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Jessica Carney | 270 pages | 01 Sep 2013 | Fantom Films Limited | 9781781960998 | English | Coventry, United Kingdom Who's There?: The Life and Career of William Hartnell by Jessica Carney

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights. has been on our screens sincewhen the science-fiction series everyone has come to know and love took viewer's breath away with its magic and adventure. Over the years we've seen 13 Doctors come and go, but the very first to take on the role was actor William Hartnell, who played for three years, and his exit was very different to that of his successors. Hartnell had enjoyed a long and successful career in film and television before he took on the role as The Doctor, and he was the oldest actor to take on such responsibility. Many previous stars gave the usual spiel about taking on "new challenges" and leaving the show at "the right time" but William's departure wasn't out of choice. The actor, who first made his appearance in the episode entitled as an eccentric grandfather, suffered from a medical condition that restricted blood flow, which affected his ability to remember and deliver lines. While nowadays it wouldn't be much of a hinderance to production, back then it was very different. With producers working to tight timings and budgets and rarely able to film multiple takes, there are instances where Hartnell stumbles over his words, some of which can be seen in the classic episodes which are still available to watch today. It has been said that producers attempted his return in multi-Doc episode The Three Doctors, but the actor's deteriorating health restricted him to a background role. The beauty of regeneration allowed him to Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell out easily as the concept made it possible for a new actor to swoop in without prompting questions of continuity. took the role on after Hartnell exited and he too played the eccentric Time Lord for three years. Skip forward years, and viewers saw make his debut in the first series of the BBC show's revival. From then on, the franchise has become somewhat of a national treasure, with some of the biggest names in TV taking on the role, including , , and currently . While many jump at the chance Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell portray the famous character, one actor revealed he ended up backing out of the opportunity back in to 60s. admitted he was in the pipeline Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell the part of the after Hartnell's tenure came to an end, but did not agree with bosses on where he wanted to take the character. It came to light that he had some ideas that bosses didn't want to explore on the show, not keen on the direction he wanted to take the Time Lord. The star has addressed the claims before, during a performance of Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell live show An Evening With where he noted the name 'Who' isn't English. Brian did eventually have a part in the programme, playing warlord Yrcanos in the episode The Trial of The Time Lord. This, along with the ever- changing cycle of production, ultimately impacted his departure. Doctor Who BBC. Lives William Hartnell, First Edition - AbeBooks

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Who's There? Who's There? My grandfather was a Time Lord He arrived at the fete, wearing his Doctor Who costume, in an open-topped vintage car. William Hartnell took the leading role of Doctor Who towards the end of a long acting career that was as successful as it was varied. He played musical light comedy; he played a succession of mean, crooked and bullying sergeant-majors; he played a time-travelling eccentric. He appeared in more than 75 feature films, in countless stage performances and in several television programmes in addition to Doctor Who. Jessica Carney's closely-researched biography of her grandfather includes stories from many of the hundreds of stars and screen with whom he worked, among them Richard Attenborough, , Bob Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell, , David Langton and Lindsay Anderson. Get A Copy. More Details Original Title. Other Editions 4. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Who's There? Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. Sort order. Start your review of Who's There? Sergeant, in retrospect, was the peak of his cinematic career, with the really big breakthrough on the big screen never quite Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell his usual form was to be super-effective, and yet not quite Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell, supporting the bigger names. The pages of narrative reach Doctor Who only on Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnellwhich actually shows a rather admirable sense of proportion; Hartnell's life was much more than Who. His father is unknown, and his unmarried mother was pretty much absent. His birth family were not completely estranged - he remained in touch with his second cousin throughout their lives. As a boy he eked out a life of expulsions from numerous schools and petty crime. In his teenage years the good-looking rough lad was adopted by the art connoisseur Hugh Blaker, who sent him to acting school and got him onto an upward track generally. He remained very insecure, pursuing younger women, fussing about food and cooking, drinking when he wasn't working which was more often than he liked. His wife Heather, who had grown up next door to in , was a serious creator in her own right, both as actress and playwright; one of her plays was filmed. Hartnell, who was never religious as far as we can tell, lapped up his new connection with his young audience, and perhaps soldiered on longer than he should have because he was loving it too much. I would have liked Carney to dig a little more into, say, how and why