1. William Hartnell Never Fell Ill
William Hartnells personal belief was that Doctor Whos shelf life was at least five years. I cant help but think that if the long and debilitating illness that caused him to leave the programme had never happened, it wouldnt have gone far beyond that. William Hartnell was never in perfect health while working on Doctor Who but it very rarely affected his performance apart from a few slip-ups (such as the line Two cinders floating around in space being spoken as Two cinders floating around in Spain) that are fondly referred to as Hartnellisms. But as time wore on, Hartnells condition deteriorated and the decision was finally made that he would step down from the role and a new actor would be cast, with the change in actor being explained as the Doctor Regenerating into a new body. Unless something miraculous happens, all narrative fiction has a point where it will end. It might be at the behest of the creators or interest in it might fall to point where its not profitable anymore. One of the only ways to stop that happening is if youre able to constantly reinvent the product and create new stories and characters to keep viewer interest up. The idea of Regeneration was that something miraculous and was the key to Doctor Who continuing for forty seven years after William Hartnell left. Although it was tragic and caused the world to lose a very talented actor, William Hartnells illness and subsequent retirement set Doctor Who on the path to where it is today by giving it a reason to change. Necessity is the mother of invention and the creation of Regeneration was borne from Hartnells declining health. Had he remained in good health and played the role for longer, Doctor Who probably would have ended much earlier than 1989 and wouldnt be the powerhouse of family drama and cultural icon that it is today.
What do you think could have set Doctor Who down a different path? Leave a comment...