An Adventure in Space and Time

I hate to say it but I was left disappointed with this. I guess the problem is that the production history of Doctor Who is so well documented that the changes that were made to make the story work as a TV film jarred for me.

Having said that, David Bradley's performance was astonishing along with the care that was taken in recreating Doctor Who's fictional universe; the recreation of the original TARDIS console room was beautiful. And the final scene where Hartnell looks up and sees Matt Smith standing in silent tribute was deeply moving.

Waris Hussein described the movie as being as close to the truth you'll get within the confines of a drama. A most fair and accurate description to me.

The Day of the Doctor

Where do you start?

• Opening with the original title sequence and arrangement of the theme music. Plus Delia Derbyshire finally getting the credit she should have got 50 years ago
• A cracking script for Steven Moffat. Full of great lines and nods to the past
• Nick Hurran's direction. The man's up there with the likes of Graeme Harper, David Maloney and (dare I say it?) the great Douglas Camfield.
• Matt and David. Need I say more?
• John Hurt. A very welcome addition to the ranks of actors to have played the Doctor.
• The battle scenes on Gallifrey. Never has a Doctor Who action scene looked so good.
• The Zygons
• The noticeboard in the Black Room
• The welcome return of Gemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, plus the addition of Ingrid Oliver as Osgood and her faith that the Doctor would save her (more of her please!)
• Kate referring to her father. And the line about the "Cromer" file and it's dating either being the seventies or eighties, depending on the protocol used!
• All the Doctors rushing in their TARDIS' to save the day (and the shock of hearing the First Doctor say Gallifrey)
• And while we're on the subject of all the Doctors...

  

  The moment that caused a cinema full of Doctor Who fans to gasp in surprise

•  If that was the first welcome surprise of the episode, here's the second: the welcome return of the great Tom Baker as someone who may, or may not be, the Doctor. To me the most emotional moment of the whole episode. Tom himself let it slip late last week that he would be in The Day of the Doctor. So when we got to the part where all the Doctors turn up to save Gallifrey, I thought: "Okay, so he's done a voice over. That's okay, at least he's in it" (but on re watching it, I thought I could hear Jon Culshaw's dulcet tones instead). But then we get back to the gallery and Clara mentions an old man who was calling himself the curator and I thought "Could it?" And then to hear that voice and the audience in the cinema I saw it in went nuts.
  
• The final shot with all the Doctors together. Plus all the actors who have played the role being credited as The Doctor.

 

To me The Day of the Doctor was an absolute classic and a worthy celebration of 50 years of adventures. And I loved every minute of it.