Celestial Toyroom Annual 2019

1 me! I would like to express my thanks to every contributor. And on that note, regular readers of DWAS publications may note a number of new names amongst the contributors. Regular, reliable writers are always the backbone of any such project but a request made via our The Celestial Toyroom Annual is Facebook pages resulted in a lot of becoming a tradition. This is the new (or new to DWAS) contributors third in the series, and once again, coming forward, which I am delight- we are concentrating on a specific ed about. I hope that this will go to Doctor’s era. The First Doctor was further demonstrate that you do not an obvious pick, as it was in 2018 need to be part of any mythical ‘in that as fans, we raised the funds crowd’ to take part in DWAS. necessary to place a blue heritage plaque to honour William Hartnell at On that note, I shall leave you to Ealing Studios. This era of the show travel back to 1963, the beginning seemed the natural choice. of the show, and the man who for many people is still ‘The Doctor’.. This book follows the usual format; an item on each story from the era, along with a few others such as ‘The Three Doctors’. We gave seri- Paul ous thought as to how far we should go, as in recent years, the first Doctor era has expanded quite significantly with the Big Finish ranges (both The Companion Chronicles and the David Bradley series) adding a great deal to the story. This is in addition to the many novels published over the years by the BBC and Virgin. Eventually, we decided to limit the content to programmes that actually featured Wil- liam Hartnell, with the one addition of ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’ which although Hartnell was not actually part of, still concentrat- ed on his role in the programme. A book like this relies very heavily on those who contribute. Without people writing for us, the annual would either not happen, or might just have content exclusively by 2 It was the day that really changed my life, and all these years later I remember it well. It was not the twenty third of November 1963, but rather a week later. I had heard a lot of good things about this new serial that had just started on the BBC and that unusually the channel was repeating that first episode police box in time? They did – but I along with their first screening of wondered whether they would al- the second episode the following ways be that lucky! week. It sounded most interesting and I sat down to watch the pro- Unfortunately, a Sunday School gramme with my father. party meant that I missed the first episode of the next story which Having enjoyed the first episode meant that when I caught up with very much with this mysterious the four characters they were al- Doctor and his granddaughter I ready in the Dalek city. By that time watched the second as well. With this new show had become my fa- the hero sharing my name and both vourite programme replacing Badg- my parents being teachers, I sup- er’s Bend the Animal Hotel which pose I found that I connected very had been my favourite up until then. well with this new serial. But I was There was something about this puzzled about the Doctor and I re- adventure show which was special. member asking my father whether Something about it that gripped me he was a goody or a baddy. He unlike any other programme before resembled the character of the it or since. Grandfather in The Old Curiosity Shop a serial I had enjoyed watch- I remember always hating missing ing the previous year. It was a Sun- an episode of any serial that I was day classic serial starring Patrick watching. However with Doctor Troughton and it was one of the Who I tried to make a real effort to programmes that we watched as a ensure that no matter what, I was family. Many of these classic seri- next to a television at whatever time als were set in the past and I re- the programme was scheduled to member very much enjoying any start each week. I was not always programme which had an historical successful and I missed no fewer background to it. than seven episodes of the first season of the programme. But I eagerly awaiting the next two epi- none after that! sodes and the chase through the forest was exciting. Would the four There is much talk about the huge travellers be able to get back to that ratings that programme is getting at 3 the moment. But I do not think that merchandise, despite what they they are comparing like with like. may think of some of the Doctors. Until the advent of the video record- er you simply had to be there at the To be honest I see the version of time when the schedulers decreed the programme in its earliest days that a programme should start, oth- to be a very different show to what erwise you missed it completely. it is today. Yes there is the Tardis, And for that you had to be dedicat- the Doctor and the companions but ed - otherwise you would miss epi- to my mind the stories and the way sodes. Perhaps that commitment they are told are very different. meant that the original watchers of Doctor Who became so passionate Back when it first started it was very about the programme because in much seen as one long story and order to see it, it usually meant they while the travellers had adventures had to make sacrifices as regards in different times and places for a other parts of their lives. time they were the same travellers. In the beginning Doctor Who was I have often wondered if I would very much about four characters have become a fan if I had started having adventures. Between them watching the show at another peri- these characters spanned three od of its life. Nowadays I really en- different generations. In the early joy watching the Pertwee adven- days Ian and Barbara were the hero tures but at the time I never enjoyed and heroine while the Doctor was them as much as the original sixties that ‘strange other character’ who series. And even now while I have was much more difficult to fathom all the surviving episodes on my out. shelves it is to the monochrome era that I return again and again – es- For me of all the Doctors the first pecially these Hartnell adventures. Doctor was the most complex. He The BBC nowadays I think. wants could be charming, amusing, abra- to have it both ways. It wants us to sive, thoughtful, wise, strong, trans- see the show as one continual un- parent, mysterious… the list could folding story from November 1963 go on and on. One never quite to the present. But at other times it knew where you were with him. He is quite happy to see it as a collec- has been described by some as a tion of different series all with the ‘wizard’ but unlike so many of the same overall title, but as different recent Doctors he had not got a versions of the programme accord- wand (i.e. sonic screwdriver) to get ing to who is playing the Doctor. himself out of difficulties. He had to This means that it is acceptable to use his brains to get himself out of like some Doctors much more than problems. He also suffered quite a others. With the recent, to my mind lot during his adventures and one radical change with the thirteenth thing you could not say of the early Doctor, I can understand the BBC days was that it was ‘all jolly fun.’ wanting to keep Doctor Who fans The Tardis transported her occu- on board particular as regards the pants to many dangerous places 4 and it was not always easy for them But I find all the Tardis occupants in to extricate themselves from their the Hartnell years likeable. I have problems. to admit that I was sad every time one of them left and hoped that one Back then Doctor Who was filmed day I would see them in the pro- more like a stage play than a film. gramme again. But sadly it never The range of special effects that we happened. The only character who have now was not available. That left and returned in the Hartnell meant that the emphasis back then years was the Meddling Monk. And had to be on the stories and on the for me one of the wonderful thing acting. Both were exceptionally about the Hartnell years was that strong from the beginning. The four there was such a variety of different Tardis occupants were all experi- kinds of adventures. enced actors. William Hartnell himself had been in many films prior to Sadly with the exception of The taking the lead in this science fiction Highlanders after the second Doc- serial. tor took over the historical adventures were removed from the pro- For me William Hartnell played a gramme. I really enjoyed them and huge part in the success of the se- I particularly liked it when one was ries. In a short space of time he set in an historical period that we became my all-time favourite actor.

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