Please note, there is a completely revised and expanded version of this video available here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8bo3xwuUn2o.html
Do you remember what it was like watching it back then? I'm curious like what people thought of the first story when it came out, but I know you might not remember..
@@carealoo744 can’t speak for him I’m only 16 but what I can say is after watching the classic series it definitely was more childish but the effects of the show are great even to today’s standards and the feeling of hearing that theme is so great
Yes, and Matt Smith. I think those early bloopers were made legitimate as little bits of comic relief by later Regenerations, as part of the Doctor’s sense of humour.
The early motivations of the Doctor were actually worked into the show, if one considers character continuity: the selfish 'original' Doctor was the one who was merely bored with life on Gallifrey. He was still a 'child', so to speak. His reasons for stealing a TARDIS had nothing to do with benevolence and merely to entertain himself. And keep in mind he had grown up among the generally arrogant culture of Time Lords, which would clearly have initially jaded him to the value of more 'primitive' cultures. It was his interactions with the first companions which changed him. It was then that he chose to become the hero he later evolved into.
That's my theory, too. He fled Gallifrey as arrogant as the other Time Lords, but wanted to actually explore the other times and planets firsthand. I think Susan was legitimately his granddaughter (either biological or adopted) and she loved him and despite her youth refused to let him travel alone. Interestingly, Susan said that she was the one that named the travel machines 'TARDIS'. I believe this could mean that the Doctor and Susan are from a well known and influential family on Gallifrey. The Doctor may have been arrogant, but he had no time for rules, procedure and ceremony so he left to experience things for himself. Ian and Barbara help mellow him out, and give him the name 'Doctor' which is a name he takes on full time, and he aspires to become more like these humans he bonds with over time, and by the time Ian and Barbara leave, the Doctor is a changed man committed to not just exploring space and time, but of fighting evil and injustice whenever he discovers it, realising that he wants a better universe for Susan and all other people. It's why earth became his favourite planet after these early adventures and he fights fiercely protect it from alien invasion and to learn from the best humanity has offered over its history.
@@lizardlegend42 You're kinda picking a retcon there... from a season that wasn't well-received and led to the latest Doctor... who has now killed the show.
@@spi2derman I live in America and have never heard the term flubbed. I have heard fluffed many times by people however. That might be a regional dialect thing from the particular region you are in.
It's definitely iconic. I agree that the original version is probably the best but some of the remixes aren't too bad. As I understand it, there are some unique elements to it that can't EXACTLY be replicated. I don't know if it's the particular synthesizer they used to create it or some things that weren't notated on the original sheet music.
@@TheTazzietiger It turns out that "splicing together tape loops of recorded sounds" is more or less the means by which modern sampling / "wave table" synthesizers work. It's just that instead of using a physical tape, it used a mathematical model to produce the same effects.
I just realized that Hartnell was only in his mid fifties when he played the role of the first doctor; I'd have sworn that he was at least 70, and so wasn't surprised that his health faded so badly. The second doctor was only 12 years younger than the first, but looks much more like his actual age and therefore way younger than the first. mind blown.
Hartnell wore a wig throughout his tenure to make him appear much older and mysterious. I wish he would've been able to hold on to the role a bit longer.
@@MephProduction Life expectancy in 1960 was about 69 years old. Thanks to discoveries about cancer-causing agents and other medical advancements, we've added about ten years. But in the 60 years preceding, they added about 25 years, due to heavy campaigns to eradicate diseases like smallpox, polio, malaria and measles. Hartnell should've had a fairly long life (he died just about three years short of life expectancy in 1975), but he had obvious unhealthy habits that lead to the arteriosclerosis (which, to be fair, may have been partially genetic) that affected so many of his vital functions, leading to strokes and heart attacks to the heart failure that took his life. Today, they would've presumably caught his artery cloggings early, and put him on a diet and restricted his habits (if he followed advice). Multiple bypass surgery may have been used instead to treat the heart issues, and he could very well survive to just under life expectancy (so, 78 or so).
@@TimThomason Given how many people these days don't look their age, one has to wonder if all the viruses and other diseases people contracted regularly back then accelerated aging. It's known that heavy immune responses release enormous amounts of free radicals as the pathogens are attacked by killer T cells, and there is cellular loss during infections... meaning the stem cells are depleted faster with every new infection, especially viral or intracellular parasitic infections. Not to mention chronic inflammation.
