First Doctor
A mischievous anti-authoritarian at his core, the First Doctor matured from someone prone to criticising those he felt were primitive compared to his intellect to a more welcoming presence as he began to acquire an entourage of companions to accompany him throughout the wonders of the fourth dimension, learning to be a caregiver and mentor with compassion, warmth and wit that made up for his egocentric nature, as well a sense of justice in a universe afflicted by evils.
Beginning after he fled his home world of Gallifrey with his granddaughter Susan, the Doctor's travels through time and space were mostly random due to faulty components in a TARDIS that required six pilots and which he barely knew how to fly. After a period of hiding at 76 Totter's Lane on Earth in 1963, the Doctor was forced to abruptly depart when Susan's teachers from Coal Hill School, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, followed her back to Totter's Lane to investigate their unusual pupil, kidnapping them to stop them alerting others to his presence. However, despite the hostile start, he came to form a strong friendship with Ian and Barbara, teaching them about the wonders of the universe while learning how to better himself from their example. It was during one of their early adventures that the Doctor first came into conflict with the Daleks, a species that would quickly become one of his greatest enemies.
Eventually, the Doctor bade Susan farewell to allow her to live a happier life with a man with whom she had fallen in love with, and then invited an orphaned girl named Vicki to join him, Ian and Barbara in the TARDIS after they found her on the planet Dido, seeing her a surrogate to fill Susan's spot in his travels. During a confrontation with the Daleks, the Doctor used one of the Dalek time machines to return Ian and Barbara to their proper time, only to quickly find their place in the TARDIS taken by stowaway Steven Taylor, with whom the Doctor had a relatively uneasy relationship.
Vicki eventually left the Doctor's company after falling in love with a man she met in Ancient Troy, with her place in the TARDIS being occupied by handmaid Katarina, though her travels proved brief due to her being killed early in the Time Destructor Incident that saw the Doctor stopping the Daleks' master plan to use a Time Destructor to conqueror Earth's solar system, though his victory came at the cost of Sara Kingdom, another of his brief companions. Steven was bitter towards the Doctor for the deaths of Katarina and Sara, and even briefly walked out the TARDIS after another falling out, but returned when Dodo Chaplet forced her way in the TARDIS. Ultimately, Steven decided to stay to help a civilisation they had encountered, while Dodo was later injured in an adventure and decided to remain home in her own time, with the Doctor finding himself inadvertently joined by Ben Jackson and Polly Wright when the TARDIS dematerlised with them still inside.
The First Doctor met his end after his battle with the Mondasian Cybermen in 1986 Antarctica caused him to lose the strength needed to maintain his body, due to the planet Mondas draining a large portion of his life force. Initially, he refused to go through with the change until an encounter with a future incarnation also refusing to regenerate caused the Doctor to witness the type of person he would soon become. As a result, his fear of the change was turned to reassurance for his future, causing him to accept his regeneration into his next body.
Psychological profile
Personality
In his older years, the First Doctor was a guarded figure who was slow to trust newcomers who learnt of him, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Brink of Disaster") but once his trust had been earned, he would show himself to be a mischievous anti-authoritarian, (TV: "The Dimensions of Time", The Savages) who would not follow instructions without giving his own input, (TV: "The Forest of Fear") nor would he stand by and allow someone to bark orders without contributing themselves. (TV: "Guests of Madame Guillotine") He was protective of the young women he took on as companions, as they reminded him of his granddaughter. (TV: "Bell of Doom")
The First Doctor was a pragmatic individual, opting to focus on an objective that would benefit the majority, even if it meant being counterintuitive to his own safety and freedom, (TV: "The Forest of Fear", "Guests of Madame Guillotine", "Crater of Needles", The Tenth Planet) and was not afraid to leave someone to their fate if it was too late to save them, (TV: "The Death of Time") or if they were fated to die. (TV: "Bell of Doom") He preferred to remain in the background and "observe, note, collate, and then conclude" before he acted. (TV: "Trap of Steel")
Disdainful towards "fools", (TV: "The Wheel of Fortune") and rather "tetchy" due to his youth, (TV: The Five Doctors) the Doctor thought highly of his "superior brain", (TV: "The Ordeal") and was prone to criticise those whom he felt were beneath his intellect, (TV: "The Forest of Fear", "Five Hundred Eyes", "The Wheel of Fortune") even believing himself superior to those he saw as intellectually inferior. (COMIC: A Religious Experience) He initially refused to kneel to Kublai Khan due to both his pride and a pain in his back, but was talked into do so by Susan, though he remained defiant towards the Great Khan's demands, which earned him the respect of the Khan. (TV: "Mighty Kublai Khan") He did, however, respectfully bow to the Empress. (TV: "Assassin at Peking") He could put his own interests ahead of others', but would abandon his plans if he realised they were putting him in danger. (TV: "The Survivors")
Originally a very difficult and stubborn misanthrope, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Forest of Fear") who would leave others to their own business in spite of the dangers they were in, (TV: "The Ambush", "Strangers in Space") the First Doctor matured from an apparent selfishness and became more inviting, (TV: "Desperate Measures", "The Watcher", "Horse of Destruction", "Bell of Doom", The Smugglers) less willing to involve others in his dangerous exploits, (TV: "The Death of Time") and more friendly and approaching to new people. (TV: "Don't Shoot the Pianist") His happier, kinder characteristics fostered when he began to acquire an entourage of companions to accompany him throughout the wonders of the fourth dimension and learned to be a caregiver with a sense of justice in a universe afflicted by evils. (COMIC: Hunters of the Burning Stone) However, his ego persisted, with him telling white lies to inflate his own self-importance, (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time) and his false modesty at being heralded by the Thals when he visited their city. (AUDIO: Return to Skaro)
In his youth, the young Doctor was something of a pessimist, until a conversation with the Hermit opened his eyes to the beauties in the mundane, (TV: The Time Monster) leading him to believe that it was impossible to "diminish wonder, beauty and discovery," even when people tried to take the mystery out of things. (PROSE: Longest Day) He never felt at home on Gallifrey. (AUDIO: No Place Like Home) Upon leaving Gallifrey, the Doctor did not see "good" as "a practical survival strategy", as "it require[d] loyalty, self-sacrifice, [and] love", (TV: Twice Upon a Time) but told Susan that "individuals hungry for power" were to be fought, and that "the right thing to do was often forbidden". (COMIC: Time & Time Again)
