increase people's awareness of the love and creative that was put into this show's early days, especially from Hartnell himself.
Loved your reaction. Fun fact: David Bradley is Kate Beckinsale's Godfather. He was her dad's best friend. David is an excellent actor in whatever he does. Brilliant as The Doctor/ William Hartnell or as Walder Frey!
It's a strange relief that A) anyone even DID a TV movie about Dr. Who and how the show originated and especially B) that this movie about the MAKING of a show makes for such a successful, compelling drama in its own right. Whether you're a serious Dr. Who fan or just casually watch it from time to time for kicks...An Adventure in Space and Time is such an eloquent summation of how the series came to be, and your understanding of the show feels so much more complete after watching it.
Great Reactions to a Great Docudrama. It affected most People the same way. If you check the Cast, you will find there were a LOT of Actors, Male and Female, that appeared in both Classic and New Who. The First Doctor and the 11th Doctor, 50 Years in one second.
William Hartnell was more commonly known as Bill. Like Capaldi's last companion. His wife was Heather - which is the name of the 'pilot' girl in Capaldi's last season. There are references everywhere.
You are certainly not the only one who cried. In fact, I don't think I've ever been affected by a piece of television in quite the way this one hit me, and I told David Bradley as much when I met him. Lovely man.
I cried oceans when I watched this for the 1st time, and I still do cry at the end. And I cry every time a Doctor regenerates... it's a given. Don't worry… you'll come to love Capaldi as much as we do. He's a phenomenal actor, a wonderful man, and a total gift to watch. ❤❤
I was 39 when this was on TV. Also a Rough around the edges Glaswegian lol. I was in bits by the end of it. Beautiful piece of writing and acting. Great tribute to Hartnell and all others involved in the show.
I wasn't aware of this movie, I'm downloading the full version now for later viewing. I've been watching some Hartnell episodes this week and I love Patrick Troughton. (If you've ever seen "The Omen" he's plays the priest.) I actually prefer classic Doctor Who over the modern CGI-fest it's become with incomprehensible story arcs and impossible villains. Tom Baker is another favorite of mine, probably the best. No one will break his 7-series streak. The 1st Doctor I ever saw, being an American, was the great Peter Cushing in the 2 films he made, remakes of Hartnell's Dalek stories. They used to air on TV on Saturday afternoon.
10:30 - Hartnell looked older than he was because he had more prominent cheekbones (which always makes people look gaunt) and he was born and brought up in poverty before the welfare state and NHS existed, through two world wars, the Great Depression and lived quite an unhealthy lifestyle - he smoked and drank (recreationally) a lot! Plus he was not faithful to his wife, nowhere near faithful, so he led quite a high stress, unhealthy, busy life when he was a bit younger, which all contributed to him looking about 70 when he was 55 and undoubtedly contributed to the arteriosclerosis that killed him. He might have died of the same thing but much later had he lived a healthier lifestyle…
My one major criticism of this film is the recreations of actual scenes from the show. The Dalek scenes are spot on (And the scenes depicting the behind the scenes goings on are moving and great), but as for their recreations of many of the other scenes from definitive episodes I think the performances were purposefully lacking. I feel like the director told them that "your doing scenes from a low budget show from the 60's so, don't give it any gravitas, make it flat and cheesy." Just compare Hartnell's actual performance from the clip at the end to David's performance of the same scene and it's just night and day, Hartnell was so much better. And they understandably touch heavily on Hartnell's line flubbing over the course of the production, but even with that he still never broke character in the actual show, he just carried on and made it a part of his performance. David got the chance to play the character again in Twice upon a Time and his performance was much better as the Doctor, but still not great as the writing on that one was skewed to make the first Doctor a Misogynist. The only place where David has played the character as it was intended (In my opinion anyway) is in the new Big Finish First Doctor adventures where they reunite him with his TARDIS team costars from this biopic to play new first Doctor adventures set during the first season of the show.
Couple of facts for you: (1) When the Tenth Doctor became human in Human Nature, his 'parents' were called Sydney and Verity. (2) Actor Jamie Glover, who portrayed William Russell/Ian in this, is the son of Julian Glover, who was King Richard I in The Crusade.
