Doctor Who writer and producer Mark Gatiss has admitted that he is expecting backlash from diehard fans on the release of his new biopic, An Adventure in Space and Time.
The BBC Four drama depicts the struggle of getting the classic series to air 50 years ago.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the show this month, he has described the film as his love letter to Doctor Who.
Gatiss has also revealed how the 90 minute film is for the TV audience at large, not cult fans of Doctor Who and that he is expecting “howls of protest”.
He said: “Writing Doctor Who, you don’t give a monkey’s [about the opinion of diehard fans]. You write it for your audience, not for the people who will watch it anyway.
“Doctor Who fans exist for the minutiae. They’ll complain about everything. They’ll probably complain about Verity Lambert’s shoes. But I made it for everybody and I hope it’s very touching.
“I don’t mean to sound contemptible at all – I’m a fan so there are a lot of things that I want to nod to or embrace – but you can’t be ruled by that. Here, this is holy writ; they’re real people.”
An Adventure in Space and Time airs a week ahead of the long-awaited 50th anniversary show.