@@andypandy4078 a 50 year old on the 60s was older than a 50 year old today. Just compare Capaldi to Hartnell they were both doctor whos at the same age.
I always find it so funny that the 1st Doctor always refers to himself as an "old man" but is really rather young for a Time Lord. Not only that but is the youngest iteration of the character
He was probably several centuries old by the time he regenerated. Young for a Time Lord - one of my favourite things about David Bradley's performance is that he could convey the First Doctor's youth in a way that Hartnell couldn't due to not knowing that Doctor Who would last for so long - but I'd estimate that he would need to be at least 500, considering a single regeneration can last considerably longer than humans. Hartnell was 1 of only 3 Doctors who died from old age and both John Hurt and Matt Smith had been, to quote Smith, "rocking it for centuries" by the time they regenerated. As for the Doctor only being 900 in the new series, he's lying through his teeth. Matt Smith all but confirms it in Day of the Doctor. Christopher Ecclestone's Doctor would have been at least 1000 years old since Hartnell and Hurt alone lived for several hundred years and the Doctor had 7 more incarnations on top of that by the time Ecclestone swaggered onto the scene. Peter Capaldi's estimate of being over 2000 years old is far closer to the Doctor's true age and I wouldn't be surprised if he was approaching 3000 by that point, even without taking Heaven Sent into account.
Timelords seem to live 450-500 years per regeneration so between Hartnell and War dying of Old Age Eccleston was at least 900-1000 years old. That’s not to mention the 8 incarnations between them shared a couple centuries. But yes we count aging by using a calendar and measuring one revolution around the sun. The Doctor spends all his time in a box spending anywhere from a day to a few weeks in a single location. Those planets have vastly different rotations and orbits. So yeah likely the Doctor doesn’t know. There’s also the fact he regularly resets his age back to 0 whenever he thinks he’s reached 1000 years old.
@@tomnorton4277 We do actually have a very good idea how old the First Doctor was when he regenerated: 450, maybe a bit younger. We know this from the Second Doctor who reveals in The Tomb of the Cybermen to be about 450 years old. Since the Second Doctor had been travelling with Jamie as his companion since The Highlanders, which happened shortly after the regeneration story Power of the Daleks, not much more time than a year could have passed, like in the real world. We also know how long the Doctor has been travelling in the TARDIS by that point: 214 years. If we assume that due to the unbreaking series of companions in the show, the timeline moved in synch with ours, the Doctor in An Unearthly Child was 446 years old and he and Susan had been travelling together for 210 years. And this is not really that old for an incarnation of a Time Lord. The Eleventh Doctor lived almost 1,100 years. We know that because in Time of the Doctor the Eleventh Doctor, and in the series immediately afterwards the Twelfth Doctor, does say that he's 2,000 years old while the Tenth Doctor claimed to only be 906 when he was about to regenerate into the Eleventh Doctor. Btw, none of these numbers can possible be correct. Not only did the Sixth Doctor already claim to be pushing 900 in The Mysterious Planet, the Seventh Doctor clearly states that he's 953 years old in his first story.
@@tomnorton4277not at all, hartnell and hurt were the only especially long lived doctors who died of old age, meaning the doctor being around 900 by 10 isn't really a stretch given most doctors lives are fully shown on screen. Capaldi being close to 2000 makes sense though, as smith's death by old age seemed to happen far later then the previous two due to his lack of regeneration, smith could've been upwards of 800 years old at his death. Smith also appeared significantly older than hurt or Hartnell, making the ages not so out of whack, moffats run is what's got people confused I think even though it's kind of obvious in retrospect.
actually the original sound in an unused pilot version of the first episode was quite different, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ebMfpfwwLqI.html
@@beesree39 no, i dont mean the actual 'vworping' sound, the background 'music' while it was going on was totally different, they dropped this after the first episode
My Gran, who was 13 in 1963, has told me her favourite actors to play the doctor, and I was surprised that Troughton was not there. She said that she hated him for coming after such a great man in William Hartnell. Here’s her top 5 if anyone wants to read it. 1. David Tennant 2. William Hartnell 3. Tom Baker 4. John Pertwee 5. Sylvester McCoy
I can respect that. To me, Capaldi has topped my list. But Tennant is an extremely, EXTREMELY close second. the 12th Doctor's arc to learn himself intrigued and encapsulated me. Plus those speeches, my GOD.