This is the BBC doing what they do best - period drama - everything in this felt like a trip back in time... I'm not surprised at your reaction, it had the same effect on me the first time I saw it. It was a sad story! Brilliant touches like when they imagine he saw Matt Smith in that famous last look into the camera...brilliant writing there. When Verity Lambert is surrounded by the kids on the bus mimicking Daleks (this really happened, I saw an interview with her years ago, she said this was the moment she knew they'd got a hit show!) - just like we used to do at school - a real trip down memory lane for me! The scene where he says 'We don't have time, check the fornicator!' had me on the lounge floor rolling in laughter. Apparently this happened quite a lot with William Hartnell although he was a stickler for doing things right and as the scene shows in the story where he's practising his lines with his wife, he took the job very seriously.
This Brian Cox, is not Professor Cox, from Saddleworth, who played with D:Ream in the 1990s while studying for his PhD. He has since gone on to find fame with his greatest love - science. The other Brain Cox played Sydney Newman the BBC executive in this programme: In 1986, during the production of Manhunter, was playing Hannibal Lecktor, Anthony Hopkins was playing King Lear on stage at the National Theatre. Five years later, during the production of The Silence of the Lambs in which Hopkins took over as the correctly named Lecter, Cox was playing King Lear at the National Theatre. At the time, the two actors shared the same agent.
I've watched this film three times and teared up every time. It was never as impactful though as when I watched it right after seeing Hartnell's era chronologically. It's such a beautiful film and I adore it. Loved your reaction! :)
ua-cam.com/video/_u5uC_Z1jmY/v-deo.html Get ya tissues out again Marie-Claire....this is a real heartbreaker. So sad and so lovely all at the same time
Any fan of Doctor Who, (especially classic) who doesn't get tearful while watching this is probably a Dalek! Hartnell was 55 when he played the role and had makeup and a wig to make him look older. (He was the same age as Capaldi)
I have it on dvd and every time I watch it makes me cry . William Russell, carol Ann ford. And the actress who played Vicky plus Jean marsh who appears with the first doctor in the dalek master plan was married to Jon Pertwee.
Don't worry - there have been many reactions to AAISAT (do a search for them on YT) - and they've ALL cried! Here's Sesska,for example: ua-cam.com/video/kRToPUCDK0Q/v-deo.html but there are many more. Feel free to check out more of her Classic reactions. They mirror yours quite accurately (although a little more forthright!) She's more measured than you in her reaction schedule,though;and has only recently started Season 2. I'll be very interested to see her reaction to Ian and Barbara leaving (and Susan,for the matter of that). I'm very glad you spotted William Russell. Carole-Ann Ford played the mother calling her children to get back inside to watch Dr Who on their TV. Also making small cameo appearances were: Mark Eden (Marco Polo) as 'man who tells Sydney Newman to kill Doctor Who'; Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom) as 'guest at Verity's leaving party; Anneke Wills (Polly) as 'another guest at verity's leaving party'. Can I be up front with you here and say that,after having watched your first two reactions,I didn't think you'd get much further than maybe half-way through The Daleks before calling it quits (and,to be honest,I wouldn't have blamed you;because those cavemen episodes are really tough to sit through!) So many New Who fans can't accept the slower pacing and monochrome of the early Classic era - but once you'd watched the first episode of the second serial,you were clearly hooked :D It's been a real pleasure watching your Hartnell reactions;and your love for Ian and Barbara. Very much looking forward to you getting to know the Second Doctor. I'm fuzzier on his stories;so I'll be watching many of them for the first time,through your reactions. Make them good! :D
I wish I had a FRIENDS T-shirt! I’m a sucker for clothing with things I love on it. I noticed the H&M over here in France has a new range of Simpsons clothing and since my year abroad comes to an end on Monday I raided the store for every bit of Simpsons stuff they had before heading back to Ireland 😂 That was an absolute tangent to basically say I like your T-shirt ahahahahahahaha great video though! Power of the Daleks here we go, probably in my top 10 stories 😆
If it's any consolation, I get that way EVERY SINGLE time I see this story. When the First Doctor looks up to see the Eleventh, it's such a fabulous, moving and heartbreaking moment...such a beautiful show, written, produced and performed by people with a genuine affection and love for Who. Mark Gatiss' writing is tremendous. Not only William Russell but Carole Ann Ford, Jean Marsh AND Anneke Wills had cameos! Fantastic reactions as always
I think nearly everyone cried at the end, if only at the idea of Hartnell somehow glimpsing the decades of Doctor Who ahead that would, ultimately, ensure his own remembrance.
