This is where it all started. Way back on November 23, 1963, the premier episode of Doctor Who aired, and even though this was a bit before my time, it’s impossible for me to not look upon the 1st Doctor and that initial episode, “An Unearthly Child,” with a great deal of affection and reverence. It feels like a piece of pop-culture history now. And it’s truly amazing to see where it started when you consider where it is now.
The show’s creators had an idea of where they wanted the series to go; it was created to be an educational program for kids and was originally intended to feature the Doctor and his granddaughter traveling through historical periods of time for the edification of their youthful viewing audience.
Well, a Dalek here, a Cyberman there, and they got a little off track, but the show managed to evolve into one of the longest-running and most beloved science-fiction programs in television history. And it was this 1st Doctor, played by William Hartnell, who got the ball rolling.
Hartnell played a noticeably older Doctor than what we’re used to seeing today, and it isn’t just his age that made him unique among the Doctors. But come to think of it, he really wasn’t all that old by today’s standards. Hartnell was 55 when the series began, the same age as Peter Capaldi, the newly canonized 12th Doctor. But while Capaldi looks vibrant and energetic, Hartnell looked like a true senior citizen, a “grandfather” in every possible sense, but since he was actually supposed to resemble a grandfather, it worked.
Hartnell played the Doctor as a true curmudgeon. He rarely smiled, unless it was because he knew something others didn’t, and based on his interactions with those who would be his companions either by choice or by accident, it was difficult to know whether or not he could be trusted. The Doctor was still very much a mystery at this point.
Character Options did a great job in capturing Hartnell’s likeness in both of these head sculpts they used for the 1st Doctor. The only fault I can find is, like all their various Doctor figures, the expression is a bit more placid than this particular Doctor was ever really shown with. Hartnell played the character with a very serious demeanor, and he often appeared angry, or at least highly irritated with whatever was happening around him. An angry expression would work wonderfully for this Doctor, but what we got is by no means bad; it’s just not as expressive as some would prefer.
This version, with the cap and scarf, was offered in two formats: as a single-carded figure and as part of a set with his TARDIS. I went with the TARDIS set since it seemed to be more bang for my buck.
His cap is realistically textured and it sits on his head just as awkwardly as it did on the show. It’s made of a very hard plastic and is not removable by any simple means; it has an absolute death grip on his head. The scarf is nicely sculpted as well, but it’s made of a very soft rubber that prevents it from hanging in a convincing way. While this may compromise his overall realistic appearance, the soft material does not hinder his articulation — that’s what his cape is for.
It’s a great-looking figure and definitely my preferred version of the 1st Doctor. But, as per usual, there isn’t a whole lot of articulation to speak of, and what is there is burdened by a pretty poor range of motion. He looks perfect in a vanilla pose, but any sort of action pose just reinforces the notion that he may not really be meant to be posed. His coat renders any shoulder articulation all but useless, so his arms can really only be posed at the elbows. The pic below illustrates what he’s capable of in terms of “action” poses.
In addition to his TARDIS, he comes with two accessories: his trusty cane and a human skull. The Sonic Screwdriver wasn’t introduced until the 2nd Doctor’s run on the series, so he’s one of the very few Doctor figures that doesn’t include one. The cane adds some nice variety to a display populated by various Doctors holding Sonic Screwdrivers.
The skull is a reference to the Cave of Skulls from the “An Unearthly Child” serial. As evidenced by the still on the below right, the Cave of Skulls is exactly what it sounds like — a cave with a bunch of skulls in it.
His TARDIS looks great on the outside, and the sound effects are cool, but it isn’t much to look at on the inside. There is no interior design to speak of, unlike the 10th and 11th Doctors’ TARDISes that featured a detailed faux interior. This TARDIS gives up any pretense of being “bigger on the inside” by offering up the most no-frills TARDIS interior possible. It’s still cool to have in the collection, but if you were to want just one TARDIS for your shelves, the 10th Doctor’s is still the way to go.
The Doctor on the below left is from the 11-Doctor box set, and it depicts Hartnell’s Doctor as he often looks on the series: no cap, black jacket, and a rather fancy shirt, tie, and pants combo.
This version has a bit of red around the eyes, which makes him look a bit older somehow, and it includes just his signature cane as far as accessories go.
His head sculpt succeeds in capturing the very odd hairstyle Hartnell sported as the Doctor. His hair was quite long for a man of his age in 1963, especially since the Beatles hadn’t yet succeeded in making long hair for men a socially acceptable thing yet. So Hartnell was a bit ahead of his time in this respect and the figure nails all its weirdness perfectly.
This version has a greater range of motion than the cap-scarf-coat version of the 1st Doctor, but it still has all the usual limitations, and he looks rather silly when put in extreme action poses. The 1st Doctor mostly just stood around and glared at people, so both versions do work best in a vanilla pose.
This countdown to the 1st Doctor has been a lot of fun. I was able to revisit some of my favorite episodes from the Doctors of my youth, and I was able to experience some of the Doctors for the very first time, like Doctors five, six, and seven. I used to have a very clear, definite idea of who my favorite was (for decades it’s been Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor), but now? It changes on a daily basis. At the risk of sounding too dorky, I have to say I love them all — because I really do, even the ones that for years I thought I hated.
It’s interesting to place the 1st and 11th Doctors next to each other. Both characters could not be more different, but they’re still the same character, the same man. There is such a wide spectrum of personalities among the 11 Doctors that there truly is a Doctor for everyone.
If your familiarity with the series only goes back as far as Christopher Eccleston’s 9th Doctor, I urge you to give the classic series a shot, especially the 3rd and 4th Doctors. But if they’re not your cup of tea, then one of the others is sure to be. I’d also recommend checking out “An Unearthly Child” for it’s historical relevance. It’s a really cool thing to see the very first episode of this series.
Tonight, be sure to catch An Adventure in Space and Time, a dramatization of the very earliest days of the series. Then, Saturday night, make sure you catch the 50th Anniversary Special: “The Day of the Doctor.” I cannot freakin’ wait.
