William Hartnell: 100 years

[SiHart]

If he hadn't died 33 years ago, today would be William Hartnell's 100th Birthday. If he'd lived to be 90, some of the magic of Doctor Who would have still clinged to him.

Anyway, I think it's time we had a tribute thread to the original Doctor Who actor. What are your thoughts on the character he created? What about the man himself? Crochety? Grumpy? Twinkling? Giggling? Hmmm? Chatterton!

Lets celebrate William Hartnell, the original, you might say.

Si xx

[Zbigniev Hamson]

"Let's celebrate"? That sounds an awful lot like "positive comments only" to me

The first time I ever saw him in motion was when the pilot episode was screened in the early nineties as part of the Lime Grove thing. The thing I remember most is that his voice was a lot deeper than I'd always imagined it to be. Well I suppose I must have seen the clip before the Five Doctors too, but I don't remember that. Shortly after the pilot was on my brother bought me the Unearthly Child video, and I probably got The Daleks after that. So he's the first "old" Doctor that I actually saw in the proper order, to begin with at least.

I think he's often given a bit more credit than he deserves, possibly because he's the original, but he was certainly very likeable in the part, has quite a lot of memorable moments, and really made the programme what it was.

[Antony Cox]

Happy Brtrhday, Bill!

I think he was great. Through all the fluffed lines he managed to give a sustained convincing performance throughout his era, though sometimes I feel that his succes was sometimes a bit of a fluke, perhaps due to him being a bit like the character in real life.

Whatever your opinion of him, there's no doubt that he was very much a part of the success of the show, and Who knows - perhaps we wouldn't have any Doctor Who nowadays if it wasn't for him?

[Si Hunt]

"Let's celebrate"? That sounds an awful lot like "positive comments only" to me

It sounds to me more like "let's have some positive comments!" which is not the same as "positive comments only", is it?

I always really liked Hartnell and his First Doctor. In fact, I thought he was wonderful. It seems almost through forgettfulness that his Doctor used to always come near the bottom of the polls; he was marvellously sinister, kind, funny and grandfatherly. You loved Hartnell in a sort of "old goat" kind of way, giggling at his fluffs but respectful of the hard work and dedication he put into the part. I love the way he started off dark and rather ruthless but by "The Rescue" was this kindly old man. Hartnell's Doctor seemed to muddle through an adventure, these being the days when the hero didn't have to be perfect, and sometimes he wasn't; making mistakes by gambling away the TARDIS or even deliberately trapping himself and his companions on a dangerous planet so he could explore.

Above all he just cut a glorious iconic figure, with the long white hair and cane. Hartnell's was a unique and unforgettable performance, and it's of constant chagrin to me that the man himself died before he could fully appreciate what he created. I often wonder what he'd say now if he knew that his show, Doctor Who, was still the biggest thing on British TV almost fifty years later.

Si.

[Ralph]

I find it interesting how we all perceive the "evolution" of the Doctors in different ways. I’d like to explain a bit more on why I view the Hartnell years in the way I do. I must have watched the show prior to 1970 but when I was 6 there was only one Doctor I knew of. I was puzzled in 1973 when the first three Doctor Who books came out and the Doctor looked nothing like Jon Pertwee. I didn’t understand that at all. Then there was those two movies with yet another Doctor I wasn't familiar with adding further to the confusion. When the 10 year anniversary magazine came out later in '73 I was surprised that there had been two previous Doctors and read avidly of all these previous stories.

My perception of the show was determined by what I grew up with and I believe the reason our own particular Doctor has so much impact in our early years is because between ages 6 to 11 seems a long time when you’re so young that those ideas get ingrained deeply.

When these two previous Doctors appeared on “The Three Doctors” I wasn’t keen on them at outset because they didn’t seem right to me, acting very differently from what I was used to. Of course there was little to see of the first Doctor. The next time I saw the first Doctor was on the news I think in 1975 when his death was reported and a clip was shown of “The Unearthly Child”. It wasn’t until much later in 1981 when I had a brief resurgence in interest in the show with BBC2’s “Five Faces of the Doctor” that I actually saw the first story for Hartnell but all I was really interested in seeing to be honest was "Carnival of Monsters" after all it had been 7 long years since I saw my favourite Doctor in action

It’s only now with the last couple of years I’ve actually become familiar with the Hartnell era. It’s good to see it and I’m glad it wasn’t all binned. Of the Hartnell era what surprised me the most is how early on many aspects of the show were established including the Daleks.