I cry every time I see this, and I’ve watched it a good 50 times. With Marks writing and the acting you really feel the history and important Doctor Who has had over these long 50+ years.
I'm glad this exist cuz seeing how difficult it was to launch and where it is now is amazing. I wish we had one of these for every classic Doctor. Also if you ever rewatch "Twice upon a time" Moffat wrote the Doctor a lot more sexist and without his sassy sense of humor (in my opinion) so i'm glad David Bradley did so well as Hartnell and the Doctor here. And the behind the scenes stuff after the credits when the original actors talk about how William was on set did make me cry.
I can confirm that I have seen this many, many times, and I cry like a baby - every single time! A wonderful tribute to William Hartnell and the era that began it all. Amazing to see how invested you are in the First Doctor - and rightly so! :)
Think we have to thank Russell T Davies for you saying you love the history of this show.He could have "rebooted" the show when it came back and abandoned all the history but instead chose to do a continuation.Brilliant decision.
Wow loved this reaction watched this on dvd few times its excellent glad you watched it again after watching the first doctors adventures the introduction of Ben and polly was when the producers wanted a new doctor in season 4 loved this and glad you saw verity lambert the original producer
The casting was spot on on the actors playing Verity, Carol Ann (Susan), Jackie Hill (Barbara), Waris the Director and of course William Hartnell. The casting was not so spot on for the actor playing William Russell (Ian), At least looks wise, and it was way off on Ben and Polly, esp Ben, as Polly is taller than he is in high heels!
Hartnells farewell to Susan speech was used as a pre credits sequence in 1983s 20th anniversary story "the five doctors" (the 1st doctor in that was played by an actor called Richard Hurndall who himself died only 6 months after his turn)
Hartnell was cast because, although only in his fifties, he had proven his ability to convincingly play older characters on screen. As the original intent was to run the show 52 weeks a year they needed someone who was relatively young and fit in order to keep up with the workload. I think that Hartnell's performance was so consistent that the character and the actor became confused even in contemporaries; many of the bumbling mannerisms and hesitations are a deliberate performance. A number of fellow actors have said, once off camera he lost all those affectations and, as we saw in the Massacre of St Bart's Eve, when he played the Abbot he showed no sign of any such ageing effects.
It is certainly true that Hartnell had health problems in his last season but the extent to which this affected his performance is subject to some disagreement. Although some cast and crew recall his needing to use cue cards from time to time, others have said that, of all the cast, he was the greatest stickler for knowing the script right from the start of rehearsals (bearing in mind that rehearsals were across only 4 days). It's also worth remembering that he was by far the most experienced actor among the regular cast having appeared regularly on stage and screen for decades before Doctor Who. If his memory was quite as bad as some suggest, it is somewhat surprising that he went immediately into a long running touring play where he would have needed to prove his ability every day (and twice on Saturdays) to live audiences.
The truth, I suspect, is that while Hartnell was beginning to struggle with the combination of his encroaching illness and the unremitting workload, the main driver for replacing him was the perception that the show was losing audience and needed to be refreshed. Knowing the affection in which Hartnell was held, the official line was, and remains, that his illness had made it impossible to continue.
This is extremely emotional for me. My Mum passed away suddenly on 18th November 2013. As a lifelong Whofan, I was booked for the 50th anniversary event at ex-cel on the Friday. The family insisted I went and I was meeting friends at the cinvention but watched this on my own in the hotel on the Thursday night of its broadcast. Not helped that I had left my ticket for the event at home, I was already frayed at the edges and cried all the way through; your reaction is touching.
William Hartnell was exactly the same age playing the Doctor as Peter Capaldi. :-)
And Jon Pertwee
I'm _really_ pleased when I see young people like yourself find the history of Doctor Who :)
Thank you!
I love your channel and your careful, considered analysis of each story. _Please_ keep it up ... you're _really_ good!
The cameos by William Russell and Carole Ann Ford are the unsung gems in this. And Sacha Dhawan is a real master... 😁
I think I'm probably the only person who didn't like the Matt Smith 4th wall break. It just drew me out of the narrative and didn't make any sense within the reality they'd built up so far. (If this was a scene from the actual Doctor Who program, sure, people could jump in from the future or past, but this was supposed to be based in reality. So when I first saw this I just said: What the hell? This isn't the actual show but a reality based biopic.) I know why they did it and I get the point they were making, but I just would have rather seen Matt Smith appear as a different character within the narrative rather than do a 4th wall break to pop him in there.