Hartnell's career differed from those of his contemporaries - he was born in the same year as John Mills, Rex Harrison, Michael Redgrave and Robert Morley all of whom started acting professionally after he did, but came from more privileged social backgrounds. But I think this book is quite a good explanation of how and why he ended up in the role for which he is best known, and how and Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell he played it the way that he did, setting up the programme for a longevity he could not have imagined. Oct 26, James Perkins rated it really liked it. William Hartnell played the very Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell for three years in the mid s. His biography reveals a man who was very different in reality from the character that he portrayed and went on to inspire a television series now over 50 years old. Born illegitimate inhe was rejected by his mother, became a street kid and petty thief, trained as a boxer and a jockey, and eventually ended up in the theatre. He appeared in dozens of plays and movies, and worked with many illustrious actors, William Hartnell played the very first Doctor Who for three years in the mid s. He appeared in dozens of plays and movies, and worked with many illustrious actors, including Richard Attenborough, James Cagney and , and was quite a well-established and reasonably famous actor himself when cast as the Doctor. Written by his real-life granddaughter Jessica Carney, this short book lacks objectivity, and she meanders between calling him "my grandfather" and "Bill" as he was usually known to his colleagues and friends. As such, it only briefly touches on his drinking, gambling, philandering and bad temper, as if that kind of detail was too sordid for a family record. Nevertheless, Hartnell comes across as a warm, talented and generous man with flaws, and in this way, it is a well-written, concise account of his life. I enjoyed reading about the man who breathed life into the first version of the on-screen character Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell have been following since my Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell. Combines honesty with affection Like the biography of Patrick Troughton which I reviewed before, this benefits enormously from being written by a relation - in this case Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell granddaughter. It combines honesty with affection and puts the Dr Who years in their proper perspective, following on from an impressive career in theatre, film and TV. Those who saw the excellent docudrama "An Adventure in Space and Time" will find echoes here, but with more emphasis on the man himself. Definitely a five-sta Combines honesty with affection Like the biography of Patrick Troughton which I reviewed before, this benefits enormously from being written by a relation - in this case his granddaughter. Definitely a five-star tribute. I had long sought this book in print, however it's limited availability and small print run equalled price points that were simply, to use a pun, out of this world. Happily, I discovered it in e-book format and was glad to finally set about reading this. This book offers an extremely rare glimpse into the private life and upbringing of the man who not only originated the role of The Doctor on 'Doctor Who', but for whom many anecdotes concerning his prickly demeanour and difficulties to work with I had long sought this book in print, however it's limited availability and small print run Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell price points that were simply, to use a pun, out of this world. This book offers an extremely rare glimpse into the private life and upbringing of the man who not only originated the role of The Doctor on 'Doctor Who', but for whom many anecdotes concerning his prickly demeanour and difficulties to work with have long abounded in fandom. The author, William Hartnell's own granddaughter, does an admirable job of providing possible explanations for his personality changes in this stage of his life, drawing upon little-known facts and family history to sketch a portrait of an insecure actor ashamed of his humble beginnings as a 'bastard' with no proper parental figures to guide him along. The author gives historical context and delves as best she can into the life path and choices that led William Hartnell from hard-scrabble London street urchin to world-famous children's TV hero, all the while plagued by doubts, ill- health, mental health issues, and a desperate desire to be accepted into an 'upper-class' realm of actors and writers bearing the classical training and loving upbringing that had been denied him. The real treats contained within come from the author's own memories and experiences, of visiting the 'Doctor Who' set and of spending time with her grandparents at the period in which her grandfather was everyone else's TV 'grandfather' as well. Only a blood relative to Hartnell could offer such rare and intimate memories, and that portion of the book was a joy to read. Unfortunately, while the author does a fine job of reconstructing Hartnell's early life, busting myths regarding his family history that he himself had perpetrated out of shame, the majority of the book then becomes bogged down in dry rec-counting of his theatre, film, and eventual TV work. Along the way the author speculates upon events to which she was not present for, and does offer press reviews and, when possible, anecdotes culled from co-stars, to trace Hartnell's career. While this serves to impress the reader with the sheer volume of the man's work, demonstrated he was a well-respected actor with many an accolade under his belt long before he stepped onto 'Doctor Who', it also becomes repetitive and dull. Unfortunately, in the process of 'mapping out' each and every play, film, or TV appearance of her grandfather that could possibly be traced, the