Hello!
If you've been following my story-by-story rankings of the entirety of Doctor Who's 60 years on TV then you'll be aware that I have just reached the end of the William Hartnell era. I've enjoyed some stories in this era a lot and you can really see where it's still finding its feet and experimenting with new ideas that push the show towards what we see today. However, many of the stories do suffer from having more parts than they needed - whilst it makes for great world-building in some cases, it doesn't always make the stories easy to watch in one sitting. Throughout my marathon, I've been ranking the episodes, the companions, the enemies, and the alien species and robots encountered along the way - where did your favourites rank on my list?
MY EPISODE RANKINGS:
Hartnell has a lot of serials under his belt. Below you can find my full ranking for his era, with a little bit of reasoning behind my top 5.
1. The Pilot Episode
Ironically, taking my top spot is an episode that never actually got aired. As a sucker for a dark storyline I love the way the unaired pilot for the series shrouds the Doctor and Susan in a deeper sense of mystery and uncertainty. Whilst I can see that for a family audience it would perhaps not have worked to have a main cast that we don't know if we can trust from their first episode, I still love this glimpse into what could have been.
2. The Aztecs
The Aztecs is just great. I gave this a ranking of 9/10 on Twitter but when I look back I struggle to remember why I didn't give it the full 10. In my head, I honestly thought I had. Maybe I was just feeling stingy that day. The story is fantastic though, placing Barbara at the forefront and proving why she is the First Doctor's best companion. The plot also grapples with ideas of meddling with history and the consequences of time travel which makes for some great character moments when the leads find themselves in moral dilemmas.
3. The War Machines
In at number 3 we have the season 3 finale. It's just everything. Hartnell gives one of my favourite performances of his in this story. Ben and Polly also make a glorious debut as Anneke Wills and Michael Craze just bounce off one another in every scene. The War Machines themselves look great and the location filming really helps to sell the scale of this story and raise the stakes. It only got a 9/10 on my ranking on account of Dodo getting written out off-screen and then never mentioned again. Poor Dodo. She deserved better.
4. The Daleks' Master Plan
This story is legendary for the sheer scale of it. It's a whole miniseries in itself. The Doctor goes through 3 (or 4 if you include Bret, like me) companions over the course of the story and only Steven is still alive by the end of it. Though we're never made to properly understand how the Daleks' Master Plan actually works, we can ignore it because of how distractingly interesting everything else is. This story has so many layers, going from location to location, featuring a huge cast of different species and it somehow manages to do all of this without feeling overburdened by its 12-part duration.
5. The Space Museum
Rounding out my top 5 is an underrated gem. The Space Museum is a really cool conceptual story that pushes the limits of all that had gone before it up to this point as the show really gets timey-wimey for the first time.
And here are the runners-up:
6. Marco Polo
7. The Edge of Destruction
8. The Ark
9. The Tenth Planet
10. The Myth Makers
11. The Daleks
12. An Unearthly Child
13. Mission to the Unknown
14. Planet of Giants
15. The Web Planet
16. The Crusade
17. The Dalek Invasion of Earth
18. Galaxy 4
19. The Chase
20. The Time Meddler
21. The Romans
22. The Keys of Marinus
23. The Rescue
24. The Sensorites
25. The Celestial Toymaker
26. The Smugglers
27. The Gunfighters
28. The Massacre
29. The Savages
30. The Reign of Terror
MY COMPANION RANKINGS:
Going in reverse order, here are my thoughts on who were the best companions that the First Doctor had:
11. Bret Vyon
I have to place Bret here simply because he's not really seen as a companion in the wider Who canon. We don't get an awful lot of time to spend with him because he sacrifices himself for Steven and the Doctor a couple of episodes into the same story we meet him in. Bret is one of those characters that raises the question of what the criteria is to be considered a companion. His half-sister Sara actually kills him, yet she earns the status. Moreover, Bret travels in the TARDIS and he saves Steven's life when he cures him of blood poisoning, yet still he's not considered an official companion. I do wonder whether this is because Nicholas Courtney would go on to play the Brigadier who is at least seen as a pseudo-companion figure if not a full-fledged companion...
10. Katarina
Poor Katarina. She never really stood a chance. She's likeable but I can see why the decision was quickly made to write her out. In taking her out of her ancient setting and dropping her into the far flung future, it's so realistic how she is able to understand nothing of her new surroundings at all, yet because of the high stakes in The Daleks' Master Plan, there is no room to stop and pause on this. Instead, the fast-paced nature of the story forces her to move along with everyone else until she can't, and she suffers a terrible fate. Had there been more time to ease Katarina into life on the TARDIS, I think she may have been able to get higher up the rankings.