During his early travels, the Doctor rarely smiled, (PROSE: Dr. First) although, when he first witnessed the French Revolution, his emotions were swept up in the revolutionary fervour and optimism as the French population around him rose up against their rulers. (PROSE: Just War) However, he remained satisfied with merely observing the universe due to having the non-interference policy ingrained into his psyche. (PROSE: Time and Relative) While he felt he had a duty to prevent outside intervention from corrupting a society, (COMIC: Operation Proteus) he was willing to allow civilisations to be destroyed without aiding them, until Susan convinced him to save Earth from the Cold, which did gave him "a feeling of satisfaction". (PROSE: Time and Relative) Despite this, the Doctor was mostly self-serving, even locking fleeing people out of Coal Hill School to better protect himself from the Space wolves. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill) However, he still respected humanity as "intelligent, sentient beings" that were deserving of basic respects. (COMIC: Operation Proteus)
When the Doctor first met Ian and Barbara, he abducted them, and even set the TARDIS console to shock Ian when he tried to open the doors, justifying his actions by claiming he was keeping himself and Susan safe. He regarded humans as primitives, (TV: "An Unearthly Child") and contemplated killing the mortally wounded Za so that he would not slow him down. When Ian caught him apparently ready to bludgeon the man with a rock, the Doctor explained he merely wanted Za to draw him a map, (TV: "The Forest of Fear") but this was, in fact, a lie to cover up his murder attempt. (PROSE: The Eight Doctors) When first visiting Skaro, the Doctor was willing to risk everyone's safety so he could satisfy his own curiosity, resulting in them nearly dying from radiation poisoning in the prison cells of the Dalek city. (TV: The Daleks) He also threatened to throw Ian and Barbara into space after accusing them of sabotage. When proven wrong, the Doctor humbly apologised. (TV: "The Brink of Disaster")
He was willingly to put his morals aside to have others fight his battles for him, (TV: "The Expedition") but was horrified when he learnt the full extent of the Daleks plans to exterminate the Thals, branding it "sheer murder". (TV: "The Ordeal") He was also quick to bargain with the Tribe of Gum for Ian's safety, (TV: "The Cave of Skulls") and offered to help build a ship for the Daleks to leave Skaro in return for Susan's safety. (TV: "The Rescue") The Twelfth Doctor later opined that his experience on Skaro helped shape his identity for the better. (TV: Into the Dalek)
As the Doctor travelled more, he began to thaw and help people, albeit reluctantly at times, (TV: "The Sea of Death") and more willingly on other occasions. (TV: "Guests of Madame Guillotine") Eventually, he would not hesitate to dare to stop any "menace to common humanity" that he encountered in his travels, sometimes out of a "moral obligation" to minimise damages he felt responsible for. (TV: "Dangerous Journey", "The Daleks", "The Waking Ally", "Day of Armageddon", The Savages, The Smugglers) However, he did not see himself as a saviour, instead as someone merely "doing what [had] to be done". (TV: "Day of Armageddon") Indeed, when the Doctor heard his twelfth incarnation declare the Earth to be protected, he failed to realise that his future self was referring to himself, due to being in the "early days". (TV: Twice Upon a Time)
While he initially refused to help a fallen enemy, (TV: "The Forest of Fear") and would not hesitate to abandon someone to save himself, (TV: "The Survivors") the Doctor came to see it as "monstrous" and "inhuman" to leave a person to die by refusing them aid. (TV: "A Race Against Death", The Savages, The Tenth Planet) He even negotiated the release of the First Monk from the Daleks, despite peace not being brokered between the two. (TV: "Escape Switch")
He would sometimes fall back into old habits of focusing solely on his own interests, but was quicker to put his companions' safety first than he was before. (TV: "Five Hundred Eyes") He would also forget his niceties when under pressure. (TV: "The Warriors of Death", "Planet of Giants", "The Planet of Decision") While he claimed to never give advice, (TV: "The Rescue") the Doctor would share his wisdoms to those that needed it, (TV: "The Keys of Marinus") seeing that it was his responsibility as an elder to use his accumulated knowledge to help other people. (TV: "Hidden Danger") He came to hold such a welcoming presence that others would instantly feel they could trust him. (TV: "Desperate Measures", "The Wheel of Fortune")
While he could get easily flustered when he lost control of a situation, (TV: "The Cave of Skulls", "The Brink of Disaster") the First Doctor did not allow himself to be easily intimidated, (TV: "The Forest of Fear", "Mighty Kublai Khan", "The Unwilling Warriors", "The Daleks", "Horse of Destruction", The War Machines, The Smugglers) even being willing to take a fight directly to his adversary's lair, (COMIC: The Klepton Parasites) as he did not like to show when he was afraid. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) He employed self-control to keep his emotions in check and prevent his brain from becoming vulnerable to fear, (TV: "The Unwilling Warriors") though would react with indignity if he thought his capabilities were being belittled. (TV: "The Slave Traders", "The Planet of Decision", "The Celestial Toyroom")
When he disagreed with something, the Doctor would deny the facts his companions gave to him in favour of believing his opinions. (TV: "The Forest of Fear", "The Brink of Disaster", "The Wall of Lies", "Journey into Terror", "The Watcher") He would get particularly annoyed with those who doubted the TARDIS could actually travel through space and time. (TV: "The Cave of Skulls", "The Watcher") However, when he realised he had been in the wrong, the Doctor would acknowledge his blame in events and apologise. (TV: "The Cave of Skulls", "The Brink of Disaster")
Craving the adventures to be found in the universe, (TV: "A Land of Fear") the Doctor did not like the idea of staying still, believing he would be "bored to tears doing nothing", (TV: "The Temple of Evil") even deriding sleep as being "[for] tortoises". (COMIC: In-Between Times) The French Revolution was among his favourite places in time and space. (TV: "A Land of Fear") He enjoyed learning of the new places he found himself and their properties, with his notebook being of high importance to him due to what he had documented inside of it. (TV: "The Cave of Skulls") When he was given the chance to obtain what he desired most, the Doctor asked for "a well-equipped laboratory with every conceivable instrument", (TV: "The Velvet Web") and he would also seek out other scientists to discuss their theories when the chance presented itself. (TV: "War of God")
He could get excited by frightening experiences, such as being insistent on exploring an abandoned city, (TV: "The Dead Planet") chuckling at the thought of an ambush as he and Ian pursued a person in a dark tunnel, (TV: "A Desperate Venture") laughing as he fought off the assassin Ascaris, (TV: "All Roads Lead to Rome") and finding amusement after he realised he accidentally had a hand in burning down Rome. (TV: "Inferno")
He admired those who built and rebuilt civilisations, (TV: "The Rescue") and got especially giddy when he realised he was watching a solar system being created. (TV: "The Brink of Disaster") While he disagreed with the Aztecs using human sacrifices, he did admire them for their architectural achievements, (TV: "The Temple of Evil") and also held a passion for fifth dynasty Aquilian architecture. (PROSE: The Golden Door) However, he took contradictory satisfaction in destroying something that helped in "evil". (TV: The Savages)
