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  • Nu-Who
    • Ncuti Gatwa
    • Jodie Whittaker
    • Peter Capaldi
    • Matt Smith
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    • Christopher Eccleston
  • Tweeners
    • John Hurt
    • Paul McGann
    • The Master List
    • Regeneration X
    • The Mystery Guest
    • The Hand of Fear
  • Colo(u)r
    • Sylvester McCoy
    • Colin Baker
    • Peter Davison
    • Tom Baker
    • Jon Pertwee
  • Monochrome
    • Patrick Troughton
    • William Hartnell
  • Tour du Jour
    • On This Day in Doctor Who History
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  • Nu-Who
    1. Ncuti Gatwa
    2. Jodie Whittaker
    3. Peter Capaldi
    4. Matt Smith
    5. David Tennant
    6. Christopher Eccleston
    7. View All

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    B-Bye Bradley

    October 6, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    2024Kristmas #4 – Twice Upon the First

    December 21, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (18→13)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (42→37)

    October 5, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (12→7)

    November 17, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (30→25)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    2024Kristmas #3 – The Man With All The Toys

    December 16, 2024

    2024Kristmas #2 – It’ll Be a Wild Blue Christmas

    December 10, 2024

    2024Kristmas #1 – Seasons Beastings

    December 3, 2024

    Pre-Embering the Fireplace

    May 5, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (42→37)

    October 5, 2023

    The Dark Jacket Dimension

    November 13, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025
  • Tweeners
    1. John Hurt
    2. Paul McGann
    3. The Master List
    4. Regeneration X
    5. The Mystery Guest
    6. The Hand of Fear
    7. View All

    Hurt So Good: A Doctor and His Umbrella

    April 27, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    Ten’ll Get You Five

    September 4, 2020

    Double Doctor Dastardly Danger

    April 25, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    McGann Before McGann

    May 26, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    Ghost Re-Write

    November 16, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    Dup-topia

    January 29, 2020

    The Glue Guy

    June 24, 2018

    Doctor on Doctor ACTION!

    November 19, 2017

    The Wheel in Cheese

    August 10, 2014

    The Hurt Locker

    May 25, 2013

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025
  • Colo(u)r
    1. Sylvester McCoy
    2. Colin Baker
    3. Peter Davison
    4. Tom Baker
    5. Jon Pertwee
    6. View All

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    A Studio Film (or rather a film in the studio)

    June 9, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    Fivey at Forty: The First Companion Death of 1982

    March 16, 2022

    Sweet, not Effete

    April 5, 2025

    Arguably Arguable

    August 19, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    The End of Enlightenment

    January 13, 2025

    What’s in a Number? Occasionally Everything

    November 23, 2024

    A Spot of Gray in a Sea of Color

    November 19, 2024

    ⅔ of a Magic Number, but None Too Shabby Either

    October 1, 2024

    The Truth That Supports the Lie

    March 15, 2025

    The Golden Sweep of Tom Baker Begins

    December 28, 2024

    Déjà Who, All Over Again

    February 8, 2024

    XCited for Tom

    January 27, 2024

    Living Day-to-Day with The Candy Man

    July 31, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (30→25)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025
  • Monochrome
    1. Patrick Troughton
    2. William Hartnell
    3. View All

    Stock(s) Company

    September 9, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (18→13)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    The TARDIS whirled on it’s way again…

    December 24, 2024

    Have a Feast @ Doctor Who’s Tragical History Tour!

    December 6, 2024

    Quarter Zip

    July 21, 2024

    Roll Without the Rock, or the Schlock

    July 15, 2024

    The Night of the Precious Stones

    June 19, 2025

    Wish It All Away, and Back Again

    May 25, 2025

    Mark II of The Rani

    May 24, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025
  • Tour du Jour
    • On This Day in Doctor Who History
    • The House of Holmes
    • 60 for 60
    • 50 for 50
    • The Randomizer
    • THT Rand-o-pix of the Day
    • The Feast of Steven
    • Tour Notz
    • The Watcher
    • Contact the Tour
Doctor Who's Tragical History TourDoctor Who's Tragical History Tour
Who Not Who! Patrick Troughton William Hartnell

When Patrick Met Verity

By -- DSWAugust 11, 202303 Mins Read
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The Tour Honchos have been doing something of a deep dive on one particular actor that holds a fascination for being either emblematic of the time in which they appeared, or for just for being interesting in their own right. 

