When Doctor Who launched its first episode on the 23rd November 1963, the producers did not honestly expect it to come back for a second series. Instead, it went on to enjoy legendary status as the longest running and most successful science fiction show in the history of television.

On of the reason often cited for this is the strength of the cast.

The first Doctor Who, William Hartnell, stayed in the role for three and a half years, before leaving due to ill health, and differences with the producers. During the time he was there, the show advanced from its somewhat tentative beginnings, to the peak it was enjoying when he sadly decided to leave.

During the early years of Doctor Who, William Hartnell was to see many changes in the cast around him. In the original story, broadcast on November 23rd 1963, Hartnell's co-stars included Carole Ann Ford, who played the schoolgirl who turned out to be Doctor Who's granddaughter, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton.

These played the two schoolteachers who, in the very first episode, inadvertently discovered that Susan, Doctor Who's granddaughter, had in fact been born on another planet, and that she and her grandfather were time travelers.

By the end of the second series, al of Hartnell's major co-stars had left the show.
Many of the stories in the William Hartnell years involved travelling to famous places and times throughout history.

 

A visit was made to China at the time of Marco Polo in the fourth episode of the first series, and later on to the Aztec Empire in Mexico. He also had adventures in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, and also in Palestine.

Mixed in with these of course were the stories of battles with aliens and evil creatures from other worlds, the most famous of course being the Daleks. These were the stories that laid the foundation of Doctor Who in the nation's consciousness, and set the tone for the years to come.

Fortunately for fans of William Hartnell in the role of Doctor Who, a good deal of the footage from these peak times still remains. Much more so than those of the Patrick Troughton years, of which very little exists.

Many of these William Hartnell episodes have been found by pure chance, some even in foreign locations. Many of the surviving episodes can be relived today thanks to the wonderful modern technology of home video. Some of the lost episodes are actually available as Doctor Who Audiobooks, which means that even more of this precious archive can now be enjoyed by modern generations.