| The First Doctor | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who character | |
.jpg) William Hartnell as the First Doctor | |
| First regular appearance | An Unearthly Child (1963) |
| Last regular appearance | The Tenth Planet (1966) |
| Introduced by | Verity Lambert |
| Portrayed by |
|
| Succeeded by | Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor) |
| Information | |
| Tenure | 23 November 1963 – 29 October 1966 |
| No of series | 4 |
| Appearances | 29 stories (134 episodes) |
| Companions | |
| Chronology | |
TheFirst Doctor is the original incarnation ofthe Doctor, theprotagonist of the Britishscience fiction television seriesDoctor Who. He was portrayed by actorWilliam Hartnell in the first three series from 1963 to 1966 and the tenth anniversary storyThe Three Doctors from 1972 to 1973. The character occasionally appeared in the series after Hartnell's death, played byRichard Hurndall in the 1983 special "The Five Doctors" and byDavid Bradley in 2017 and 2022.[1] To date, the First Doctor is the sole incarnation of the Doctor to have beenrecast for later televised appearances.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-oldalienTime Lord from the planetGallifrey whotravels in time and space in theTARDIS, frequently withcompanions. At the end of life, the Doctorregenerates; as a result, the physical appearance and personality of the Doctor changes. The concept of regeneration, initially referred to as a "renewal", was introduced when Hartnell left the series due to his increasingly bad health, consequently extending the series' life into the following century, with Hartnell being succeeded by theSecond Doctor (Patrick Troughton).
Hartnell's portrayal of the character was initially a stubborn and abrasive old man who was distrustful of humans, but ultimately mellowed out into a more compassionate, grandfatherly figure who adored his travels with his companions. The First Doctor's original companions were his granddaughterSusan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) and her schoolteachersIan Chesterton (William Russell) andBarbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill). In later episodes, he travelled alongside 25th-century orphanVicki (Maureen O'Brien), space pilotSteven Taylor (Peter Purves),Trojan handmaiden Katarina (Adrienne Hill), and sixtiesflower childDodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane). His final on-screen companions were the working class sailorBen Jackson (Michael Craze) and the sophisticated socialite Polly (Anneke Wills). Of the 134 episodes Hartnell appeared in as a regular, 44are missing.
The First Doctor is a character shrouded in mystery; little is known about him at the outset except that he has a granddaughter,Susan Foreman, and that they come from their own planet. He has a ship that travels through time and space, theTARDIS, which is currently disguised as apolice box (Susan notes that it used to be able to change to blend in with its surroundings), and is bigger on the inside. The Doctor describes himself and Susan as "exiles" without specifying why or even whether their exile is self-imposed. It would not be until the last adventure of the Doctor'ssecond incarnation that the name of the Doctor's people (theTime Lords) would be revealed, and thethird incarnation before the name of his home planet (Gallifrey) was first spoken.
The series' first episode opens with a pair of schoolteachers in contemporary (1963) London,Ian Chesterton andBarbara Wright, investigating the mystery of Susan, a student who seems confused and even frustrated at how what she is learning in history and especially mathematics seems to be wrong. Following Susan to her supposed home, they discover the TARDIS in a junkyard, surprising both Susan and her grandfather the Doctor, who launches the ship in response to the discovery. Ian and Barbara are involuntarily taken on a journey back to the year100,000 BC and spend two years adventuring through time and space with the Doctor, who at this point in the series has no control over the navigation systems of the TARDIS.
It was as this incarnation that the Doctor first met theDaleks and theCybermen, races that would become his most implacable foes. The TARDIS crew also observed many historical events such as theReign of Terror inrevolutionary France, meetingMarco Polo in China andThe Aztecs inMexico. When Susan fell in love with the human resistance fighter David Campbell, the Doctor left her behind to allow her to build a life for herself on 22nd century Earth (The Dalek Invasion of Earth), although he promised to return some day. The Doctor, Ian and Barbara were then joined byVicki, whom they saved inThe Rescue from the planet Dido.
At the conclusion of a chase through time by Daleks, Ian and Barbara used the Dalek time machine to go home (The Chase), and their place in the TARDIS was taken by a future space pilot namedSteven Taylor, who had been captured by the robot Mechanoids but escaped due to the Dalek attack. The Doctor met another member of his own race for the first time in the form of the Meddling Monk and had an adventure inGalaxy 4. During thesiege of Troy, Vicki decided to leave the TARDIS to stay withTroilus, adopting the name Cressida. The Doctor and Steven were next briefly joined by Trojan slave Katarina and a security agent from 4000 AD Sara Kingdom, but both were killed during the events ofThe Daleks' Master Plan, where the Daleks plotted to invade Earth's Solar System in 4000 AD, before being destroyed when the Doctor activated their weapon the Time Destructor. Due to this he was aged significantly; the effects on Sara were enough to reduce her to dust.
