REACTION: The Three Doctors Episode 1 (S10E1)

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

Originally, they wanted to have Hartnell come back and have a larger role, and they called him and he enthusiastically agreed. But some time later, his wife called them back and said that he was in no condition to do such strenuous work and that while they may have caught him on a good day, he couldn't possibly play the part as scripted. So, the role was rewritten to include the 'time eddy' concept. Contrary to fan myth, the shots on screen were *not* recorded in Hartnell's garage. They were recorded in BBC's Ealing Studios. Hartnell died three years later of complications from arteriosclerosis.

[@sdball01]

Thanks for the upload. Great stuff. Re your question for 06:22. This isn't reused footage but was filmed especially for this story. 🙂

[@andrewbowman4611]

Hartnell was filmed in a studio with cue cards. Despite fan lore, he wasn't in a hospital or anything. The idea came from a letter producer Barry Letts received, asking if the other two Doctors would meet the current one. Troughton was all for it, as was Hartnell, it seemed. However, Letts had coincidentally caught Bill on a rare good day, so his wife Heather called Letts back to inform him of Hartnell's infirmity due to artereosclerosis. As such, the script had to be rewritten to allow for Hartnell's condition. You're right that this was his final performance, and it's great to see him irrespective of anything else.

[@paulhammond6978]

"so you're my replacements... a dandy and a clown" is the most memorable line in this for me. Hartnell feels like he's talking to his future selves as if he were talking to Ian Chesterton.

[@gestaltdude]

Or, as he called him in The Web Planet, Chesterfield.

[@stephenkay4008]

Every second of this scene is memorable - Jo’s response to “I am He and He is me” is Gold and knowing the delicious confusion that Patrick Troughton’s ad-libbing caused on-set, particularly for Jon Pertwee - but the point is, you’d never know, they were so good at their jobs! William Hartnell’s acerbic contribution is the icing on the cake. Modern WHO can’t do that anywhere near as well IMHO.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

The multi-doctor interaction is a real joy to watch.

[@josephryan362]

I love the 3 doctors i own the special edition version on dvd it is one of the best series opens for classic doctor who

[@jamesa.fitzpatrick1566]

The Troughton scene is from the Macra Terror, some of the only footage left.

[@CaptApril123]

It's like watching an episode of 'The Golden Shot'

[@tonyscupham-bilton7523]

The actor playing Mr. Ollis is currently (21 ec 2024) the oldest living actor to have appeared in Doctor Who. He is 100 years old. The previous oldest, Arnold yarrow (who played Bellal in "Planet of the Daleks") died last week at the age of 104. This story was higlhy publicise at the time with many Radio Times artilces and a Radio Times Special (whhich I still have 51 years later). I believe Hartnell's parts were filmed in a shed in his garden, which you saw him in earlier.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

I hadn't heard about Arnold Yarrow. What a great innings. I think I knew somewhere deep in my mind that Mr Ollie was still about as I think it's him that Toby Hadoke references in some of his podcasts. I think he has met up with him a number of times.

[@Paul-gh6ng]

The Hartnell filming at his hospital is a bit of an urban myth. All his scenes were filmed at BBCs Ealing studios

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

It's funny how despite having been a fan of WHO my entire life (ahh, well, my first memories are Tom's final season), I've never heard of this myth about Hartnell / garage / hospital etc. I guess being an Aussie has kept me apart from some of the fan mythology that would be more prevalent in the UK.

[@Darren79]

Pertwee and Troughton struggled with one another at first as Pertwee was rock solid on his lines and Troughton used to give an approximation of his lines so waiting for their cues was a challenge. But they very soon became good friends. They used to play up some rivalry at conventions - famously at an American convention they used water pistols against one another, finding increasingly larger pistols.

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

The banter between them, and the way that they played it up for fans, was just delightful.

[@ercaysalih5433]

pertwee and troughton were my favourite dr s form my child hood era

[@jtomlin1uk]

Hartnell had effectively retired from acting since his last television appearance in an ATV play in 1970 called "Crimes of Passion". Barry Letts, the producer, rang him up to see if he would be interested in appearing in "The Three Doctors" and he readily said yes. A few days after, Hartnell's wife Heather rang Barry in some confusion as her husband was talking about returning and Letts told her of his conversation. Heather revealed that her husband had advanced arteriosclerosis and his short term memory was badly affected. He therefore couldn't appear. Letts therefore made alternative plans with her permission. Hartnell's contributions would be all on film, recorded in one morning at Ealing Film studios, with him reading his lines from caption boards and inserted into the episodes. That filming took place on Monday 6th November 1972 - his last ever day working as an actor. Jon Pertwee was on call to be at the studios in the afternoon for his sequences in Eps 3 and 4 so Troughton was also brought in for a photocall. For some years, it was assumed these pictures were taken in Rickmansworth during location filming but a couple of years back a fan pinpointed the exact place at the back of Ealing studios where they were taken. A few weeks earlier, all three actors met for the first time at Ray Rathbourne Studios, SW11 on 18 October 1972 for a photoshoot for the Radio Times cover. Google "The Three Doctors" for all these images. The interior ones are the 18th October session and the outdoor ones are the 6th November meet.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

I'm glad Hartnell was able to appear, even in such a small capacity. He deserved a slot given his great contribution to the role and the brilliant job he did bringing the first doctor to life.

