When the fledgeling science fiction series Doctor Who took to the airwaves for the first time in the November of 1963, none of the experienced and highly knowledgeable TV professionals who brought it to our screens expected it to last beyond the thirteen episodes of that very first series.

As we all know now, they could not have been more wrong. Doctor Who has become a television legend, reigning supreme as the longest running science fiction series in the history of television. After a break of over five years, it is now back again on Saturday evening television, ready to capture the hearts and minds of a fresh generation.

One of the reasons most often given for the fact that the series did well enough to survive in the extremely competitive and expanding market of commercial television in the early 1960s, is the quality of the casting.

The first actor to be given the role of Doctor Who was William Hartnell. Hartnell was an actor of considerable experience on stage, in film roles, and even on television. As with so many actors in the early days of film, Hartnell did become somewhat typecast, often in the role of either a policeman or a thug. During the war years he did find some good roles as a soldier, especially in the 1944 film “The Way Ahead”.

When the new medium of television first appeared in the 1950s, Hartnell was to enjoy another military role in the famous early show “The Army Game”. It was another film role, however, which brought him to the attention of the producers who were looking for a lead actor to take on the role of Doctor Who. The 1967 film “This Sporting Life” was a film set in the tough working class northern areas of Great Britain.

 It featured the extremely rugged working class sport of Rugby League, a sport which is hardly played outside these northern regions even today, at least at professional level. In this film, Hartnell played the role of a talent scout, someone who watches amateur rugby looking for potential professionals he can alert the big clubs to.

The film enjoys a cult following today, partly because it the only film of note ever made about Rugby League.

When the original producers of Doctor Who produced Hartnell, he was uncertain. He took it, however, and became increasingly glad he did. Not only was it a very well paid role, it also made him very popular with children, something with which he was very pleased.

He decided to leave the show in 1966, when he was suffering poor health, and was not finding the new producers, who had taken over from the original team, easy to work with.

Thankfully, it is still possible to enjoy Hartnell's early performances, which survived the BBC purges of the 1970s. They are available on video and DVD, and now even on a range of Doctor Who Audiobooks.

 

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