He disliked whistling, (TV: "The Executioners") unnecessary climbing, (TV: "The Watcher") riding camels, (COMIC: Plague of the Black Scorpi) hippies and pop music. (PROSE: Dr. First) He also "loathed" recorders, (AUDIO: The Power of the Daleks) and looked down on the sonic screwdriver and the sonic sunglasses. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)
The First Doctor liked pomegranates, grapes, (TV: "The Velvet Web") hot chocolate, (TV: "The Bride of Sacrifice") coconut milk, (COMIC: Plague of the Black Scorpi) and chocolate ice cream. (PROSE: Bide-a-Wee)
While he claimed to "never touch" alcohol, and would decline it when offered, (TV: "A Holiday for the Doctor", The Smugglers) the Doctor enjoyed mead, (TV: "The Watcher") wine, (TV: The Smugglers) and kept brandy in his TARDIS. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) He also drank Madeira with Samuel Pike, (TV: The Smugglers) shared a few glasses of Médoc with John Lucarotti, (PROSE: The Meeting) and told Steven that he wanted chilled white wine while in France. (PROSE: The Massacre)
Believing that "nothing [was] impossible", (PROSE: The Nine-Day Queen) the Doctor was adamant that there was "always a way" out of a conundrum, (TV: "The Expedition", "Planet of Giants") and would implore those in doubt to have hope, (TV: "The Day of Darkness") though he though hope was forever linked with fear. (TV: "The Forest of Fear") When Dyoni feared the Thals' history would die with them, the Doctor encouraged her to have hope, (TV: "The Ambush") and also encouraged Carol Richmond to have courage that John would recover from the Sensorites' attack. (TV: "A Race Against Death") He was insisted that he should not give up a task until he had at least tried it first. (TV: "Dangerous Journey")
While he could be pessimistic, (TV: "The Forest of Fear") the Doctor believed that there was a reason for everything in the universe, (TV: "The Death of Doctor Who") having left Gallifrey to find what "[kept] the balance between good and evil in [the] appalling universe", and why "good prevail[ed]" despite not being "a practical survival strategy" in the face of "evil". (TV: Twice Upon a Time) He believed that evil "[didn't] follow principle", and that "the greatest evil [was] inaction", with rules "just [being] distractions". He thought that the best way to combat evils was with kindness and understanding. (POEM: A Simple Truth) He thought that the smallest and most seemingly unimportant of details could lead to the "greatest discoveries". (TV: "The Dimensions of Time")
While he could disagree with the culture of the civilisations he visited, the Doctor did not see it as his place to judge and interfere with their business. (TV: "The Temple of Evil") Seeing that "fear [made] companions of [everyone]", (TV: "The Forest of Fear") the Doctor thought that forging alliances between factions was reward enough for his travels and efforts. (COMIC: Mission for Duh) He thought that bias based on appearance instead of intelligence was unwelcome, (TV: "The Exploding Planet") and defied the suggestion that progress was based on exploitation, branding it as "protracted murder". (TV: The Savages)
He decreed that one should never "be a slave to time", or waste their time. (PROSE: Barbara in Wonderland)
He believed it was important to honour agreements made in an exchange. (COMIC: Challenge of the Piper)
He found slavery of humans to be "inhuman and wicked". (COMIC: The Trodos Tyranny)
He theorised that fate was on the side of justice. (COMIC: The Experimenters)
Seeing everyone as "adrift on a sea of random[ness]" caused from decisions taken by millions of strangers, the Doctor sought to "steer through the storm" in the "tempest of chaos" as he "resolve[d] to make good progress when the wind [was] behind [him]". (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill)
Due to his adventures, the Doctor was unable to "feel very much fear". (PROSE: The Sons of the Crab)
While the First Doctor learned to disapprove of violence, (TV: "A Holiday for the Doctor") he was not averse to beating his opponents with his bare hands in self-defence, (TV: "All Roads Lead to Rome") and could be dismissive towards casual violence. (PROSE: Tarnished Image) While he also disliked guns, (TV: "Don't Shoot the Pianist") he noted that weapons were "handy little things" when used for protection, (TV: "Kidnap") and even constructed a ray gun explicitly to help destroy Daleks. (COMIC: The Defeat of the Daleks) He disapproved of revenge. (TV: "The Velvet Web")
After seeing the callousness of the Daleks, (TV: Into the Dalek) the Doctor came to stand against "senseless, evil killing", (TV:"The Rescue", "The Traitors", The Savages) vowing to only take a life if his own was sufficiently threatened, (TV: "The Waking Ally") and was greatly disturbed when he saw needless bloodshed. (TV: "Horse of Destruction", The Smugglers) He thought that to sacrifice a life in the name of progress to be "nauseating" and "inhumane". (TV: The Savages)
While he was willing to drop bombs on the Master Race's city, he knew to be careful not to hit the innocent prisoners. (COMIC: The Experimenters)
Because they could be caught off-guard by the unexpected, (COMIC: The Gyros Injustice) the First Doctor looked down on machines, as, while they could make laws, he did not believe they could preserve justice, seeing only living beings capable of doing so, which was his reasoning for why "man was [not] made to be controlled by machines". (TV: "The Keys of Marinus") While he was defensive towards his TARDIS's capabilities, (TV: "Devil's Planet") he viewed travel dials as "perfectly acceptable method[s] of travel", as they were "very compact and very neat". (TV: "The Sea of Death")
When it came to changing history, the Doctor knew he "[couldn't] stem the tide", instead focusing on not "being carried away with the flood", (TV: "Prisoners of Conciergerie") preferring to "watch and wait" in the trust that time would sort itself out in the end. (AUDIO: Daybreak) He stood against "time meddler[s]", (TV: "Checkmate") believing that not a single line in history should be altered, (TV: "The Temple of Evil") even if it meant sending someone to their death in a historical event, such as when he sent Anne Chaplet back to Paris before the St Bartholomew's Day massacre, though admitted there was a possibility she would survive. (TV: "Bell of Doom") However, he would interfere if he believed the effect to time would be minuscule, (COMIC: Unnatural Selection) such as when he tried to convince King Richard to carry out a peace plan that was fated to fail. (TV: "The Warlords") After watching the Twelfth Doctor alter time slightly to save the lives of two men, the First Doctor took his future self's meddling to be a good indicator of the man he would eventually become. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)
Comparing himself to an immigrant, (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill) the Doctor claimed he was "a scientist of no time or place", (COMIC: The Caterpillar Men) being "a citizen of the universe, and a gentleman to boot". (TV: "The Feast of Steven") He once claimed to Vicki that he was "a wanderer and a survivor" in "the fourth dimension of space and time", as well as "a refugee from an ancient civilisation, cut off from [his] own people by aeons of time and universes far beyond human understanding". (PROSE: The Empire of Glass) He once described himself as having "the directional instinct of a homing pigeon". (TV: "The Executioners")
