Babelcolour Tribute - William Hartnell

[@stephenhall6595]

I was lucky enough to just remember dear old William Hartnell. The first story I ever saw was the Chase in 1965 I was only six but Bills Doctor hooked me on the show for life. RIP Mr Hartnell.

[@dandyflareblitz2627]

Amazing that the youngest doctor is such an old, wise figure

[@alexanderhughes5960]

He is also more childish, in a way, particuarly in the first few stories

[@danielpease641]

Young? He was almost 60 when he played the Doctor

[@nigelwalker6103]

It's often just an act. He appears wise because of his intelligence and because he looks old but he often bluffs his way through.

[@Z3R0Steam]

@@danielpease641 I think they mean how his doctor was around 300 in the show, and because of the way aging works, he's the youngest

[@nigelwalker6103]

@@danielpease641 He was referring to the Doctor not the actor. As the first he is younger than all the other Doctors regardless of appearance. Just as Matt Smith's Doctor is a lot older.

[@hungrydragonvsfrightendhob7799]

He may be one of the oldest incarnations, but he was the most childish and fun. Two was the same way. Three was when things began to mature up, but then of course four came along.

[@theguywithsomething8634]

One of? He is literally the first/oldest.

[@EditedAF987]

@@theguywithsomething8634 not according to Timeless children it seems

[@thisguyrocks6131]

@@theguywithsomething8634 or maybe how long he lived

[@nigellangridge1975]

The BOSS. Hartnell gave the world a perfectly flawed, unique character. Troughton took Bill’s portrayal and gave the world the Time Lord that became a household name. No one should ever underestimate how brilliant an actor Hartnell was… A real character.

[@imperiallover]

"It's possible that they may have been anti-radiation gloves............drugs." And the other actors' reaction to the wrong line. Gets me every time that 'Hartnell-ism'

[@hawkeye4ever]

Excellent, the soundtrack is the Rutles!!! Rutles for ever! They were a legend that lasted a lunchtime!

[@CaptApril123]

Love his laugh.. and his delivery, even when he screwed-up his lines..he was enjoying himself. Didn't want to do the show then never wanted to leave.

[@SignoftheMagi]

There was a time when I didn't care much about this grumpy old man....but over time I got to know him. I saw a character actor, a man that would never be know for anything special, a bit player in TV shows fading away. And then one day, a young woman with a mission gave him a shining little chance...and he created a legend 50 years later. The little actor became a giant those shadow we walk under today. Thank you, Bill.

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

+SignoftheMagi :)

[@LeonardMeltsner]

I just finished watching every Hartnell episode last night. I had always thought that his era was a tad slow, but after watching 134 episodes of him, I was really sad to see him go. He really did bring such a unique flavour to the character that we don't get nowadays. Still, onwards and upwards to Troughton, Pertwee, and all the way through the rest of the Classic Doctors.

[@SunniestAutumn]

You watched 134 episodes of him? With your own eyes? *Are you sure?*

[@LeonardMeltsner]

Yes.... including the reconstructions and all...

[@SunniestAutumn]

LeonardMeltsner Right-o! Sorry, the last person who said he watched all Hartnell serials didn't know that some of them were missing and only existed in stills. Apologies, again!

[@LeonardMeltsner]

That's fine! Things do tend to get confusing with all the lost episodes, after all.

[@LeonardMeltsner]

Online. I got them from DoctorWhoMedia, which the BBC has since shut down, sadly.

[@shaolinwisdom]

I always thought his flubbing the lines were part of the doctors personality, even it it was just W.H., but it became a part of his character. Brilliant Doctor. I think the new new fans of the current show are so reluctant to go back and watch the oldies, they may have different pacing, different acting style, and SFX and budget quality was not the best in those days, but they're very cool imaginative stuff. You can see how Television has grown, how the culture has changed, the sets and special effects etc have gone light years ahead since 63. The show itself is a time machine of sorts, I dunno, maybe I have a dorky romantic way of looking at it, but it's really great from start to finish lost stories and all.