"One day I shall come back. Yes I shall come back. Until then there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I'm not mistaken in mine." --The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
Alondro77 I would assume, what happened, was Jenny had Susan with someone, and then they both went to Gallifrey and found the first incarnation whom Jenny entrusted Susan to, and who also trusted that the pair were from his future.
I just finished Hartnell’s era, I’m fifteen years old and to my surprise I really liked it (seeing that it is so different from the television I’m used). To such degree that I don’t have any issue watching the episode with just audio and telesnaps.
I wish he’d cameo in the new series while he’s still somewhat able. That line from the Sarah Jane Adventures about neither he or Barbara aging since the '60s can go straight to hell. It’s nonsense.
A group of fans called 'Loose Cannon' recreated many of the missing episodes using the fan-recorded audio and the telesnaps. Using the promotional photographs they colourised 'Marco Polo'. These give a real feel for the original episodes, and are well worth tracking down. Many episodes have now been animated.
The clip from the keys of marinus where the doctor says 'I can't improve. I can't yet prove' isn't actually a mistake. It was in the script and wasn't one of hartnell's famous fluffs. For whatever reason Terry Nation decided to write this in. Hartnell delivered it accurately. This could be to create more realism in the dialogue as most people make mistakes while talking and back track but it just seems weird.
I was part of the original audience. That first episode was astounding. So exciting we as a family were transfixed and continued to be so for decades. This first introduction to science fiction has stayed with me my whole life. Even if I am extremely disappointed by current changes Classic Who still delivers. My final point I was never scared of the monsters in Dr Who. It was so exciting to see what or who the Doctor would encounter. As for the Daleks, it was love at first sight.
The story at the beginning of the video is so vivid, makes me feel like I was actually there back in the 1960s. I’d definitely listen to an audiobook narrated by you man
I know many Whovians will crucify me for saying this, but I would love BBC if they hired David Bradley and the rest of the look-alike actors from "An Adventure in Space and Time" and remade the entire Marco Polo story as a full lenght movie using the same script.
I completely remember the first episode, most vividly. But not only that: the next week, seemingly without announcement as to why, the SAME episode was broadcast. Only after it, then the second episode was broadcast immediately following it. I honestly thought there had been some major SNAFU, but, of course, there had been some "executive" decision that the previous week all adults (at least--I was a kid) were completely off-kilter with the Kennedy Assassination, and they probably had taken no notice whatsoever of the premier episode of a Sci-Fi serial. I was very young, and I don't remember the whole Kennedy aspect at all, only that they repeated Episode 1 the week after.
The First Doctor *never* introduces himself as 'The Doctor'. It's Ian and Barbara that think he is a doctor and give him that name. Later on the Second Doctor uses the name for himself, but there are many fan theories as to why even the Time Lords call the character Doctor later on in the series, as though he had always gone by that name.
The Time Lords kept tabs on their renegades. They knew he was going by the Doctor long before The War Games. To save his family name from shame and disgrace they just went along with it.
There's a video that put together all the times any doctor introduced themselves as 'the doctor' (because of course there is, it's "I'm the Doctor" - Every Time the Doctor Introduces Themself (1963-2019)) which has one instance of the first doctor saying, "They call me The Doctor." No idea what episode it's from or what the context was though.
"An unearthly Child" remains probably the best televisioon science fiction play ever broadcast. It is, I think, only one of two television plays ever broadcast three times on BBC 1.
To, the most interesting Hartnell story is "The Sensorites". It's slow, but it is well layered and keenly acted. The Sensorites are very wholly developed aliens, which is still a rare thing in the series today.
Shane Wright wow that one was the one that popped in my head when he mentioned “favourites” that episode in particular was somehow very memorable to me
Sebastian G. I think Graham is my personal favourite of the 3 new companions (or should I say “friends”). He has that twinkle in his eye that reminds me of Donna’s grandfather, Wilf.
@@iWillQwerty Having grown up watching the classic Doctor Who, I would agree with you. When it came out, and I was asked if I was going to watch it, I declined and said I'd give it time. I had expectations of what would be done with the show (based on what had been done before with so many shows when they were 'updated') and, sadly, I was not disappointed. The Doctor became romantically involved with his companions, then the political/social justice messages started, then the companions started becoming more important than The Doctor, and the final straw was the Capaldi episode virtue signaling and making the First Doctor look like a racist old man. No thanks.
