Mark Gatiss' DOC-u-drama is a heartfelt glimpse at the origins of Doctor Who

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With the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who in 2013, we were treated to a peek into the past and a glimpse behind the curtain with Mark Gatiss' biopic An Adventure in Space and Time.

In 1963 Sydney Newman, a Canadian TV producer and Head of Drama at the BBC had an idea for a quirky new science fiction show about "The Doctor", an older gentleman, who travels around space and time with his granddaughter in a so-called "TARDIS". Sydney tasked Verity Lambert, the first female producer at the BBC, to make it a reality. And with Waris Hussein on board, the first director of Indian descent at the BBC, Doctor Who began to take shape, starting with the casting of William Hartnell in the lead role.

An Adventure in Space and Time follows that process through the eyes of these three, with particular focus on Hartnell himself, and reveals, in admittedly dramatised and occasionally delightfully schmaltzy ways, how the Beeb's greatest legacy was formed.

We'll go ahead and spoil this right away. We loved this film, and in addition to reviewing it, we found ourselves inspired to discuss the many challenges faced by the production crew, the rise of William Hartnell and a love of Doctor Who that has already spanned generations.

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