Reflecting on his successors, the First Doctor labelled his third and second incarnations as "a dandy and a clown", and joked when meeting them for the first time to battle Omega that they had yet to do anything. However, he did get along with them to a point, though got noticeably frustrated when the Second Doctor was slow to catch on. (TV: The Three Doctors) He also got on well with his fifth incarnation, admitting he did "quite well" after the Game of Rassilon and was reassured that his future was in "safe hands". (TV: The Five Doctors) While combating Adam Mitchell's Autons, the First Doctor associated himself with his second and seventh incarnations, combining with them to think of a solution to the situation. (COMIC: Endgame) However, he disliked his seventh incarnation, believing him to be "too manipulative". (PROSE: Five Card Draw) Upon meeting his tenth incarnation, the First Doctor took a disliking to him and his behaviour. (AUDIO: Collision Course)
The First Doctor was confused by the mannerisms of his twelfth incarnation, such as his use of the sonic sunglasses, (TV: Twice Upon a Time) and did not like him at first, leading to him making comments that he knew would wind him up, (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time) but eventually confided in him his fears of regenerating, and came to respect him after seeing him save two men from death. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)
Several of his future incarnations had a noticeably profound respect for the First Doctor, so much so that they dared not question his judgement, or argue in his presence, (TV: The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors) with the exception of the Eleventh Doctor, who looked upon his first incarnation with shame, branding him a "selfish idiot" and a coward, (COMIC: Hunters of the Burning Stone) with the Twelfth Doctor recognising that his past incarnations would let the First Doctor get away with whatever he wanted, but stated that he would not do the same, (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time) though meeting his first incarnation still made him excited. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)
The Eighth Doctor remembered the First Doctor as a "fierce old man". (PROSE: The Eight Doctors) The Twelfth Doctor considered his first incarnation to have been "eccentric, a bit mad, [and] rude to people," (TV: Hell Bent) and was rather shocked at some of his mannerisms, particularly his lack of political correctness (TV: Twice Upon a Time) that was deliberately exaggerated by the First Doctor to make his future incarnation feel uncomfortable due to his initial dislike of him. (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time)
The First Doctor's strongest relationship was with his granddaughter, Susan Foreman, with him always putting her wellbeing first, (TV: "The Forest of Fear", "The Brink of Disaster") even if he could come across as condescending towards her, refusing to tolerate her ideas and treating her like a child, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Survivors", "Hidden Danger", "World's End") though he appreciated her faith in him highly. (TV: "The Expedition") His last act of paternity towards Susan was to leave her in the 22nd century with David Campbell, a freedom fighter she had fallen in love with, to start her own life. (TV: "Flashpoint")
While visiting 15th century Tenochtitlan, the Doctor became attracted to an elderly Aztec woman named Cameca, admiring her for being "intelligent and gentle". (TV: "The Temple of Evil") While he was shocked to be accidently engaged to her due to misunderstanding an Aztec custom, (TV: "The Bride of Sacrifice") when the time came for him to leave, he could not bring himself to depart without the brooch she had gifted to him. (TV: "The Day of Darkness")
The Doctor was protective of youngsters, being morally outraged when he found the Pied Piper keeping children away from their parents, (COMIC: Challenge of the Piper) and helping Santa Claus build model TARDISes so as not to disappoint the children who has asked for one for Christmas. (COMIC: A Christmas Story)
The First Doctor had a low opinion of the Master, dismissing him as a "charlatan" and taking great pleasure in outsmarting him. (AUDIO: The Destination Wars)
While Susan once described her grandfather as being a "great man", (AUDIO: Domain of the Voord) the Doctor considered himself to be very dangerous when roused. Geoffrey Chaucer, meanwhile, described the Doctor as being "a man of rare wit and temper, a philosopher." (AUDIO: The Doctor's Tale) Ian Chesterton once described the First Doctor as being "basically good, but bad-tempered, [and] mischievous" and also voiced that he "sometimes [didn't] trust him". (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby) Dodo Chaplet implied that she thought the First Doctor to be "condescending, arrogant, smug and irritating". (PROSE: Tarnished Image)
Princess Joanna told the Doctor that "there [was] something new in [him], [and] yet something older than the sky itself." (TV: "The Wheel of Fortune")When recalling her encounter with the First Doctor to Mortimus, Ace described him as "sweet". (PROSE: No Future) When the Eighth Doctor had a tarot card reading, the First Doctor was identified as "the Hierophant". (PROSE: The City of the Dead)
While the Tremas Master found him admirable for his intelligence, he also admitted that the First Doctor was a "bore", (GAME: Destiny of the Doctors) with Adam Mitchell identifying the First Doctor as the "educator" in comparison to his other incarnations. (COMIC: Unnatural Selection)
As he felt his first regeneration nearing, the Doctor hoped that his successor would be a better man than he was. However, he was fearful of the regeneration, knowing that it would change him beyond recognition. (PROSE: The Man in the Velvet Mask) Though he continued to be afraid of the change, (PROSE: Ten Little Aliens) the Doctor put on a brave face to comfort Polly Wright while dying as a prisoner of the Cybermen. After Ben rescued them, the Doctor hurryingly made his way back to the TARDIS, (TV: The Tenth Planet) and became determined to fight the regeneration, branding "the whole thing" as "ridiculous". (TV: The Doctor Falls) His fear of regenerating grew during an encounter with his twelfth incarnation, where he learned he would become known as "the Doctor of War" to the Testimony, and saw recordings of the conflicts his future selves would participate in. However, after witnessing the Twelfth Doctor alter time to spare two lives on a battlefield, the First Doctor understood what he would truly become, and decided to return to the South Pole to regenerate, (TV: Twice Upon a Time) using the last of his strength to unlock the door for Ben and Polly. (TV: The Tenth Planet)
Habits and quirks
The First Doctor would frequently end his sentences with a questioning hum, something which was picked up by those that acquired elements of his personality, such as Jano (TV: The Savages) and the newly-regenerated Fifth Doctor. (TV: Castrovalva) He also made a habit of putting his fingers to his lips when thinking, an impulse that was also subconsciously adopted by Jano when he absorbed a piece of the Doctor's consciences. (TV: The Savages)
The First Doctor polluted his speech with unpredictable stuttering (TV: "The Ambush", "The Edge of Destruction", "The Brink of Disaster", "The Temple of Evil", "The Unwilling Warriors", "Kidnap", "A Bargain of Necessity", "Prisoners of Conciergerie", "Day of Reckoning", "All Roads Lead to Rome", "The Web Planet", "The Dimensions of Time", "Journey into Terror", "The Feast of Steven", The Savages, The War Machines) and the occasional mangled or incorrect phrase or word, (TV: "The Dead Planet", "The Survivors", "The Brink of Disaster",Rider from Shang-Tu, "The Sea of Death", "Sentence of Death", "Strangers in Space", "A Race Against Death", "The Centre","The Planet of Decision", "Horse of Destruction", "Day of Armageddon", "Devil's Planet", "Escape Switch") though ironically would take it upon himself to see that others' used proper diction. (TV: "The Plague")