I saw the very first episode as a brand-new teenager, and was hooked! I have now learned a lot about the filming techniques and schedules, and found it fascinating; you have obviously put a lot of hard work into making this series, along with loving care and attention. Many thanks.
The Marco Polo storyline is why I’m pissed that fans called The recent series boring” Just for the sake of wanting to focus more on historical visits like Rosa parks or Nikola Tesla. If THESE stories were ever put out in modern day, they’d be scoffed off for the lack of science fictional elements to them.
Yes, if today you made stories with narrative standards from 60 years ago they would be boring, your point is? The issue isn't that Marco Polo is a boring stories from the 60's, the issue is writing a boring stories from the 60s nowadays (Rosa Parks for example) and pretend you didn't have 60 years of experience in story telling.
I agree! Mawdryn Undead always makes me feel a bit disappointed knowing that the Brig's role was meant for Ian. It would have been so great to have him back in the 20th anniversary year. Hope you enjoy the rest of the series!
Not in the way we would have liked, but we do see William Russell (who played Ian) as the security guard in the dramatization "An Adventure in Space and Time."
The fact that T.V. programmes like Dr. Who were essentially filmed live in a studio setting with single cameras gave them an authenticity, an air of excitement that is lacking today. Watch any early episode of Coronation Street, for instance, and you will you will see the same thing: it's as close as possible to watching real life.
The first Doctor will always hold a special place in my heart. As the man who started it all, Bill Hartnell has always been a favourite, most incumbent Doctors often take more inspiration from Troughton, and that leaves Mr Hartnell as a special case. The only comparable incarnation, I could say would be Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, but even he did things one could never imagine Hartnell doing and brought more energy despite being older than Hartnell was (poor guy was never healthy was he? Poor old Bill looks like he’s in seventies in his stories). An Adventure in Space and Time summed up Number 1 perfectly: Stern and scary... But with a twinkle.
Peter Capaldi's overrated. William Hartnell's gruffer, colder and more ruthless Doctor only worked in his early episodes because he was the very first. He truly was a special case but Capaldi, after all the character development the other Doctors went through, just went back to that in Season 8 and threw in aspects of the Valeyard, mostly his fondness for gaslighting and projection, for good measure. John Hurt was a better Doctor in one episode than Capaldi was in his entire first season and Hurt wasn't even a fan of Doctor Who. Maybe Capaldi being a lifelong fan was part of the problem. He grew up with Hartnell and deeply admired him but going back to that persona and making his incarnation almost sociopathic in Season 8 ignores all the development the Doctor went through over the centuries. However, fanboy nostalgia bias certainly wasn't an issue with David Tennant.
Damn, just noticed Hartnell was only 55 when he took the role, but looked easily mid-70's! My father's 73 and my mom's 71 and both look MUCH younger than Hartnell did! Must have been the genetic arteriosclerosis he suffered from. Accelerated aging due to insufficient circulation.
I think it was mostly becuase of the wig, if you look at photos of him from the same time without the wig on he looks how you'd expect for someone in their 50s, at least to me
William Hartnell. Doctor One. He was tetchy, impatient and set in his ways. But, after some great adventures, he mellows out and becomes a grand father figure to his companions and friends. My top five 1st Doctor stories. 1. THE DALEK INVASION OF EARTH. 2. THE AZTECS. 3. THE TENTH PLANET. 4. THE CHASE. 5. THE WEB PLANET.
I have never seen or read The Chase. I have seen The Web Planet and I just can't get into it whatsoever. I guess it was an awesome concept piece for contemporary audiences, but I just find that it drags on a lot with very little action until the end. On your list I would replace The Chase with The Time Meddler, and The Web Planet with The Gunfighters.
My bedroom telly was an old small black and white one when BBC2 started running repeats of the old Hartnell and Troughton episodes, so my first experience of those older stories was in many ways similar to how it'll have looked originally. Something I very much appreciate in hindsight.
I think everyone has that 1 video or series of videos they often find themselves going back to and revisiting. For me this series is the best series of videos on RU-vid. I now find myself revisiting this fantastic series for the last time of the decade. Despite me having watched some episodes maybe 6 7 times each rewatch is as magical as the first akin to the feelings I get when I do my yearly run of all doctor who.
my God. your description of the process of television production in this era is very evocative. it sounds like a tremendous amount of work, requiring such incredible skill and finesse from so many people working in tight coordination. it boggles the mind that anything got filmed at all, frankly.
