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 