3:39 William Hartnell is listed on the DVD ALONGSIDE Hurndall because archive footage of him from The Dalek Invasion of Earth appears opening the special. That's why he and Tom Baker(who also only appears in archive footage) are given a "with" credit alongside the actors who actually were on set
14:11 - This is why I love Power of the Doctor. FINALLY, we have Classic Who honored in a celebratory way and not played as a joke. It's a fanfest, but in particular, it's a Classic Who fanfest, the era the really needed a representation very badly and with Power it finally happened imo. And Chibnall also fixed Bradley, making him actually give Jodie a compliment, which was a referencing change and felt like character development for this version of the First Doctor.
@@DrHADLEY I feel Twice Upon a Time's humor may depend on the country, because I am from Belgium and we had a screening here and the smack bottom line was hilarious for everybody.
I honestly feel like Power of the Doctor was a much better celebration of the whole series than Day of the Doctor. The 50th was a decent celebration of the post 2005 era, but Power was a celebration of the entire history of the show from beginning to then. I think the only way they could have made it more representative of the whole show would be having either Smith or Tennant show up in the Edge scenes or having Martha show up in the companion support group.
@@Camo1177 True. Day of the Doctor, while good, threw in Tom Baker at the end to be like: "Look, Classic Who reference." And it was fun at the time, but nothing more than a cameo. Also, with you mentioned Matt and David making an Edge cameo, I think this is one of the occassions where Eccleston might have said yes as he is very good friends with Jodie and it was a completely different team from RTD and his crew. Yeah, RTD did the final scene, but that wasn't known yet when they filmed the Edge scene, so it could have worked.
I can totally see where you're coming from disliking Bradley's version of the First Doctor in Twice Upon a Time, but I think the writing had a lot to do with it too... Moffat literally didn't need to add the sexist remarks, because out of Hartnell's entire tenure (which I've only been able to watch what's available on Tubi) I think I can count the Doctor's sexist remarks on one hand? And you're right, the "smacked bottom" line was indeed said to his granddaughter, but throughout the course of that story the Doctor realizes that she's growing up and it's probably time for her to spread her wings. You literally watch the way he treats her change, for the better, throughout the story. When he catches her in an intimate moment with David he SMILES. That's not a person treating someone like a child, is it? The Doctor GROWS. And having him say these sexist things during his regeneration cuts him off at the kneecaps. I don't blame Bradley. He did a FANTASTIC job. I blame Moffat for his blatantly sexist writing style.
Moffat is guilty of that Marvel-style lampshading that was all the rage in the mid-2010s. Everyone pointing out the absurdity of their situation, which only breaks the immersion and comes off as annoying.
I thought he was brilliant as William Hartnell, and as Hartnell playing the Doctor. But when he started playing the First Doctor as a character in his own right, I didn’t think it was as good. Good, and probably the best we’ll now ever get. But not great. But I still like him as the First Doctor.
I stoped watching when you dosed twice apon a time sure there where a couple of dodgy jokes but other scenes where amazing inc the chat with bill pots about what it means to be the doctor and the doctor not getting it
Very minor 1st Doctor impression in the 50th anniversary finale ? John Guilor provided some voice-over work for the First Doctor, imitating Hartnell's voice.
The funniest thing with David Bradley is that quite a few of us thought that Solomon would turn out to be a fobwatched First Doctor, because of how much he looks like William Hartnell.
Hello! The DVD of The Five Doctors says 25th Anniversary because it, itself, was released to mark the 25th anniversary of The Five Doctors (so in the programme’s 45th year, 2008 - albeit in March)
Very rarely do I come across videos focusing mainly on some of the best aspects of their topics, this list was really a massive mood boost for me as I feel there are too many videos that just list everything bad about the topics they cover, and your take on twice upon a time and how you'd write it was outstanding! good job man!
Seems we have similar thoughts on Cepaldi's tenure! I almost left the show, but series 10 was absolutely amazing. And it's nice to see a Who fan who actually knows Hartnell's Doctor and what he's really like. He's tempramental, cheeky, sweet, loveable, I can go on. Love him.
@@DrHADLEYNo, it comes across as a respectful tribute to the First Dictor as he really was, rather than Moffatt thought would be funny and show off how "enlightened" he is ("Can I write some more stuff for you, BBC?")
Never realised that William Russel was the father of Alfred Enoch, best known as Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter movies. That makes another connection, as Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) is Patrick Troughton's grandson - and of course David Bradley was in the movies as Argus Filch. I think we all know the other two connections - David Tennant and Roger Lloyd-Pack... For Twice Upon A Time, I was a bit disappointed they didn't get Reece Shearsmith back from An Adventure In Space And Time for the First Doctor's regeneration scene, but I think they did a good enough job of blending the old footage into the new and back.