9. Sara Kingdom
Another who could have benefitted from more time, Sara was a strong and capable woman in a way that no other companion was in the 60s. Her independence and her military background made her a compelling character and her chemistry with Steven was great. Gone too soon, her death is pretty tragic, but it does wrap the story up in a neat little bow, making it largely self-contained. Big Finish has done some great work fleshing out Sara's character further, in a series of audios set during The Daleks' Master Plan, so if anyone wants to see what else she has to offer I'd recommend An Ordinary Life, in particular.
8. Susan Foreman
This one might raise a few eyebrows for being so low, but despite being the Doctor's granddaughter, that's about the only interesting thing about her. Even Carole Ann Ford herself has said she'd have liked more to do - Susan was young and lively, yet the stories rarely utilised this as an opportunity for her to play active roles in the story. Whilst the Doctor's species was ambiguous at this time, we get a slight sense of their alienness when Susan displays telepathic abilities in The Sensorites. More should have been done to build on this, but essentially she becomes a troublesome child who only exists to get captured and need rescuing as the stories go on. Sadly, Susan's successors who fit the same mould as her are more effective in my opinion.
7. Dodo Chaplet
I, for one, cannot understand why Dodo is disliked so much. From the moment she enters the TARDIS she welcomes everything she sees with an open mind whilst also being unafraid to call out injustice when she sees it. Whilst her introduction and exit scenes do her a disservice for the way that they strain credulity, Dodo's presence in her stories bring a sense of vitality that contrasts well with Steven and the Doctor's more serious demeanour. I hadn't actually seen any of Dodo's stories before this marathon but I look forward to seeing more of her as I explore more of what the expanded media has to offer.
6. Steven Taylor
Steven is a decent guy. He's kind of the typical action hunk to handle the fight scenes while the Doctor makes a witty remark. As a character, he doesn't have a huge amount of development but his background as a space pilot from the future enables the Doctor to forego having to explain absolutely everything to him. He's got a strong moral compass and he's a pretty solid bloke but he's not the most memorable of the First Doctor's companions.
5. Vicki Pallister
I like Vicki. She is the immediate replacement for Susan in every way, taking on the role of the Doctor's effectively surrogate granddaughter, and later leaving the TARDIS to stay with a man she's just met. I don't know much about what was going on behind the scenes at this time but I do wonder whether scripts had to be quickly changed after Susan's departure and so Vicki was made to fit the same mould out of necessity as the crew were not ready to experiment with the TARDIS team's dynamic yet. However, that being said, Vicki did mark a clean slate and her characterisation did seem more assured. Perhaps the writers felt they better knew where they stood with a human character without a mystery surrounding her. Either way, it paid off as Vicki seemed to have a little more agency in her stories. I just wish she'd been given a better exit that wasn't just a poor rehash of Susan's.
4. Ben Jackson
We don't see a lot of Ben in the First Doctor era as he only comes on board for the last few stories, but in that short time, he makes a strong impression. His chemistry with Polly is effervescent and unlike the other male leads in the Hartnell era, his youth makes him seem almost like a grandson to the Doctor, which makes for a new and refreshing dynamic.
3. Polly Wright
She's a girlboss. In only 3 stories with the First Doctor, Polly manages to make my top 3 because she feels like one of the most three-dimensional characters of the time. Anneke Wills' portrayal oozes personality and as I've already said, her chemistry with Michael Craze as Ben is infectious. Polly is capable and intelligent and always looks effortlessly stunning. Whilst not quite as recognisable as the other 'Wright' on this list, Polly is an icon.
2. Ian Chesterton
It's impossible not to love Ian. He's brilliant. Charming, charismatic and suave, he adapts well to TARDIS life when he is thrown into it so suddenly. At times, it's very easy to forget he's a teacher, given how easily he slides into the role of an adventurer during his travels. And his relationship with Barbara is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the early Hartnell era.
1. Barbara Wright
There was never any doubt in my mind. Barbara is the companion of the First Doctor era. Above all others, she displays intellect and compassion and she shows her independence when she questions the Doctor's actions. The two often come into conflict with their moral disagreements but the familial affection they show for one another, all the same, makes them a delight to watch. Barbara is the quintessential companion of the First Doctor era because she is the blueprint for all the other companions that follow after her. She displays the best qualities of all those that follow her, yet none can match her excellence.
MY RANKING OF THE FIRST DOCTOR'S ENEMIES:
The First Doctor faced off against many adversaries, but who made my Top 3?