He also made a habit of repeatedly uttering "dear", (TV: "The Cave of Skulls", "The Ordeal", "The Roof of the World", "The Warriors of Death", "The Daleks", "The Powerful Enemy", "The Web Planet", "The Wheel of Fortune", "The Space Museum", "The Death of Time", The War Machines) "yes", (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Forest of Fear", "The Dead Planet", "The Escape", "The Ordeal", "The Rescue", "The Edge of Destruction", "The Roof of the World", "The Velvet Web", "Sentence of Death", "A Race Against Death", "Guests of Madame Guillotine", "A Change of Identity", "Planet of Giants", "The Daleks", "The Slave Traders", "All Roads Lead to Rome", "The Web Planet", "The Zarbi", "The Space Museum", "Flight Through Eternity", "The Watcher", "Trap of Steel", "Horse of Destruction", "Day of Armageddon", "Coronas of the Sun", "The Feast of Steven", "War of God", "Bell of Doom", "Don't Shoot the Pianist", The Savages, The War Machines, The Smugglers) "no", (TV: "The Rescue", "The Edge of Destruction", "Kidnap", "A Desperate Venture", "Planet of Giants", "The Powerful Enemy", "The Web Planet", "The Executioners", "The Planet of Decision", "Trap of Steel", "A Holiday for the Doctor") "wait", (TV: "The Day of Darkness", "Planet of Giants") and, "of course". (TV: "A Change of Identity", "The Web Planet", "Johnny Ringo")
When something made him laugh, the Doctor would release a series of small, high-pitched chuckles. (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Ordeal", "The Edge of Destruction", "The Roof of the World", "The Wall of Lies", "The Keys of Marinus", "Strangers in Space", "A Race Against Death", "A Desperate Venture", "Planet of Giants", "Crisis", "The Daleks", "The Powerful Enemy", "Desperate Measures", "The Slave Traders", "All Roads Lead to Rome", "Inferno", "The Web Planet", "Crater of Needles", "The Knight of Jaffa", "The Wheel of Fortune", "The Space Museum", "The Dimensions of Time", "The Final Phase", "Journey into Terror", "The Watcher", "A Battle of Wits", "Checkmate", "Four Hundred Dawns", "Trap of Steel", "Death of a Spy", "The Nightmare Begins", "Golden Death", "War of God", "Bell of Doom", "The Final Test", The War Machines)
He was frequently sarcastic towards those around him, seemingly to elevate himself above lesser intellects, (TV: "An Unearthly Child") and was not above teasing those who annoyed him, (TV: "The Slave Traders", "The Dimensions of Time", "The Watcher") such as by deliberately ignoring them when he wanted them to leave him alone. (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Dead Planet") When he wished to not engage someone in conversation, he would bluntly tell them to "go away". (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Bride of Sacrifice", "Strangers in Space", "The Daleks", "The Meddling Monk")
He would address young women as "child" and "young lady", and younger men as either "my boy" or "young man", or, in Ian Chesterton's case, he would address someone by their surname, although he would get Ian's surname wrong. (TV: "The Expedition") He also enjoyed making puns. (TV: "The Daleks", "The Warlords") When he found something of interest, he would describe it as "fascinating". (TV: "The Dead Planet", "The Sea of Death", "The Slave Traders", "The Death of Time", "Trap of Steel", "Volcano") and would mutter, "eh-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-", when interrupting someone. (TV: "A Bargain of Necessity", "The Slave Traders", "The Space Museum", "The Executioners", "The Death of Doctor Who", "Four Hundred Dawns", "Volcano", "Golden Death", "The Abandoned Planet", "Bell of Doom", "The O.K. Corral", The Savages)
The Doctor would utter variants of, "Good gracious me", when he was either surprised, (TV: "Desperate Measures", "The Slave Traders", "Inferno", "The Space Museum", "The Watcher", "Checkmate", "Devil's Planet", "Coronas of the Sun", "Bell of Doom", "The Steel Sky", "The Plague", "Don't Shoot the Pianist", The Savages, The War Machines, The Smugglers) annoyed, (TV: "Desperate Measures", "The Slave Traders", "Escape to Danger", "The Executioners", "The Death of Time", "Flight Through Eternity", "Checkmate", "A Holiday for the Doctor", "Johnny Ringo", The Smugglers) out of breath, (TV: "Four Hundred Dawns") or amused. (TV: "Trap of Steel", "The Feast of Steven", "Bell of Doom")
He would say, "come along", when instructing people to follow him. (TV: "The Edge of Destruction", "Assassin at Peking", "The Sea of Death", "Kidnap", "World's End", "The Waking Ally", "The Powerful Enemy", "All Roads Lead to Rome", "The Web Planet", "The Lion", "The Dimensions of Time", "The Executioners", "Flight Through Eternity", "Journey into Terror", "The Death of Doctor Who", "Checkmate", "Death of a Spy", "Day of Armageddon", "Counter Plot", "War of God", "Bell of Doom", "The Plague", "The Bomb", The Savages, The War Machines, The Smugglers, The Tenth Planet, The Five Doctors, Twice Upon a Time)
The Doctor often made speeches, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Brink of Disaster", "Flashpoint", "The Traitors", "Bell of Doom", "The Bomb") and had a knack for and proverbs. (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Cave of Skulls", "The Rescue", "The Brink of Disaster", The Keys of Marinus, "Strangers in Space", "Prisoners of Conciergerie", "The Dimensions of Time")
The Doctor tended to hold onto his lapels while confronting someone, (TV: "The Cave of Skulls", "The Brink of Disaster", "The Unwilling Warriors", "Flashpoint", "Escape to Danger", "The Steel Sky", "The Final Test", The War Machines, The Tenth Planet, Twice Upon a Time) speaking, (TV: "The Dead Planet", "The Rescue", "Sentence of Death", "The Day of Darkness", "Flashpoint", "The Space Museum", "The Dimensions of Time", "The Executioners", "Journey into Terror", "The Plague", "The Bomb", "A Holiday for the Doctor", The Tenth Planet, The Doctor Falls, Twice Upon a Time) preparing himself, (TV: "The Dead Planet", "Desperate Measures", "A Battle of Wits", The Savages, The War Machines, Twice Upon a Time) expressing happiness, (TV: "The Ambush", "The Brink of Disaster", "The Powerful Enemy", "Desperate Measures", "The Final Phase", "Escape Switch", "The Final Test", "Don't Shoot the Pianist") thinking, (TV: "The Expedition", "The Brink of Disaster", "Strangers in Space", "World's End", "The Powerful Enemy", "The Centre", "The Space Museum", "The Dimensions of Time", "Journey into Terror", "The Planet of Decision", "The Plague", The War Machines, The Five Doctors) and when feeling defensive. (TV: "The Edge of Destruction", "A Race Against Death", "A Land of Fear", "The Daleks", "The Space Museum", "The Death of Time", "Day of Armageddon", "The Return", "Don't Shoot the Pianist", "Johnny Ringo", The Savages, The Smugglers, The Five Doctors)