Hi love. I watched your reaction just know. To see the 11th Doctor honor the First made me cry as well. You are very much not alone in that. What an amazing legacy to leave us. Beautiful.
In Human Nature, John Smith says his parent's names were Verity and Sydney!
The scene with Matt Smith at the end has an immense impact on me personally, as the first and eleventh doctors, while not my favourites, were certainly the two that I associated with most, and were also the first two doctors i watched extensively too.
You should definitely feel lucky about this, simply because very few doctor who fans know literally _nothing_ about the classic series and can experience it like this. It's also fascinating to see how someone would react to seeing these for the first time without spoilers, so to quote a thing, we guide people to a treasure we cannot possess.
I certainly got pretty emotional the first time I saw this in 2013... there was this and then the 50th anniversary episode within the space of a few days. It really was emotional overload. :) I imagine William Hartnell would be surprised, but not astonished, if he knew the show was still running today - he always had faith in it to be a success.
I love how Heather Hartnell, his widow, said at the Longleat 1983 "Twenty Years of a Time Lord" celebration that she hoped he would not be forgotten as the Doctor. She would've been overjoyed to see how, thanks to videos, DVDs, repeats and continuing and growing fandom, he would come back. Yes, one day, he would come back... total legend.
I can remember watching 'An Adventure in Space and Time' on its original broadcast back in 2013. I was the only person in my family who got emotional towards the end because I was the only one who actually liked William Hartnell.
No the Matt Smith reveal got me.
Haha! I knew "i don't want to go!" would get you!
...Probably 'cos that line gets everyone!
You've been voluntarily manipulated into "maximum cry mode" here. Adventure in Space and Time is an emotional docudrama for all fans, but after you've just relived the whole Hartnell era in order, and for the first time, then it's going to be an extra hard emotional punch.
Believe it or not we are all watching you enviously here. Yes, even as you carve your way through the tissue box!
Congratulations on reaching 200 subscribers! - What a wonderful production that was. Yes it was at the end of the voyage of the damned they did a tribute to Verify Lambert. People back then did look older than they do now at the same age, it was because smoking was popular and it has a terrible effect on your body and skin as you age. Never worry about crying during these, people will be wanting to know if you reacted in the same way they did, and boy did they cry too! :)
It's odd to think that Hartnell and Capaldi were the same age when they appeared as their respective Doctors. The former was clearly older than his years (even when taking his wig into account!)
Beautiful. 💕Glad you went and got the tissues. Happy you recognised the cameo by 'Ian'. 😍 Yes you saw 'Susan' ...also 'Polly' and 'Sara Kingdom' at the farewell party..... Yes best show, wonderful reaction. Thank you 😊🤗 and got very emotional at all the same bits
Bless William Russell as doorman Harry he was in his late 80s/early 90s when he did this 48 years after he left Dr Who!!
William Russell is still doing big finish, reading Ian, we have one of the originals still with us!!! (we do have Susan still too!)
@@julieeverett7442 The Adventure In Space and Time Tardis crew are doing Big Finish as well.
@@ianlacey11 yes I know
The Second Doctor is Matt Smith’s favourite. In fact you can see where Matt Smith got his influence from
Oh I cried too!
09:20 yeah that was my reaction too. In fact it's still my reaction whenever I watch reation videos (such as yours) 😭
This is a great tribute to the show. Doctor Who is My favorite Show Ive been watching it since I was 4 years old. Great Reaction as always cant wait to see Power of The Daleks.
As someone who watches a lot reactions, I actually come for the tears! Also, before I had to purposefully look for your reactions, but since I think episode 3 or 4 of The Tenth Planet, you've started to appear by simply searching 'Doctor Who Reactions'. But that'll put a smile on your face!
I love Power of the Daleks, the next serial. I'm torn as to which version you should watch though. The animated version is pretty good and also available in colour. But the original has telenaps and quite a few clips, more than the serials you've seen so far. Then later on in this same series, The Macra Terror is the best they've done in terms of the animation. The Moonbase is also a fav of mine from this series.
