Ben: The Doctor always wore this. If you are him it should fit... That settles it!
The Doctor: I'd like to see a butterfly fit into a chrysalis case after it spreads its wings.
Polly: Then you did change.
The Doctor: Life depends on change, and renewal.
William Hartnell played
the First Doctor, from 1963 – 1966. He was an incredible actor,
bringing us a perfect Doctor right at the very beginning of his adventures. In those
mysterious, black and white days, Hartnell created a Doctor
of mystery and intrigue, a fighter of evil, and a man even
capable of falling in love. Every element of each Doctor since
Hartnell was done by him first, whether to a larger or smaller
extent. He set the standard, and was always going to be a tough act
to follow.
When William
Hartnell decided to leave the show, back in 1966, the BBC had a
number of options when replacing him. They could get a Hartnell
look-a-like to carry on the show, or even cast a widely different
actor in the role but still pretend he's the same bloke. Either of
these safe, mundane choices could have cost the show its next 47
years on television. Luckily, cleverly, they did something never
before attempted in a series. They made the change of actor a part
of the shows' mythology! Viewers would see the Doctor physically
change into a different man. Even James Bond could never have done
that (and this was even before the Bond films had changed their
leading man at all)!
The
idea of regeneration, or 'renewal', as it was then termed, was a
brilliant idea, and the perfect 'get-out clause' for a show that
needed to swap its star. But never one to rest on their laurels, the
producers, having changed William Hartnell into newcomer Patrick
Troughton, decided to leave the audience in some doubt over the new
chap for a while. A brave, daring choice that added new spice to a
show that had been on air for 3 years already.
*
Part
one of 'Power of the Daleks' is terrifying. Alien, claustrophobic,
mysterious. A hot planet with mercury swamps, murderous humans
double-crossing each other, and a deadly capsule containing the
dreaded Daleks.
But
the scariest thing about this story, the first episode in particular,
is Patrick Troughton in his début adventure. Once he has taken over
from Hartnell, his Doctor starts to act a bit oddly (what we now
refer to as 'post-regenerative trauma'). But more than that, he's
dangerous with it. The fiendish laugh Troughton gives near the
episodes' beginning is absolutely terrifying, and that, combined with
his choosing to speak of 'the Doctor' in third person, almost leads
the audience to think that maybe some evil alien imposter has
hijacked the Doctor's body....
In
his first ever episode, the Second Doctor also gets his trusty
recorder. Now seen as a whimsical, Troughton-esque quirk, in 'Power
of the Daleks', its presence is almost chilling. Although 'Power...'
no longer exists on film, the images conjured up by the audio track
of this strange new man dancing around the TARDIS, playing his
instrument, are disturbing, child-like and sinister. Perhaps the
audio-only aspect adds to the atmosphere of this unusual piper –
strutting about like a jester from the Devil's Court. The undertones
are subtle, though, quietly sowing seeds of doubt and fear, unlike
the blatant insanity of the misjudged 'The Twin Dilemma'.
Once
the Doctor leaves the TARDIS to explore, however, the sinister
elements slowly fade from his character; the old, Hartnell heroism
slowly taking over. From rushing to the aid of a man who has just
been shot, to giving his companion Ben a reassuring wink, we soon
start to feel a bit safer around this renewed man.
Polly
warms to the Doctor faster than Ben, who finds the lack of
information on the Doctors' change of appearance (not to mention his
constant tooting on the recorder) massively frustrating. But the
stubbornness is just a front. The game-playing and silliness are just
façades Troughtons' Doctor hides behind, and they quickly crumble
away once his fear begins to creep through. His fear when stumbling
upon his mortal enemies...
As
Part 1 draws to a close, the audience starts to warm toward this new
Doctor, accept him. What better way to cement his status as the new
Doctor, then, than have him come face-to-face with his oldest and
deadliest enemies? And even more so, to have the Daleks recognise
him?
'Power
of the Daleks' is an amazing story, with a game-changing first
episode. Throughout the six-part adventure, Patrick Troughton gave us
a glimpse of the many facets of his Doctor's character – the
whimsical child, the cosmic hobo, the dark manipulator, the fighter
of evil – and these would develop over the next three years, before
becoming staples of many future Doctors.
By
refusing to go down the obvious route, Patrick Troughton not only
gave us a brilliant and influential Doctor, but he also gave our
beloved show immortality. William Hartnell was excellent, of course,
but without the concept of regeneration, the series could not have
continued. And the regeneration would have counted for nothing, if
the right man hadn't been chosen to continue where William Hartnell
left off.
50
years of Doctor Who. We owe it all to Patrick Troughton.
For more on the Troughton era:
