Doctor Who: David Bradley and The First Doctor Adventures – When a recast works brilliantly

William Hartnell’s magnificent portrayal of the First Doctor was nothing short of iconic. Others have played this particular incarnation since – including, most recently and significantly, David Bradley.

(Photo by Sunday Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)

You’ve seen him play the First Doctor on television, but have you heard David Bradley in his very own series? We look at why The First Doctor Adventures is not just an incredibly strong reinterpretation of the original Doctor Who team, but why it likely wouldn’t work as well on-screen.

Recasts can be tricky, especially when it’s a popular character. Even in Doctor Who, where a recast is not just expected but in some ways a key part of the show, choosing who the next Doctor will be is always a risky decision. With a new Doctor comes great change, and there’s always the guarantee that the show won’t be the same again.

However, what’s perhaps even riskier is the idea of recasting established Doctors. With new Doctors, you get to start from scratch, but with previously existing incarnations, you need to be exact. You already know what this particular Doctor is like – their personality, their quirks, their very voice – and so, you need to be extremely specific. On television, beyond the briefest of cameos, it’s only happened twice, both times with the same Doctor: the original.

After William Hartnell’s death in 1975, there were two occasions when we saw his iconic role recast. First with Richard Hurndall in twentieth anniversary story The Five Doctors, and then, far more recently, in 2017’s Twice Upon a Time with David Bradley.

In the latter case, this was something that many fans had wanted for a while. Bradley had originally played William Hartnell in documentary drama An Adventure in Space and Time, which looked at the very beginnings of the series. Other actors who played such crucial roles in those early days were portrayed, with Jamie Glover as William Russell, Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill, and Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford.

Photo: (L to R) Jemma Powell, Jamie Glover, David Bradley and Claudia Grant form a brilliant new take on a classic team in The First Doctor Adventures.

(Image Courtesy: Big Finish Productions.)

Old team, new actors, same magic

Which brings me to David Bradley’s other major appearance as the First Doctor. On Christmas Day 2017 – the exact same day that Bradley first played the Doctor on television – Big Finish released something very special: The First Doctor Adventures.

This brand new series aimed to recreate the era of the original TARDIS team, with all the actors from An Adventure in Space and Time starring in the series. So along with Bradley playing the First Doctor, Jamie Glover now played Ian Chesterton, Jemma Powell played Barbara Wright, and Claudia Grant played the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan.

Honestly, this was probably one of the boldest and riskiest decisions that Big Finish have ever made. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – these actors were originally cast for how similar they looked to the original actors themselves. They did a good job with the voices, but the visual element was definitely key. It’s a common complaint I’ve come across from fans – using actors for an audio series for roles that they were only meant to portray visually. At least, before they started listening to the series.

However, the use of this new cast proved to be a major success. A key reason is the strong chemistry shared by the whole cast. While they don’t sound exactly like the original actors, what they do recreate perfectly is that strong sense of chemistry, almost like a family unit. That’s extremely hard to re-capture, and yet the whole cast have done it brilliantly well.

That’s one key reason why the series has worked so well so far. But the other is what many series with complete recasts often don’t achieve – authenticity.

Achieving authenticity

Let me explain. When we got a new Star Trek film in 2009 – one that focused on the characters of the original series – the casting there was pretty impressive. However, while there were plenty of nods to the TV series in this film and in its two sequels, did it actually feel much like the original era?

Not really. I’m not saying that they’re bad, and they were entertaining in their own way. But even the writers of the 2009 film admitted that Star Wars was a key influence on it. It’s not surprising – it’s a big screen film made for a modern audience, and the filmmakers had to adapt the story for that. But you can’t imagine the original series having a story quite like the movie, despite featuring the same characters.

The First Doctor Adventures goes the opposite route. This series may feature a brand new cast. But the stories themselves feel completely true to the era of those early seasons. In terms of pacing, tone, character and style, these stories fit so perfectly into the gap between Seasons One and Two. And that’s not easy to achieve.

More from Winter is Coming

• For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
• Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
• Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
• Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
• Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”

Knowing the audience

Honestly, it’s also why I’m glad something like this is being done by Big Finish instead of on television by the BBC. Because I honestly can’t imagine the BBC going for the same level of authenticity, not if it aimed to make a television programme designed to bring in millions of viewers. Even if it used the exact same characters with exactly the same actors, it’s far too easy to imagine the series being faster paced and far closer in tone to Doctor Who of the modern-day than of the Sixties, to draw the biggest possible crowd in.

But Big Finish knows their audience. They know that they can take a risk like completely recasting the original roles. But they also know that the fans can accept it if it provides them with strong, high quality stories that feel like the era that they’re designed for. And with all three volumes in the series so far, they’ve achieved that brilliantly.

With a great mix of excellent stories, authentic style, and a new team of actors that capture the magic of the original legends perfectly, The First Doctor Adventures isn’t simply a huge success for Big Finish. It’s the perfect example of when recasting such iconic characters works brilliantly.

Have you listened to The First Doctor Adventures? Do you agree that it wouldn’t work as well on television? Or do you think the BBC should give David Bradley a series of First Doctor adventures on the small-screen? Let us know in the comments below.