[@jtomlin1uk]

@@TheShallowProclamation Absolutely! I think the script makes brilliant use of his short contributions and ensures they are much more than a cameo.

[@johng5859]

Just as well you don’t have to start every episode like that! The Three Doctors came about, at least in part, due to the rise of organised fandom in the early 70s. The Doctor Who Appreciation Society had been formed not long before this, and I think its members wrote to the production office suggesting a multi-Doctor story on more than one occasion. Barry Letts eventually decided that it would be a great way to mark the show’s tenth anniversary, though as Paul has noted, the story was broadcast much closer to the ninth anniversary, from December 1972 - January 1973. The poor state of Hartnell’s health had forced him into retirement a couple of years earlier, but when approached to appear in this he jumped at the chance, despite having often been critical of the direction the show had taken since his departure. It is a shame his health restricted him to just appearing on a screen, but it is still lovely that he could be part of it, and even though he is reading his lines off cue cards he still shows flashes of the old fire - his scenes were filmed at Ealing studios, then owned by the BBC. As can be seen from the thumbnail, the three Doctors did come together for a photo shoot at least. I don’t think Troughton and Pertwee had ever worked together before, but Hartnell and Pertwee had both appeared in a film called Will Any Gentleman? more than twenty years earlier, while Troughton and Hartnell had both been in an episode of a TV show called Dial 999.

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

Some of us who were too young to see this when it came out, first saw it fully in an 80s repeat, but before then we saw this actual scene with all 3 Doctors as a clip on Blue Peter. Twice, as they repeated the item at 2 different moments of DW interest.

[@AndyRossism]

I'm getting flashbacks to Knighmare with this beginning! 'LEFT NO LEFT!.OK, and right...right ..up ! UP ! (Ya ham-fisted Bun Vendor)! '

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Haha you're not the only one to make the comparison.

[@kierenevans2521]

6:30 It's not, it was filmed for this.

[@kemmdog4444]

In early 1975, Hartnell suffered from several strokes, brought on by cerebrovascular disease, and he died in his sleep in hospital on 23 April 1975, at the age of 67.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

It seem nuts that he was only 67 in 1975. Not only is it a young age to go but he always seemed so much older in his role as the Doctor that it makes it hard to believe he was as young as he was. I think he was 55 when he started the show.

[@kemmdog4444]

@@TheShallowProclamationYes he was only a few months older than Capaldi was.

[@bletheringfool]

The Hartnell stuff was shot on film in the studio, not in hospital. He had a form of dimensia. So he was reading off cards but apparently he had a blast doing it

[@gestaltdude]

I think dementia is the word you were looking for, but given how little they knew about the brain back then it is likely more that his brain was being affected by his arterial sclerosis, which reduces blood flow throughout the body.

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

@@gestaltdude They knew he had arteriosclerosis back then. He was diagnosed with it. And, yes, it does affect the brain and is the primary reason he started having difficulty remembering his lines. It might have also been responsible for his growing irascibility towards the end of his run in the show.

[@DavidCotton-os3um]

Anyone else get strong itv prog “knightmare” vibes when they were trying to cue the first episode up?

[@klisher]

😂😂 warning team.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Haha, loved that show. My little 4 year old mind was totally blown away by it back in the day.

[@klisher]

The time lords are shown at the start of colony in space as well

[@mark-s]

A great story after what was my two least pertwee stories at end of season 9 great to see three doctors together

[@Nosregni]

20:05 there was a very brief scene on Gallifrey at the start of ‘Colony in Space’

[@MrPaulMorris]

I watched this on original airing but have to say that I don't recall any advance publicity. I also don't remember even notocing the title; after ten years of watching Who I think the title sequence just washed over me. All in all, the appearance of Troughton and then Hartnell came as a wonderful surprise. When contacted by the show, Hartnell was very enthusiast and wanted to take a full and active role. His wife spoke to the production team when she found out and explained his poor health so they came up with the compromise of prefilming these inserts in a studio where Hartnell could be supported with cue cards. Hartnell was able to reprise the role in which he had taken such pride and we viewers got to see THE Doctor, the original you might say, one last time.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

I'm glad he got to appear even in such a small capacity. He definitely deserved it given what he did for the show.