Wow! Really?! That's slightly overwhelming!
15 seconds after getting the tissues you used one. I knew this was gonna end messy lol great reaction, showing the love
It's wonderful hearing your thoughts and reactions. I highly recommend you seek out the biography on Hartnell by his granddaughter Jessica Carney called "Who's There". It puts a lot of things in context about him which I think helps rebut some of the criticisms that existed for a while. I think An Adventure in Space and Time also helps to increase people's awareness of the love and creative that was put into this show's early days, especially from Hartnell himself.
Thank you! I will definitely check it out! :D
2:39 that’s the same actor who played Ian
Loved your reaction. Fun fact: David Bradley is Kate Beckinsale's Godfather. He was her dad's best friend. David is an excellent actor in whatever he does. Brilliant as The Doctor/ William Hartnell or as Walder Frey!
It's a strange relief that A) anyone even DID a TV movie about Dr. Who and how the show originated and especially B) that this movie about the MAKING of a show makes for such a successful, compelling drama in its own right. Whether you're a serious Dr. Who fan or just casually watch it from time to time for kicks...An Adventure in Space and Time is such an eloquent summation of how the series came to be, and your understanding of the show feels so much more complete after watching it.
Great Reactions to a Great Docudrama. It affected most People the same way. If you check the Cast, you will find there were a LOT of Actors, Male and Female, that appeared in both Classic and New Who. The First Doctor and the 11th Doctor, 50 Years in one second.
You've nothing to apologise for. It's a very emotionally charged episode - it got me going. Good reactions! Ever seen Blake's 7?
Thank you! No I haven’t. Blake’s 7 reactions will come when I’ve finished Classic Who :)
William Hartnell was more commonly known as Bill. Like Capaldi's last companion. His wife was Heather - which is the name of the 'pilot' girl in Capaldi's last season. There are references everywhere.
You are certainly not the only one who cried. In fact, I don't think I've ever been affected by a piece of television in quite the way this one hit me, and I told David Bradley as much when I met him. Lovely man.
I cried oceans when I watched this for the 1st time, and I still do cry at the end. And I cry every time a Doctor regenerates... it's a given. Don't worry… you'll come to love Capaldi as much as we do. He's a phenomenal actor, a wonderful man, and a total gift to watch. ❤❤
Hartnell looked older than he was and he wore hair extensions at back for the role
I was 39 when this was on TV. Also a Rough around the edges Glaswegian lol. I was in bits by the end of it. Beautiful piece of writing and acting. Great tribute to Hartnell and all others involved in the show.
"An Adventure in Time and Space". Wondyful! :')
I definitely got emotional the first time I watched this too. Such a good show! Rest In Peace, William Hartnell.
An adventure in space and time is a lovely tribute to doctor who and William hartnell. Ps the 1st doctor left 3 story's after steven.
Besides William Russell, Carol Ann Ford was also in this movie as was Anneke Wills (Polly) and Jean Marsh (Sarah Kingdom) in cameo appearances.
I wasn't aware of this movie, I'm downloading the full version now for later viewing. I've been watching some Hartnell episodes this week and I love Patrick Troughton. (If you've ever seen "The Omen" he's plays the priest.) I actually prefer classic Doctor Who over the modern CGI-fest it's become with incomprehensible story arcs and impossible villains. Tom Baker is another favorite of mine, probably the best. No one will break his 7-series streak.
The 1st Doctor I ever saw, being an American, was the great Peter Cushing in the 2 films he made, remakes of Hartnell's Dalek stories. They used to air on TV on Saturday afternoon.