Unfortunately most of the Tenth Planet part four has been lost, however we can experience it, stills with dialogue over them, a CGI animation and a hand drawn animation which looks infinitely better.
I was in front of the screen at the time but being at a boarding school deprived me of half the episodes. I love the radiophonic theme especially the ‘yearning’ centre section of the end credits - electrifying. A great video series, sir.
These audio recordings have also been used in tele-snapped reconstructions and even some amazing animated episodes. Seriously, the animation is really good.
Watched as a 7 yr old, and loved it. The whole family were hooked. Mind blowing. When younger viewers watch old episodes now they don’t grasp the wonder and awe of the originals, it was never slow to us as we waited a week for the half hour (?) and as Star Wars etc were just dreams, even movies, eg Flash Gordon were clunky then. Thank you for the memories.🌹
When I was 10 years old, after having watched all of New Who (which wasn't that much in those days), The majority of McCoy, Davison, Tom and Pertwee's eras, I remember marathoning the Hartnell years and falling in love with it. He was MY Doctor, even though I was born almost forty years after An Unearthly Child aired.
i choose to think of ian and barbara as the start of the doctors love of humanity and what made him become the hero we know him as. after all he's still technically a young timelord and just left gallifrey
This is still one of my favorite eras. One is probably my third favorite Doctor, and some of my favorite companions (Ian and Steven among others) came from it. It's got a warm feeling, and a sense of curiosity that drives one to keep watching through the slower stories. It's also a joy to watch One's character arc as he gets to know these silly humans and becomes closer to them. His grief over leaving Susan, and how paternal he is with Vicki (and to some extent, Dodo). He's still gruff but it feels like a mask to an otherwise downright soft man, by the end of it. Loved him as a Doctor, and loved your review of the era as well :)
Richard, I am astonished by the quality and depth of this documentary series. I cannot think of a better history of Doctor Who. What a joy they are to watch.
The 1st Doctor. Came to earth, cut off from his home planet. Then, with Susan and her teachers, went on a series of adventures that not only changed his fate, but the fate of all time and space. Strong willed, stubborn and steadfast. But also kind, cheerful and curious. The defender of history...knowing you cannot rewrite it, NOT ONE LINE! My Top 5: 1. THE DALEK INVASION OF EARTH 2. THE AZTECS 3. THE TENTH PLANET 4. THE WEB PLANET 5. THE DALEKS
I just started to watch Doctor Who last year. Started with Eccleston and fell in love with the show almost instantly. I've written retrospectives for every doctor since and watched a couple of classic episodes as well. So I am really looking forward to watch these videos. Really enjoying them so far!
Perfect start for such a wonderful series, Eccleston is such an underrated Doctor due to his painfully short run. I highly recommend the 4th Doctors era because it is by far the best of the classic era and my favorite Doctor of all time, never will forget catching Genesis of the Daleks one late night on PBS when I was 7 and being totally enthralled but not knowing who that big blue eyed guy with the large scarf was til years later.
This is the best retrospective series ever made. I am over 20 years older than you and am still a fan even though the Moffat era lost sight of the essence of 'adventures in time and space' that originally captured my awe in science fiction (fantasy) and encouraged me to write my own scifi. I hope that the originality of the adventures that made the series so ground-breaking returns with Chibnail's vision. Well done sir, you've worked your socks off on this series.
I much prefer The Aztecs over Marco Polo as a historical. Also prefer Barbara to Ian - found some of her questions of ethics (The Aztecs being a notable example) fascinating conversations.
I am in love with the 'city' theme from 'The Daleks'. A gorgeous piece of washed out almost ambient music. The entire Hartnell era was inventive and magical... except for "The Gunfighters"... Also, I recommend the Loose Cannon reconstructions. Not perfect, but good nonetheless. They use photos and telesnaps to piece the episode together, as well as fragments of film that have been found. All action not obvious from the audio is shown in captions on the telesnaps. Good work from the editors
Hi Michael, I agree with you! The 'City' theme is so evocative and ominous. It's weird when it shows up in other Hartnell stories. Hope you enjoy the rest of the series!
