Hello everyone! 🙂
Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!
As we concluded the William Hartnell era of ‘Doctor Who’ TV stories yesterday, it’s time to share some thoughts on what I think of William Hartnell as the First Doctor overall. William Hartnell was my Dad’s Doctor when he saw the TV show back in 1963 and he recalls seeing the Daleks on TV very vividly.
William Hartnell is quite a contrast compared to new series Doctors like Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, etc. He’s clearly the professorial type of figure, even though he’s not called the mad professor and is simply referred to as the Doctor. He also has the Victorian air about his character. 🙂
I like William Hartnell’s Doctor whenever I see his stories on DVD or on Blu-ray. He’s clearly crotchy and irascible at times, but the noble heroic aspects of his Doctor often shine through when I see him. He develops from being a sort-of unlikeable alien to someone representing moral values and justice.
I’ve not written many ‘Doctor Who’ stories featuring William Hartnell’s Doctor, though I did enjoy writing his Doctor and his companions Ian, Barbara and Susan in the first of the ‘Zorbius’ series called ‘The Zondor Robbers’. I’ve also given the First Doctor a special cameo appearance in ‘The Prime Factor’. 🙂
The First Doctor is also due to make an appearance in ‘The Thirteen+ Doctors’ later this year. It’s nice the legacy of the First Doctor has continued since William Hartnell passed away in 1975, as Richard Hurdnell played his Doctor in ‘The Five Doctors’ and David Bradley has portrayed his Doctor recently.
That’s in both TV and in the Big Finish audios. I haven’t come across Stephen Noonan’s interpretation of the First Doctor on audio yet, though I have heard good things about him. Without William Hartnell, ‘Doctor Who’ wouldn’t be what it is today and I’m sure many of us are very grateful to him.
It was interesting to learn about William Hartnell’s behind-the-scenes journey as the First Doctor, especially in DVD behind-the-scenes documentaries as well as ‘An Adventure In Space and Time’ itself. As long as ‘Doctor Who’ keeps going, no-one will forget William Hartnell’s legacy in the series.
Thanks for reading!
Bye for now!
Tim 🙂
Bradley's Basement 
When I was finally able to see the Hartnell era, starting with An Unearthly Child in reruns after the cancellation of the classic series, I was quite astonished at how different both the Doctor and series were compared to what I had become used to. I had seen the Peter Cushing films based on the first two Daleks stories long before that. So seeing them in their classic series form was especially a big eye-opener.
When Babelcolour did The Almost Doctors showing the many actors who were considered for the 1st Doctor before Hartnell got the role, including Cyril Cusack and Geoffrey Bayldon (who was the 1st Doctor for Big Finish’s Dr. Who Unbound series), it made me understand how challenging that casting process was. It’s certainly interesting after how many decades of diverse actors taking on the Doctor since Hartnell, they’d have actors recreating the Hartnell-esque Doctor from Hurndall and Bayldon to Bradley and now Stephen Noonan for Big Finish.
Thank you, Tim, for your reflection of the 1st Doctor.
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Hi scifimike,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the First Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’ and how you first saw it after the classic TV show’s cancellation in 1989. It was quite a contrast for me to check out ‘An Unearthly Child’, ‘The Daleks’ and ‘The Edge of Destruction’ for the first time after seeing Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant in the new TV series. I’ve also enjoyed how actors like Richard Hurndall and David Bradley have recreated the role of the First Doctor for more modern day stories, both on TV and audio. I’ve yet to hear Geoffrey Bayldon and Stephen Noonan’s portrayals of the character, though I’m sure they’re good.
Many thanks for your comments. Glad you enjoyed my reflection on the First Doctor.
Best wishes,
Tim 🙂
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