And so, here we are, at the end of an era. The show has gone from the quirky dream of an eccentric head of Drama, to TV sensation. Let's take a brief recap of the season's so far.
First Season
The show began with a winning formula, showing us a mock up TV family that hit nearly all the demographics, giving us someone to connect to, whilst the stories propelled us out into the unknown. At times, especially in the first three stories, the show was edgy and new, and carried a true sense that anything could happen. This would disappear by Marco Polo, but would be replaced by a comfort of familiarity with the characters.
From that story onwards, the structure takes on a more rhythmic feel, with historical episodes being interlaced with mad futuristic ones. The formula worked, so why change it? This of course came at the price of edgyness, with one notable exception - the Aztecs.
This gem stuck in the middle of the first season shifts the focus away from space and time hijinx, and shows us some serious character development around Barbara. The story asks us to take sides rather than observe, and draws you far deeper into the universe as a result. It would have been fantastic to take this concept to the other characters, but sadly, this didn't happen.
Second Season
The second season shifted the focus slightly from characters to pushing the edge of what TV could do. The plots all went by the wayside, but it was marvelous to see just what Doctor Who could do, and made a nice change to be given the odd farce.
It's fair to say that back in the 1960's, nothing else on British TV even came close. Looking back on it now however, it seems the weaker of seasons under William Hartnell's reign.
Third Season
By the time Verity Lambert left, the show's popularity was beginning to wane. It's fair to say that people loved the Daleks more than they loved the show, and constant calls for their return prompted a huge Dalek epic being scheduled into the mix and then dumped upon the new production team. John Wiles and Donald Tosh never wanted it, and they had as little to do with it as possible, leaving it in the hands of the Director to sort out. Similarly, Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks, was fed up of them too. He gave as little time as possible to the script. In hindsight, it's amazing it turned out as well as it did.
Maybe by happenstance, the shift in production team offered a very happy accident. As they began to change the TARDIS crew around, they had to quickly take out the old ones, and thus a very dark and edgy feel to the show returned. By the end of the Daleks' Master Plan, you really don't know what will happen next, as it seems anyone can be killed off at any time. As I've mentioned in the episode reviews themselves, these stories feel like they would be very much at home in the Phillip Hinchcliffe era.
It's a shame then that John Wiles really couldn't stand William Hartnell, and the new producer Innes Lloyd had the totally opposite views to Donald Tosh on how Doctor Who should look.
As soon as Innes Lloyd took over, the show would effectively see a reboot. Within two stories (both actually quite good by the way), the companions would be gone, and a hip, fresh pair would be on board. From now until almost the end of Patrick Troughton's run, we would see "monster of the week" style episodes, with more bases under siege than you could shake a stick at.
The Doctor
It's hard not to look back on William Hartnell's Doctor with fondness. I was indeed shocked the first time I watched An Unearthly Child through to Edge of Destruction, because he was essentially the bad guy, unable to get along with anyone and thrown together for mutual survival. I was cheering when Barbara gives him a good old piece of her mind, but I could honestly look at the character and get excited about it as Hartnell undoubtedly made it interesting and unpredictable.
In the following stories, he mellows out into a chuckling, cheerful old grandfather that occasionally gets upset, but is easily brought around by the end of the show. In some ways, it's a shame this was the case, but he was the main character in a kids show after all. Over time however (probably due to his difficulty with more complex lines), more and more focus is taken off him and given to others, and it's never quite returned, only to reprise in brief flashes of inspired acting, like the beginning of the Time Meddler, the end of the Daleks' Master Plan, and throughout the Massacre.
During Peter Purves' tenure, it is clear that he has to do some of the heavy lifting, which is sad, because Hartnell LOVED the show. His inability to get on with production staff was a testament to this, as he wanted it to be the best it possibly could be.
I feel sorry for him by the time the Tenth Planet aired. The show: An Adventure in Space and Time suggests that he felt very alone and abandoned, with all of his good relationships stripped away and replaced by strangers, until the axe finally came down on him too.
I will always hold a fond place for the First Doctor in my heart, as I get really passionate when I think of just how groundbreaking the show would have been in those days. Indeed it was dangerous for the BBC to make a show like this, a risk of ridicule and little return. Back in the beginning, few would have believed in the idea, and no one..... no one at all, believed in the show more than William Hartnell...
Favourite Moment
It's hard to argue with the iconic image of the Dalek rising out of the water in the Dalek Invasion of Earth. There's just something about it, the Doctor's most famous and deadly enemy, appearing here, on Earth. It's enough to make the hair at the back of your neck stand on end even fifty years later.
Worst Moment
The worst moment (well, closer to fifteen minutes, actually) in the First Doctor's run has to be the scene where Dodo and Steven are searching Mrs Wigg's kitchen for the key in the Celestial Toymaker. It's just....awful, really, really awful.
Favourite Story
The Aztecs
Hmmm.... it has to be..... the Aztecs. The character development and political tension in the story are just great.
Marco Polo is fantastic, but I suspect much of its appeal is because it's a missing episode. If it were in the archive, would it really stand up to all the hype?
The Massacre is also one of the best, but the tension isn't maintained as high as the Aztecs, when there are scenes with people sitting around and talking.
The War Machines and Galaxy 4 also deserve special mention and rank very highly, but ultimately, the technology makes them a bit silly - I mean, come on, "DOC-TOR-WHO-ISSSSSSS-RE-QUIRED!"
Worst Story
The Celestial Toymaker
Hands down, the Celestial Toymaker. The Crusade is close, but it has nice potential and even better acting that just wasn't capitalised on or drawn together. The Toymaker is tedious and ill produced.
Favourite Companion
Steven Taylor
This one is harder. I think almost all of them had good aspects. The one who shone out above the rest for me was Steven. He came into the show in an interesting way, and his interaction with the stuff he saw was realistic. He was capable of holding the show, and could be more than just a strong man for the fight scenes.
Worst Companion
Dodo Chaplet
Okay. Well, Katarina was short lived, but her death scene was amazing.
Susan was profoundly annoying with her over the top hysterics, but had some interesting character traits e.g. telepathy and the fact that she's an alien like the Doctor.
Ian was supposed to be a science teacher, but was better in a fight. Despite this, he was quite warm and likable.
Polly is quite arrogant and hard to get used to, but she was meant to be. Also, my word, she was pretty.
I would have to say that the winner is Dodo. Her strictly bonkers entrance and exit make her memorable for all the wrong reasons, and her ever changing accent was profoundly annoying, as was her inability to tell friend from foe.
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