He would sometimes strum the tips of his fingers together, (TV: "The Expedition", "The Rescue", "The Edge of Destruction", "Strangers in Space", "A Race Against Death", "Kidnap", "Planet of Giants", "Dangerous Journey", "Crisis", "The Web Planet", "The Lion", "The Wheel of Fortune", "The Space Museum", "The Final Phase", "Flight Through Eternity", "The Watcher", "A Battle of Wits", "The Final Test", "The O.K. Corral", The War Machines, The Smugglers) or would interlock his fingers when explaining something, (TV: "The Cave of Skulls", "Sentence of Death", "Strangers in Space", "Conspiracy", "Flight Through Eternity", "Journey into Terror", "The Plague", "The Return", "The Final Test", "The O.K. Corral", The War Machines) in contemplation, (TV: "The Escape", The Edge of Destruction", "The Brink of Disaster", "The Unwilling Warriors", "Hidden Danger", "A Race Against Death", "Planet of Giants", "Escape to Danger", "The Space Museum", "The Dimensions of Time", "The Watcher", "Escape Switch", "The Plague", The War Machines, The Smugglers) when negotiating, (TV: "Hidden Danger", "Escape to Danger", "The Lion", "The Wheel of Fortune", "The Dimensions of Time", "Checkmate", "The Steel Sky", "The Final Test") or simply when having nothing else to do with his hands. (TV: "Kidnap", "The Web Planet", "Escape to Danger", "Crater of Needles", "The Knight of Jaffa", "The Wheel of Fortune", "The Final Phase", "The Watcher", "The Plague", The War Machines, The Tenth Planet)
He would point his index finger upwards when making a point, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "The Ambush", "The Sea of Death", "The Velvet Web", "The Keys of Marinus", "The Temple of Evil", "The Unwilling Warriors", "Crater of Needles", "The Steel Sky", "The Final Test") and was known to also cusp his hands together in front of his chest, (TV: "The Dead Planet", "A Race Against Death", "The Web Planet", "The Wheel of Fortune", "The Space Museum", "Escape Switch") and scratch his fingers with his thumbs when making a fist. (TV: "The Escape", "The Ambush", "The Sea of Death", "Sentence of Death", "Strangers in Space", "A Race Against Death", "Planet of Giants", "Crisis", "Flashpoint", "The Slave Traders", "All Roads Lead to Rome", "Conspiracy", "The Zarbi", "The Wheel of Fortune", "The Space Museum" , "The Dimensions of Time", "The Final Phase", "Flight Through Eternity", "The Death of Doctor Who", "A Battle of Wits", "Checkmate", "Day of Armageddon", "The Steel Sky", "The Return", "A Holiday for the Doctor", The Tenth Planet)
Whenever he coughed, he would waft his handkerchief around. (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "Guests of Madame Guillotine", "Planet of Giants", "World's End", "The Waking Ally")
He was also known to cross his arms together, (TV: "The Expedition", "Strangers in Space", "The Unwilling Warriors") stand with his hands behind his back, (TV: The Edge of Destruction", "The Brink of Disaster", "Strangers in Space", "The Unwilling Warriors", "Hidden Danger", "World's End", "The Daleks", "Flashpoint", "Desperate Measures", "The Web Planet", "Escape to Danger", "The Space Museum", "The Dimensions of Time", "The Death of Time", "Journey into Terror", "The Steel Sky", "The Return", "The Bomb", "The Final Test") and would sometimes stand with his hands in his pockets, flicking his coat back as he did so. (TV: "The Edge of Destruction", "The Temple of Evil", "The Bride of Sacrifice", "Strangers in Space", "The Unwilling Warriors", "Hidden Danger", "Desperate Measures", "The Space Museum", The War Machines, The Tenth Planet)
As he was on the run from the Time Lords, (AUDIO: The Five Companions) the Doctor never stated the nature of his own origins, other than to hint that Susan and himself were exiled from another place and time, (TV: "An Unearthly Child") and to state that he and the Monk originated on the same world. (TV: "Checkmate")
The First Doctor was very particular about how others addressed him; he never liked how Drax called him "Theta Sigma", (PROSE: Divided Loyalties) refused to answer to the name "Dr. Foreman", (TV: "The Cave of Skulls") disliked being referred to as "Doc", (TV: "Flashpoint", "The Watcher", The Five Doctors) and also didn't like being called "Pop". (TV: "Don't Shoot the Pianist")
When met with a concept he rejected, he would describe the ideas as "rubbish".[source needed] He had a tendency to use "ugly costumer" when referring to his opponents. (COMIC: The Klepton Parasites, The Hijackers of Thrax) He would also exclimate, "Great powers", when surprised. (COMIC: The Haunted Planet, The Underwater Robot, Return of the Trods)
Skills
The First Doctor was more of an intellectual incarnation, and would mostly leave the fighting to others, due to his older and frail appearance. (PROSE: The Eleventh Tiger) He was certainly a thinker, preferring to find the best way of tricking himself out of a situation to achieve victory, (TV: "The Firemaker", "Guests of Madame Guillotine", "All Roads Lead to Rome", "Conspiracy", "The Knight of Jaffa") with the Doctor believing that knowledge was the only way to defeat the "evil creatures" of the universe. (PROSE: Salvation) Because of this, the Elders recognised him as a man of infinite wisdom. (TV: The Savages)
Trying his best to avoid making "uninformed guesses", (TV: "Strangers in Space") the Doctor' broad range of knowledge allowed him to make various complex calculations from memory. (PROSE: City at World's End) He could be an effective detective when the situation called for it, (TV: "Sentence of Death") and also see a person's true character behind their attempts to disguise it. (TV: "War of God", The Smugglers) At the conclusion of the Game of Rassilon, it was the First Doctor who realised the meaning of the riddle in the Tower of Rassilon, with none of his future incarnations uncovering the meaning until he explained it to them. (TV: The Five Doctors)
Whilst normally peaceful, the Doctor would, when pressed, resort to hand-to-hand combat with an effectiveness which belied his age, (TV: "All Roads Lead to Rome", "The Lion", "The Death of Time") usually relying on his intelligence to outwit his opponents and to find simple ways to deflect attacks, (PROSE: The Eleventh Tiger) and using whatever he could get his hands on as a weapon. (TV: "Desperate Measures", "All Roads Lead to Rome") He was at least able to overpower Dako when he took him by surprise, (TV: "The Dimensions of Time") and managed to take down the First Monk after he had sufficiently intimidated him. (TV: "Escape Switch") He proved to be a capable swordsman, (TV: "The Lion") even if he had to use his cane as a makeshift blade. (TV: "The Waking Ally", "The Death of Doctor Who") At other times, however, the Doctor revealed age-related vulnerabilities, such as needing to catch his breath after a long period of running, (TV: "The Forest of Fear") the rheumatism he suffered from that flared up if he was exposed to cold, (TV: "The Final Phase") and Ian noted that the Doctor's moments of physical activity often left him more fatigued and weary than he normally was after the effort was over. (PROSE: The Eleventh Tiger)
While he proved inept with a hand gun, (PROSE: The Gunfighters) the Doctor was a crack shot with long-range firearms, (COMIC: On the Web Planet, Space Station Z-7) and could also hit a target with a frisbee. (COMIC: The Galaxy Games)
Having been taught by the Master, (PROSE: The Dark Path) the Doctor could perform hypnosis, using a fob watch to induce sleep in a giant lizard, (COMIC: Lizardworld) and using his signet ring to break Dodo Chaplet's mind control by the artificial intelligence WOTAN, causing her to sleep for two days and forget her ordeal. (TV: The War Machines) He once claimed he could read minds. (TV: "The Unwilling Warriors")
The First Doctor was something of an inventor, being able to tinker with machines until they were functional, (TV: "The Executioners") rework technologies to suit his benefits, (TV: "Air Lock", "Destruction of Time") and build new contraptions for his needs. (TV: "Death of a Spy", The War Machines)