[@Davy.J.Y]

I watched this several months ago and it was fantastic to see William Hartnel and Pat Troughton back , i was so excited . I started watching BBC I player Doctor Who, from Hartnel onwards watching every single episode from every series aired . I am currently at season 14 - Tom Baker . Ready to watch Robots of Death .

[@TheShallowProclamation]

You're in for a treat. Robots is excellent.

[@JosephHaig]

I have come across people saying "mayn't" and I might have used it myself. It is old fashioned, and possibly northern (lots of planets have a north), but it is like"shalln't" and "won't".

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Seeing the word "shalln't" looks very odd written down but I've definitely come across/used it in conversation.

[@papalaz4444244]

His shirt is supposed to be white. The blue was chosen for tone on a monochrome image. It looks white in monochrome. Same for the Dalek bumps. The people who coloured in The Daleks like a colouring book don't seem to understand how monochrome worked. This is also why the TARDIS console was a pale green colour. Again, it looks white on the tv.

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

The TARDIS console is the perfect example of this problem, made very visible by the fact that you would never seriously expect it to have been pale green in colour, and yet because it made the transition into the colour era without a repaint, that's what we got. However, whilst the Daleks may not have been intended to have blue bumps, IF they had been made for colour cameras, it's entirely plausible that they would not have been painted in a b&w / greytone colour palette. And Troughton may not have had a white shirt. Whilst using colour photos from the era to determine what colour to use when adding colour to these old stories is based on a false premise, it's also essentially the most authentic option available other than someone picking their own colour palette at random.

[@robalexander8065]

The pale green on monochrome cameras looked like an even brighter white than a typical white paint.

[@robalexander8065]

Troughton's shirt varied in colour, generally white but sometimes a very pale blue. The Three Doctors used the blue shirt to emphasize Troughton's Doctor being on colour television. Compare that to the Deep blue in the War Games in colour.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

I wouldn't in a million compare this to "Spider-Man No Way Home" because 1 they can act and two everything was done practically and didn't look like a cartoon and 3 it wasn't done fanfictionly or lazily writen there was no such thing as multi-verses or any of that stuff and lastly it had a story reason for it. "The Three Doctors" was announced to the general public and William Hartnell was originally suppose to have an active role but his wife had to inform producer Barry Letts that there was no way he could do work actively as he was very ill by this point so he had to film in a studio with cue cards just to have him appear in the episode.

[@HudsonMedia]

Just such a lovely celebration of the show where multi-doctor adventures didn't feel like window dressing and kinda gimmicky. Both these Doctor's just felt like they really compliment each other and serve a purpose. I adore it. Just brings a smile to my face :)

[@KarlWitsman]

Loved the opening Blind Man's Bluff game with the video. And I liked the "mayn't I?" as well. Kind of a way to say "May I not?"

[@davidbull7210]

The first episode was broadcast at the very end of 72 and was the third story of the season filmed - quite close to broadcast in fact

[@AndyRossism]

Doctor Who's 10th Birthday party! With old friends meeting new, games, lots and lots of Jelly and maybe even a slightly tragic Magician!

[@htershane]

Yay! I’ve been itching to get to this season. Season 7 is a bit of an aberration (but I love it) 8 & 9 are probably the more Pertwee-ish (I love them too) but this is peak 3rd Doctor for me and this is a doozy of an opener. Thomas how I envy thee. Paul you’re so excitable I’d have worked out the “grab” 😂. Nowadays Troughtons appearance would probably be pushed to the last 10 seconds of the episode but here he gets a decent re-establishing, Pertwee/The Doctors annoyance with his predecessor is so well done it seems improvised and instantly legendary. Mind you Troughton just nearly steals it. I would say it’s not particularly scary but I found the images, Hollis, on the x-ray sheets unnerving. Interesting trivia ….Benton’s bits were originally intended for Jamie🤔. Obviously it didn’t happen but that would have almost been nostalgia overload😂

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Would have loved to see Frazer Hines back in the role. But I'll say no more about this in case Thomas reads this!

[@curmudgeone]

Jon Pertwee, whilst also having appeared in movies, was a radio performer who very much stuck to the script. Patrick Troughton, a consummate character actor, whilst working in films and TV, would learn his part but then to some degree would say a version of his lines that kept the sense of them (excepting Tyrrell in Shakespeare’s Richard III). He believed that if you were immersed in the character/situation and listening/reacting to the other characters, the words would emerge naturally. This probably worked in rehearsal and performances for others used to this approach but it threw Jon Pertwee at first in rehearsals; he was expecting the precise words as his cues to come in. This caused some tension initially until both actors worked out how to play against one another: and then it formed a wonderful chemistry, their being such different actors and individuals. They both rehearsed responding to William Hartnell’s pre-filmed performance, the lines of which were played in during rehearsals at key points.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

I can imagine the tension that would cause. Glad that they worked through it though as their chemistry is brilliant.