That sounds like the reconstructions I've seen and liked. There are also some animated ones from the Troughton era, but I prefer the method you described.
I've not seen "The Daleks" since 1963/1964 and was six at the time. I'm well aware that the Daleks were an allegory for the Nazis, but I had no idea that they were giving Nazi salutes in that story.
I went to a showing of the "Day of the Doctor" in NJ, and when they started the credits with the original theme, I was one of the few who recognized it instantly. Youngins', I tells ya! ;D
@@Icelandic_SandIf NJ means New Jersy, I know Americans are very loud and outspoken but that shouldn't be assumed of everyone. There could have been loads more who didn't feel the need to make noise.
Well from the late 60’s the BBC decided to make the historical stories what I call “alien centric” only the main Executive Producer and Head Writer can make the decision for the stories that are supposed to be historical make them actual historical stories
It's surreal to me to think about the early parts of the show. The Doctor has been through so much. He's had countless companions, seen hundreds of worlds and monsters, and even ran into himself a few times. He's been around for centuries and at one point watched the fall of his own people. He's lived many lives but he's still the same man. So it's odd to think about how this sort of begun as an accident. He ran away from his planet and wanted to live a normal life with his granddaughter, who he also teaches by traveling to different places so she experiences firsthand. Maybe he was angry or wanted to prove something but he whisked Barbara and Ian away on an adventure that they eventually grew fond of. This whole thing started with those two being curious about the Doctor and Susan and then all of their lives changed, especially the Doctor's. It makes me wonder how the Doctor is feeling when on adventures that have nothing to do with either Barbara or Ian. Sarah Jane Smith could be wandering the TARDIS or Clara could be jumping to random parts of his life. Does the Doctor ever think "I wonder what Ian would do in this situation?" I kinda wish we could see them again. Jacqueline Hill has long since passed and William Russel is probably too old to appear, but I really want the new show to bring back Carole Ann Ford, if nothing else for one more story with her grandfather (or grandmother?). I feel like Matt Smith had the perfect opportunity to do it because he was very grandfatherly in his portrayal. These three companions are just as essential to the show as the title character so I strongly feel the show should reflect that, if nothing else than one last time. This comment was way longer than I thought but I'm just super into it.
The same actor played in a TV series called "The Adventures of Sir Lancelot." (Which, to my chagrin, I realized is mentioned later in this same video) I have it, and have enjoyed it thoroughly. Plays the same stalwart, heroic type of character. The show was aired for one season in 1956 and he is instantly recognizable. I recommend it without hesitation. I, too, liked Ian as a companion and felt it was a shame he was never seen again.
As an American fan with neither the means nor money to see most of the Classic series, I really appreciate the retrospective! It gives me a chance to understand the development of the show and the Doctor without sitting through decades worth of television
You can find most of the episodes uploaded on dailymotion or vimeo or similar video upload sites. The qualitys not the best, but its there if you really want to.
As of Christmas, 2019, I have finally watched An Unearthly Child, The Tenth Planet, and on Boxing Day, the Genesis of the Daleks and The Five Doctors. It was pretty good.
Thank you! This is great! I haven't seen those early clips since I was a little girl in the '60s when I watched the originals on our black & White TV. I loved Doctor Who, and the Daleks (I bought a Breville stainless steel electric jug in 2006, that I adore - I realised one day that is shaped just like a Dalek! Childhood memories!
I recently became aware that many of the old episodes were available & started watching the first series. I wasn't sure I was going to bother with "Marco Polo" when I read that it existed only as an audio / photo stills reproduction, but I tried it anyway. That was a fantastic series - far exceeded what I had expected & what I had seen in the earlier stories. Whoever erased it made a very great mistake. The color images that are available suggest it would've been a very good color film if it had been recorded that way. Pretty historically accurate (at least for what was known at the time), beautiful sets, good story (lags a little ... maybe the complete video would've filled in). The characters develop quite a bit, and the Doctor seems to be changing from, frankly, a rather demented geriatric case in the early episodes to a more capable, wily but humane character. The viewpoint of the story, not focused on the Doctor or companions, is refreshing.
A masterful video with possibly the best introduction to any program I've ever watched. You, Sir, are a little hero. If you're ever in the East Mids beers on me, many many MANY beers.