Ahh crap ahh crap don't start!! That last part with hartnell saying that line gets me every time
10:30 - Hartnell looked older than he was because he had more prominent cheekbones (which always makes people look gaunt) and he was born and brought up in poverty before the welfare state and NHS existed, through two world wars, the Great Depression and lived quite an unhealthy lifestyle - he smoked and drank (recreationally) a lot! Plus he was not faithful to his wife, nowhere near faithful, so he led quite a high stress, unhealthy, busy life when he was a bit younger, which all contributed to him looking about 70 when he was 55 and undoubtedly contributed to the arteriosclerosis that killed him. He might have died of the same thing but much later had he lived a healthier lifestyle…
My one major criticism of this film is the recreations of actual scenes from the show. The Dalek scenes are spot on (And the scenes depicting the behind the scenes goings on are moving and great), but as for their recreations of many of the other scenes from definitive episodes I think the performances were purposefully lacking. I feel like the director told them that "your doing scenes from a low budget show from the 60's so, don't give it any gravitas, make it flat and cheesy." Just compare Hartnell's actual performance from the clip at the end to David's performance of the same scene and it's just night and day, Hartnell was so much better. And they understandably touch heavily on Hartnell's line flubbing over the course of the production, but even with that he still never broke character in the actual show, he just carried on and made it a part of his performance. David got the chance to play the character again in Twice upon a Time and his performance was much better as the Doctor, but still not great as the writing on that one was skewed to make the first Doctor a Misogynist. The only place where David has played the character as it was intended (In my opinion anyway) is in the new Big Finish First Doctor adventures where they reunite him with his TARDIS team costars from this biopic to play new first Doctor adventures set during the first season of the show.
Couple of facts for you: (1) When the Tenth Doctor became human in Human Nature, his 'parents' were called Sydney and Verity.
(2) Actor Jamie Glover, who portrayed William Russell/Ian in this, is the son of Julian Glover, who was King Richard I in The Crusade.
This is the BBC doing what they do best - period drama - everything in this felt like a trip back in time...
I'm not surprised at your reaction, it had the same effect on me the first time I saw it. It was a sad story!
Brilliant touches like when they imagine he saw Matt Smith in that famous last look into the camera...brilliant writing there. When Verity Lambert is surrounded by the kids on the bus mimicking Daleks (this really happened, I saw an interview with her years ago, she said this was the moment she knew they'd got a hit show!) - just like we used to do at school - a real trip down memory lane for me!
The scene where he says 'We don't have time, check the fornicator!' had me on the lounge floor rolling in laughter. Apparently this happened quite a lot with William Hartnell although he was a stickler for doing things right and as the scene shows in the story where he's practising his lines with his wife, he took the job very seriously.
This Brian Cox, is not Professor Cox, from Saddleworth, who played with D:Ream in the 1990s while studying for his PhD. He has since gone on to find fame with his greatest love - science.
The other Brain Cox played Sydney Newman the BBC executive in this programme:
In 1986, during the production of Manhunter, was playing Hannibal Lecktor, Anthony Hopkins was playing King Lear on stage at the National Theatre. Five years later, during the production of The Silence of the Lambs in which Hopkins took over as the correctly named Lecter, Cox was playing King Lear at the National Theatre. At the time, the two actors shared the same agent.
I'd give you a hug but it's a bit late lol. I'm a big hairy guy but that got me right in the emotions.
I've watched this film three times and teared up every time. It was never as impactful though as when I watched it right after seeing Hartnell's era chronologically. It's such a beautiful film and I adore it. Loved your reaction! :)
ua-cam.com/video/_u5uC_Z1jmY/v-deo.html Get ya tissues out again Marie-Claire....this is a real heartbreaker. So sad and so lovely all at the same time
Any fan of Doctor Who, (especially classic) who doesn't get tearful while watching this is probably a Dalek! Hartnell was 55 when he played the role and had makeup and a wig to make him look older. (He was the same age as Capaldi)
No, we ALL cried.
I have it on dvd and every time I watch it makes me cry . William Russell, carol Ann ford. And the actress who played Vicky plus Jean marsh who appears with the first doctor in the dalek master plan was married to Jon Pertwee.
This movie makes me cry every.damn.time! 😪💜
An Adventure in Space and Time is such a beautiful story. D; I really enjoyed that episode :)
Don't worry - there have been many reactions to AAISAT (do a search for them on YT) - and they've ALL cried!
Here's Sesska,for example:
ua-cam.com/video/kRToPUCDK0Q/v-deo.html
but there are many more.
Feel free to check out more of her Classic reactions. They mirror yours quite accurately (although a little more forthright!) She's more measured than you in her reaction schedule,though;and has only recently started Season 2. I'll be very interested to see her reaction to Ian and Barbara leaving (and Susan,for the matter of that).
I'm very glad you spotted William Russell.
Carole-Ann Ford played the mother calling her children to get back inside to watch Dr Who on their TV.
Also making small cameo appearances were:
Mark Eden (Marco Polo) as 'man who tells Sydney Newman to kill Doctor Who';
Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom) as 'guest at Verity's leaving party;
Anneke Wills (Polly) as 'another guest at verity's leaving party'.