Noonan is my favourite. He best captures the charm and light side of Hartnell for me, and the way they make Dodo and the first Doctor so much better really makes it for me. The stories are really funny too.
I did really enjoy him in Deathworld - that's likely because I love the dynamic between him, Trelor and Troughton. As said he perfectly has Hartnells energy and it really felt like an extended edition of Three Doctors
@@DrHADLEY Re Deathworld, over on the Mr TARDIS channel, there’s a little quiz I put together spanning An Unearthly Child to The Three Doctors. As an extremely astute and knowledgeable aficionado of the Classic era, I reckon you’d acquit yourself brilliantly! 😁
The confusion at 2:00 into the video where you state that The Five Doctors is the 20th anniversary special and show the DVD case saying "25th anniversary edition" is not an error. The Five Doctors was released to celebrate the SHOW'S 20th anniversary (in 1983) The special edition DVD was released to celebrate THE FIVE DOCTOR'S 25th anniversary (in 2008). Iti is perhaps a slightly poor choice of wording on the DVD cover though. ^^
Fantastic breakdown of the first doctors! Although you mention that big finish has three first doctors going right now, but with noonan taking over the role, they have actually discontinued the early adventures and also are making Bradley’s adventures “unbound” to justify having multiple ranges… yeah still makes no sense to me either😂
The official DVD release did NOT incorrectly credit Richard Hurndall as William Hartnell. In the corresponding image you used in the video, you can clearly see both Hartnell AND Hurndall credited on the packaging, because Hartnell did also appear at the beginning, albeit by way of an old clip. It would have been very crass if they didn’t mention him. But I do really agree with you on that awful character assassination in Twice Upon A Time. This also suffered for the needless use of a Dalek (pretty typical of Moffat) because they apparently needed access to one as a repository of knowledge in the universe (What was wrong with the TARDIS memory banks or The Matrix on Gallifrey). This story is also a good example of Moffat’s apparent inability to kill a companion properly. Bill, Clara even, in a different sort of way, River Song. At least Adric had the decency to stay dead!
If I was JNT, I would've given Tom anything he wanted if it got him to be in The Five Doctors. His old outfit, any companion of his choosing, permission for script editing, fucking executive producer credit, whatever. Anything to get all Five Doctors to share the screen.
Sean Pertwee has stated that he will never play the Third Doctor because he feels he'd be getting it out of likeness and not acting talent and he doesn't want to be rewarded for nepotism. Which is fair.
80s viewers would have known Hartnell from at least The Five Faces of Doctor Who, a 1981 season of repeats which represented him with a rebroadcast of his first serial.
I was a massive Tom Baker fan (DOB '72) but I clearlly remeber waching old B/W DW on BBC 2, with No's 1/2 and loving them, I do remeber prefering Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee morfing into Wersal Gummage, haha. For me Tom will always be the best.
This was an excellent retrospective on all the alternative First Doctors we've gotten over the years (minus the Unbound ones I guess)! But I'd like to say that I disagree about David Bradley. You're understandably turned off by his portrayal due to those questionable moments, which I'm not a fan of either. But those were really only a couple of lines in what's otherwise a stellar performance in my opinion. When I think of Bradley's Doctor, what pops into my mind are his scene with Bill where they discuss his reasons for leaving Gallifrey, his touching scene with 12 at the end of the episode, the way both their characters serve as different explorations of self-destructive behavior in that episode, his Big Finish stories that I've always loved and even the browser history joke that never fails to get a chuckle out of me. Bradley for life 🤘🏼
Hartnell was a very complex man. Casually using racist phrases, but a great admirer of Paul Robeson for his talent and civil rights work. He had a chip on his shoulder about the poverty and social dusgrace his childhood that translated into snobbery and a desperate need to be seen as a respectable professional. Yet he loved being a children's hero at a time when children's TV was not taken seriously. And he cared about the show and the people involved in it.
I wouldn't call him a racist. My own parents said disrespectful things about black and brown people, but if someone needed help, I'm certain they would rush to give it. It's just that very few people were non white in those days, and it's easy to be disrespectful to people you don't know.
@neilgodwin6531 Well said. I have amended my comment. It reminds me of something a colleague told me many years ago. Her grandmother had been using "blacking" to clean the kitchen range and when she was calked on unexpectedly by the new West Indian GP said "Oh, please excuse me, Doctor, I'm as bkack as a 'N'" When challenged by her daughter, the old lady was shocked as she had never actually thought about what the word meant. To her it meant an uncivilised jungle dweller, not "A proper gentleman like the Doctor". Clarification: she actually thought that there were jet-black skinned people living in jungles somewhere. She was unaware of its use as a racial slur. As the Doctor was brown-skinned she did not think the term applied to him anyway.
i reckon robo-hartnell from The Chase (Ep.5 - The Death of Doctor Who, which is one of the greatest episode names ever) counts as a first Doctor. They use Hartnell for close ups, so they are meant to be identical.
