Doctor Who: EVERY Doctor Ranked Worst To Best

Pitting the original Doctor alongside his successors always feels weird.

He set the template for every Doctor that has followed. And yet, he’s also not quite the version of the character that we know and love today.

Echoing Doctor Who’s own origins as a show that should both educate and entertain, the First Doctor was a traditional Victorian/Edwardian adventurer, simply out to explore the universe. Stern and stubborn, he nevertheless had a twinkle in his eye, plus a grandfatherly warmth, incorporating elements of Father Christmas and the Wizard of Oz.

This was also the Doctor at his most mysterious, unencumbered by the lore additions that would come later, and in some respects would weigh down and overcomplicate the show and the character.

Regrettably, Hartnell’s ailing health impacted his performance as time went on, resulting in regular line fluffs (which are nevertheless charming in hindsight), a reduced role in later stories, and, ultimately, his departure from the show.

In the years following, other actors and writers would develop the character of the Doctor more. But none of that would have been possible if Hartnell and co. hadn’t created such a compelling character in the first place.