[@gordontaylor2815]

Modern audiences might look at those flubbed lines and wince, but back then it was actually helpful in establishing the Doctor's character. With how old and eccentric he was, an occasional flub in what he was saying didn't seem out of place. IIRC, they also didn't have the ability to do multiple "takes" for a scene back then - basically, they went the filming the episode straight through start to finish without stopping, so there was no way to "fix" those kind of mistakes.

[@frankcabanski9409]

Classic Who, especially the first Doctor, seems so much more real. Now special effects and frantic action take the place of good stories and good acting. Compare Sarah Jane's or Susan's departure to Amy Pond's. Without the over dramatic music, those classic departures feel much more real. That's how real life is. There isn't fan fare. There isn't music. There's just the events suddenly happening, and then the folks who were in your life are gone.

[@librarian66]

A wonderful tribute to the great actor who began it all! Thank you, Mr. Hartnell!

[@AndrewChapman]

40 years ago today since William Hartnell sadly passed away. Rest in peace, Doctor Number 1.

[@chrismcauley7945]

Absolutely love this - I have seen so few of his episodes but growing up in the 90's I treasured the BBC Target novels with the 1st Doctor.

[@xourwolf.4150]

I have watched every heartnell episode Marco Polo my personal favorite wish it didn’t get scraped

[@pacetti07]

If the BBC were smart they should erect somekind of statue, or monument to William Hartnell outside of their headquarters. After all, if it wasn't for his wonderful portrayal of the Doctor, the show and the character may not have lasted as long as they have. We have him to thank for creating the possibly the greatest science fiction hero ever to grace the small screen. Thank you Bill. Rest easy. Your legacy is in good hands.

[@josh1216]

Well...they did do "Adventures in Time and Space" which is probably the best and most loving tribute the show has ever had.

[@marcusmccauley3172]

We should thank Innes Lloyd and Gerry Davis to. Both of them came up with the idea of regeneration in 1966, so without their input, Doctor Who would of most likely ended with Hartnell.

[@merccadoosis8847]

The Original is still the best. He will always be so. Bill Hartnell = GREATEST Doctor of all time.

[@louiswindsor7334]

there is something wonderfully pure about William hartnell's doctor

[@JavertRA]

That sense of mischief beneath the seriousness, and the tremendous sadness whenever he's left alone.

[@DarthRushy]

What makes the Doctor so great is that it's an infinitely flexible role, henceforth every actor loves it(even grumpy old Eccleston said he's proud to have been the character) to bits and it shows.

[@BabelColour]

"You may whistfully recall that Bejamin Disraeli said that life is too short to be small" (hence the shot of Hartnell being very small next to the plughole!

[@garyhewitt886]

I love william hartnell

[@frankcabanski9409]

This seems old to people. I remember when TV first appeared - seemed like new, high technology at the time. Radio seemed the same when it appeared. Of course, I was blown away by the telegraph when it first appeared.

[@Scottymatic]

Brilliant. Haven't heard the Ruttles in ages. Long live that crazy old man in the blue box.

[@johntaylor6345]

If it wasn't for William Hartnell as the 1st Doctor there would not be any Doctor Who. He started the whole thing off. He loved the part because he was not playing another sergeant major. Personally I would love to have an Old Man play the Doctor again.

[@Doctorj1]

Capaldi was older than Hartnell when he started playing the doctor

[@johngurnhill8743]

Happy Birthday William

[@alexlasker1031]

The man that started it all, 50 years later and he's still as good as before rest In peace doc.

Kindly derange from addressing me as Doc!

[@alexlasker1031]

Fellinux my dear apologies sir

[@sinthtoaster3979]

I love this song and god this song goes amazing with this tribute

[@SorrowPea]

This video perfectly captures how fun and entertaining Billy Hartnell was to watch!

[@breaks0]

Excellent. He's one of the 3 best, but clearly the stories he and Troughton got were in a league of their own. Thanks.

[@DarthRushy]

"No, impossible at this temperature. Besides, it's too warm." Okay, I'm convinced Billy was just trolling there.

[@DarthRushy]

***** I know all that. That's why I said "just trolling". I was making a joke that for once he screwed with his lines intentionally. And he didn't have Alzheimer's, he had arteriosclerosis, which meant that he couldn't concentrate(it wasn't actual amnesia).