You've missed your vocation me old mucker. I hope your students and faculty apprecite you! I'd have lost my mind with a teacher like you at school. Just so you know that there are thousands of us that appreciate the sterling work you produce. Utterly brillant. So, thank you!
While I get that many people disregard the slitheen as ridiculous and of the time (2005) I over time have seen them as a metaphor for the fat cats of corporations and business, as they say themselves that they are a family business and that they are at the Doctor’s service but completely ready to destroy Earth for a quick buck (easy cash) and to power spacecrafts is a metaphor for the CEO corporate executives
I’ve been binging this series backwards, and what a surreal experience it’s been. Hearing about people and events who you’ve spoken of before that I haven’t seen, and watching you allude to future producers and writers after I’ve already seen their parts play out has made this a very timey-wimey watchthrough. Highly recommend 💙
21:30 John Lennon was really excited to be asked to appear on the show, and he wanted the Beatles to appear made up as old men performing to make it look like they were watching the band in the future. That would have been awesome, but there was no time or money to carry that out, so a short clip of a contemporary Lennon had to do.
:( oh, that hurts me, it's so sweeet! also, there was a girl from the future who said she knew The Beatles due to the perplexity of the Doctor's companions who were contemporary in time of the present 65' Beatles. The girl knew about them, because she saw their Memorial Theatre back in Liverpool, in the future.
Clever Dick Films dong-da-dong dong-da-dong da da da dong dong-da-dong dong-da-dong da da da dong oooweeeeoooo, ooooo, ooweoooo. It's clear why the same basic them has remained for nearly 60 years. They do change it every time they get a new Doctor but it's always similar, they all have "oooweeeeoooo". Series 1-5 of the modern series literally the exact same theme as the classic series, except it was more orchestral.
I wonder if any parents, after the Daleks aired and the children were hiding under their bed sheets, just turned on the vacuum and pushed a plunger into their kids' rooms and shouted: "Exterminate!"
The Daleks Master Plan is his very best story in my opinion, the Daleks was ok and the first one but is only iconic for being their first story. The Dalek's Master Plan is a brilliant story, 3 episodes survive but the other 8 episodes are reconstructed. Skip the Feasts of Steven though as it is bad and irrelevant to the story. The story is so solid, many twists and shocks and part of it is set in Egypt in the Pyramids and the meddling monk makes an appearance. Also critics like timescales and IMDB say it is his best. You have got to watch it, there are reconstructions on a playlist on you tube you can watch and the 3 surviving episodes can be watched on Dailymotion. Though twice Upon is his best episode.
I don't agree Twice Upon a Time was the 1st Doctor's best episode because of 2 reasons: 1. They misinterpreted the 1st Doctor 2. It shouldn't be compared with Hartnell's stories, it's from Capaldi's era, he is the main Doctor. But I agree that Hartnell's best story was The Dalek Master Plan, it was a very well constructed story, even an arc you could say because it was spread in two stories. When I think of Season 3, I instantly think of The Daleks Master Plan.
How is it not a first doctor story??? 1.The first doctor is in it, even William Hartnell is in it at the beginning and end. 2. IMDB and critics on Timescales say that Twice Upon a Time is a first doctor story and the best televised first doctor story, as long as he is in it for more than 10 minutes and he is in it for the entire episode. The Dalek's Master Plan is no longer a televised piece because it is missing, it is now equivalent to an audio play and the Aztecs is capped at 75% by IMDB. 3.If we count doctor's story by the era that means Night of the Doctor is a 11th doctor story and not an 8th doctor story just because it was released in Matt Smiths era. And Day of the Doctor is not a 10th doctor story or War doctor story even though the whole story is based on him and it is his only TV appearance. 4.If we don't count multi doctor stories towards a previous doctor then how will they get the chance to improve. because Twice Upon a Time was the first doctor's best story it has improved his incarnation by improving his era of stories. If we use your stale rules there will be no upgrades to a doctor. 5.The first doctor being sexist is not a big deal, to be honest the classic series was sexist. Spearhead from space quote, "Get me some grub woman". Even the incarnation after, the second doctor was sexist, when saying goodbye to Ben and Polly, the second doctor said farewell to Ben at work and for Polly to just look after him suggesting women can't work. Showing that a bit of the first doctor's sexism was still in there but more mild after his regeneration.