[@curmudgeone]

@ Apparently the exchange approximately went something like: JP: What IS the line you’re saying and where is it in the script? PT: Never mind what I’m saying, old chap, you just concentrate on what you’re saying. JP: But I don’t know what I’M saying till I know what YOU’RE saying!

[@TheShallowProclamation]

😂

[@chrisbrooker7260]

So many great lines just in this first episodes Troughton is in cracking form. Remember reading that he and Pertwee did initially not totally get on, but then really played up to the back and forth Season 10 is my favourite Pertwee season alongside season 7

[@MuchWhittering]

You wait all day for a Doctor then suddenly 3 come along at once. Despite popular myths, Hartnell's scenes were not done in his garden, they were done in Ealing Film Studios, as was normal for pre filming of the era. Apparently Troughton annoyed Pertwee a bit. Pertwee was a stickler for the script, Troughton much less so. Notice Hartnell is referred to here as "the earliest Doctor"? Take notes, Chibnall!

[@robalexander8065]

The Hartnell garden was used for some of the publicity photos but nothing was filmed there.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Ha! Yes, come on Chibnall, pay attention.

[@mpg272727]

It's always been my headcanon that the reason the 3rd doctor hates the 2nd so much is that he blames him for getting him banished and stuck on Earth

[@Problembeing]

Blind man's Who!

[@ftumschk]

I've never heard "mayn't I" anywhere else either, although I've had a few Scottish friends who used "amn't I" instead of "aren't I". Perhaps they're from the same stable?

[@TheZodiacz]

I think I've heard it used in a couple of 1940s or 50s movies where actors spoke proper upper class English with toffee accents. I've just checked up and it was common in the 19th century and used by Lewis Carroll and Kenneth Grahame so possibly it was in versions of Alice in Wonderland or Wind in the Willows that I heard it.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Never heard "amn't" so maybe it's regional.

[@htershane]

If I manage to be available for the season review remind me about my theory of “lore rot” starting here.

[@Bobster2024]

23rd December on BBC 4 at 9pm the war games in colour will be shown

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

Hanging for it! Though hoping it's not as bad as The Daleks... (in terms of the editing down... The colour was quite reasonable, all things considered.)

[@TheShallowProclamation]

We're hoping to watch it. We loved the original ten part version when we watched it.

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

@@TheShallowProclamation It's massively epic, if also sometimes quite silly, and I can only hope they've managed to do it justice by cutting it down and no doubt removing massive amounts of plot that was the padding that Uncle Terry lamented. Wish he were alive to see this.

[@nielgregory108]

There was NO "Whittiker Era". The show ended when Capaldi left.

[@paulhunter6178]

For a moment at the beginning of this video, I thought I was watching a remake of the classic TV show "The Golden Shot" with all that up a bit, left a bit chatter. (Thomas, you'll have to youtube it cos you're far too young to know what I'm talking about). When the chief Timelord says "Show me the earliest incarnation" and we see Hartnell - lets forget that whole timeless child stuff!

[@MrPaulMorris]

"Bernie, the bolt!" I had the same thoughts. . . including, of course, the lovely Anne Aston. May be showing my age.

[@awall1701]

I think this the channel to start bring the word 'mayn't' back

[@TheShallowProclamation]

The rise of 'mayn't' begins here people!

[@kemmdog4444]

Have either of you seen the recent Ton Baker Christmas message?

[@TheShallowProclamation]

I caught a bit of it but can't remember much. I did see he made the new year's honours list though.

[@kyletaylor3255]

This is great fun "Mayn't " is absolutely fine as a word, if not very common. People usually say "mightn't" or "can't"

[@paulhammond6978]

It's a short from of "may I not" isn't it? Probably already rarely used back in 1973...

[@michaellevenson2200]

Online dictionary defines Maynt as a contraction of May Not, as in " Dad says we maynt go canoeing in the river until we can swim."

[@hbomb6775]

1 unavailable video is hidden

[@nicotoscani1707]

love it fren .. jon is my favorite dr cos he's the only doctor who cant be said to be a betamale or a halfpint

[@SGlitz]

No Chibnall Abomination needed

[@kemmdog4444]

Mayn’t AKA may not.😊

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[@sg-zd8eb]

Go away.

[@davidbull7210]

Algorithm generated bs

[@KamrulHasan-xs3cq]

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[@htershane]

Oh dear!😂