[@theredpanda3729]

As well as the fact that he might have said "The sides are to warm". Hard to tell.

[@seancdaug]

Oh, almost certainly. Most of his flubs are attributed to his arteriosclerosis, and while I'm sure that was part of it, I've never accepted that it explains everything. I think several of them are either legit adlibs, or were actually scripted in as character quirks. I'm sure Hartnell had legitimate problems remembering all his lines, due to the combination of his condition and the grueling shooting schedule, but it's pretty clear he played it up as part of the Doctor's character as well, with many of the most famous examples becoming almost too rehearsed in their own right to be any thing else (his constantly screwing up Ian Chesterton's last name, for instance).

[@orgixvi3]

My father told me it was both his old age and that the villain was draining his life energy at the time. He's old enough to remember having seen it on tv, before it was lost.

[@BabelColour]

Yep, I re-edited it slightly. The real opening is: "Many years from now when your grandchildren climb up on your knee, you may be quite astonished to see how many channels they can change on TV. When some old film in black and white comes on and there you are up on the screen, or is it someone just like someone you've been, looking not a day over 19. "Grandad..." the little ones are asking you "Why do you look so sad?", So you tell them all about the fun you had"

[@narwhalgamingthewinner]

R.I.P William He was One of the best actors if he saw what they NO we turned the show into he would be proud

[@midnight_styx]

We .love the first doctor

[@TranscendentLion]

Happy birthday, Mr. Hartnell, and thank you for creating this legend. :D

[@jonathongurnhill7693]

The doctor what started the journey great doctor by far the best Doctor

[@merccadoosis8847]

Yes it is true that Bill Hartnell was the greatest Doctor of all time. He made the series what it became. But much kudos has to go to Verity Lambert for her artistic vision and foresight when she hired him for that role. Both to be remembered forever for their great work.

[@ChrizmanTV]

I always enjoy watching these early episodes with the First Doctor - he was quite simply an impossibazilibility.

[@docdave15]

38 years ago today we lost dear Grandfather. You are missed Bill.

[@SufferingFoolsMusic]

Love the Neil Innes music. The First Doctor rules!

[@seannaylor5803]

William Hartnell was great because 1) He introduced the Doctor to us and the Tardis 2)His Doctor was grumpy, cantankerous and mysterious 3) The stories included monsters like the Daleks and the Cybermen which will make history 4)His stories had some education in them and 5)His catchphrase from The Dalek Invasion of Earth was really good and meant something to us

[@RKStrikerJK5]

He needs more credit, more tribute. Without him there would be no one else.

[@marcusmccauley3172]

At 2:18, William Hartnell is John Cena

[@timkinss]

Wonderful. Sweet, funny, well chosen images, and at the end, really touching. Good old Billy.

[@Fanouriou]

One day.....He will come back. Yes he will come back. William Hartnell, bless.

[@anton1990]

These tribute videos are brilliant beyond brilliant!!!!!!!

[@rjl518]

RIP Sir Hartnell. If only u could see what u started all those years ago! Wish you were here for the big 50!

[@DonevaB]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!! And I'm only 32! Great music for all the tributs, very fitting and well thought out. I loved it!

[@auronlu]

Awwwwwwwwww. *sniffle* These are just great. Gallifreyan -- he was startlingly ruthless now and then, quite an erratic and unpredictable Doctor! But also whimsical or funny or random or...oh, just about everything.

[@BabelColour]

It certainly wasn't made as a piss-take. Hartnell is my favourite DOctor, but all too often tributes paint him to be some crotchety old man, and he was actually very playful after the first 5 or 6 stories. I wanted to highlight the humour of his portrayal and the quirks that made him so loveable.

[@michaelkelleypoetry]

Hartnell is THE Best Doctor, followed closely by Eccleston and Baker.

[@morianarnia9356]

Which Baker?

[@loufortes7574]

He is my total favourite, love him so much. It's a shame they did him dirty in Twice Upon a Time

[@Mrx-rn5vt]

Moria Narnia Tom baker the 4th doctor

[@peterzilahi1805]

Lou Fortes in twice upon a time it was not the real first Doctor,it was a joke

[@frankcabanski9409]

Nope. If you think Eccleston is one of the best, you're a buffoon.