Hartnell’s performance will never match the more action hero perception I have of the Doctor. I think it was fine for the era but I guess with everything you have to move on. So I’m neutral on Hartnell to be honest. I see both Hartnell & Troughton as a warm up the main event of the Pertwee/Baker years when they were firmly established in the minds and hearts of the general public on that Saturday night slot

When I watch a Hartnell story I prepare my mind for watching a stage play which then means I give it a fairer viewing. I’m quite sympathetic to the budgets of the era and will view the stories in a fair light. I’ve found that the era does grow on me and I look forward to seeing some more stories cleaned up

Of particular note is “The Daleks” , which on the budget is really imaginative and great stuff!

So I don’t know if this is the sort of reply you had in mind but I’m pleased that Bill Hartnell was there to get the ball rolling and carry the baton so that I was able to see my fave Doctor in his full splendour in “Spearhead”

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I often wonder what he'd say now if he knew that his show, Doctor Who, was still the biggest thing on British TV almost fifty years later.

Wasn't he on record of saying he didn't like it too much anymore by the Pertwee era? Too different to his day or something. Verity Lambert had similar opinions. It's a shame but he probably wouldn't like it very much these days or even see it as the same programme really, which I suppose it isn't.

[Ralph]

Wasn't he on record of saying he didn't like it too much anymore by the Pertwee era? Too different to his day or something. Verity Lambert had similar opinions. It's a shame but he probably wouldn't like it very much these days or even see it as the same programme really, which I suppose it isn't.

As I've said before as far as I'm concerned each Doctor introduces a new version of the show so I wouldn't expect everyone to like it all, although there are some less discriminating people who do

I'm pleased that Hartnell & Lambert didn't like the Pertwee era as I'm not overly fond of their approach - "horses for courses" and all that. What is important is those Doctors who maintained the popularity of the show to give it it's longevity. The 1970s golden era as I choose to call it would not have been possible without it's earlier years but perhaps the greatest legacy we owe is to the creation of the Daleks without whom I'm sure the show would not have survived and thats not to discredit Hartnell but what I see as reality

[Logo Polish]

From what I've heard, I doubt if Hartnell saw very much of the Pertwee era anyway. His widow Heather reckoned he didn't see many of those episodes. By all accounts, he found it a bit upsetting to watch the programme after he'd left, and his health wasn't very good at that time either. I believe he and Troughton are both known to have made disapproving noises about the way they used the Autons (ie recognisable objects like toys and chairs being used as a means of killing), but that was an attitude several people expressed at the time.

Anyway, he was willing enough to do The Three Doctors, so it can't have been that much of an issue.

[SiHart]

I find Ralph's view of the series from the early 70s POV very interesting, and certainly very different from that of my own childhood, where right from the word go almost i was aware there were other Doctors, through Doctor Who Monthly and having the Target books read to me. There does seem to have been a massive shift in the making the show's past available between 1970 and 1980.

Anyway, Hartnell. I'm never sure what to make of him. Through my formative years his Doctor was characterised as the crochety old man- a stern, forbidding figure. Yet, when I finally got to see his stories what i found was slightly different. He was stern yes, but there's a playful element to his portrayal that is quite captivating to watch. I love the way he giggles and can be quite childish at times. It's quite endearing.
I also like the way that his infamous Billyfluffs have been celebrated, when it'd be easy to moan about them. He seems to have made them part of the character and that again worked well. It'd be easy to criticise him for the way his illness affected him and the way he acted, but lets not forget he made the show under a quite unforgiving timetable, and I'm sure even some of the later doctors would have struggled to keep up with the pace of the 60s production schedule.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Wasn't he on record of saying he didn't like it too much anymore by the Pertwee era? Too different to his day or something. Verity Lambert had similar opinions. It's a shame but he probably wouldn't like it very much these days or even see it as the same programme really, which I suppose it isn't.

Of course, I wouldn't have expected him to like it, but I like to think he would have still been proud that the tradition he started was still popular with children, that if he saw a kid in 2008 being bought a toy Dalek he'd smile.