Can I be up front with you here and say that,after having watched your first two reactions,I didn't think you'd get much further than maybe half-way through The Daleks before calling it quits (and,to be honest,I wouldn't have blamed you;because those cavemen episodes are really tough to sit through!) So many New Who fans can't accept the slower pacing and monochrome of the early Classic era - but once you'd watched the first episode of the second serial,you were clearly hooked :D It's been a real pleasure watching your Hartnell reactions;and your love for Ian and Barbara.
Very much looking forward to you getting to know the Second Doctor. I'm fuzzier on his stories;so I'll be watching many of them for the first time,through your reactions. Make them good! :D
YAY! You are watching it! Need tissues... Spoilers
A lot of cameos here. Notice the security guard (that was Ian!)
''I don't want to go.'' They love punching our hearts.
I'm glad I had a handkerchief watching that! Bought it all back.
The Doctor DID come back in the John Peel 8th Doctor novel 'Legacy of the Daleks'!
I wish I had a FRIENDS T-shirt! I’m a sucker for clothing with things I love on it. I noticed the H&M over here in France has a new range of Simpsons clothing and since my year abroad comes to an end on Monday I raided the store for every bit of Simpsons stuff they had before heading back to Ireland 😂 That was an absolute tangent to basically say I like your T-shirt ahahahahahahaha great video though! Power of the Daleks here we go, probably in my top 10 stories 😆
This totally wrecked me when I watched it.
Well done, thank you. Your being emotional is absolutely normal with every reaction I've seen of this show.
Am I the only one crying like that? Everyone - no
If it's any consolation, I get that way EVERY SINGLE time I see this story. When the First Doctor looks up to see the Eleventh, it's such a fabulous, moving and heartbreaking moment...such a beautiful show, written, produced and performed by people with a genuine affection and love for Who. Mark Gatiss' writing is tremendous.
Not only William Russell but Carole Ann Ford, Jean Marsh AND Anneke Wills had cameos!
Fantastic reactions as always
Had to watch this one with you.
I think nearly everyone cried at the end, if only at the idea of Hartnell somehow glimpsing the decades of Doctor Who ahead that would, ultimately, ensure his own remembrance.
no jelly babies?
I cry every time I see this, and I’ve watched it a good 50 times. With Marks writing and the acting you really feel the history and important Doctor Who has had over these long 50+ years.
I'm glad this exist cuz seeing how difficult it was to launch and where it is now is amazing. I wish we had one of these for every classic Doctor. Also if you ever rewatch "Twice upon a time" Moffat wrote the Doctor a lot more sexist and without his sassy sense of humor (in my opinion) so i'm glad David Bradley did so well as Hartnell and the Doctor here. And the behind the scenes stuff after the credits when the original actors talk about how William was on set did make me cry.
I can confirm that I have seen this many, many times, and I cry like a baby - every single time! A wonderful tribute to William Hartnell and the era that began it all. Amazing to see how invested you are in the First Doctor - and rightly so! :)
Think we have to thank Russell T Davies for you saying you love the history of this show.He could have "rebooted" the show when it came back and abandoned all the history but instead chose to do a continuation.Brilliant decision.
Wow loved this reaction watched this on dvd few times its excellent glad you watched it again after watching the first doctors adventures the introduction of Ben and polly was when the producers wanted a new doctor in season 4 loved this and glad you saw verity lambert the original producer
You are not the only one who cried, this really got to me too.
Love that your so invested in the show.
The casting was spot on on the actors playing Verity, Carol Ann (Susan), Jackie Hill (Barbara), Waris the Director and of course William Hartnell. The casting was not so spot on for the actor playing William Russell (Ian), At least looks wise, and it was way off on Ben and Polly, esp Ben, as Polly is taller than he is in high heels!
I remember this showing on tv
William Hartnell does return in "The Three Doctors."
Thanks to Mark Gatiss and the whole cast and crew for making such a needed show. Great reaction video too, thank you!
don't cry beautiful girl :)
Prettiest youtuber
Hartnells farewell to Susan speech was used as a pre credits sequence in 1983s 20th anniversary story "the five doctors" (the 1st doctor in that was played by an actor called Richard Hurndall who himself died only 6 months after his turn)
Spoilers! :p