Who was most responsible for the success of Doctor Who?

[SiHart]

Obviously we know The Daleks were the big thing that got Doctor Who noticed and took the show to great success in its first year and beyond. But other than the Daleks, who or what do you think was most responsible for the success of the show?

Was it Verity Lambert and her guiding hand over the show? David Whittaker for commissioning the scripts? Ray Cusick in design? Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks? William Hartnell for his fantastic work creating the Doctor? Or someone, or something else?

[Nyder]

Let's not forget Peter Brachacki!

[Stephen Morgan]

Verit Lambert without a doubt. A woman in this business in 1963? Virtually unheard of. She worked hard to get the programme to the screen, battling with Sydney Newman over "BEM's", working to get those scripts into a workable plan. Without Verity I don't think the show would have gone on longer than its initial 13 or so episodes. Yes, there were other factors, the script writers, the set designers, lighting, costumes, all working hard behind the scenes, but I believe Verity was the glue that held it all together. She deserved all the accolades possible.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Verit Lambert without a doubt. A woman in this business in 1963? Virtually unheard of. She worked hard to get the programme to the screen, battling with Sydney Newman over "BEM's", working to get those scripts into a workable plan. Without Verity I don't think the show would have gone on longer than its initial 13 or so episodes. Yes, there were other factors, the script writers, the set designers, lighting, costumes, all working hard behind the scenes, but I believe Verity was the glue that held it all together. She deserved all the accolades possible.

I would find it difficult to argue with that. I am thought tempted to add another important reason for the sucess of the show in the early days: The viewing public! - Ok, so I know it was the production team that made the stories in such a way that the public wanted to view them, but I'm sure on at least one occasion the Daleks were brought back due to public demand (I think it was for 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'). Anyway it is just one example of people power!
I'd also like to nod towards the regular cast - all four of them. They were just brilliant and still to this day are one of my favourite TARDIS crews!

[Stephen Morgan]

I'd also like to nod towards the regular cast - all four of them. They were just brilliant and still to this day are one of my favourite TARDIS crews!

Yes of course! All four gelled and had a good working relationship, and of course Hartnell's performance was the template for all the other actors who would take on the role in future years. So, when Verity Lambert saw Hartnell in This Sporting Life and chose him for the role of The Doctor, she showed true vision.

[J.R. Southall]

I'd also like to nod towards the regular cast - all four of them. They were just brilliant and still to this day are one of my favourite TARDIS crews!

Hear hear! Couldn't agree with that sentiment more.

And yes, Verity Lambert is a massive and obvious first answer to the original question. I'd also like to think that David Whitaker (especially given the circumstantial evidence; his books and other Who-related projects) probably had a huge and entirely under-rated influence on what we saw on screen, so he's worth a big mention too - as is Dennis Spooner, who took the Whitaker template and ran away with it, quite brilliantly.

[Dirk Gently]

Who was most responsible for the success of Doctor Who?

At the risk of sounding facecious, it was the viewing public surely. They saw a fantasical & fantastic SciFi show & fell in love with it. Helped very ably by the Daleks.

As for who initially should get the credit pre-TX, Verity Lambert & Sidney Newman.

[SiHart]

Good answer Tim!

For me it's Verity Lambert. her belief in the show shone through right up to the time of her death and her instincts seemed more on the ball than anyone else's in the early days. the fact that she would go and argue with the big bosses about money, about anything they threw at her is really rather wonderful. That she could even stand up to her boss over the Daleks, and be vindicated to the extent that he let her get on with the show shows there was something really special about her.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Some of you may have noticed a rather interesting article on the origins of the series recently appeared on the Doctor Who News Page.
Follow this link to read:

An Unearthly Series - The Origins of a TV Legend
1) March 1962: Is there merit in science-fiction on TV?

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Some of you may have noticed a rather interesting article on the origins of the series recently appeared on the Doctor Who News Page.
Follow this link to read:

An Unearthly Series - The Origins of a TV Legend
1) March 1962: Is there merit in science-fiction on TV?

The second part is now online:

2) The Survey Group's Report on Science Fiction

Next episode - Thanks and No Thanks

[Philipnet]

It must be the audience that watched the show that then went on to be fans of it (if being a fan of a TV show could be considered back then).

Without the audience and the fans they eventually became, the show surely could not have lasted the amount of time it has.

[SiHart]

Interesting stuff. Thanks Richard, that'd have passed me by without your prompt

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Part 3 which brings us to the events of May and June 1962 (and includes a mention of 50 years ago today, 14th May 1962) is now online:

An Unearthly Series - The Origins of a TV Legend
3) Thanks and No Thanks

Next Episode: We Want To Sell You A Story

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

And so we reach the events of 25th July 1962 with Part Four of this occasional series:

An Unearthly Series -The Origins of a TV Legend
4) We Want To Sell You A Storyl

Next Episode - One Year Before

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

And in keeping with it being the 49th Anniversary today sees the arrival of Part Five of the occasional series looking at the origins of Doctor Who:

An Unearthly Series - The Origins of a TV Legend
5) One Year Before

Next Episode - A Newman at the BBC

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

And so 50 years to the day Sydney Newman joined the BBC we have the latest installment of the saga of the creation of Doctor Who...

An Unearthly Series - The Origins of a TV Legend
6) A Newman at the BBC

Next Episode - The Winds of Change