Some of Hartnells era are great and some plod, but you are right he is the first and for that i thank him , plus hes fantastic in Brighton Rock. I think if im honest its like for me Troughton, Pertwee, Tom Baker, and bits of Peter Davidson and a lot of Sylvester McCoy who i always felt had a bad rap. Then Eccleston, im now really loving a lot of the Tennent era i think Family of Blood is a classic, and i loved the whole of the first season of Matt Smith, adored Peter Capaldi but didnt feel he was given the right stories, it was too inward looking and not enough action and adventure, it lost something of Who. But then thats the power of Dr Who its ever evolving and people will debate forever what one they love etc, im off the watch The Seeds of Doom which i love very much
Many thanks for posting. I particularly liked your point about viewing early Who in the context of the time that it was designed & filmed. The different aspects of events happening in the early 60s, mixed with the technology of this era have to be taken in consideration. The whole way that we are now able to view movies & TV has changed so radically. I’ve never been a great fan of the Hartnell stories, but after watching this episode I may have to try him again. Thank you.
My favorite from the first Doctor was when he got a toothache and went to see his dentist, Doc Holiday.... Comparing this series to what can be produced in the Sci-Fi projects world today would be a disservice to innovation and genius of this era... We have a simular cult series in America called 'Dark Shadows' that I am a huge fan of... They've tried a re-boot series and a movie of it... Both failed to capture the Gothic atmosphere, the inventiveness or fun of the original... Dr. Who though has faired better... But they need to fix the current dumpster fire it has become as of late...
My favourite stories for each Doctor: 1. The Dalek Invasion of Earth 2. The Invasion 3. Planet of the Spiders 4. City of Death 5. The Caves of Androzani 6. Vengeance on Varos 7. The Greatest Show in the Galaxy 8. Night of the Doctor 9. The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances 10. Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead 11. The Girl who Waited 12. Flatline
Ian and Barbara are still some of my favorite companions, and I always hoped they'd bring back Ian in the modern series while they still could (Sarah Jane Smith still a good choice though). I remember Peter Purves saying he'd hope they'd bring him back too in an episode where everything went bad for him and he became a villain. An Unearthly Child and the Aztecs are still on my list of best episodes ever. You can argue the stakes are low when the Tardis crew are just hanging around with cavemen but that's not the case- showing how to make fire on demand and convincing Za that having the whole tribe work together rather than the leader doing everything solo is a jump-start to the entirety of human civilization. Eileen Way saying 'where is the fire Za makes?' is also one of the most memorable bits of the show for me and I love her character. It's not too overstated but the themes of holding on to the past vs. progressing to the future isn't something you'd expect from a caveman episode, either. It surprises me that this episode got the show cancelled. As pointed out by the reviewer having Ian as the semi-hero of the first few episodes makes the original season more of an ensemble piece that wouldn't really be seen again until the later revival.
This is the series that brought me into the show. I want to thank you and blame you in equal measures. Thanks for the great summation, you daft crazy man.
I personally love the first story. It sets a great example for future stories, when it could easily have been tacky 'run away from dinosaurs' garbage, which would probably have a major influence on how the programme would develop
I don’t know if you’ll see this but I celebrated Dr. Who Day yesterday and today by listening to your excellent documentary episodes on the First and Ninth Doctors. Thanks again for providing us with endless hours of great listening pleasure on the various Doctors!
I kind of half hope some horrid people own all the remaining lost episodes, keeping them to themselves. Some jerk: Haha! They want Marco Polo, Tenth Planet part four and Web of Fear part 3! Well, it's mine! All mine!
I wonder how much the BBC would be willing to pay them to make copies. I'd track em' down, and offer twenty million just make a couple copies of the film reels.
I saw the first episode, at the age of 8, purely by accident. It made a big impression as there was nothing on TV remotely like it and it was the talk of the school playground. The Saturday following, the BBC repeated the first episode, following it immediately with the second. That too was a welcome surprise. The one thing I do not remember is the electronic signature music being played at the beginning of the first episode. I seem to remember having no idea that this programme was going to be sci-fi until towards the end of the episode (a suspicion, when the police box was heard humming and a conviction as soon as the interior of the TARDIS was revealed) and that futuristic music would surely have been a give-away. My memory is obviously playing strange tricks. Incidentally, in the early episodes, the Doctor never used the term 'TARDIS': he always referred to his craft as 'the ship'.