[@magmos6346]

This guy must have been great to watch back in the day.

[@Xfolo]

In my top 3 doctors. He was amazing.

[@DarthRushy]

He's one of those Doctors you just want to hug. :-)

[@Paperfiasco]

To quote my favorite Doctor: WHO da Man? Mr. Hartnell was THE man. After all...you gotta start somewhere, and without a First Doctor, we wouldn't have the rest. RIP good sir, hope you're proud of the show you helped get going. Here's to you, Bad.Ass.Space.Grandpa

[@WonderfulAkari]

Wacting the first season made watching the news series hillarious! if only those two met.

[@SecretTimeWarp]

Wonder if he could find the Rutles on his Space-Time Visualiser? Ian would enjoy hearing "Ticket To Rut" again.

[@mezzaninedoor]

love this ..... thanks for your creativity Babelcolour

[@nwseaman6945]

Hartnell was great as the dr

[@LateNightTrain]

i love the bit in the middle with all the toungue slips :3 he was absolutly brilliant

[@eduardosatojr.2314]

William Hartnell-Funny,Scary,Serious but We will miss you until your next life.

[@tost6956]

he's brilliant

[@Formby1961]

The Rutles is perfect for this!!

[@kaledmasterme]

ok, just to bring the subject back to THIS VIDEO, William Hartnell's doctor set the highest standard for every doctor since. his timelord was what they all should have been: the wise old man of the universe. what a great tribute!

[@BabelColour]

Thanks for the positive comments, guys. I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed it! I love Billy Hartnell's performance and wanted to redress the injustice of the first Doctor being labelled a grumpy old man. He had a wonderfully playful streak in him :)

[@wikiwikiju]

I love that the little quirky laughs sync in with the song.

[@kaledmasterme]

love the mountain goat bit. the first doctor is severely underrated!!!!! i love the tune. ive seen this vid 13 times now. cant stop watching it!lol

[@FUNCHOMCLALA]

This is pure gold. Thanks!

[@thetenthplanetproductions150]

Happy birthday William Hartnell

[@Sindre1]

I just got done watching/listening to all the First Doctor episodes ^^

[@frankcabanski9409]

"It's videos like this that remind me that Nine and Ten and Eleven are all the same person... and they all date back to this lovely old fellow here. :D Thank you, Babelcolour. I now have a nice big soft spot for the original." Nine, ten and eleven are shadows of the original. They run around shouting "I AM THE DOCTOR" too much. There's too much crescendo in their performance. When everything is a crescendo, crescendo loses its meaning.

[@SunniestAutumn]

Oh, no! Time's have changed! How dare audiences raised into the 21st century appreciate stuff aimed at their generation more than stuff aimed at the generation that raised their parents. How dare the makers of television go to new directions and try new things when everything could be older and classier. Oh no, bring back that black & white television, because this man's enjoyment of the newer media is too damn low. People must not enjoy new TV at ANY costs!

[@rwbysoundtracks7704]

Veikko Elo XD

[@SunniestAutumn]

Fellinux The comment is over a year old. You can't expect young adults such as me to hold an opinion that long.

[@MrBenram]

That, your excellency, would be an impossi-basilla--bility.

[@paulreeve]

A really first class video. Well done ! Brings back fond memories of my childhood days. I don't think I missed a single episode of the first series !

[@fosca44]

I don't know if I'm too tired or what, but after the lead sings "for pouring scorn", I can almost swear the backing singers reply with "for scoring porn". Whew, random. Love the era and love the video, by the way.

[@118debi]

I love the Bill Hartnell years and think the original Tardis Team with Ian/Barbara/Susan is tough to beat. I hope we one day get all Billy and Pat's missing episodes. I have to smile when Billy flubs a line, but we also have to remember Doctor Who didn't ( and never has) have all the money in the world for endless retakes so sometimes they had to take the best of what they had.

[@SarahLeia]

Yeah, great job! He is one of my favourites too!

[@nekochan42]

That was the best Hartnell tribute ever! (I've only seen 3, but still) I'm sure he's chuffed from beyond the grave^-^

[@Trayusstudent1]

That bit at the end of Journey's End where we looked off camera reminded me of Baker so much. Its uncanny!!