Si.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

but lets not forget he made the show under a quite unforgiving timetable, and I'm sure even some of the later doctors would have struggled to keep up with the pace of the 60s production schedule.

I've heard this said a few times before, but it's not an argument that makes much sense when you consider that Patrick Troughton (not to mention William Russel and Jacqueline Hill etc) had the same schedule and didn't muck up as much. I'm nto really criticising him, I'm just saying if you're going to judge him by comparisons to other actors' performances in the series, you should really be comparing him to the other actors around at the time and sharing the same kind of schedule. There are plenty to choose from after all.

[SiHart]

That's true, and when you compare him to those around him at the time I suppose he doesn't come out too well really. It's noticeable that when he come sback from his holidays, or even in the first few episodes he seems noticeably more on the ball than he does after a couple of months slog through the episodes.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

If you listen carefully, Hill, Russell and Ford slip up sometimes too. But Hartnell is always at the centre of the action, and has the most lines, so his fluffs are most noticable. Also he was older and more used to films which had more time for re-takes. Plus I guess we'll never know how much his illness contributed.

Si.

[Antony Cox]

I've heard this said a few times before, but it's not an argument that makes much sense when you consider that Patrick Troughton (not to mention William Russel and Jacqueline Hill etc) had the same schedule and didn't muck up as much.

As afr as I'm aware, Bill was already suffering from arteriosclerosis at this point which affected his memory/lucidity at times.

[Captain Tancredi]

If you watch what exists of the Hartnell era from beginning to end in order, I guarantee you'll come out of the experience with a fresh love for the First Doctor's era and the sense that anything that could be imagined was possible.

As regards Hartnell's performance, I think there's probably something in the theory that at least some of the mannerisms were an ageing actor's way of getting around the demands of having to learn a new script every week and being the centre of attention at the same time. The running joke of getting Ian's surname wrong is surely just that, and certainly he could turn on the character right up to the end- his "have you no emotions, sir?" in 'The Tenth Planet' is top notch. It's just a shame that his last few stories (particularly once Ben and Polly turn up) are so clearly constructed around the companions carrying the story while the Doctor wanders in and out as a character part.

[Larry]

Billy Hartnell, is my 2nd favourite of all the Doctors he started off rather unlikable but by the time of The Rescue, he had mellowed and was more like your favourite grandfather.

happy 100th birthday Bill

[Simon R]

My boss's Grandmother turned 100 in November and then died two weeks ago. Apparantly you have to notify the Palace in order to get the telegram which isn't even hand signed by The Queen. Lazy bitch.

My first Hartnell was "The Daleks" on chunky two tape video for christmas 1989. I was very impressed with his hat in the opening episode. He was a great Doctor, it's such a shame so much of his era is missing as there's so many episodes of his I don't know very well because they're not on video/DVD.

[Wayne]

Naturally being the same age as Ralph, my experiences are similar. The first Who i remember watching was 'Spearhead From Space', so i wasn't aware of the concept of other Doctors until 1973, at the age of 9/10.
I can't remember what order it happened in, but as Ralph points out, the 3 contributary factors were obviously 'The Three Doctors', The Radio Times Dr.Who 10th anniversary special, & the first Target books. Also around that time, i was given Terry Nation's 1964 Dalek Book, & the very first Dr.Who annual by an Uncle, so that gave me a little bit more of a perception of early Who.
I found this first Doctor strangely fascinating, & i have particular memories of how much i enjoyed reading the 'Dr.Who & The Daleks' Target book. I was intrigued by this white haired old man on the cover, & in the comic strips in that early annual, & in my first proper experience of him when 'The Three Doctors' was broadcast, i took to Hartnell's Doctor more than Troughton's, even though he was on screen for far less time. I think it's partly because, not unlike Pertwee's Doc, he was obviously so much more authoritarian than Troughton's Doc, who came across as a bumbling clown, & even seemed quite cowardly compared the obviously more heroic Doctor of the day. My dislike of Troughton's Doc was seeded early on.
My preference for Hartnell was reinforced much further when i finally saw him in action 'proper', as it were, when the first BBC Video of Hartnell's Doc in 'The Daleks' was released in the 80's. I took to his Doctor even more so, & i was quite happy to buy the 60's vids as they were released as well the ones of my era. I did buy the Troughton releases as well, but i always looked forward more so to the Hartnell releases by comparison.
It's hard for me to define quite why i found, & still find his portrayal so easy to warm to. Other's have said it better than me, but it was that mix of kindly grandfatherliness on the one hand, & the cantankerous bad temperedness on the other hand, but always with that underlying feeling that you could ultimately trust & rely on his Doctor, in the same way as you could with Pertwee's Doc. They both be very bossy at times, but they both engendered a feeling of safety because of their authoritarian slant.
I was 11/12 when Tom Baker's Doctor took over, & he ultimately went on to became my 2nd favourite Doctor, despite losing his edge in the latter part of his tenure, (IMO) But in spite of Chris Eccleston making it into 3rd place for a while, it's ultimately William Hartnell's Doctor that remains my next favourite after the two that i grew up with.

