Doctor Who - William Hartnell - The First Doctor (1963 - 1966)

The First: William Hartnell as The Doctor

When Doctor Who first aired on the BBC on Saturday 23rd of November 1963, it was delayed by 80 seconds due to the coverage of the assassination of President John F Kennedy the day before.



Doctor Who, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, arrived in Britain at a time when the country was in a regeneration of itself. Things were beginning to change since the end of the second world war. Music and Film were exploding, the Beatles and their contemporaries were ruling the waves in music, James Bond and the Carry On films (Hartnell himself had appeared in the first Carry On film) in films and now television was about to meet a new character which would go on to be part of the British consciousness and gain a cult following all over the world.

William Hartnell's portrayal of the Doctor is still considered to be the definitive by many long-time fans of the series. He was 55 when he was cast and played the role for three years. His reason for leaving was because of his failing health (Hartnell suffered from arteriosclerosis, which would eventually lead to his death in 1975) and also his deteriorating relationship with the new producer John Wiles, who had succeeded Verity Lambert. Hartnell later claimed he 'didn't want to go'.

Despite Hartnell leaving, the show must go on and the idea of regeneration was hit upon as the Doctor was an alien, he could do that. Hartnell appeared as the First Doctor again in 1973's The Three Doctors and then, in 1983's The Five Doctors, the First Doctor was played by Richard Hurndall.

"The original, you might say": Bradley as The First Doctor.

Taking a look back at Hartnell's tenure as the Doctor is a fascinating one, especially as the character is being revived for the 2017 Christmas Special 'The Doctors' with David Bradley taking on the role. (A natural choice as Bradley had played Hartnell in the 2013 biopic on the origins of Doctor Who 'An Adventure In Space and Time')

Pick up your copy of the 1960s series and watch Hartnell at his best!