After narrowly missingthe Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve, the Doctor and Steven took on board a young girl namedDodo Chaplet. Dodo brought a cold virus to the far future, which nearly annihilated the humans andMonoids travelling onThe Ark. It was cured and when the TARDIS arrived on the Ark 700 years later the TARDIS crew helped the humans reach their destination, the Monoids having taken over the Ark. One of the First Doctor's most deadly foes was theCelestial Toymaker, who forced him and hiscompanions to play deadly games and briefly made the Doctor invisible and mute. Eventually, the Doctor managed to win the Trilogic Game allowing them all to escape the Toymaker's domain.
Eventually, Steven and Dodo left the Doctor as well, Steven remaining on an alien planet as a mediator (The Savages) between two races, and Dodo deciding to remain on Earth in 1966 to recover from being hypnotised by the supercomputer WOTAN. The Doctor was then joined by upper-class secretary Polly and sailorBen Jackson (The War Machines).
The toll of years put strain on the Doctor's elderly frame. After defeating theCybermen at theAntarctic Snowcap Station (The Tenth Planet), the Doctor was fearfully reluctant toregenerate when hecrossed paths with one of his future incarnations ("Twice Upon a Time"), who is similarly reluctant to regenerate. The events they experience convince both Doctors to go through with their regenerations. After returning to his TARDIS and helping Polly and Ben back inside, the Doctor falls unconscious and regenerates into theSecond Doctor.
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From the beginning, the Doctor was a mysterious figure. He appeared to be a frail old man and yet was possessed of unexpected reserves of strength and will. An earlywriters' guide byscript editorDavid Whitaker describes "Doctor Who" as "frail-looking but wiry and tough as an old turkey".[2] He had tremendous knowledge of scientific matters, and was unable to pilot hisTARDIS time ship reliably; his granddaughterSusan said that her grandfather was "a bit forgetful".
William Hartnell described the Doctor as "awizard", and "a cross between theWizard of Oz andFather Christmas".[3]Paul McGann, who played theeighth incarnation of the Doctor, said Hartnell's "seemed like aVictorian, someone kind of stern and paterfamilias about him. Something kind but scary".[4] One quirk of the First Doctor was his tendency to become occasionally tongue-tied and stumble over words.[5] Sometimes this was a deliberate acting choice:William Russell recalls that it was Hartnell's idea for the Doctor to get Ian Chesterton's surname wrong, calling him "Chesserman", "Chatterton" and even "Charterhouse".[6] This character choice also gave the series' producers the ability to usetakes in which Hartnell flubbed his lines. Due to the series' tight production schedule, it was rarely possible to reshoot such scenes[7] and dubbing the dialogue was usually not an option. Hartnell suffered from undiagnosedarteriosclerosis, which affected his ability to remember lines, increasingly so as his time on the series progressed.[8]
In "Twice Upon a Time", writerSteven Moffat has the Doctor express to a variation of his future companionBill Potts that he had left Gallifrey, among other reasons, to investigate why good prevails in a universe where evil would seem to have so many advantages. As Bill reflected that none of the First Doctor's future incarnations recognized this fact, the Twelfth Doctor surmised that he and his incarnations were the reason for the universe's balance between good and evil.
Hartnell's costume was hired from Nathans, a theatrical costuming company.[9] The overall look isVictorian-Edwardian: a blackfrock coat and a light yellowtweedwaistcoat over a wing-collared shirt; usually a dark blueascot tie or ribbon tie andtartan trousers. Hartnell also wore a ring with a large blue stone and a white wig.[9] Additional accessories seen from time to time are amonocle, a carved woodencane, anopera cape, ascarf, ahat in Astrakhan fur or, in warmer climes, aPanama hat. In "An Unearthly Child", he was seen smoking a large benttobacco pipe, making him the only incarnation of the Doctor to be seensmoking; it is assumed that he gave up after that serial.
In the original version of the first episode, Hartnell wore a contemporary (1960s) suit. Among the many changes made to the episode in reshooting was the Doctor's (and Susan's) clothes.
The debut of the Daleks inthe second serial turned the programme from a children's series to a national phenomenon. It soon became a show that the whole family gathered to watch, with monsters that children viewed from between their fingers or frombehind the sofa.[10] Scripts filled with far-out concepts compensated for the relatively low budget and unsophisticated special effects, laying the foundation for decades of stories to come.
After the regeneration the First Doctor was on screen several more times (not counting flashbacks or charity specials likeDimensions in Time). For the 10th anniversary of the programme in 1973 Hartnell appeared inThe Three Doctors, in whichPatrick Troughton reprised his role as theSecond Doctor.