I heard wind ages ago that David Bradley would also do some stuff for the Unbound range, sitting comfortably next to Geoffrey Bayldon, who I think did an excellent portrayal of The First Doctor in his two stories, albeit a slightly different one.
I'd have to go with Peter Cushing's film adaptations of Doctor Who since he was portraying Hartnell's incarnation, but apparently it wasn't good enough to even be commented on here...
@lionboi2 I felt Cushings portrayal was kind of its own thing. The other recasts were done through necessity and had focused on replicating Hartnells performance - Cushing's casting was done for its star power and didn't attempt to follow Hartnells lead beyond the character being an old man with a tardis
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund
The first memories I have, not just of who, but of my life, is watching The Five Doctors. As such, Hurndall is the 1st Doctor for me. The mannerisms, the voice, the look. When I finally did see actual Hartnell stories it was a bit jarring but I grew to love him. To the audio ones, I am not a big fan of Bradley and his cast. It's a bit too far removed from the originals having listened to years of companion chronicle adventures. He was superb in AIT&S and I enjoyed and I enjoyed him in Power of the Doctor. Purves and Russel each gave very good likenesses of the 1st. Of the two, I think Purves does the better impression with the right HMM sounds and cadence of the voice. Noonan I haven't had enough listens to have an impression of him yet, and while it's not really Hartnell there is still something strong in the performances I have heard. With regards to recasting, I feel it is an inevitability as we've lost many beloved members of the cast in the last decade. Some have been recast with their family members and been wonderful, some with excellent impressionists (Culshaw and Trelor especially). I am open to the idea going forwards.
It's genuinely my favorite episode of New Who (though 73 Yards might've taken that spot now, still unsure). It's also the only episode I ever watched in theaters which was an experience I'll never forget!
Hurndall made the right choice with his performance. He didn't try to do an "impression/imitation" of Hartnell which, most likely, would have been bad or, at best, a cheap copy. Nor did he trip off in his own direction creating HIS own rendition his own way thereby alienating fans. He carefully chose to evoke the old boy and create depth and colors of his own. Basically, he went to live in Hartnell's house and decorated his way.
Hurndall was AWESOME - he didn't really sound like Hartnell but totally embodied the spirit of the character creating almost a new but compelling version of the character. Bradley was brilliant as Hartnell in Adventure in Space and Time, but I *really* don't think he should have been cast as the 1st Doctor. He's a great actor but had exactly the same start-stop speech patterns he used in Game of Thrones- didn't enjoy his performance but I do agree that in large part Moffat's abuse of the character made it borderline unwatchable. I LOVE Russel and Purves's rendering of the character on audio- I can totally suspend my disbelief and it feels just like listening to the 1st Doctor. Ditto with Hines as the 2nd Doctor- it's eerie how good it is. I found Treloar unlistenable as the 3rd though. The vocal tone was perfect but the actual performance sounded like a stilted impression. Didn't even get close. Similarly the 1st Dr's TARDIS crew being transplanted from AiSaT was a cynical marketing move- they're terrible. Great as the actors in AiSaT but were not cast and should not be cast as the original characters. [Thank you for the opportunity to rant!] - and awesome find re the Blue Peter clip!!
Hurndall was a friend of Hartnell, so knew him and his acting style well. I had seen Hartnell only on the Three Doctors, so it wasn't until much later that I realised how good Hurndall's performance had been.
Honestly, there are a few less than great lines that Moffat made Bradley say but overall he's got a really sweet sense in that episode. The First Doctor (Not Hartnell) always did contain some of the outdated sensibilities of the 60s such as scalding Dodo for not speaking in received pronunciation in the Ark. I feel like the episode calls back to these moments maybe slightly too much but there's still a lot of stuff there for First Doctor fans, wouldn't call it complete character assassination and the end of the show based off a few lines.
William Hartnell 1963-66 the very first Doctor , Peter Cushing the big screen Doctor Who And Richard Tundrell were the three best first Doctors in my oppinion.
I’m seventy and watched An Unearthly Child as a nine-year-old back in 1963. This is just my personal opinion but I detested Richard Hurndall as the First Doctor; I guess my memory of William Hartnell meant I couldn’t accept Hurndall as the Doctor. Whereas like you I was absolutely sold on David Bradley's interpretation of both Hartnell and the First Doctor in An Adventure in Space and Time, such that I forgave him the appearance in Twice Upon a Time, The Doctor Falls and The Power of the Doctor. So I’d give Bradley four out of five, Hurndall minus five out of five and although I’ve not bought any of the Big Finish audio books, like you I don’t think Stephen Noonan sounds like Hartnell and would give him two out of five. If we were to get a spinoff television series of the First Doctor adventures, for me it would have to be Bradley.
