‘Doctor Who’: 50th anniversary movie will look back at the show’s creation
“Doctor Who” is getting an origin story — but not in the traditional superhero sense.
In honor of the show’s 50th anniversary next year, the BBC has commissioned a movie that will dramatize how “Doctor Who” came into being, BBC News reports. Mark Gatiss, who has written several episodes of the current series (and acted on the show as well, along with playing Mycroft Holmes on “Sherlock”), is writing the script.
The movie will detail the creation of the show, which was originally intended as an educational series aimed at children, and the hiring of William Hartnell, who had previously been known mostly for tough-guy roles, as the first Doctor.
“I’ve wanted to tell this story this for more years than I can remember,” Gatiss tells the BBC. “To make it happen for ‘Doctor Who’s’ 50th birthday is quite simply a dream come true.”
“Doctor Who” first aired on the BBC on Nov. 23, 1963. The 50th anniversary movie is set to premiere on BBC Two sometime in 2013.