author opts for quantity over quality, and while he certainly had an impressive resume, there is not much 'meat on the bone' for the bulk of the book. The author does seem both sensitive and protective of the memory of her late grandfather; while she does acknowledge and discuss his gambling issues, infidelity, and his heavy drinking which more than likely contributed directly the health issues that would later rob him of 'Doctor Who' and, indeed, lead to an early death, she also does not make much of them. Perhaps there wasn't enough information to go on, but for a book purporting to be about the 'life' of William Hartnell, it is heavily slanted towards the 'career' of the man more-so. The reader 'does' get glimpses into his private life, but they are just that, glimpses. Perhaps due to the sheer volume of already-published material concerning Hartnell's period as 'Doctor Who', the author really doesn't spend 'any' significant time on this. She provides her own experiences from childhood of being a young girl whose grandfather just so happened to be The Doctor and of how that changed her life, but we are only given a few small tidbits of information on how it changed 'his'. It is too bad, as the target audience for this book is inevitably perhaps exclusively, at this point 'Whovians' who would have appreciated the insight that the author could bring that no others really could to the effect of gaining and losing 'Doctor Who' on Hartnell. In summation: a fine effort and a loving tribute from a family member of William Hartnell. This book conveys sentiment more than facts, and inferences over details. The reader will gain a better appreciation for the length and breath of Hartnell's career prior to 'Doctor Who' and sympathize with what must have been an extremely lonely and painful youth. However, I don't Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell I gained much insight into Hartnell the man after reading this book. It is a surface-level biography that, while it acknowledges his warts and all, doesn't dwell on them for whatever reason. It is worth the read for any 'Whovian' to properly place the man into his historical context as a true professional veteran actor that 'Doctor Who' was fortunate to cast at the time. May 09, Phillip rated it liked it. This was an interesting autobiography that bogs down in the middle and is quite short, I thought, in the "Doctor Who" ending. An "illegitimate" child who grew up as almost a street kid - eventually coming under the wing of an art-inspired benefactor. From there, the author Hartnell's granddaughter talks about his acting career, meeting his wife, and his his life on stage, movies, and TV. It's in the middle part This was an interesting autobiography that bogs down in the middle and is quite short, I thought, in the "Doctor Who" ending. It's in the middle part where in his decades Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell show of movies and stage works bogs down. Since I'm not at all familiar with his work from the 40s and 50s, the listing of movies, their stories, and stars really don't mean Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell much - I feel like I'm expected to know who these folks are. There are small stories connected to these works, but it's mostly just a listing. It's certain impressive how much Bill worked. When we finally get to his time on Doctor Who, it lasts two chapters, which seemed a bit sad. I think it's because his granddaughter is not looking to write a Doctor Who book, but a Bill Hartnell biography. Obviously there are sources from this author not found in other books, but I wonder if this is the most exciting telling of his story. I have read a lot of books about the cast and crew of Doctor Who - and not just this month - and this is one of the better ones. Perhaps because it was written by Hartnell's granddaughter. A lot of this kind of book get the balance between the person and the career wrong and just became a list of things Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell appeared in and the person disappears in a sea of credits. This is especially annoying if there's no real information - as there often isn't with theatre performances or older TV. BFI Screenonline: Hartnell, William () Biography

Toggle navigation. William Hartnell was born on 8 Januaryjust south of St. Pancras station in London. In press materials in the s he claimed that his father was a farmer and later a stockbroker; it turns out that he had actually been born out of wedlock, as his biography "Who's There? At age 16 he was adopted by Hugh Blaker, a well-known art connoisseur, who helped him to get a job with Sir 's Shakespearean Company. He started as a general dogsbody--call-boy, assistant stage manager, property master and assistant lighting director--but was occasionally allowed to play small walk-on parts. Two years later he left Benson's group and went off on tour, working for a number of different companies about Britain. He played repertory in Richmond, Harrogate, Leeds and Sheffield and had a successful run as the lead in a touring production of "Charley's Aunt. His memorable performance on the television series The Army Game and the movie Le prix d'un homme led to him being cast as the Doctor on Docteur Whofor which he Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell best remembered. His son-in-law is agent Terry Carney. His granddaughter is Jessica Carney real name Judith Carneywho authored a Whos There: The Life and Career of William Hartnell of her grandfather, "Who's There? Top Male Celebrities. Top Female Celebrities. Tom Hardy. Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Jim Caviezel. Anthony Michael Hall. Aaron Tveit. Chris Hemsworth. Henry Cavill. Sam Heughan. Johnny Depp. Domhnall Gleeson. Olivia Taylor Dudley. Hayden Panettiere. Gal Gadot. Dakota Fanning. Scarlett Johansson. Alexandra Daddario. Emmy Rossum. Cara Delevingne. Shailene Woodley.