First Doctor

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The First Doctor's narrative arc spans from a mysterious exile with his granddaughter Susan to a seasoned traveler facing history's greatest threats. He first encountered his most implacable foes, the Daleks and Cybermen, during these early years. His adventures included witnessing the Reign of Terror in revolutionary France, meeting Marco Polo in China, and confronting Aztecs in Mexico. A pivotal moment occurred when he left Susan behind on 22nd-century Earth to build a life with David Campbell after she fell in love. The crew later included Vicki, whom they saved from Dido, and space pilot Steven Taylor, who replaced Ian and Barbara after they used a Dalek time machine to return home. The Doctor also faced the Meddling Monk, survived deadly games by the Celestial Toymaker, and saw companions Katarina and Sara Kingdom killed during the events of The Daleks' Master Plan. In The Tenth Planet, he defeated Cybermen at the Antarctic Snowcap Station before succumbing to the strain of his years and radiation exposure, finally regenerating into the Second Doctor.

In Their Own Story

The series opened in 1963 London with teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright investigating their student Susan Foreman. They traced her to a junkyard, discovering the TARDIS disguised as a police box. Upon discovery, the Doctor launched the ship, involuntarily taking them back to 100,000 BC. For two years, they traveled without control over the navigation systems, observing historical events and facing new dangers. The crew composition shifted dramatically: Ian and Barbara departed via a Dalek time machine, replaced by Steven Taylor; Vicki left at Troy to marry Troilus (adopting the name Cressida); Katarina and Sara Kingdom died in The Daleks' Master Plan; Dodo Chaplet joined after the Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve but remained on Earth in 1966. His final companions were Ben Jackson, a working-class sailor, and Polly, a sophisticated socialite. In his final adventure against the Cybermen at the Snowcap Station, the Doctor crossed paths with a future version of himself in 'Twice Upon a Time', where both agreed to regenerate after realizing they must face their fates.

Reader's Guide

The First Doctor is characterized by a duality: a frail-looking yet wiry and tough old man with tremendous scientific knowledge but an inability to reliably pilot the TARDIS. His personality shifted from a stubborn, distrustful figure who occasionally stole companions like Ian and Barbara for safety, to a benevolent grandfather. He was known for becoming tongue-tied or stumbling over words, sometimes misnaming Ian as 'Chesserman' or 'Chatterton', a quirk partly attributed to Hartnell's undiagnosed arteriosclerosis which affected his line memory. His costume featured a black frock coat, light yellow tweed waistcoat, wing-collared shirt, dark blue ascot, and tartan trousers, often accessorized with a cane, monocle, or pipe (the only Doctor to smoke). He described himself as an exile without specifying why, noting his people were the Time Lords and his home was Gallifrey. His final act involved helping Ben and Polly into the TARDIS before falling unconscious to regenerate.

Did You Know?

• William Hartnell portrayed the First Doctor in the first three series (1963–1966) and returned as a cameo in The Three Doctors (1972–1973).
• Of the 134 episodes Hartnell appeared in as a regular, exactly 42 are currently missing.
• The First Doctor is the only incarnation of the Doctor to have been recast for later televised appearances.
• In 'An Unearthly Child', the Doctor was seen smoking a large bent tobacco pipe, making him the sole incarnation known to smoke.
• Hartnell's habit of stumbling over lines and misnaming characters like Ian Chesterton was sometimes a deliberate acting choice, though also caused by his undiagnosed arteriosclerosis.