The William Hartnell Era

I love the William Hartnell era, and watching it through in order has only made me appreciate it that much more. It is such a diverse and interesting period of Doctor Who. It has never been as flexible or experimental than in this era. But, importantly, there has been William Hartnell, who is terrific. His performance in the Celestial Toymaker is slightly off, and he fluffs like mad (in the wrong places, unlike usual) in the Daleks' Master Plan, but those two small blips aside, he is absolutely masterful as the Doctor. His character evolves and grows throughout his time, although I'd argue that he was never quite as villainous in his early stories as is believed.

Then we have the companions. Ian, Barbara and Vicki stand as three of my favourites (Vicki in particular is in my top five), but you also have superb companions in Steven, Dodo, and a bit of Ben and Polly. Katarina was good in her brief time, too. It's a shame about Susan, as she is one of the very few companions I have little time for, but nothing's perfect. That we still have William Russell, Peter Purves, Anneke Wills, Carole Ann Ford and sometimes Maureen O'Brien still playing these roles at Big Finish, nearly fifty years on, is wonderful.

The historicals represent everything that is good about Doctor Who. Strong and intelligent storytelling. They can be funny (the Romans, the Gunfighters), they can be serious (the Massacre, the Aztecs), they can be fun adventures (Marco Polo, the Crusade), but whatever they’re attempting, they always do it marvellously. Not only that, they are all a part of the rich variety of formats on offer that Doctor Who can use easily. Variety is the spice of life, after all. There is absolutely no reason why a Hartnell historical couldn’t work today. It’s not as if historical dramas all fail miserably. I do think that it is a shame that one of the best and most involving type of story is confined to one era of the show, even if that does help the Hartnell era stand out even more than it already does. Even without the added bonus of the historicals, the Hartnell era still would stand out as full of experimentation and lively and interesting storytelling. It was a superb time for Doctor Who, and in many ways the best time. There would never be another era quite like it, and as much as I adore the Troughton era, it was never as diverse as this.

Everybody involved in the era, from Verity Lambert, to Tristram Cary, to Douglas Camfield, to Dennis Spooner, to Raymond Cusick, to Daphne Dare, even to Richard Martin, should be thanked for the work they put in to make it happen. It was a fairly punishing schedule they had to keep to, on both sides of the screen people would refuse to work under such pressure these days. They all deserve thanks for such a strong era of television

The nature of the storytelling meant there would always be Celestial Toymaker sized gaps in the quality. If you’re trying new things, experimenting, then not everything will come off, so in that respect it is good they tried Toymaker, even if it isn’t watchable. It’s harder to explain Galaxy 4, but even if you can’t, two mistakes in three long seasons is hardly criminal. It’s rather positive, actually, that they’re the only two stories I’ve rated so low. The quality control was excellent in those days, as shown by the very healthy average score of 6.7/10 I've given the stories.

So, in conclusion, thank you William Hartnell. You've been fantastic, and it's been a wonderful ride. Seeing his era in order really does make a difference to picking and choosing, it really helps you appreciate the variety and strength of the era, and of Hartnell's performance. I've enjoyed it thoroughly, and I am eager to continue on to my favourite Doctor.

Average 6.7