Hartnell died in 1975, so for the 20th anniversary special "The Five Doctors" in 1983, the role of the First Doctor was played byRichard Hurndall. At the beginning of the programme a film insert of Hartnell's Doctor taken fromThe Dalek Invasion of Earth was used.
In "The Name of the Doctor", which combined stock footage of Hartnell with Carole Ann Ford in CGI and newly shot footage, the First Doctor is depicted stealing the TARDIS in its original form, picked out by future companionClara Oswald.
In "The Day of the Doctor", the First Doctor is shown along with the other twelve doctors as they move Gallifrey to a single moment in time. He was voiced byJohn Guilor, over archival footage of Hartnell.[11]
A child version of the character appears in "Listen" (2014), portrayed by an uncredited Michael Jones.[12][13]
In theBig Finish audio dramaThe Light at the End the First Doctor is portrayed byWilliam Russell, who also playedIan Chesterton in both the show and the audio dramas. Russell and fellow co-starPeter Purves (who played Steven Taylor) have performed numerous other audio plays set during this era, usually narrating the stories and doing an impression (rather than an impersonation) of the Doctor's voice while reciting his lines.
In theseries 10 finale "The Doctor Falls",David Bradley appeared as the First Doctor, confronting histwelfth incarnation as the latter resists his oncoming regeneration. This scene was followed up in the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time".[14] Bradley had previously portrayed William Hartnell inAn Adventure in Space and Time, a 2013docudrama depicting the creation ofDoctor Who.[15] He reprised the role of the First Doctor for a series of audio stories released by Big Finish, titled "The First Doctor Adventures", starting in January 2018.[16]
April 2022 saw Big Finish release a box set of audio dramas starring Stephen Noonan as the First Doctor.[17] Nicholas Briggs has expressed interest in producing further stories withDavid Bradley. Stephen Noonan also expressed interest in returning for future boxsets.[18] Another First Doctor boxset is scheduled for February 2023, with Noonan starring once again.[19]
The First Doctor appeared as one of the "Guardians of the Edge" (played again by David Bradley), in an afterlife, inside the Doctor's mind in the finalThirteenth Doctor episode, "The Power of the Doctor".
Images of the First Doctor appear inThe Power of the Daleks,Day of the Daleks,The Brain of Morbius,[20]Earthshock,[21]Mawdryn Undead,Resurrection of the Daleks, "The Next Doctor", "The Eleventh Hour", "The Vampires of Venice", "Vincent and the Doctor", "The Lodger", "Nightmare in Silver", "The Timeless Children", "The Giggle", "Rogue", "The Story & The Engine", "Wish World", "The Reality War" andThe Sarah Jane Adventures storyDeath of the Doctor.[22] In the episode "The Name of the Doctor", he is seen stealing aTARDIS along withSusan Foreman, beforeClara Oswald tells him to steal a different one (colourised footage taken fromThe Aztecs). He is also seen for a brief second wandering around the Doctor's mind in the end of "The Name of the Doctor", although this time a double was used.[23] He also makes a brief appearance (again using a double) duringMissy's exposition of theTwelfth Doctor's battle with android assassins ("The Witch's Familiar").[24]
InDimensions in Time theFourth Doctor (Tom Baker) refers to the First as "the grumpy one". A sculpture of his head, along with that of theSecond Doctor, appears as well.
The First Doctor is seen as a sketch inJohn Smith's book alongside other past Doctors in the episode "Human Nature". In "Time Crash", theTenth Doctor says to theFifth, "Back when I first started, at the very beginning, I was always trying to be old and grumpy and important, like you do when you're young." A brief clip of the First Doctor fromThe Time Meddler appears in both "The Next Doctor" and in "The Eleventh Hour".
In a clip from "The Vampires of Venice" theEleventh Doctor shows hislibrary card, which contains a photograph of the First Doctor and the address of 76 Totters Lane.[25] In "Vincent and the Doctor", both the First andSecond Doctors appear on a printout when the Eleventh Doctor has the TARDIS identify him.[26] In "The Big Bang", the Eleventh Doctor briefly mentions the First while bidding his farewell to a sleepingAmy Pond, referring to him as "the daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away".[27]
TheTwelfth Doctor refers to his first incarnation's initial lack of altruism prior to meeting the Daleks in "Into the Dalek".[28]
A portrait of the First Doctor is hanging in a UNIT safe house in "The Zygon Invasion".[29]
In "The Devil's Chord" theFifteenth Doctor visits 1963 and points out the Totters Lane junkyard off in the distance from atopEMI Recording Studios, saying he lived there with his granddaughter Susan.[30] In "Rogue", the First Doctor's face is among the holograms the Doctor shows to the bounty hunter Rogue to prove he is not a shapeshifting Chuldur.[31]
Still, the Daleks are the boss space horrors, something to get the children hiding behind the sofa.
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