First Doctor's cane
- You may be looking for the cane belonging to the Third Doctor or to the Eleventh Doctor.
The First Doctor possessed at least two canes, (PROSE: Echoes of Future Past [+]Loading...["Echoes of Future Past (short story)"], The Arboreals [+]Loading...["The Arboreals (short story)"], A Big Hand for the Doctor [+]Loading...["A Big Hand for the Doctor (short story)"]) also called walking sticks, (PROSE: The Exiles [+]Loading...["The Exiles (short story)"], Bide-a-Wee [+]Loading...["Bide-a-Wee (short story)"], AUDIO: Quinnis [+]Loading...["Quinnis (audio story)"]) which he sometimes brought with him when he ventured out of his TARDIS. (PROSE: The Arboreals [+]Loading...["The Arboreals (short story)"], Quinnis [+]Loading...["Quinnis (audio story)"])
One featured a twisting design at the top of the shaft (TV: Marco Polo [+]Loading...["Marco Polo (TV story)"], etc.) and the other did not feature this design. (TV: The Massacre [+]Loading...["The Massacre (TV story)"], The Five Doctors [+]Loading...["The Five Doctors (TV story)"], etc.)
Uses[[edit] | [edit source]]
Apart from the obvious use in assisting with walking, the Doctor's cane was sometimes used as a means of defence. (PROSE: A Big Hand for the Doctor [+]Loading...["A Big Hand for the Doctor (short story)"], AUDIO: Quinnis [+]Loading...["Quinnis (audio story)"], The Secrets of Det-Sen [+]Loading...["The Secrets of Det-Sen (audio story)"])
Description[[edit] | [edit source]]
The cane had a twisted shaft and an L-shaped silver handle. (TV: The Keys of Marinus [+]Loading...["The Keys of Marinus (TV story)"], PROSE: The Sorcerer's Apprentice [+]Loading...["The Sorcerer's Apprentice (novel)"])
History[[edit] | [edit source]]
Shortly after escaping Gallifrey with his granddaughter Susan, the First Doctor slept with his hands on the handle of his cane. (PROSE: The Exiles [+]Loading...["The Exiles (short story)"])
Later, he used his cane when he ventured out onto a planet with Susan. (PROSE: The Arboreals [+]Loading...["The Arboreals (short story)"])
When confronting the Soul Pirate Igby, the Doctor kept his cane stretched out in front of him as a means of defence, however Igby easily battered it away with his silver wrist-guard. (PROSE: A Big Hand for the Doctor [+]Loading...["A Big Hand for the Doctor (short story)"])
The Doctor had his cane with him when he ventured out onto Quinnis, at one point raising it up in front of him to fend off a Shrazer. (AUDIO: Quinnis [+]Loading...["Quinnis (audio story)"])
While living at 76 Totter's Lane, the Doctor used his cane to prod at some rubbish on the ground. (PROSE: Echoes of Future Past [+]Loading...["Echoes of Future Past (short story)"])
The Doctor used a cane in 1289 Cathay, after his journey by horseback from Cheng-Ting to Shang-Tu had left his body sore and aching. (TV: Marco Polo [+]Loading...["Marco Polo (TV story)"]) Shortly after departing Peking, the Doctor travelled to and used his walking stick once again. (PROSE: The Sorcerer's Apprentice [+]Loading...["The Sorcerer's Apprentice (novel)"]) On a visit to ancient Egypt, it saved the life of pharaoh Menkaure when the Doctor accidently blocked a poison dart with the stick while explaining its purpose. (COMIC: The Forgotten [+]Loading...["The Forgotten (comic story)"])
On one planet, the Doctor used his cane to knock a gun out of Deemon's had before he could use it to assassinate one of the sons of Grekk. (PROSE: The Sons of Grekk [+]Loading...["The Sons of Grekk (short story)"])
On Tiro, the Doctor used his cane to keep a giant cabbage plant's leaves from wrapping around him. (PROSE: Terror on Tiro [+]Loading...["Terror on Tiro (short story)"])
On Birr, the Rostrow thought that the Doctor's cane was a weapon and took it from him when they captured him. (COMIC: Mission for Duh [+]Loading...["Mission for Duh (comic story)"])
On Corbo, the Doctor hit Ulla with his cane when he attacked him. (PROSE: The Devil-Birds of Corbo [+]Loading...["The Devil-Birds of Corbo (short story)"])
On Rhoos, the Doctor drove off a leopard by lunging at it with his cane. (PROSE: The Playthings of Fo [+]Loading...["The Playthings of Fo (short story)"])
Many lifetimes later, the Tenth Doctor found his walking stick cane enshrined as the primary possession of his first incarnation in a "museum" within the TARDIS Matrix. When suffering from memory loss, touching the cane restored his recollections of the First Doctor's life, and he recalled the cane's role in saving Menkaure in particular. It would later be used alongside his other incarnations' possessions to give form to the First Doctor in the Time Lord's final confrontation with Es'Cartrss. (COMIC: The Forgotten [+]Loading...["The Forgotten (comic story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
Through the production of his era of Doctor Who, William Hartnell used at least two separate walking sticks.
The more iconic can be seen in such stories as TV: The Massacre and The Reign of Terror. However, another can be seen in one photo taken of Hartnell on the set of TV: The Massacre. This cane is nearly identical to the one used by Richard Hurndall in TV: The Five Doctors.
