MythMakers: William Russell

MythMakers 43 A Tribute to William Hartnell

• A Review by Stuart Gutteridge

A Review by Stuart Gutteridge 3/5/99

"He believed in The Doctor. He was The Doctor... and he made the character one that people loved."
Verity Lambert

This tape just goes to show how little was known about William Hartnell as a person. So it is much more refreshing to hear a lot of new and (almost certainly definitive) anecdotes about how he was perceived. By far the most interesting is his granddaughter Jessica Carney, who perhaps knew him better than anybody; she gives a fascinating account of his early life, proving that the surface had to be scratched in order to really understand William Hartnell. There can`t be any aspect of his life that she doesn`t touch upon.

Another fascinating interviewee is extra Jack Pitt, who once shared a flat with Hartnell, and upholds the often made assertion that he wasn`t in the best of health. Most of the tape concentrates on Doctor Who, what it meant to Hartnell to land the lead role, the reaction of the fans to him and his relationship with fellow cast and crew members. Nearly every companion is interviewed and whilst some of this is taken from previous interviews, people such as Maureen O`Brien continue to offer something new and interesting.

The only thing that lets this tape down is the lack of footage, but this is made up for by the various interviewees who respected and admired William Hartnell not only for his achievements on stage and screen, but also as an individual. A worthy tribute.