‘Doctor Who’ season 8: Casting for the 50th anniversary biopic!

Who says that “Doctor Who” casting necessarily has to be limited to just the much-hyped modern content? To go along with the 50th Anniversary Special that is airing this November, and features an appearance by John Hurt as the mysterious Doctor-Without-a-Number, there is also a BBC Two biopic coming that takes a very concentrated look at the hit series, its journey over the years, and what could be coming up in the many years to come.

To go along with this news, how about something from the world of casting? According to Digital Spy, Reece Shearsmith has been cast to play the part of the second Doctor Patrick Troughton in “An Adventure in Space and Time,” which will show newer fans of the series a little bit more about the origin story, and how complicated much of the show’s early days truly were. (The fact that many of these early episodes are not readily available should serve as proof of that.)

Speaking to the publication, Shearsmith explained his pleasure at getting the opportunity to be featured in this special, written by his friend and colleague Mark Gatiss:

“I was honoured to be part of it. Mark’s… had that idea for a long time and he’s finally got to do it this year. It’s the perfect time for it to happen, with it being the 50th anniversary in November … I think he just always had this idea that I would [play Troughton]. It’s very small – I’m literally only in a very small little bit, but it was lovely to be part of it.”

This is really turning out to be a rather enormous year for the series, in between this biopic, the 50th anniversary special airing on BBC One, and the hunt at the moment to find Matt Smith’s replacement and the 12th Doctor. This search should be finished well before the anniversary special actually airs, which is good so that it does not become a distraction.

Oh, and while the BBC has yet to release anything official about the special yet, you have to see this. It will make your heart sing with joy.

Photo: BBC One