10 Times Doctor Who Gave Fans EXACTLY What They Wanted (And They Hated It)

When Mark Gatiss' beautiful tribute to the creation of Doctor Who aired in the run-up to the 50th anniversary, many fans were hopeful that David Bradley could even play the First Doctor in a future episode. Bradley was an excellent Hartnell, capturing both the actor's twinkle, as well as his occasional bitterness and short temper.

Those aspects of Hartnell's character were intrinsically linked to his portrayal of the Doctor from 1963 to 1966. So, it wasn't a huge stretch to imagine Bradley playing the role in the main show, especially as Hartnell had already been recast in The Five Doctors. So it was that, on the eve of introducing the first female Doctor, the Twelfth Doctor met the First Doctor at the North Pole.

With Twice Upon A Time, Steven Moffat wrote a Christmas special in which two world-weary Doctors bickered with each other. Many fans who were keen to see Bradley's portrayal of the Doctor were disappointed by a character who was a bit sexist and chauvinist. A product of the 1960s, basically.

It was easy to see what Moffat was doing - writing a story about being presented with your younger, less-refined self. However, Doctor Who fans saw this as disrespectful towards the First Doctor, and they weren't happy about it.