The First Doctor Who by William Hartnell

the first doctor The very first Doctor Who was played on television by William Hartnell between 1963 and 1966, covering 3 complete series and the first two episodes in series 4.

One of the most sought after episodes of Doctor Who is "The Tenth Planet" where the first Doctor is seen to regenerate for the very first time and become the second Doctor.

Unfortunately between 1964 and 1974 a large amount of material in the BBC libraries were destroyed or wiped and as such no surviving copy is known.

The Doctor at this time progressed in character from a selfish anti-hero into a more noble, helpful and gracious figure during these early series.

As the first Doctor, William Hartnell is generally considered to set the underlying character of the Doctor and elements of his portrayal are evident in the performances of all his successors.

There have also been two movies featuring the first Doctor and the Daleks and the role of the Doctor in these films was played by Peter Cushing.

reviews in the series

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

by Christopher Bulis

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Christopher Bulis

The Land of Elbyon is a place populated by creatures of fantasy, where myth and legend rule. Elves and dwarves live in harmony with mankind, wizards wield arcane powers and armoured knights battle monstrous dragons.

But the Doctor doesn't believe in magic, and it seems that Elbyon has secrets to hide. The TARDIS crew find a relic from the thirtieth century hidden in the woods. Whose sinister manipulations are threatening the stability of a once peaceful lane? And what part does t...

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reviewed on Tuesday 10 March 2009

Salvation

by Steve Lyons

Salvation by Steve Lyons

The Doctor arrives in New York, 1965. It is a time of conflict between ideologies, races, generations and genders, when crime runs rife and an unpopular war drags on in a distant land. In the midst of this turmoil, people cry out to their gods.

And now, it appears, the gods have answered their prayers. Walking the slums and tenements of downtown Manhattan, demonstrating extraordinary powers, five strangers are gathering a growing crowd of worshippers.

Steven wants to...

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reviewed on Thursday 05 March 2009

The Plotters

by Gareth Roberts

The Plotters by Gareth Roberts

The TARDIS materializes in London, november 1605 and a crucial moment in British history. While Ian and Barbara set off for the Globe Theatre, Vicki accompanies the Doctor on a mysterious mission to the court of King James.

What connects the King's advisor Robert Cecil with the sinister hooded figure known only as 'the Spaniard'? Why is the Doctor so anxious to observe the translation of the Bible? And could there be some dastardly plot brewing in the cellars of the Houses of Par...

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reviewed on Saturday 28 February 2009

The Man in the Velvet Mask

by Daniel O'Mahony

The Man in the Velvet Mask by Daniel O'Mahony

The TARDIS has landed in post revolution France, or so it appears. But the futuristic structure of the New Bastille towers over a twisted version of Paris. And First Deputy Minski, adopted son of the infamous Marquis de Sade, presides over a reign of terror that has yet to end.

Revolutionary soldiers arrest an ailing Doctor as a curfew breaker. Dodo is recruited by a band of wandering players whose intentions are less than pure. Deep in the dungeons of the Bastille, Prisoner 6 tr...

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reviewed on Sunday 22 February 2009

The Empire of Glass

by Andy Lane

The Empire of Glass by Andy Lane

"There is a old Venetian saying," the Doctor murmured. "The council of ten send you to the torture chamber; the council of three send you to the grave."

A strange invitation brings the Doctor, Steven and Vicki to Venice in the year of our Lord 1609: a place of politics and poison, science and superstition, telescopes and terror. Galileo Galilei is there demonstrating his new invention to the Doge, and William Shakespeare is working as a spy for King James I. And there are other v...

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reviewed on Sunday 15 February 2009

City at World's End

by Christopher Bulis

City at World's End by Christopher Bulis

City at World's End is a novel in the First Doctor series as they visit Arkhaven, the last bastion of civilisation on a doomed world.

The Cities inhabitants are hoping that a final desperate gamble will save their lives. Not everyone is working toward the common goal though, there are some factions planning to be in charge of shaping the new world.