The Doctor could diagnose atropine poisoning, and was able to quickly create an antidote when he had the right equipment, (TV: "A Race Against Death") and was also able to manufacture a cure to a mutation of the common cold. (TV: "The Plague") He could also recognise a dislocated bone on sight, and fix it just as quickly. (TV: The Smugglers)
Though he required spectacles for reading, the Doctor's eyesight was better than a human's. (PROSE: The Plotters)
The Doctor could pilot a rocket, (COMIC: The Experimenters) drive a car, (PROSE: The Time Travellers) and ride a horse, though he found it uncomfortable to do so. (PROSE: Bunker Soldiers)
While the Doctor had virtually no control over his TARDIS, (TV: "The Dead Planet") due in part to piloting it by himself without the needed amount of pilots, (TV: Journey's End) he was able to pilot the TARDIS to Venus circa 3000000000 BC, explaining that, as it was close to the origin of the universe, plotting coordinates was more stable, though the process was still difficult, causing the TARDIS to shake badly during the journey. (PROSE: Venusian Lullaby) After a period of time where Rassilon allowed him complete control over his TARDIS, (PROSE: The Witch Hunters) the Doctor had gained enough experience to return the TARDIS to 1986 Antarctica from 1914 Ypres. However, he wasn't confident in his ability to pilot it after initially taking off from Antarctica and was amazed by his future incarnation's ability to flawlessly pilot the TARDIS to Villengard. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)
The Doctor once claimed to be able to speak all the Chinese dialects, (PROSE: The Eleventh Tiger) and could also read Old High Gallifreyan. (TV: The Five Doctors)
The Doctor was a skilled gambler, being able to win half of Asia in a game of backgammon with Kublai Khan, (TV: "Assassin at Peking") and could at least imitate the voice of the Celestial Toymaker. (TV: "The Final Test") He was an effective pickpocket. (TV: "Guests of Madame Guillotine")
He was also quick to learn new skills when required; when trapped on the planet Avalon, the Doctor spent a few days being coached in the planet's "magic" by Kilvenny Odoyle, and was then able to hold his own against the powerful magician, Gramling, in a magical duel, at one point engaging Gramling on his own after his enemy had been weakened by Odoyle and Anni Glassfeather. (PROSE: The Sorcerer's Apprentice) He had also been trained to be a ninja while on Quinnis. (PROSE: The Devil Goblins from Neptune)
The Doctor had a knack for knowing one's character and finding who to trust, (TV: "Assassin at Peking") and had the ability to sense an alien presence, getting goose bumps upon seeing the Post Office Tower and claiming that there was "something alien" about it. (TV: The War Machines)
The First Doctor could suppress strong bouts of pain though sheer willpower. (PROSE: A Big Hand for the Doctor) He proved a stealthy person, able to draw out the First Monk from his monastery hideout and sneak in when his back was turned. (TV: "A Battle of Wits")
Appearance
In his youth, the Doctor had short, light brown hair, (COMIC: Vortex Butterflies) and claimed that he was considered "quite a looker". (PROSE: The Plotters) Though other accounts disagreed with her statement, (COMIC: Time & Time Again; TV: The Name of the Doctor) Iris Wildthyme claimed that, when the Doctor first fled Gallifrey, he looked younger than the Eighth Doctor, with his hair not yet greyed. (PROSE: The Scarlet Empress) One account implied that the First Doctor's body was prematurely aged by too many different gravities and too many "close encounters with death". (PROSE: Prisoners of the Sun)
By the time he met Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, the Doctor appeared to be a man in his early sixties, (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy) who had shoulder length, greyish-white hair that grew around the back of his head, and piercing blue eyes that rested under expressive eyebrows, (TV: An Unearthly Child) though Shivani Bajwa desribed his eyes as being a mixed blue-green in colour. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill) According to his war incarnation, the First Doctor was colour-blind. (PROSE: The Day of the Doctor) He had short hairs growing on his arms. (TV: "Flight Through Eternity")
A part of the Doctor disliked being "trapped in an old, decrepit body". (PROSE: Ten Little Aliens)
James Stirling was told by a shopkeeper that the First Doctor was a "white-haired old gentleman", (TV: "The Tyrant of France") while Martin had been told by the head undertaker that the Doctor was "an old geezer with white hair." (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) When Ace encountered the First Doctor in the Seventh Doctor's mind, she noticed that he kept his "silver hair swept back" and had a "long, hawklike nose". (PROSE: Timewyrm: Revelation) When Legion took on the appearance of the First Doctor, William Blake saw him as "an old man with neck length grey hair". (PROSE: The Pit) When she found his wanted poster, Bernice Summerfield described the First Doctor as "a dignified-looking white-haired man in an Edwardian frock coat". (PROSE: Sanctuary) A waiter once described the First Doctor as the "little old man with the long grey hair". (PROSE: The Meeting)
Kitty though that the Doctor he looked like "that disc jockey", (TV: The War Machines) while Sir Charles Summer described him as "an English gentleman in his early sixties, with imperious white hair swept back from his face and reaching almost to collar length, with haughty features and piercing eyes that burned with intelligence and wit." (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy)
The Fourth Doctor, when reflecting on his change of appearance after his first regeneration, called the First Doctor a "distinguished white-haired gentleman". (AUDIO: The Power of the Daleks) The Fifth Doctor described his first incarnation as an "old man", (PROSE: Five Card Draw) with the Eighth Doctor calling him a "white-haired old man with a fierce beak of a nose", (PROSE: The Eight Doctors) a "arthritic old buzzard" (PROSE: The Taint) and a "crotchety old man". (PROSE: Escape Velocity)
When Affinity took on the First Doctor's appearance, the Twelfth Doctor noted that his first incarnation was "an elderly gentleman," with his "white hair receded from a high forehead and spilled over the collar at the back of his neck." The manifestation was dressed "in a [typically Victorian] dark jacket and checked trousers with a thin black cravat." (PROSE: Silhouette)
Clothing
Main attires
Making his fashion decisions with a computer to better blend in with modern society, (PROSE: A Big Hand for the Doctor) the First Doctor affected a slightly eccentric Edwardian dress sense, wearing a double breasted town coat of ebony black velvet with a shawl collar, a beige tweed waistcoat over a white shirt with a royal blue ribbon tie, grey tartan trousers, and shiny elasticated boots when he left Earth with Susan, Ian and Barbara. (TV: "An Unearthly Child") On occasion, the Doctor instead wore a mustardy brown waistcoat and a cream ascot tie with ivory stripes to accompany his usual gear, (TV: "The Powerful Enemy") and would replace his dark coat with a light blue blazer jacket. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Daleks)
The Doctor wore a blue signet ring on the middle finger of his right hand, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", Twice Upon a Time) which had special powers, such as to unlock the TARDIS doors, (TV: "The Web Planet") facilitate hypnotism and protect the Doctor from an electrical shock. (TV: The War Machines) He also often wore a small silver ring on the little finger of his left hand. (TV: "The Edge of Destruction") On occasions, he did not wear his rings and wore fingerless gloves instead. (TV: The Tenth Planet, The Five Doctors)
