Mark Gatiss’ forthcoming ninety-minute TV film An Adventure in Space and Time dramatising the origins of Doctor Who was already pretty high up on our list of ‘ones to watch’ in this 50th anniversary year for the series – and even more so now that the first news of the film’s casting are being released…

It appears that two of the prime roles in the movie – William Hartnell who played the Doctor and Sydney Newman, the Canadian-born genius who created Doctor Who – will be filled by a pair of Britain’s finest and most-respected actors. David Bradley, well known to audiences for his role as Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films, will take the role of William Hartnell. Bradley is no stranger to Doctor Who, of course, having played space pirate Solomon in last year’s ‘Dinosaurs On A Spaceship’ episode and the actor will shortly be seen co-starring with tenth Doctor David Tennant in ITV drama Broadchurch. Meanwhile Newman will be played by Scottish actor Brian Cox whose colossal list of film credits include Manhunter in 1986 (where he played the original Hannibal Lecter), Braveheart, Rushmore, Troy, The Bourne Supremacy and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On TV Cox has appeared in Red Dwarf, Day of the Triffids, Deadwood and Frasier and he even has previous Who form having provided the voice of the Ood Elder in David Tennant’s 2009 swansong ‘The End Of Time.’

Meanwhile Doctor Who’s legendary first producer, the late and much-missed Verity Lambert, will be played by actress Jessica Raine, currently starring in BBC1’s phenomenally-popular Sunday night period drama Call the Midwife. Raine will also appear in the first episode of the next run of Doctor Who itself, rumoured to be entitled ‘Phantoms of the Hex’ and due to be screened at Easter. Finally it’s been revealed that Waris Hussein, director of the very first Doctor Who story, will be played by Sacha Dhawen who has appeared in History Boys and the recent BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax. An Adventure in Space and Time will film imminently at TV centre in London and then at Wimbledon Studios. More casting news for this exciting project is likely to be announced shortly…

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