As the countdown to doomsday fast approaches, the Doctor must discover the true enemy, before everything is destroyed.

...
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reviewed on Tuesday 10 February 2009

Byzantium

by Keith Topping

Byzantium by Keith Topping

Byzantium is a doctor who novel featuring the first doctor as he visits the ancient might of the Roman Empire.

In the city of Byzantium romans greeks, zealots and Pharisees all meet in the markets squares, but mutual loathing and suspicion are rife.

The Doctor and his companions find a deadly maelstrom of social and political upheaval. In the eye of the hurricane they must each face the possibility of being stranded, alone and far from their own times, in an alien cul...

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reviewed on Thursday 05 February 2009

Bunker Soldiers

by Martin Day

Bunker Soldiers by Martin Day

Bunkers Soldiers is a Doctor Who novel featuring the first Doctor as a terrifying army sweeps across ancient earth.

Trapped in a frightened city, the Doctor and his companions are powerless to intervene. From their point of view it is historical fact.

Some choose not to accept their fate and deep underground an Alien force is waking.

...
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reviewed on Sunday 01 February 2009

The Witch Hunters

by Steve Lyons

The Witch Hunters by Steve Lyons

The Witch Hunters is a Doctor Who novel featuring the first Doctor as he arrives in Salem, Massachusetts 1692, right in the middle of the Witch Hunts.

The Doctor must make repairs to the Tardis so his companions Ian Barbara and Susan decide to have a History Holiday for a week or so. But the friendships they make are abruptly broken when the Doctor ushers them away, wary of being overtaken by the tragic events he knows will occur.

Upon learning about the Salem witc...

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reviewed on Tuesday 28 October 2008

Venusian Lullaby

by Paul Leonard

Venusian Lullaby by Paul Leonard

Venus is dying, when the Doctor and his companions Barbara and Ian arrive, they find an ancient and totally Alien society on the brink of destruction. A conflict is escalating between those who accept death and those who strive for salvation and survival.

Then a hope emerges, a race arrives offering to transport the entire civilisation to the safety of Earth, three billion years before mankind is due to evolve there. Are the newcomers’ motives as pure as they appear? And will th...

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reviewed on Saturday 25 October 2008

The Time Travellers

by Simon Guerrier

The Time Travellers by Simon Guerrier

The TARDIS has returned to London, but this isn't the city Ian and Barbara remember. Torn by war, the city of London is in ruins and it appears they have arrived amid a war.

A war that the British are losing.

With his friends mistaken for vagrants and sentenced to death, the Doctor is press-ganged into helping perfect a weapon that might just turn the tables in the war. The British Army has discovered time travel. And the consequences are already devastating.
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reviewed on Monday 20 October 2008

The Eleventh Tiger

by David McIntee

The Eleventh Tiger by David McIntee

In interesting times, love can be a weakness, hatred an illusion, order chaos, and ten tigers not enough. The TARDIS crew have seen many times. When they arrive in China in 1865, they find banditry, rebellion, and foreign oppression rife. Trying to maintain order are the British Empire and the Ten Tigers of Canton, the most respected martial arts masters in the world. There is more to the chaos that mere human violence and ambition. Can legends of ancient vengeance be coming true? Why does ev...

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reviewed on Saturday 18 October 2008

Ten Little Aliens

by Stephen Cole

Ten Little Aliens by Stephen Cole

On the edge of Earths empire, far out in space, an elite group of soldiers is on a training mission. But deep in the heart of the hollowed-out planetoid that forms their battleground, a chilling secret waits to be discovered: ten alien corpses, frozen in time at the moment of violent, bloody death.

The bodies are those of the empire's most wanted terrorists, and their discovery could end a war of attrition devastating the galaxy. But is the same force that slaughtered them still...

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reviewed on Wednesday 15 October 2008
Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on ability to climb a tree it will live its life believing it is stupid
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