William Hartnell makes authority uncomfortable, often with no more than the inflexion of an answer. We rate his Doctor highly for that unease; his film career too often returned him to sergeants and tough men.
Fi1m perspective
When William Hartnell's Doctor answers a question, he can make asking it seem like an offence. In Doctor Who (1963), we were unsettled by the contempt in those replies, because it made the person leading the adventure difficult to trust. That severity is a large part of why we recommend the performance. We have to pay attention to his temper before we can begin to feel comfortable with his judgement.
His breakthrough as Sergeant Ned Fletcher in The Way Ahead (1944) established him in military parts. Military men and tough characters occupied much of the next decade, with Sergeant Grimshawe in Carry On Sergeant (1958) continuing the pattern. Yet the soft-spoken Dallow in Brighton Rock (1948) is a useful reminder that a tough part need not mean a raised voice. Hartnell's varied inflexions gave such characters distinctions that their job descriptions might not suggest.
The turn came with This Sporting Life (1963), in which he played 'Dad' Johnson. That performance caught the attention of Doctor Who producer Verity Lambert and led to his casting as the Doctor. The new part gave his eccentricity somewhere to go beyond another variation on a sergeant. He could speak with authority without making that authority reassuring.
What matters is how little comfort there is in his explanations. A conversation can carry danger before the story supplies a threat, and Hartnell gives the dialogue more to do than explain the science fiction. Patrick Troughton's watchfulness makes a useful contrast: it is engaging where Hartnell's impatience puts us on our guard. Hartnell establishes a central character whose temperament matters as much as whatever trouble the story has found for him.
The qualification is the programme's pacing. Hartnell can make talk uncomfortable, but he cannot make every stretch of it brisk, and the patience Doctor Who asks for is substantial. Anyone drawn chiefly by the promise of quick adventures may find the waiting hard work. Start with Doctor Who for the uneasy company, and be prepared to let him talk.
Biography
William Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best known for playing the first incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966.
Hartnell began his career on stage in the 1920s, working with Frank Benson's company and appearing in Shakespearean productions. He made his film debut in Say It With Music (1932) and became noted for roles as sergeants and tough characters, including in The Way Ahead (1944), Brighton Rock (1948) and Carry On Sergeant (1958), as well as Company Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore in the sitcom The Army Game (1957–1960).
His performance in This Sporting Life (1963) led to his casting as the Doctor. He also appeared in The Mouse That Roared (1959) and Odd Man Out (1947). Hartnell reprised the role in The Three Doctors (1972–1973).