To be fair, The First Doctor seems to be written similarly in the Five Doctors as he is in Twice Upon A Time, but I admit it is definitely far more egregious in the latter. Either way, even if there is precedent, it’s totally unnecessary and unjustified. It’s an inaccuracy that should’ve been corrected.
Who’s on first 😂 the second doctor and third doctor would be arguing who’s the first doctor like how they bickered in the 3 doctors when Joe asks who was the first doctor.
Fraser and Pat were very good friends off screen, and improvised a fair bit on screen - there was a scene where they each try to take (Zoe's?) hand and walk outside holding each other's hand. Apparently that was never in the script. I happened to see an episode of "Doctors" not long back. Fraser was the guest star - playing a man named Troughton. He visits a grave with the name on a headstone. I welled up. (Not a Doctors viewer, just caught it by chance)
Bill Hartnell was very unwell by the time of the Three Doctors, and Heather didn't want him to accept the part, but he was determined. His memory by this time was so poor, he needed to read his lines from cue cards, and travelling to film in the studio was too much, so they made special arrangements, which is why he is "trapped" and doesn't appear with Troughton and Pertwee. I absolutely loved "An Adventure in Space and Time". I watched the first episode in 1963, as a 7 year old, expecting the usual silly, don't-scare-the-children candy floss. By the end of the opening credits, with that weird visual and Delia Derbyshire's arrangement of Ron Grainer's theme, I was already behind the sofa. I can't describe how completely new the music and effects were to a generation for whom TV itself was relatively new. I literally cried when Matt Smith appeared in the Tardis, silently acknowledging that he was just the latest in a line established by Bill. Beautiful moment
Interesting! I watched Doctor Who in order(other than three random new who episodes) from An Unearthly Child forward- and Richard Hurndall just did NOT do it for me. David Bradley (story writing and direction aside) totally does. Otherwise I agree with most everything you say! :p
So happy to see someone else who dislikes 'Twice Upon A Time' for the same reason. It was just so mean towards One and Hartnell and, regardless of the attitudes of people in the 60s, is not reflective of the values of the Doctor as portrayed in the present (even if there are problematic attitudes in 60s Who, it's OK to retcon that stuff away.) The other thing I dislike about that episode is how self-serving it is when the two Doctors are parting ways at the end and you almost feel like Moffat is writing the First Doctor to congratulate him for being a good showrunner... but maybe I'm misremembering (I just remember feeling like it was self-indulgent at the time.) Really, the only thing worth watching it for is the farewell and regeneration.
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund
‘The variety of sentient life forms is infinite.’ (Linx)
Another very interesting perspective!
Lots of love,
This Noonan Guy.
😁
Hi Stephen i love your Big Finish sets 😁
@@adamtimelordfishwick4003
Ah. Thanks Adam!
👍😁
3:39 William Hartnell is listed on the DVD ALONGSIDE Hurndall because archive footage of him from The Dalek Invasion of Earth appears opening the special. That's why he and Tom Baker(who also only appears in archive footage) are given a "with" credit alongside the actors who actually were on set
14:11 - This is why I love Power of the Doctor. FINALLY, we have Classic Who honored in a celebratory way and not played as a joke. It's a fanfest, but in particular, it's a Classic Who fanfest, the era the really needed a representation very badly and with Power it finally happened imo.
And Chibnall also fixed Bradley, making him actually give Jodie a compliment, which was a referencing change and felt like character development for this version of the First Doctor.
@@timrob12 He was SO good in Power of the Doctor it nearly makes me forget about Twice Upon a Time.. nearly...
@@DrHADLEY I feel Twice Upon a Time's humor may depend on the country, because I am from Belgium and we had a screening here and the smack bottom line was hilarious for everybody.
I honestly feel like Power of the Doctor was a much better celebration of the whole series than Day of the Doctor. The 50th was a decent celebration of the post 2005 era, but Power was a celebration of the entire history of the show from beginning to then. I think the only way they could have made it more representative of the whole show would be having either Smith or Tennant show up in the Edge scenes or having Martha show up in the companion support group.
@@Camo1177 True. Day of the Doctor, while good, threw in Tom Baker at the end to be like: "Look, Classic Who reference." And it was fun at the time, but nothing more than a cameo.
Also, with you mentioned Matt and David making an Edge cameo, I think this is one of the occassions where Eccleston might have said yes as he is very good friends with Jodie and it was a completely different team from RTD and his crew. Yeah, RTD did the final scene, but that wasn't known yet when they filmed the Edge scene, so it could have worked.
15:35 "sorry for the rant, I do it because I care" DONT BE SORRY, PREEEEAAACH
I can totally see where you're coming from disliking Bradley's version of the First Doctor in Twice Upon a Time, but I think the writing had a lot to do with it too... Moffat literally didn't need to add the sexist remarks, because out of Hartnell's entire tenure (which I've only been able to watch what's available on Tubi) I think I can count the Doctor's sexist remarks on one hand?
