An Adventure in Space and Time - DVD

Film: Great Britain 1963: Sydney Newman (Brian Cox) is to use his experience, which he has made at the private television, to bring fresh wind into the BBC drama department. And Newman already has an idea how he wants to do it. There should be a new science fiction series without the usual robots and bug-eyed monsters that not only entertains children but also teaches them something. His former assistant Verity Lambert (Jessica Raine) is to take charge of production at the male-run BBC and successfully bring the stories of a time-travelling Doctor and his companions to life. But Verity and young Indian-born director Waris Hussein (Sacha Dhawan) keep running into resistance from the conservative, dusty network management. They are shunted off to a small studio, the props aren't ready in time and the budget could be bigger too. At least with William Hartnell (David Bradley) a very good actor seems to be found for the nameless doctor. After several problems Verity and Waris manage to get the first episode into the can. But shortly before the first broadcast there is a tragic assassination attempt on the American president in Dallas and the interest of the TV viewers now belongs entirely to the news and not to some new science fiction series. And so the end of Doctor Who seems to be a done deal after episode 1. But Verity still has an ace up his sleeve...

For the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who there was not only a very special anniversary episode, which was even shown in 3D in some cinemas, and quite a few documentaries. The BBC also had a feature film made in which the creation of the series and the birth of the incredible success story are retold. The result is called An Adventure in Space and Time, a charming, very lovingly realized drama that can not only Doctor Who fans in rapture. Of course, there are numerous moments here that will only give connoisseurs of the subject matter slight goosebumps. The first appearance of the Daleks is one of them, as is a surprise guest appearance towards the end of the film.

But director Mark Gatiss, who himself has appeared in two episodes of the cult series and been heard in two others, has managed the feat of creating a tribute to Doctor Who that works really well as a film even when completely detached from the series. Loveable characters, a coherent mix of drama and humor, and the entertainingly constructed dramaturgy make An Adventure in Space and Time an extremely entertaining and heartwarming TV movie. The light-footed production also benefits from the well-chosen cast. David Bradley, best known as the quirky Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films, is perfectly cast as the first Doctor, which is especially evident when you watch the original clips with the real William Hartnell in the bonus material. But also Brian Cox, Sacha Dhawan and last but not least Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) as the tough producer who has to hold her own in an all-male domain deliver quite wonderful performances.

Although the film can probably really only reveal its full power to Doctor Who fans, viewers who are generally interested in television history or simply love light British entertainment fare should not miss this fine work. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD convinces with a high level of detail, a very atmospheric color scheme and a good contrast balance. Especially for a TV production, this is more than satisfactory. The sound is, as is not unusual for a rather quiet drama, rather restrained. However, some much-loved Doctor Who sound effects in particular provide some good surround moments and a pleasingly lively soundscape throughout. Good!

Extras: Bonus material includes a short, very interesting featurette on the real William Hartnell (approx. 5 mins), as well as a nice, but at just over 10 minutes, also somewhat scarce making of. There are also original clips from the first and fourth episodes of Doctor Who, three short reconstruction clips, the 1963 title credits compared to those from the 2013 film, and a couple of cut scenes. All in all, that's 25 short but very watchable minutes of extra material, which quite loyal Doctor Who fans in particular will be delighted to see.

Conclusion: An Adventure in Space and Time is a very lovingly directed, amusing and wonderfully nostalgic look at the origin story of the cult series Doctor Who. At the same time, the BBC film, staged to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series, is also a very nice story about the power of creativity and how it pays to hold on to your dreams. On DVD, the well-cast film presents itself in decent picture and sound quality, the bonus material is not necessarily convincing in quantity, but in quality. Not only for all Doctor Who fans, but in general for lovers of humorous British dramas absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp