In the Beginning...In Which We Explore the Doctor's First Two Incarnations
Doctor Who began in 1963 and ran continuously until 1989. The Doctor went through seven regenerations in that time, each a reflection of our culture. The next several columns will look at the Doctors and what they can tell us about audience expectations, values, fears, etc. This month we consider, William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton. The first adventure of the series was titled "An Unearthly Child," referring to the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan. A young woman remniscient of Audrey Hepburn, Susan was born in the 49th century, but we meet her in the mid 20th, where she has apparently pursuaded her grandfather to let her attend a human school. Susan's expert knowledge of science and history yet lack of everyday information arouses suspicion in her teachers who follow her to the TARDIS (situated in a junkyard) and force their way in. The Doctor refuses to let them go lest their historical knowledge alter the timeline and takes off to ensure they can never escape. And so begins the series.
While certain elements are set in this first story, like the TARDIS getting stuck in the outside form of a Police Box, other aspects are quite different from later series. We do not know he is a Time Lord, nor do we hear of his home planet Gallifrey. In particular the Doctor is not so clearly benevolent. He has no sympathy for the teachers and tells Susan that he blames her for even wanting to go to school. In a subsequent installment of this story, he comes close to killing a wounded humanoid who would slow down their journey. Hartnell's Doctor is also very formal, a lot like someone's rather stern grandfather. While he sometimes was enthusiastic about adventuring, his attitude toward humans was mainly irascible with moments of querulous complaining. He also acted like an old man--no action hero he. In fact, when the first Doctor finally regenerated, it was because his body had been worn out and he wanted a new one. In fact, the first Doctor was a crusty old fellow, very used to getting his own way. In fact, very patriarchal and condescending and arguably a reflection of masculinity in pre-WWI Britain, which would have been his era, had his apparent age been his real one. Interestingly, the show was orginally intended to educate children about science and history. This pedagogical intent may have also contributed to the Doctor seeming patronizing--he was actually trying to instruct us. Over the four seasons of his tenure, the first Doctor mellowed and grew more fond of adventuring and of his companions. Susan eventually left to marry, and several others established themselves in various times or on other planets, and two were killed by Daleks. However, in spite of a promise to return, once he leaves her, we don't see the Doctor visit Susan again during the Hartnell years. Though the first Doctor grew closer to his companions as time went on, he is the most distant from them of all the Doctors. It's likely that some of his appeal as a figure of security was tied to nostalgia for a sense of surety about one's place in the world. When Doctor Who aired in 1963, people the world over felt anything but certain about their places and had not yet begun reveling in the freedom of the 60s. Four seasons later, Hartnell, and it seems viewers, were ready for a change. Debate goes on about whether Hartnell left because of poor health or because he was fed up, but in any case, the show's creators were forced to think of a solution to his departure that would allow Doctor Who to go on. Regeneration has been hailed as an unprecedented strategy in television. Across Britain, viewers watched in bemusment as William Hartnell faded out and Patrick Troughton faded in. Troughton's Doctor differed in obvious ways. He sported a mop top hairstyle, an over-large jacket that looked a little the worse for wear, and sometimes wore a fur coat which he held together with a piece of twine. The second Doctor often behaves in a more child-like manner, and sometimes seemed foolish. However, he often took advantage of this impression, allowing foes to dangerously underestimate him. At the same time, he was even less of a hero than the first Doctor, even panicking from time to time, though he would generally push ahead in spite of his anxiety. He also played the recorder. This Doctor is clearly more of a late 60s kind of guy, being far more emotional all around and not very concerned with appearances. He was more a friend than a father or grandfather. The second Doctor seemed to be much more attached to his companions, and much more inclined to interact with people on Earth. In this series we see the introduction of Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, who begins his role as a colonel and later is promoted to brigadier and put in charge of the UN Intelligence Task Force, or UNIT. The Doctor assists them on sevral occasions to fend off some danger or other. By this time the format of the whole show had shifted considerably from the original educational premise. Doctor Who was now much more about encountering monsters and aliens that somehow had to be defeated. And, the second Doctor shows us a nifty little device, the sonic screwdriver.
During the second Doctor's last season, the BBC aired a ten-part story called "War Games" that brought this regeneration to a close. In this tale a renegade Time Lord is trying to put together the ultimate army. After exhausting other possibilities, the Doctor calls on the other Time Lords for help. During this tale we learn more about the Doctor's situation. He's a Time Lord on the run from his people because he has broken (and continues to break) their rule of non-involvement. Once the immediate crisis is resolved, the Doctor is taken into custody and put on trial. His companions are sent home with most of their memories of the Doctor erased. The trial results in the Doctor being exiled to 20th century Earth and being forced to regenerate. Thus ends the era of the second Doctor. Unfortunately, much of this series' original footage was lost when the BBC short-sightedly pitched it out. Recovery and reconstruction efforts are on-going.
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