And you're right, the "smacked bottom" line was indeed said to his granddaughter, but throughout the course of that story the Doctor realizes that she's growing up and it's probably time for her to spread her wings. You literally watch the way he treats her change, for the better, throughout the story. When he catches her in an intimate moment with David he SMILES. That's not a person treating someone like a child, is it?
The Doctor GROWS. And having him say these sexist things during his regeneration cuts him off at the kneecaps. I don't blame Bradley. He did a FANTASTIC job. I blame Moffat for his blatantly sexist writing style.
Moffat is guilty of that Marvel-style lampshading that was all the rage in the mid-2010s. Everyone pointing out the absurdity of their situation, which only breaks the immersion and comes off as annoying.
David Bradley nailed it. I loved his version.
I really liked his stuff from Big Finish more than on the TV series
Great vid
I thought he was brilliant as William Hartnell, and as Hartnell playing the Doctor. But when he started playing the First Doctor as a character in his own right, I didn’t think it was as good. Good, and probably the best we’ll now ever get. But not great. But I still like him as the First Doctor.
I stoped watching when you dosed twice apon a time sure there where a couple of dodgy jokes but other scenes where amazing inc the chat with bill pots about what it means to be the doctor and the doctor not getting it
He would just do an expression and it would be perfectly Hartnell.
Very minor 1st Doctor impression in the 50th anniversary finale ?
John Guilor provided some voice-over work for the First Doctor, imitating Hartnell's voice.
And totally nailed it! My jaw hit the floor.
The Five Doctor was 20th anniversary special of Doctor Who. It was re-released on DVD in 2008 which was the 25th anniversary of the special.
The funniest thing with David Bradley is that quite a few of us thought that Solomon would turn out to be a fobwatched First Doctor, because of how much he looks like William Hartnell.
Hello! The DVD of The Five Doctors says 25th Anniversary because it, itself, was released to mark the 25th anniversary of The Five Doctors (so in the programme’s 45th year, 2008 - albeit in March)
Very rarely do I come across videos focusing mainly on some of the best aspects of their topics, this list was really a massive mood boost for me as I feel there are too many videos that just list everything bad about the topics they cover, and your take on twice upon a time and how you'd write it was outstanding! good job man!
Seems we have similar thoughts on Cepaldi's tenure! I almost left the show, but series 10 was absolutely amazing. And it's nice to see a Who fan who actually knows Hartnell's Doctor and what he's really like. He's tempramental, cheeky, sweet, loveable, I can go on. Love him.
I was worried that rant would come across as some kind of bigotted anti-sjw stance, I'm glad others know exactly what I'm talking about!
@@DrHADLEYNo, it comes across as a respectful tribute to the First Dictor as he really was, rather than Moffatt thought would be funny and show off how "enlightened" he is ("Can I write some more stuff for you, BBC?")
Someone pointed out that Richard Hurndall looks like Putin. Now I can't unsee it 😂
Never realised that William Russel was the father of Alfred Enoch, best known as Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter movies. That makes another connection, as Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) is Patrick Troughton's grandson - and of course David Bradley was in the movies as Argus Filch. I think we all know the other two connections - David Tennant and Roger Lloyd-Pack...
For Twice Upon A Time, I was a bit disappointed they didn't get Reece Shearsmith back from An Adventure In Space And Time for the First Doctor's regeneration scene, but I think they did a good enough job of blending the old footage into the new and back.
I think Stephen Noonon is more like hes trying to make the chracter his own and thats what i like about him
Noonan is my favourite. He best captures the charm and light side of Hartnell for me, and the way they make Dodo and the first Doctor so much better really makes it for me. The stories are really funny too.
I did really enjoy him in Deathworld - that's likely because I love the dynamic between him, Trelor and Troughton. As said he perfectly has Hartnells energy and it really felt like an extended edition of Three Doctors
Really delighted you enjoy them!
As this vid demonstrates once again, it’s fascinatingly and hilariously subjective!
👌😁
@stephennoonan8417 Well, to me, you capture everything I love about the first Doctor! Love your stories and performances, thank you!
@@jadeskywalker06
Ah, thanks mate.
I really appreciate that.
Big time!
😁👌
@@DrHADLEY
Re Deathworld, over on the Mr TARDIS channel, there’s a little quiz I put together spanning An Unearthly Child to The Three Doctors. As an extremely astute and knowledgeable aficionado of the Classic era, I reckon you’d acquit yourself brilliantly! 😁
13:37
Dr. Hadley: casual fans of the show just aren’t gonna go back
Me: goes back and watches every classic episode when I heard of the show
Doesn’t sound casual by very definition.
