First Doctor
Biography
When Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright first met him, he was staying on Earth in 1963 in order to allow his granddaughter Susan to complete her education ("An Unearthly Child"); as later revealed, he was also finding a hiding place for the Hand of Omega, although this fact was not obvious at the time ("Remembrance of the Daleks").
He apparently died of old age after his struggle with Cybermen, saying that "this old body is wearing a bit thin." But he was able to return to the TARDIS in time to begin his regeneration.
Characteristics
The First Doctor was an irascible, grandfatherly type, a brilliant but often short-tempered scientist. Perhaps due to his age, he seemed more frail than his later incarnations. He also appeared somewhat absent-minded, but this may have been exaggerated to make his enemies underestimate him.
He often returned to Earth at various times in its history, apparently motivated by historical curiosity rather than a desire to preserve it against alien invaders. On his voyages to other planets, he was again motivated as much by curiosity as by a desire to help them.
Habits and Quirks
The First Doctor punctuated his speech with, "Hmmmm...?", exasperated sighs and snorts and the occasional mangled phrase or word. He would address young women as "child" and younger men as "my boy" or in Ian's case by his name. However, he found it difficult (or pretended to find it difficult) to remember Ian's last name.
He dressed stylishly in clothes from the Edwardian era, on rare occasions donning a panama hat. However, unlike most respectable gentlemen of the Edwardian era, he wore his hair long. He claimed to have pain in his joints, as he explained to the Kublai Khan("Marco Polo").
The First Doctor had a blue signet ring with special properties. He entered the TARDIS by means of a mundane key. At times he used a walking stick which he employed at times as a weapon. He could fight very effectively for a man of his apparent age and claimed to have trained the wrestler known as "the Mountain Mauler of Montana" ("The Romans").
The TARDIS required expert piloting and guidance by the Doctor. This would explain the difficulty the Doctor encountered in returning to 1963 London in order to return Ian and Barbara to their lives. The Doctor consulted a small handbook, possibly the Five Hundred Year Diary the Second Doctor would later use.
The First Doctor never even hinted at the nature of his own origins, other than to state that he and the Monk originated on the same world. He did, however, say that
Mysteries and Discrepancies
- We do not know the exact relationship between the Doctor and Susan, whether adopted or biological. The First Doctor never made mention of other members of his family.
- The First Doctor seemed unfamiliar with the Daleks, even though he had, we would learn later, hidden the Hand of Omega away on 1963 Earth, as part of an ongoing plan to defeat them.
- In the course of his first adventure with Ian and Barbara, the Doctor smokes a pipe. We have never seen him smoke on any other ocasion.
- The computer WOTAN referred to the Doctor as "Doctor Who", the first and only time, so far, we have heard the Doctor so described.
- The First Doctor appeared, unlike the Third Doctor and later Doctors, to have one heart, rather than two hearts, at least as far as a cursory medical examination by Ian revealed. ("The Man in the Velvet Mask" hints that Time Lords develop their second heart during their first regeneration.)
Quotes
"One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs....and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine"
