BBC TWO announced today that it has commissioned a 90 minute drama about the ‘genesis’ of Doctor Who in celebration of the series’ 50th anniversary next year.
An Adventure in Space and Time will tell the behind-the-scenes story about the production of the Doctor Who TV series, which premiered in 1963. It will be produced by Steven Moffat, the current showrunner for Doctor Who; and written by Mark Gatiss, who co-created (with Moffat) Sherlock.
The exact scope and format of the drama is a mystery, though Gatiss specifically mentions William Hartnell, who originated the character of the Doctor.
“This is the story of how an unlikely set of brilliant people created a true Television original. And how an actor – William Hartnell – stereotyped in hard-man roles became a hero to millions of children. I’ve wanted to tell this story this for more years than I can remember! To make it happen for ‘Doctor Who’s 50th birthday is quite simply a dream come true”.
The press release implies that the drama will tell the entire 50 year history of Doctor Who‘s production, but that’s a lot of material to cover in ninety minutes. Gatiss sounds like he’s more interested in telling the story of the first generation, which would probably be the safer move.