He would occasionally wear a cape, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", "Planet of Giants", "The Lion", "The Watcher", The War Machines, The Smugglers, The Tenth Planet) and would don a scarf when in the cold. (TV: "An Unearthly Child", The Tenth Planet) For headgear, he would wear an Astrakhan, (TV: "An Unearthly Child", The War Machines, The Tenth Planet) or a white Panama hat. (TV: "The Dead Planet", "The Executioners", "Golden Death")
He also carried a monocle on a necklace that he would use for examinations, (TV: "The Unwilling Warriors", "The Daleks", "The Web Planet", "The Space Museum", "The Dimensions of Time", "Air Lock", "Day of Armageddon", The War Machines, Twice Upon a Time) and sometimes wore half-moon reading glasses. (TV: "The Ambush", "A Race Against Death", "World's End", "The Powerful Enemy", "Inferno", "The Executioners", "Escape Switch", "The Plague", The War Machines, The Tenth Planet)
He also used a smoking pipe on at least one occasion, (TV: "The Cave of Skulls") and also employed a walking stick (TV: Marco Polo) given to him by Kublai Khan. (COMIC: The Forgotten)
Other costumes
When adventuring into Earth's past, the First Doctor would make changes to his wardrobe so as to blend in with the local population, (TV: "A Change of Identity", "The Slave Traders", "The Lion", "War of God") and would gladly accept the vestments of extraterrestrial societies. (TV: "Kidnap", The Savages)
When he traveled to Marinus during the Battle for the Great Power, the Doctor wore a yellow space suit with a blue sash and silver neck collar, with a green hooded cloak as an accessory. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Daleks)
To keep himself warm in Christmas-land, the Doctor donned a dark inverness coat with yellow stripes on the trims. (COMIC: A Christmas Story)
Mysteries and discrepancies
- When he, Ian, Barbara and Vicki were being chased by the Daleks through time in TV: The Chase, the Doctor claimed to have built his TARDIS, contrasting later accounts that showed him having stolen the ship from a workshop, as well as a statement from TV: The Impossible Planet that described TARDISes as being "grown" rather than built. PROSE: The Taking of Planet 5 would try to rectify the statement by explaining that the Doctor had added various components to the TARDIS console to prevent himself forming a complete mental link to the ship that would have made it easier for the Time Lords to find him.
- The matter of the Doctor's age and how long he lived in his first incarnation is unclear, the Second Doctor stated that he was around 450-years-old in TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen. In AUDIO: Here There Be Monsters, Susan compares him to an adolescent by Time Lord standards.
Behind the scenes
Casting
Actors considered for the role of "Doctor Who", as he was then known, included Geoffrey Bayldon [1], Cyril Cusack[2], Hugh David[3] and Leslie French.[4] Bayldon would later play an alternate version of the First Doctor in two Unbound adventures for Big Finish Productions: NOTVALID: Auld Mortality and NOTVALID: A Storm of Angels. William Hartnell had, up until that point, mainly played small-time thugs and other unsympathetic parts in crime films and humourless military men in comedies. Producer Verity Lambert was inspired to ask him to accept the role after seeing him in his well-known role in This Sporting Life, which convinced her that he could play a tough, yet shaded and sympathetic character.
Other actors in the role
During the First Doctor's tenure, other actors occasionally stood in for Hartnell, either for demanding scenes or due to Hartnell being ill or otherwise unavailable, such as Albert Ward, who served as a hand double for Hartnell during The Romans, (DWM 251) The Celestial Toymaker, (DWM 196) and The Smugglers. (DWM 321)
Brian Proudfoot stood in for Hartnell during location filming of the Doctor roaming the French countryside on foot in long shots for The Reign of Terror, being photographed from the back. (DWM 204) He later doubled for Hartnell again during The Space Museum. (DWM 316)
Edmund Warwick stood in for Hartnell in the third episode of The Dalek Invasion of Earth after Hartnell suffered an on-set injury. (DWM 280) Warwick later played the Doctor in some scenes of The Chase when Hartnell was playing the Robot Doctor.
Gordon Craig doubled for Hartnell during The Smugglers, (DWM 321) and then again during The Tenth Planet, first acting as a body double during the snowstorm scenes in the first episode, and then replacing Hartnell for all of the third episode after he was taken ill. (DWM 214)
When the time came for the First Doctor to appear in the 1983 Children in Need anniversary special TV: The Five Doctors, actor Richard Hurndall was hired to play the role, standing in for William Hartnell, who had died in the mid-1970s. A clip of Hartnell as the Doctor from The Dalek Invasion of Earth preceded the opening titles, and Hartnell's name appeared amongst those of his fellow Doctors in the end credits.
During the 50th anniversary year in 2013, Hartnell appeared in TV: The Name of the Doctor by way of manipulated stock footage and audio, allowing the actor to posthumously share dialogue with a Clara Oswald splinter on Gallifrey. Later in the same episode, the First Doctor is seen walking past the real Clara within the Doctor's time stream, with body double Kevin Legg [5] made up to emulate the appearance of Richard Hurndall. Later in 2013, Hartnell was again represented via stock footage in TV: The Day of the Doctor, but with John Guilor providing newly recorded dialogue, and Legg once again serving as a body double. (DWMSE 38)
David Bradley played Hartnell himself, playing the First Doctor, in the 2013 docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time. In 2017, Bradley was brought to the show proper, to play the First Doctor himself at the end of TV: The Doctor Falls as a lead in to the 2017 Christmas special, TV: Twice Upon a Time. Bradley also voiced the First Doctor in the Big Finish audio series The First Doctor Adventures.
In audio, William Russell officially voiced the First Doctor for Big Finish's The Light at the End, having previously voiced him in narration form during all the Companion Chronicles audios that featured his own character Ian. Russell would then reprise the role when required in The Early Adventures, while Peter Purves portrays him in the audios that feature Steven. After his casting, Elliot Chapman also began playing the Doctor in narration form in audios that feature Ben.
Other matters
- When introduced in the script for An Unearthly Child, the First Doctor was physically described with the statement, "His clothes are bizarre."
- Author Marc Platt's description of the First Doctor's portrait in the novel Lungbarrow was inspired by a 1930s picture of William Hartnell that he found in the BBC reference library. (REF: Lungbarrow ebook) The portrait was depicted by Daryl Joyce in an illustration for DWM 305.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Geoffrey Bayldon: Pop goes the Weazle. Total Sci-Fi Online (2010).
- ↑ The Changing Face of Doctor Who | How to regenerate a Time Lord. BBC Archive, Nearly Who, page 2.
- ↑ The Changing Face of Doctor Who | How to regenerate a Time Lord. BBC Archive, Nearly Who, page 1.
- ↑ Silver Nemesis. Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide. BBC (2003).
- ↑ https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?code=8514
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