[Pip Madeley]

I think the first Hartnell I watched might've been "The War Machines" when it was released on VHS in 1997. I liked this Doctor then, and I like him now. Despite a few fluffs over the years, I don't think he ever gave a bad performance. It all seemed part of the character - he was Doctor Who, irrefutably so.

[Si Hunt]

How can we fully appreciate the Hartnell Doctor when we don't have such great Hartnell performances as "The Massacre", "The Myth Makers" and "The Daleks Masterplan" to judge? Especially from such a visual actor.

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

Okay then, from the episodes that have survived, I don't think he ever gave a bad performance.

[Ralph]

I find Ralph's view of the series from the early 70s POV very interesting, and certainly very different from that of my own childhood, where right from the word go almost i was aware there were other Doctors, through Doctor Who Monthly and having the Target books read to me. There does seem to have been a massive shift in the making the show's past available between 1970 and 1980.

Likewise Si, it's good to hear your angle I like to give the pre video era perspective where your favourite Doctor truly was gone once his tenure ended - it really is why to this day I still get so emotional about "Planet of the Spiders". I really surprised myself both with that and ep 6 of Green Death - it takes me right back to my childhood and the personal loss I felt. I'm digressing a bit here but when I first saw all Waynes Who DVDs I felt like a child in a candy shop - it was the most magical feeling!

Back to Hartnell it still feels like new territory to me and perhaps surprisingly enough I enjoyed "Web Planet" for it's intention and spirit of adventure!

[Si Hunt]

Okay then, from the episodes that have survived, I don't think he ever gave a bad performance.

I wasn't actually replying to you Pip, in any case surely I was agreeing with you?!

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

I think Hartnell deserves a lot of credit - it may well be true that the Daleks made the show an overnight success, but it was the Doctor that the viewers came back for week after week. He has some 'poor' performances, perhaps, and certainly some that, in comparison to the norm for TV 40+ years later, look a bit OTT to modern eyes - but he's always tremendously watchable, and totally unpredictable.

He turns in one of the most rivetting performances the show ever saw during the first four part story, during which he's strictly playing the role as written - he doesn't try and soften it, there's no twinkling in the eyes, or chuckles, to make the audience love him; he just takes the script, puts in a fantastic performance, and makes the character so engaging that he effectively steals every scene he's in, whether it's the long TARDIS scene (he's superbly scathing of the two teachers) or the scene where he brilliantly rallies the entire tribe to drive out Kal.

Yet even by halfway through the next story, Hartnell seems to have started mellowing the part, bringing in little touches and making the character uniquely 'his' - many actors have said that the Doctor is unique because it is to some extent dictated by the performer, and Hartnell really sets that template, so that by the time we're into season 2 it's a much more twinkly, avuncular characterisation - still grumpy and haughty at times, but also playful and engaging.

As Si says, it would have been wonderful for him to have lived long enough to see the show really become the institution it is (just imagine if he was around to take a part in The Five Doctors for example) and it's really a testament to him that it is.

[WhiteCrow]

It's always hard to rate people from such a different generation.

William Hartnell certainly gave the central role a lot of charisma. TV was certainly a different medium back then, we have to remember it wasn't designed to be rewatched critically, more of a "one shot deal".

I was at a convention where Anneke Wills mentioned he was unpleasant to work with and a bit bigotted. There definitely seems an opinion he could be very difficult.

But he made a great Doctor, and even today though the effects are shocking, and it's smudgy black and white, his performance is still very watchable.