The actor this time is Gerald Harper (who is still with us and in his 90s).  While his direct involvement with Doctor Who is nil, he has all sorts of ancillary touches with Doctor Who which we will expound upon shortly.  Harper’s ‘imperial period’ spanned the 1960’s to mid-70’s and included ‘Gazette’ from 1968 and a follow-up series ‘Hadleigh,’ which the Tour just finishes and ran for four series from 1969 to 1976.

But his first ‘series’ was ‘Adam Adamant Lives!’ and while television is always, always, always a product of the time in which it was made, we doubt there’s a drama series which screams 1966 more than ‘Adam Adamant Lives!’ does, and this is where Doctor Who tangentially intrudes.

‘Adam Adamant Lives!’ is the series which Verity Lambert basically left to produce when she left Doctor Who after the single-episode teaser to The Daleks Master Plan, Mission to the Unknown. 

One of the creators of AAL! was Donald Cotton, who contributed The Myth Makers immediately after Lambert ankled.  Most importantly though, the providence for AAL! was all too obvious.  By this time ‘The Avengers’ had moved to film and struck gold with the casting of Diana Rigg.  AAL! by almost any measure is a lo-fi variation on ‘The Avengers’ with an Edwardian gentleman (in this case frozen from 1901 to the present day) drawn into swinging sixties London (alongside a with-it girl) and all of the cultural juxtapositions which flow from that.  As the Tour holds ‘The Avengers,’ especially this period, in the highest possible esteem, watching ‘Adam Adamant Lives!’ is an even larger curiosity than it otherwise might have been, and for us it often–owing due the very distinct differences in production between the two series–doesn’t work.

This isn’t down to Gerald Harper, who endeavors to remain a model of Edwardian rectitude, but it does mean the central performance can often seem stiff and off-kilter as he endeavors who fit into a very different world from the one he left.  Still AAL! ran for two series in 1966 and 1967.  The last episode for the first series ‘D For Destruction’ featured, yep you guessed it, Patrick Troughton as a General who dispatches Adamant to his old Regiment to root out a takeover plot.  He sure turns up a lot in these pages.

‘D For Destruction’ aired on October 13, 1966.  A mere 16 days later William Hartnell would yield to Troughton in Doctor Who.  These are the pleasant coincidences which never cease to amuse us.

Short Hops:

Bring Me the Head of Patrick Troughton! Sainted Patrick A Particular Parcel of Patrick
Tangential Tardis Patrick Troughton William Hartnell Mission to the Unknown The Daleks Master Plan The Myth Makers
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On This Day in Doctor Who History

June 2025

Saturday June 21

1969: The War Games [10]
Recurs yearly
2008: Turn Left
Recurs yearly

Sunday June 22 – Monday June 23

2024: Empire of Death
Recurs yearly

Monday June 23

1973: The Green Death [6]
Recurs yearly
2007: The Sound of Drums
Recurs yearly

Tuesday June 24

1967: The Evil of the Daleks [6]
Recurs yearly
1972: The Time Monster [6]
Recurs yearly
2006: Fear Her
Recurs yearly
2017: World Enough and Time
Recurs yearly

Wednesday June 25

1966: The War Machines [1]
Recurs yearly

Thursday June 26

1965: The Chase [6--The Planet of Decision]
Recurs yearly
2010: The Big Bang
Recurs yearly

Friday June 27

1964: The Sensorites [2--The Unwilling Warriors]
Recurs yearly

Saturday June 28

2008: The Stolen Earth
Recurs yearly

Monday June 30

2007: The Last of the Time Lords
Recurs yearly
Random Thoughts

The Two (Many) Ranis

By -- DSWSeptember 22, 2013 Tour Updates 2 Mins Read

Eleven Impossible Girls Before Tea Time

By -- DSWJune 9, 2013 Tour Updates 1 Min Read

Hurt-ful Thoughts

By -- DSWNovember 3, 2013 Tour Updates 2 Mins Read
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