#waris hussein

Waris Hussein unveils producer Verity Lambert's blue plaque.

While Anthony Coburn's son throws a hissy fit about a young Black man cast as Doctor Who, I'd like to celebrate director Waris Hussein, a young Black man (as British South Asians were then known) whose thankless task it was to turn Coburn's mediocre caveman script into a vehicle that would hold viewers' attention from the pilot, Unearthly Child, until The Daleks.

Above: Waris Hussein. Below: Sacha Dhawan and Jessica Raine as Waris Hussein and Verity Lambert in An Adventure in Space and Time.

Ten years ago, we got a historical docudrama paying homage to Doctor Who's difficult beginnings, when it was punted to a young minority producer and director expected to fail.

Last spring, the Radio Times published what I assume was one of its primary sources:

The 1963 Doctor Who diaries of Waris Hussein - part 2 - part 3

They're a fascinating read.

But while he's tactfully grateful to Doctor Who for helping launch his career, Waris Hussein has had a long, successful career since then, earning an Emmy, a BAFTA, and a slew of nominations, including one for the 1974 historical miniseries Shoulder to Shoulder (Youtube) on British suffragettes.

Here's a link to a good print interview with him. I also recommend listening to the beginning of this podcast interview, as his voice conveys the thoughtfulness he puts into everything:

(SNS Online is a podcast on all the usual platforms, if you want to look up pt 2.)

*Trivia note: Ian McKellan credits Waris Hussein with his first film role. The young director cut his teeth directing Cambridge peers McKellan, Derek Jacobi and Trevor Nunn (the token straight).

The first is based on Doctor Who's original producer, Verity Lambert:

The second is based on the series' first director, Waris Hussein:

Waris Hussein was the director of the very first Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child. With this important role in the earliest days of Doctor Who, Hussein was able to push for Hartnell to play the first Doctor, and was one of a number of people to take the actor out to lunch to convince him to accept the role.

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