Who is William Hartnell?

Before Who

Born in 1908, William Hartnell was an illegitimate child - he never discovered the identity of his father, despite trying to track him down when he was older. After training for a number of very different jobs, including jockey and boxer, Hartnell decided to enrol at the Italia Conti Academy (founded in 1911, it's now Britain's oldest drama school).

He played dozens of parts in forgettable films, but there were a few landmark moments. Such as starring in the classic 1947 thriller Brighton Rock, and also having a lead role in 1958's Carry on Sergeant – the very first Carry On film. But the real breakthrough came in the early 60s when his agent rang him to say: "I wouldn't normally suggest you work in children's television, Bill, but a character part has come up that I think you'd just love to play." And guess who that character was…

His Who

Hartnell's tenure as the First Doctor lasted from 1963 to 1966, and he was a sly, cantankerous delight in the role. Indeed, the First Doctor would have surpassed everyone if, by some cosmic glitch, he appeared on Grumpy Old Men. Giving very little away about his past (mainly because the writers hadn't come up with any details themselves), the First Doctor was an enigmatic and sometimes devious figure. In fact, he once secretly sabotaged the TARDIS so he and his reluctant companions would be "forced" to explore a sinister planet.

Hartnell was an instant hit in the role, and made Doctor Who such a success that the writers had to invent the concept of regeneration to continue the series after he decided to move on.

After Who

It's a popular misconception that Hartnell left Doctor Who due to his increasing age. In fact, he plunged straight back into very demanding theatre work afterwards and made guest appearances in various TV dramas. He continued to relish the fame Doctor Who had brought him, delighting in the fact that he was mobbed by fans wherever he went.

Ill health did begin to plague him in the early 1970s, but he didn't let that stop him reprise the First Doctor for the 1973 serial The Three Doctors. Too weak to play a major part, he filmed his lines while sitting in a studio and was edited into the programme later on, which was explained in the story by having the First Doctor stuck in a rather convenient "time eddy". Hartnell finally succumbed to illness in 1975, passing away peacefully in his sleep.

Who knew?

Hartnell was always embarrassed that he was an illegitimate child, and actually invented a fake biography to conceal this fact when he started his acting career – claiming in press interviews that he came from a wealthy family and that his father (whom he actually never knew) had been a stockbroker. We're sure the First Doctor would have been proud of such cunning...

Who says...

Hartnell was both bemused and delighted by the impact his Doctor had made on the nation. "People really used to take it literally," he said. "I'd get letters from boys swotting for O-levels asking complicated questions about time-ratio and the TARDIS. The Doctor might have been able to answer them – I'm afraid I couldn't!"