Friday, July 13, 2012

William Hartnell

Dear Gary—

I can't start in on the Patrick Troughton years without first saying a final word about William Hartnell.

When I first started out on this journey, I ranked Hartnell as my second favorite Doctor, just behind Tom Baker. Truthfully, I was rather surprised at myself for giving him such a lofty position. It has only been in the last few years that I have come to appreciate William Hartnell as the Doctor. Previously I always thought of him as that old guy in black and white who started the whole thing, mildly amusing but mostly boring. As I have watched, analyzed, and written about all of these first serials throughout these past few months, though, I can now definitely say that William Hartnell remains solidly in second place.

I still have to rank Tom Baker as my Favorite Doctor out of purely sentimental reasons. Neither would I say that Hartnell is the most entertaining Doctor. Purely on entertainment value, and strictly off the top of my head with no thought put into it, I would say that David Tennant is the most entertaining Doctor. But if I were to objectively and honestly rank the Best Doctor, it would hands down be William Hartnell.

William Hartnell is the Doctor. He defined the role. He did not need the role to define him. He did not need the label of Time Lord or Last of the Time Lords. Time Lord was not even hinted at during all of his run. However, looking back with hindsight, I can believe that William Hartnell's Doctor was a Time Lord.

Future Doctor Who episodes will throw about the Time Lord title often and loudly. Some future Doctors will even regard the title as a badge of honor. Not so William Hartnell. Hartnell's Doctor is quietly heroic. To paraphrase his own words, he is a citizen of the universe, not a Doc and not a god.

From the moment he stepped into that foggy junk yard and into the TARDIS he was the Doctor. He didn't need impressive special effects; he didn't need a sonic screw driver; he didn't even always need an alien threat. He simply was the Doctor.
Barbara, Ian, and Susan were perfect companions to start out the show. Susan provided stability to the character of the Doctor, establishing a history and past without needing any elaborate explanations. Barbara and Ian gave the audience a voice, discovering this new and alien world of the TARDIS and this strange man they would come to know as the Doctor. Their initial skepticism and animosity quickly turned to trust, then respect, and eventually deepened from affection to a loving friendship. William Hartnell as the Doctor won their hearts just as he won mine.

If I had to pick a favorite story from the Hartnell years it would have to be The Romans, and my least favorite as you probably have guessed is The Gunfighters. But there are so many great stories in between. The Keys of Marinus, for example, is one that grabbed me from the start. Others had to grow on me with repeated viewings. I would say that the one that I came around on the most is The Aztecs, but An Unearthly Child and The Sensorites are close behind. If I had to pick one of the lost serials that I would most like to see in its original form, it would be Galaxy Four.

But they are all good, and it is William Hartnell that makes them so. I can even tolerate The Gunfighters for his sake. His most heartfelt moments are his parting from Susan and more especially his parting from Barbara and Ian. His most defining moment comes in The Rescue as he awaits the arrival of Bennett/Koquillion, and his most defining story is The War Machines.
“Always seek the truth; mine is amongst the stars.” “Our destiny is in the stars.” The stars, yes, but William Hartnell’s Doctor was just as effective battling nothing but human history. Some of the historicals could get rather long and tedious, but when done right they were some of the best. This is something that gets lost with future Doctors.

None of this is to take away from subsequent actors taking on the role. With new blood and as the show progressed, certain questions naturally had to be addressed. However, with William Hartnell one never required an answer to 'Doctor? Doctor who?' William Hartnell himself was the answer.


Certainly modern production values, special effects, and shorter story lines have given current Who serials more entertainment value. I have to admit to wishing for a good Tennant story in the midst of my Hartnell marathon. There is something to be said for the Doctor’s way of skipping through timelines, sampling a little Pertwee, perhaps some Eccleston, then on to a few Bakers; whatever strikes one’s fancy.
However, I will stick to my slow path for now.

I hope, Gary, that out there in the Doctor's time swirl William Hartnell's shimmering shard somehow somewhere and at some time has intersected with your own.

2 comments:

  1. I too am on the slow path and have sat down this evening to partake in 'The Ark.' Like yourself I first labelled Hartnell as the old guy in the black and white but am now feeling a growing and very genuine sense of dread and loss as the curtain begins to slowly descend on his era. Still, there is still a way to go yet hmmmm? Oh yes my dear boy. Oh yes!

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    1. There is indeed a long but very rewarding way to go. I hope you are enjoying your slow path as much as I am enjoying mine. And don't let all the reconstructions of the Troughton era discourage you; most of them are very well done.

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