Doctor Who - The First Doctor

[Eman]

I just started watching the first episodes of Doctor Who when it first came on in 1963 on DVD. Wow William Hartnell was awesome and gave the Doctor a cantankerous feel and more like a crotchety old grandfather. Loved the Ian Chesterson and Barbara charachters and also Susan and later Vicki. I know William Russell is still alive and does conventions, but was he in anything besides Doctor Who? Now if I had really groovy and outta-site teachers (using 1960's slang here folks) like Mr. Chesterson and Barbara I would've liked school more. Trying to track to action figures of these icons!!!

[ROBERT M.]

I "vaguely" remember watching some of those early Doctor Who shows

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0257920/

[Eman]

Thanks Robert. The First Doctor was really cool. They are having specials about each Doctor on BBC America to celebrate the show's 50th Anniversary, that's how I got hooked on William Hartnell, William Russell and co. It's interesting to see all these little takes on the Doctor but I never knew the original one, but now I do and I love it!!

[Marian]

I remember William Russell was on tv quite a lot in those days Robert, before he was in Doctor Who.

Russell appeared in British films from 1950 onwards, appearing in well-known productions such as They Who Dare (1954), One Good Turn (1955), The Man Who Never Was (1956) and The Great Escape (1963). Later, he had minor roles in Superman: The Movie (1978) and Death Watch (1979) with Harvey Keitel and Harry Dean Stanton.


Russell has acted in many plays and TV series including Disraeli, Testament of Youth and the part of Ted Sullivan, the short-lived second husband of Rita Sullivan in Coronation Street. He also had a small part in an episode of The Black Adder, as a late replacement for Wilfrid Brambell, who had become impatient with delays to his scene and left the set before shooting it. Other roles include Lanscombe in an episode of the 2005 series of Agatha Christie's Poirot ("After the Funeral").
(From Wikipedia)

[Eman]

Thanks Marian, for the info! I saw he was on a show called "The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" and they showed it here in the U.S. In fact I read it was the first British show that was aired here. I'm gonna see if I can find it on Amazon on DVD. I love those kinds of stories also. When I was watching the DVD extras on Doctor Who, it seems like he's a really decent and nice guy in real life. They had stories on how he and the actress that played Barbara would help William Hartnell by taking up the slack and ad-libing when Hartnell would mess up his lines as he was falling fast to his illness. . Seems Hartnell couldn't also understand why they wanted to move on after two years and had a fit when they left as they were already like a tight knit family.

[Marian]

Hope you find the DVD Eman.

[jon]

Hi EMan

I'm a lifelong Dr who fan - fond memories of watching it in the 60s and 70s, though I'm not quite old enough to remember watching the Hartnell stories on their original transmission. Ian and Barbara have always been some of my favcurite companions (along with Sarah and Harrry from the Tom Baker years). You might be interested to know that William Russell will be appearing in the drama-documentary, "An Adventure in Time and Space", currently being made about the origins of Dr Who and to be transmitted in November but not as Ian Chesterton - he will be playing a different character altogether (full details not announced yet), and younger actors will be taking the parts of Ian, Barbara and the Doctor etc. He also took part in a recent panel discussion of the Hartnell years at the British Film Institute in London which may still be available on the BFI website.

[Eman]

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the info. After Ian and Barbara left, I stopped watching the Hartnell years, though I did like him as the Doctor and Vicki, I couldn't stand Ian and Barbara's replacement, Steven Taylor and then the other ones like Dodo, etc. I read about "An Adventure In Time And Space" and I can't wait to see it. Hopefully they will show it here in the US. On the 28th BBC America is going to air a special on the Second Doctor.

Marian, I did find the DVD of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot. I was watching an episode on You Tube and my Dad saw it and said, Son, I remember watching that in 1956, that was one of the first shows I saw on American television after I joined the Navy two years earlier. Wow!! So I'm excited for it to come so he and I can watch it, like my Mum and I watch Downton. LOL