The confusion at 2:00 into the video where you state that The Five Doctors is the 20th anniversary special and show the DVD case saying "25th anniversary edition" is not an error.
The Five Doctors was released to celebrate the SHOW'S 20th anniversary (in 1983)
The special edition DVD was released to celebrate THE FIVE DOCTOR'S 25th anniversary (in 2008).
Iti is perhaps a slightly poor choice of wording on the DVD cover though. ^^
Dawg i used to follow u on instagram! Glad to see you're well and keeping up w content
Fantastic breakdown of the first doctors!
Although you mention that big finish has three first doctors going right now, but with noonan taking over the role, they have actually discontinued the early adventures and also are making Bradley’s adventures “unbound” to justify having multiple ranges… yeah still makes no sense to me either😂
Big Finish is never beating the dartboard allegations 😂
The official DVD release did NOT incorrectly credit Richard Hurndall as William Hartnell. In the corresponding image you used in the video, you can clearly see both Hartnell AND Hurndall credited on the packaging, because Hartnell did also appear at the beginning, albeit by way of an old clip. It would have been very crass if they didn’t mention him.
But I do really agree with you on that awful character assassination in Twice Upon A Time. This also suffered for the needless use of a Dalek (pretty typical of Moffat) because they apparently needed access to one as a repository of knowledge in the universe (What was wrong with the TARDIS memory banks or The Matrix on Gallifrey). This story is also a good example of Moffat’s apparent inability to kill a companion properly. Bill, Clara even, in a different sort of way, River Song. At least Adric had the decency to stay dead!
i hope you and dwfan91 can talk doctor who to each other one day becuase you guys seem to have very similar likes and opinions on the show :)
I would love to! Huge respect for them on this channel
My issue with Richard Hurndall (and maybe this is my age) but as soon as I see him as the First Doctor I immediately see Spike Milligan
Now you’ve said it….
@@jimwright4163 sorry .....lol
Thank you. Well thought out and presented. I was disappointed with the 1st Doctor with Capaldi too.
A reason Tom Baker didn't come back for The Doctors was that he didn't like John Nathan Turner the producer at the time.
If I was JNT, I would've given Tom anything he wanted if it got him to be in The Five Doctors. His old outfit, any companion of his choosing, permission for script editing, fucking executive producer credit, whatever. Anything to get all Five Doctors to share the screen.
Sean Pertwee has stated that he will never play the Third Doctor because he feels he'd be getting it out of likeness and not acting talent and he doesn't want to be rewarded for nepotism. Which is fair.
80s viewers would have known Hartnell from at least The Five Faces of Doctor Who, a 1981 season of repeats which represented him with a rebroadcast of his first serial.
I was a massive Tom Baker fan (DOB '72) but I clearlly remeber waching old B/W DW on BBC 2, with No's 1/2 and loving them, I do remeber prefering Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee morfing into Wersal Gummage, haha. For me Tom will always be the best.
Who's my favorite first doctor outside of Hartnell? Honestly, erm? Peter Cushing!
This was an excellent retrospective on all the alternative First Doctors we've gotten over the years (minus the Unbound ones I guess)!
But I'd like to say that I disagree about David Bradley. You're understandably turned off by his portrayal due to those questionable moments, which I'm not a fan of either. But those were really only a couple of lines in what's otherwise a stellar performance in my opinion. When I think of Bradley's Doctor, what pops into my mind are his scene with Bill where they discuss his reasons for leaving Gallifrey, his touching scene with 12 at the end of the episode, the way both their characters serve as different explorations of self-destructive behavior in that episode, his Big Finish stories that I've always loved and even the browser history joke that never fails to get a chuckle out of me. Bradley for life 🤘🏼
For real
Hartnell was a very complex man. Casually using racist phrases, but a great admirer of Paul Robeson for his talent and civil rights work. He had a chip on his shoulder about the poverty and social dusgrace his childhood that translated into snobbery and a desperate need to be seen as a respectable professional. Yet he loved being a children's hero at a time when children's TV was not taken seriously.
And he cared about the show and the people involved in it.
I wouldn't call him a racist. My own parents said disrespectful things about black and brown people, but if someone needed help, I'm certain they would rush to give it.
It's just that very few people were non white in those days, and it's easy to be disrespectful to people you don't know.
@neilgodwin6531 Well said. I have amended my comment.
It reminds me of something a colleague told me many years ago. Her grandmother had been using "blacking" to clean the kitchen range and when she was calked on unexpectedly by the new West Indian GP said "Oh, please excuse me, Doctor, I'm as bkack as a 'N'"
When challenged by her daughter, the old lady was shocked as she had never actually thought about what the word meant. To her it meant an uncivilised jungle dweller, not "A proper gentleman like the Doctor".
