If you were to instigate a police line-up of literatures most notorious anti-heroes, you might not expect to see the First Doctor glaring back at you through the safety of a two-way mirror.
But standing him proudly amongst the rain soaked murky cutthroat world of literature’s darkest impulses is An Adventure in Space and Time writer Mark Gatiss – who believes the Doctor to be touched with the same madness that makes characters like the Byronic Corsair or Taylor’s Amir Ali, so compelling.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Gatiss also spoke of the vulnerable ‘personal journey’ taken by William Hartnell during the inception of Doctor Who:
Tasked with capturing both sides of the Doctor and the actor charged with bring him to life will be former Doctor Who guest star and Harry Potter actor David Bradley, who, as it turns out Gatiss has been championing for the role for years:
Bradley will be joined in the drama by Brian Cox as Doctor Who producer Sydney Newman, Sacha Dhawan as director Waris Hussein and Jessica Raine as producer Verity Lambert.
As expected, to finally get his man and write the story he’s always wanted to tell, it’s been nothing but a joy for Gatiss:
I’m certainly looking forward to this, great to think that they haven’t just relied upon episodes and greatest hits type shows to celebrate this land mark. Few TV shows are still broadcast let alone produced 50 years after the first transmission, so the more variety they can use in the approach to educating and entertaining fans and casual viewers the better in my book!
I agree with Gatiss on this. Of all the Doctors Hartnell’s had the most dramatic and transformative character arc. In the early episodes he’s not merely a reluctant hero, but not a hero at all–he’s surly, abrasive, suspicious and even mean-spirited (especially in the unaired original pilot before producers opted to tone him down), has no desire to be a hero or an adventurer and in fact merely wants to be left alone. I’ve often wondered what made him this way at this point in his life as we gradually come to see that his true nature is much more vibrant and altruistic. Over the course of Hartnell’s tenure (and especially during that first season) we see the mischevious, heroic and morally-centered Doctor we know and love emerge from the bitter and withdrawn man we are first introduced to. Taken this way we can see how Hartnell’s beutifilly performed transformation sets up the character and the series for all that was toc come after him. If you haven’t gone back and enjoyed Hartnell’s tenure recently you should drop everything and watch them in order. It’s a dramatic and fascinating performance!
Sorry for the typos up there…jeepers that’s eembarassing! I was typing it on my phone and being harassed to hurry it up!