Doctor Who - The grand viewing (Part One)

After the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who which took place in November last year, I decided to watch every story, at my own pace, in order, right from the very beginning. This is something of which I had never undertaken before despite having been a fan of the show all my life. Watching them in order I’m finding, makes a huge difference, especially with these early stories as they are often linked so closely. Having nearly reached the end of William Hartnell’s tenure I thought I’d write a few words about the show and I have to say that my interpretation of William Hartnell as the doctor has greatly changed. 

I always considered Mr Hartnell played a rather unpleasant doctor, one I found difficult to relate or even warm to. How wrong I was! His character certainly mellows as the seasons roll on. The characters I found myself initially most relating to at the beginning were Ian and Barbara (very much as the audience at the time would have mostly likely have done) The doctor was most unpleasant and typically fell into the categorises I had previously labelled him with. I found myself virtually counting the episodes until Patrick Troughton would become The Doctor, but as I near the end of his reign I must confess I’m going to miss old Billy! 

Mr Hartnell’s doctor was very caring, kind and certainly very witty. He really looked like he was having fun on his travels. I can totally relate now to how crotchety he was to Ian and Barbara, who burst quite forcefully into his world during ‘An Unearthly Child’. I really don’t think I would be very nice to them either or trust these two uninvited guests aboard my time machine! However, as the episodes pan out and a trust and bond is formed between the travellers, I grew to love all of them!

I was disappointed with Susan’s exit. It felt forced and the ‘love story’ between her and David was totally unbelievable. I thought something was missed out there with her character. I had enjoyed how in ‘The Sensorites’ she had developed psychic powers and thought it would have been wonderful to see this character into more alien roads, but sadly she stayed this never happened. Her replacement however, Vicki, was a wonderful addition to the crew and I warmed to her very quickly! I feel she is often forgotten as a companion, even though she was rather wonderful and Maureen O’Brien really is a terrific actress!

The scripts in the first two seasons were mostly excellent. They were full of excellent drama and adventure. I rarely found myself bored. Even watching reconstruction of missing episodes I still enjoyed them just as much! I found the contrast of historical stories and science fiction adventures worked very well. My favourite story of Season three, ‘The Time Meddler’ even managed to blend the two genres together.

It is Season three though that I found my interest waning. There just seemed a lack of consistency in the direction of the show. Don’t get me wrong, there were still some very enjoyable adventures but the whole season seemed rather disjointed. There was a lack of discipline between comedy and drama. There were far too many changes of personnel in the TARDIS too. In short, the season felt very disjointed. 

After watching ‘The Savages’ , ‘The War Machines’ and the first two episodes of ‘The Smugglers’ though, the drama of the show appears to have returned and I am once again glued to the screen. Ben and Polly are very believable assistants and the first I’ve warmed to since Steven Taylor. Mr Hartnell, although seeing much less of him and his line ‘fluffing’ becoming more apparent of late, has been excellent and I have most certain formed a new respect for him. He has a new fan!