Clarification: she actually thought that there were jet-black skinned people living in jungles somewhere. She was unaware of its use as a racial slur. As the Doctor was brown-skinned she did not think the term applied to him anyway.
@@neilgodwin6531I guess we could call him casually bigoted. Not hatefully bigoted.
i reckon robo-hartnell from The Chase (Ep.5 - The Death of Doctor Who, which is one of the greatest episode names ever) counts as a first Doctor. They use Hartnell for close ups, so they are meant to be identical.
That title is up there with "Doctor Who and the Aliens" (one of Tom Baker's prime ads.)
Maureen O'Brien even does a good Capaldi impression in The Ice Kings.
William Hartnell would spin in his grave if he could see doctor who now and how being treated
I heard wind ages ago that David Bradley would also do some stuff for the Unbound range, sitting comfortably next to Geoffrey Bayldon, who I think did an excellent portrayal of The First Doctor in his two stories, albeit a slightly different one.
I'm new here. I really like this video.
I'd have to go with Peter Cushing's film adaptations of Doctor Who since he was portraying Hartnell's incarnation, but apparently it wasn't good enough to even be commented on here...
@lionboi2 I felt Cushings portrayal was kind of its own thing. The other recasts were done through necessity and had focused on replicating Hartnells performance - Cushing's casting was done for its star power and didn't attempt to follow Hartnells lead beyond the character being an old man with a tardis
Agreed! I was coming here because of Cushing's portrayal, yet not a single thing said about it. :P Very disappointing.
You had me laughing at “hello sweeties.”
You know, I think Tim Treloar sounds more like the War Doctor to me than the third doctor.
William Russell died earlier this year, just to point that out. He isnt still going strong anymore bless him.
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund
The first memories I have, not just of who, but of my life, is watching The Five Doctors. As such, Hurndall is the 1st Doctor for me. The mannerisms, the voice, the look. When I finally did see actual Hartnell stories it was a bit jarring but I grew to love him. To the audio ones, I am not a big fan of Bradley and his cast. It's a bit too far removed from the originals having listened to years of companion chronicle adventures. He was superb in AIT&S and I enjoyed and I enjoyed him in Power of the Doctor. Purves and Russel each gave very good likenesses of the 1st. Of the two, I think Purves does the better impression with the right HMM sounds and cadence of the voice. Noonan I haven't had enough listens to have an impression of him yet, and while it's not really Hartnell there is still something strong in the performances I have heard.
With regards to recasting, I feel it is an inevitability as we've lost many beloved members of the cast in the last decade. Some have been recast with their family members and been wonderful, some with excellent impressionists (Culshaw and Trelor especially). I am open to the idea going forwards.
06:15 It's 'Jago and Litefoot' not 'Jango and Litefoot'.
oh people are still crying about twice upon a time XD
I'LL NEVER STOP
It's genuinely my favorite episode of New Who (though 73 Yards might've taken that spot now, still unsure).
It's also the only episode I ever watched in theaters which was an experience I'll never forget!
Hurndall made the right choice with his performance. He didn't try to do an "impression/imitation" of Hartnell which, most likely, would have been bad or, at best, a cheap copy. Nor did he trip off in his own direction creating HIS own rendition his own way thereby alienating fans. He carefully chose to evoke the old boy and create depth and colors of his own. Basically, he went to live in Hartnell's house and decorated his way.
An Adventure in Space and Time, yes! I really wish I could find/buy the soundtrack to that film! Anyone know where or how to do that?
Sadly, William Russell died in June
Hurndall was AWESOME - he didn't really sound like Hartnell but totally embodied the spirit of the character creating almost a new but compelling version of the character. Bradley was brilliant as Hartnell in Adventure in Space and Time, but I *really* don't think he should have been cast as the 1st Doctor. He's a great actor but had exactly the same start-stop speech patterns he used in Game of Thrones- didn't enjoy his performance but I do agree that in large part Moffat's abuse of the character made it borderline unwatchable. I LOVE Russel and Purves's rendering of the character on audio- I can totally suspend my disbelief and it feels just like listening to the 1st Doctor. Ditto with Hines as the 2nd Doctor- it's eerie how good it is. I found Treloar unlistenable as the 3rd though. The vocal tone was perfect but the actual performance sounded like a stilted impression. Didn't even get close. Similarly the 1st Dr's TARDIS crew being transplanted from AiSaT was a cynical marketing move- they're terrible. Great as the actors in AiSaT but were not cast and should not be cast as the original characters. [Thank you for the opportunity to rant!] - and awesome find re the Blue Peter clip!!
@jnielson1121 Sounds we share much of the same love ! Though Claudia Grant as Susan Foreman I will defend to the death lol
Hurndall was a friend of Hartnell, so knew him and his acting style well. I had seen Hartnell only on the Three Doctors, so it wasn't until much later that I realised how good Hurndall's performance had been.
