A revamped version of the docudrama aired on Doctor Who Day.
With Doctor Who fans enjoying a new version of An Adventure in Space and Time, many have noticed that parts of the original have been cut.
The revamped version of the docudrama, which details Doctor Who’s very beginnings, aired on BBC Four yesterday (23rd November) and is now available on iPlayer, with new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa making a surprise appearance at the end.
However, certain scenes, including dialogue from the very first Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child, had to be cut out of the programme.
RadioTimes.com understands this is due to the same rights issue that prevented the first Doctor Who story from being released on BBC iPlayer with the rest of the back catalogue on 1st November.
A spokesperson for the BBC told RadioTimes.com at the time: “This massive iPlayer back catalogue will be home to over 800 hours of Doctor Who content, making it the biggest ever collection of Doctor Who programming in one place but will not include the first four episodes as we do not have all the rights to those.”
Fans were thrilled to see Gatwa’s appearance in the new version of An Adventure in Space and Time.
In the original version, the emotional final scene showed William Hartnell (played by David Bradley) looking up to see Matt Smith, playing the Eleventh Doctor (and the current Doctor when the programme was released), marking how the series would continue for years to come.
However, with the programme repeated on BBC Four and being added to BBC iPlayer as part of the “Whoniverse”, a small addition has been made – now, when Hartnell looks up, he sees incoming Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.
Mark Gatiss, who penned the programme, recently chatted exclusively with RadioTimes.com about a potential sequel to the drama.
He reflected: “The origins of everything, that’s always the interesting thing. The other interesting thing is crisis…
“The documentary about The Trial of a Time Lord is an absolutely fascinating piece of work, because it’s so full of what ifs and conflict.”
He added: “It’s a strange thing to say, but the darkest hour for the show would definitely make a very interesting drama, wouldn’t it? I mean, the professional conflicts, the resignations… that’s the one, isn’t it?
“And I suppose out of the darkness comes the light, because there’s a rosy future to look forward to.
“There’s something very moving about [Tales of the TARDIS] rounding all that off.”
RadioTimes.com has contacted the BBC for further comment.
An Adventure in Space and Time is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who’s first 60th anniversary special The Star Beast airs at 6:30pm on Saturday 25th November on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Classic episodes are available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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