Doctor Who's Carole Ann Ford loves David Bradley's First Doctor
William Hartnell originated the role in 1963.
Doctor Who legend Carole Anne Ford has heaped praise on David Bradley for his portrayal of the First Doctor after William Hartnell originated the role in 1963.
Before his death, Hartnell paved the way for the numerous actors that would follow in his footsteps as the Doctor over the next 60 years.
The actor died in 1975 at the age of 67, but that wasn't the end of the First Doctor's story. After playing Hartnell in the docudrama An Adventure in Time and Space in 2013, Bradley then made various appearances as the First Doctor in Doctor Who, most recently in Jodie Whittaker's final episode, The Power of the Doctor.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Ford, who starred as Susan, the very first companion, alongside Hartnell, said of Bradley: "I think he’s absolutely great, I think he does him beautifully.
"And the great thing is, he doesn’t try to physically impersonate [Hartnell], but he embodies the essence of him. He’s terribly, terribly keen to get everything right and not to offend the fans. He’s a very, very good actor."
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Bradley previously hailed Hartnell's "total dedication" to Doctor Who, saying in an interview on the show's official YouTube channel: "He laid the template. All of the other subsequent doctors, they all owe a lot to William Hartnell. As it was, it started this phenomenon."
Recalling her experiences of working with Hartnell himself, Ford told us: "It was absolutely great, we got on terribly well. He was extremely helpful, a very experienced actor. He kept trying to help me find my light!"
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Ford counts The Edge of Destruction as her favourite episode of all time and she's a big fan of "super duper, energetic" Christopher Eccleston - but when asked about her favourite Doctor, there's only one clear answer.
"My grandfather! He was the defining one, I think. There are loads of other good ones too, but he was the defining one. I felt he really personified the essence of the Doctor, he really did."
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