[@SunniestAutumn]

"Impossible in this temperature. Besides, it's too warm."

[@frankcabanski9409]

Chesterfield would have gotten that wrong.

[@SunniestAutumn]

Frank Cabanski Chatterton*

[@HammerBroYoshi]

+Veikko Elo *Chestnut

[@theunconventionalpolymath4183]

+HammerBroYoshi *Chest of draws

[@professorwho]

this was both beautiful and halarious well done

[@BabelColour]

Thanks spazchu. The 2:04 clip is from 'The Daleks' Master Plan' and the 2:30 clip is (if I remember correctly) from 'The Time Meddler'.

[@23018484]

Brillant!! Thank you for posting this.

[@sipodge]

"Yes, but I'm not a mountain goat" - Got to love Hartnell :)

[@FilmC0llect0r]

One of my most watched vids on the whole net for a reason. Seriously, THANK YOU!

[@videonitekatt]

Fantastic!

[@Montyboy63]

A lovely tribute, the Billy-fluff section was worth it alone:)

[@bobcomic2003]

"That, your exellency, would be an imposibisillibility." Gotta love Hartnell!

[@redlion517]

Just now I realize...without him, there'd BE no Doctor Who.

[@SCCmovies]

The greatest tragedy of the Doctor Who fandom is the fact that we can never see every episode. I would love to see everything from start to finish. I would love to see all of the Hartnell episodes in particular. He is undoubtedly my favorite Doctor. He was stern and serious at times, but extremely clever and funny too.

[@CaptApril123]

"What do you think it is? A space helmet for a cow?" Absolutely wonderful delivery.. my God William Hartenell may have flubbed some lines but he was an amazing doctor! He was the one that established the character.

[@Piemaster47]

William Hartnell - the original and still the best.

[@Ryushinku]

Ha ha! Hoo hoo! Dear old Billy Hartnell, love it.

[@Laz-Kay]

it made me LOL when i saw him fighting them leaves :) thanx 4 this video perfect song choice!!!!!!

[@Showdax]

You find very interesting songs for these Doctor tribute vids. They are so much fun to watch. Love this tribute to the First. The quotes in there are great! ^_^ Cheers!

[@jonukwho]

A friend and I decided to watch doctor who from the very start, she had not seen any, I being a lifelong fan. At first I dreaded revisiting the first doctor era due to the fact that he is so angry and grumpy, but I discovered that the cantankerous old man is not only lovable but very sweet, mysterious, strong willed, and quite the charmer. Hartnell infused so many qualities in the doctor, and the right ones together, and from nothing, this makes his performance no small achievement.

[@UnluckyLeprechaun]

who can forget his fluff 'Two burnt cinders floating around in spain'? Gotta love Hartnells doctor

[@Drwhofan1971]

a marvellous tribute to the Hatnell years. I was made a bit teary at the regeneration scene after this vid! Top draw work, sir!

[@ohmydinosare]

I love william hartnell, and all his little hartnellisms, the only actor who's mistakes enhance the quality of the show.

[@misterbob699]

BabelColour my man, this video is pure class.

[@Darren79]

Yet another great video, BabelColor. Keep em coming:).

[@lavenderherring]

Hartnell had a really endearing way of flubbing up his lines and correcting himself to keep on going--which totally worked for his absentminded Doctor character because his advanced age was one of the reasons that Barbara and Ian and Susan had to take care of him or help him get out of trouble a lot of the time. He was absolutely adorable and these clips showcase that perfectly. Actually, all of your videos are great, Babelcolour. I really like them. :)

[@StKildaFan]

"Not in this temperature, and besides, it's too warm" great line. I never think of the doctor as an old man. I'm too used to Tennant.

[@randomdave30]

2008 was Hartnell's centenerary - a fact which seems to have gone totally unnoticed. 2013 is Doctor Who's Golden Jubilee. I sincerely hope Hartnell is not forgotten. Perhaps he could have a computer-generated cameo in the new series? I really look forward to the fiftieth anniversary celebration.

[@Cyric76]

Excellent!

[@thetenthplanetproductions150]

I love Hartnell's doctor