David Bradley, who has portrayed the First Doctor in multiple Doctor Who episodes, has declared his support for a blind Doctor Who fan's campaign to fund tactile books.

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In a statement released exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Bradley expressed his admiration for "hero" Louis Moorhouse, a 19-year-old who hopes to make Doctor Who more accessible to blind and partially sighted children.

"It wasn’t until I played the First Doctor in ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’ that I realised the enormous fan base it had all over the world, and of course that meant a lot of blind and partially sighted people out there who, until now, haven’t had the experience that your [Moorhouse's] inspiration is providing," Bradley explained.

Addressing Moorhouse, he continued, "Good luck, and as The Doctor would say, “Go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine”. You’re a hero Louis, and I wish you all the best. In admiration, David Bradley."

At the time of writing, Moorhouse’s crowdfunding campaign has reached £9,411 of its £15,000 target, and already has the backing of another Doctor Who actor, Derek Jacobi.

Since the age of five, Moorhouse has been working with charity Living Paintings, which creates Touch To See Books.

“I’ve been a big fan of the show Doctor Who since I was young, but I have yet to fully meet the weird and wonderful characters, aliens, monsters and devices from the show because I can’t see them,” Moorhouse explains on his crowdfunding page. “So I asked if Living Paintings would consider creating a Doctor Who Touch to See book which would help blind people like me enjoy and engage with the show on a whole new level.

“They said ‘yes’ and really like my idea but they don’t have the money to do it. So here I am, asking you to help me make this possible.”

Bradley (also known for playing Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch in the Harry Potter film franchise) has portrayed William Hartnell's First Doctor sporadically in the BBC sci-fi series since 2013.

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Authors

Flora CarrDrama Writer, RadioTimes.com
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