Honestly, there are a few less than great lines that Moffat made Bradley say but overall he's got a really sweet sense in that episode. The First Doctor (Not Hartnell) always did contain some of the outdated sensibilities of the 60s such as scalding Dodo for not speaking in received pronunciation in the Ark. I feel like the episode calls back to these moments maybe slightly too much but there's still a lot of stuff there for First Doctor fans, wouldn't call it complete character assassination and the end of the show based off a few lines.
Richard Hurndall was great, and Stephen Noonan from Big Finish is, too!
Jesus.....I'm older than the First Doctor.....
William Hartnell 1963-66 the very first Doctor , Peter Cushing the big screen Doctor Who
And Richard Tundrell were the three best first Doctors in my oppinion.
Sadly, William Russell died on June 3rd.
What about Peter Cushing from the 1960’s film Dr Who.
Best First Doctor? Brian Proudfoot, of course
Without question.
But don’t let Edmund Warwick hear you say that. I slipped it into the conversation once and the twat glassed me!
Not much to argue against here. This chap has quite an excellent grasp of the problems and issues. Good job.
Great video. Will you do one on Patrick Troughton second doctor voice
I’m seventy and watched An Unearthly Child as a nine-year-old back in 1963. This is just my personal opinion but I detested Richard Hurndall as the First Doctor; I guess my memory of William Hartnell meant I couldn’t accept Hurndall as the Doctor. Whereas like you I was absolutely sold on David Bradley's interpretation of both Hartnell and the First Doctor in An Adventure in Space and Time, such that I forgave him the appearance in Twice Upon a Time, The Doctor Falls and The Power of the Doctor. So I’d give Bradley four out of five, Hurndall minus five out of five and although I’ve not bought any of the Big Finish audio books, like you I don’t think Stephen Noonan sounds like Hartnell and would give him two out of five. If we were to get a spinoff television series of the First Doctor adventures, for me it would have to be Bradley.
To be fair, The First Doctor seems to be written similarly in the Five Doctors as he is in Twice Upon A Time, but I admit it is definitely far more egregious in the latter. Either way, even if there is precedent, it’s totally unnecessary and unjustified. It’s an inaccuracy that should’ve been corrected.
Who’s on first 😂 the second doctor and third doctor would be arguing who’s the first doctor like how they bickered in the 3 doctors when Joe asks who was the first doctor.
What is the clip at 13:11 from?
The Curse of Fatal Death.
Fraser and Pat were very good friends off screen, and improvised a fair bit on screen - there was a scene where they each try to take (Zoe's?) hand and walk outside holding each other's hand. Apparently that was never in the script.
I happened to see an episode of "Doctors" not long back. Fraser was the guest star - playing a man named Troughton. He visits a grave with the name on a headstone. I welled up. (Not a Doctors viewer, just caught it by chance)
Hurndell by far
Bill Hartnell was very unwell by the time of the Three Doctors, and Heather didn't want him to accept the part, but he was determined. His memory by this time was so poor, he needed to read his lines from cue cards, and travelling to film in the studio was too much, so they made special arrangements, which is why he is "trapped" and doesn't appear with Troughton and Pertwee.
I absolutely loved "An Adventure in Space and Time". I watched the first episode in 1963, as a 7 year old, expecting the usual silly, don't-scare-the-children candy floss. By the end of the opening credits, with that weird visual and Delia Derbyshire's arrangement of Ron Grainer's theme, I was already behind the sofa. I can't describe how completely new the music and effects were to a generation for whom TV itself was relatively new.
I literally cried when Matt Smith appeared in the Tardis, silently acknowledging that he was just the latest in a line established by Bill. Beautiful moment
Interesting! I watched Doctor Who in order(other than three random new who episodes) from An Unearthly Child forward- and Richard Hurndall just did NOT do it for me. David Bradley (story writing and direction aside) totally does. Otherwise I agree with most everything you say! :p
With you on Noonan. He Just sounds like Mr Burns from The Simpsons to me.
So happy to see someone else who dislikes 'Twice Upon A Time' for the same reason. It was just so mean towards One and Hartnell and, regardless of the attitudes of people in the 60s, is not reflective of the values of the Doctor as portrayed in the present (even if there are problematic attitudes in 60s Who, it's OK to retcon that stuff away.) The other thing I dislike about that episode is how self-serving it is when the two Doctors are parting ways at the end and you almost feel like Moffat is writing the First Doctor to congratulate him for being a good showrunner... but maybe I'm misremembering (I just remember feeling like it was self-indulgent at the time.) Really, the only thing worth watching it for is the farewell and regeneration.
Plus why no Peter Cushing love
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund
u nailed it about the corporation’s depiction of the 1st Dr-this exposed the malice+hat red thatisnow at the heartof thisorganisation whichwe r forcedtofund