Quite often on this quixotic voyage through the untrod forests of cross-cultural TV, the Tour Supremos encounters with Doctor Who people out-of-context, what we charitably call ‘Who-Not-Who!’, are truly and wholly unexpected, but not always. And today is also an exception to that ‘rule,’ although the encounter subject is a ‘first’ in so many ways,
British TV in the early sixties in one sense fell into two camps, and it delineated the progression in a rapidly evolving industry: the filmed (a distinct minority), and the not-filmed–aka video or more likely a video/film mix, video for interiors and studio, film for exteriors, although a fortunate few managed to transition from one form to another–if they held on long enough.
‘Ghost Squad’ was one of those fortunate few from 1961, a glossy all-film production (at least for the first season) for ITV that recreated the world within the cozy confines of a Shepperton (or equivalent) backlot. In episode 4 from the first season titled ‘High Wire’ the principal guest star was none other than the OG of Doctor Who, William Hartnell.
In the episode Hartnell plays the hardened proprietor of a Carnival in France named Fred Rice, who’s also an escapologist. There happens to be a series of jewel robberies which seem to occur when the circus come to town. Hartnell was wonderful playing the conflict–in the end he was more an anti-hero than an out-and-out villain. Something which would serve him well two years later when the TARDIS would come calling.