1. Skaro City Daleks - The Daleks
The original Daleks are the greatest evil the First Doctor faces in my mind. As an allegory for the Nazis, this should hardly be surprising. The narrative they spin about the Thals being hideous mutant monsters in need of eradication, when in reality they're shown to be a race of beautiful pacifists, continues to feel like a prevalent reflection of modern society, and the scariest part about it is the way that they show how little progress we've made in some areas of society.
2. WOTAN - The War Machines
In an age where the rise of AI is becoming a common topic of debate, this feels like an early Black Mirror concept. WOTAN is an AI that learns to think for itself and decides to conquer the world. The Doctor himself recognises WOTAN as a powerful force for evil and that's why it's got my number 2 spot.
3. Mondasian Cybermen - The Tenth Planet
In their debut story, the Cybermen are more human than we ever see them again, and yet this makes them all the more terrifying. They are so human and yet so inhuman. Their emotionlessness is at its most effective in this story as their disregard for human life comes from not from a place of directly malicious intent but more from a place of selfishness as they seek to drain the Earth's energy for their own self-preservation.
And here are the runners-up:
4. Tlotoxl - The Aztecs
Just missing out on the top 3, I wanted to give a quick shoutout to Tlotoxl anyway. As the only human villain to make the top 5, he is especially compelling for the way in which he is never brought to any sort of justice or made to face consequences for his actions as the Doctor seeks to reiterate that one mustn't interfere with history. It's so dissatisfying to see but it's so especially good because Tlotoxl gets away with it.
5. Pursuer-Daleks - The Chase
6. Maaga - Galaxy 4
7. Yartek - The Keys of Marinus
8. Black Dalek Leader - The Dalek Invasion of Earth
9. Black Dalek Supreme - Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan
10. The Meddling Monk - The Time Meddler/The Daleks' Master Plan
11. Mavic Chen - The Daleks' Master Plan
12. Monoid One - The Ark
13. The Toymaker - The Celestial Toymaker
14. Koquillion - The Rescue
15. Kal - An Unearthly Child
16. The Animus - The Web Planet
17. The City Administrator - The Sensorites
18. The Elders - The Savages
19. Zentos - The Ark
20. Governor Lobos - The Space Museum
21. Maximilien Robespierre - The Reign of Terror
22. Tegana - Marco Polo
23. El Akir - The Crusade
24. Samuel Pike - The Smugglers
25. Forester - Planet of Giants
26. Nero - The Romans
27. The Clantons and Johnny Ringo - The Gunfighters
28. Odysseus - The Myth Makers
29. Catherine de Medici - The Massacre
SPECIES - ALIENS & ROBOTS
The First Doctor's era introduced us to many weird and wonderful species and creatures. Here, I've ranked them solely on whatever their TV appearances gave us - including backstory, portrayal and character design.
1. Daleks
As if any other species could take the top spot. So iconic were the Daleks in every way - overall design, allegoric backstory, creepy portrayal - they were the only monsters to get a repeat appearance in the Hartnell era. It's also because of this wealth of appearances that we're able to learn so much about them and invest in the lore behind them.
2. Mondasian Cybermen
The birth of another of the greats comes right at the end of Hartnell's tenure, but it's enough to put the Cybermen in 2nd place. The original Mondasian Cyberman design is one of the very best in highlighting the simultaneous closeness and disparity between them and us, and this link to humanity emphasises the body horror aspect of them. Their introductory story gives us plenty of background to work with and they are really great to watch.
3. Voord
The final spot in my top 3 could have gone to a few of the Hartnell era's iconic aliens but I make my case for the Voord because they look pretty cool and I think they're most deserving of a return. I think the revival could do something really interesting with them because we've only seen them on screen once. The Voord are pretty iconic. Obviously they're not on the same level as the Daleks or the Cybermen but they have made a number of appearances in expanded media over the years.
And here are the runners-up:
4. Mechonoids
5. Menoptera
6. Drahvins
7. Thals
8. Varga Plants
9. Sensorites
10. Zarbi
11. War Machines
12. Monoids
13. Sentreal - Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan
14. Robomen
15. The Animus
16. Zephon - The Daleks' Master Plan
17. Aridians
18. Rills
19. Sand beasts - The Rescue
20. Chumblies
21. Larvae guns - The Web Planet
22. Visians
23. Slyther
24. Morpho-Brains
25. Celation - The Daleks' Master Plan
26. Malpha - Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan
27. Optera
28. Mire beasts - The Chase
29. Gearon - Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan
30. Trantis - Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan
31. Beaus - Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan
32. Warrien - Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan
Thanks for reading! I hope you found it interesting. If you want to follow the rest of my Whoniverse marathon for the 60th anniversary, you can find a link to the thread here: https://twitter.com/charlieq_02/status/1624844688086773763?s=20
Where did your favourites rank on my list? Feel free to comment below!
Until next time,
Charlie