Doctor Who - Regeneration

Image caption,
Anneke Wills (Polly), Patrick Troughton (The Doctor) and Michael Craze (Ben) in the TARDIS (1967)

1 November 2023

Originally just a clever solution to the problem of the first Doctor William Hartnell leaving the show, regeneration has now become a key part of Doctor Who's mythology.

While the concept of regeneration and a new actor playing The Doctor is familiar to audiences today, back in 1966 it had never been done before.

“Life depends on change and renewal”The Second Doctor (1966)

Once the production team had decided they wanted to use regeneration to replace their leading actor, they then had to work out how much the character should change and how it should look on screen.

A typewritten document that reads: "The New Dr Who. Appearance. Facially as strong, piercing eyes of the explorer or sea Captain. His hair is wild and his clothes look rather the worse for wear (this is a legacy from the metaphysical change which took place in the Tardis). Obviously spares very little time and bother on his appearance. In the first serial, he wears a fly-blown version of the clothes associated with this character. Manner. Vital and forceful - his actions are controlled by his superior intellect and experience - whereas at times he is a positive man of action, at other times he deals with the situation like a skilled chess player, reasoning and cunningly planning his moves. He has humour and wit and also an overwhelmingly thunderous rage which frightens his companions and others. A feature of the new Dr Who will be the humour on the lines of the sardonic humour of Sherlock Holmes. He enjoys disconcerting his companions with unconventional and unexpected repartee. After the first serial - the Daleks - (when the character has been established), we will introduce a love of disguises which will help and sometimes disconcert his friends. To keep faith with the essential Dr Who character, he is always suspicious of new places, things or people - he is the eternal fugitive with a horrifying fear of the past horrors he has endured, (these horrors were experienced during the galactic war and account for his flight from his own planet). The metaphysical change which takes place over 500 or so years is a horrifying experience - an experience in which he re—lives some of the most unendurable moments of is long life, including the galactic war. It is as if he has had the L.S.D. drug and instead of experiencing the kicks, he has the hell and dank horror which can be its effect." — Image caption,
Document describing the appearance and manner of ‘The New Dr Who’ (c 1966)

Sadly, the final episode of The Tenth Planet no longer exists. While we can’t watch the build-up to that first regeneration, we can see the moment itself thanks to a 1973 episode of Blue Peter from the archive.

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Clip of the first regeneration, shown as part of Blue Peter (1973)

“The problem was how to change from one Doctor to another. I think the producer came up with quite a clever solution”

Although regeneration was new, much like today, there was still debate over which actor should play the new Doctor, as former companion Anneke Wills explains in this unedited interview from the archive. She also describes the process of filming The Doctor’s regeneration.

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Anneke Wills remembers the first regeneration, from an unedited interview for The Story of Doctor Who (2003)

“And history was being made"

While Anneke remembers Patrick Troughton being quickly accepted as The Doctor, an audience research report held in the BBC Written Archives tells a slightly different story.

A typewritten document that reads: "British Broadcasting Corporation Confidential AN AUDIENCE RESEARCH REPORT (Week 47) [Reference number] DR VR/66/635 DR. WHO The Power of the Daleks, by David Whitaker Part 3 Designer: Derek Dodd Producer: Innes Lloyd Director: Christopher Barry Saturday, 19th November, 1966. 5.50-6.15 pm, BBC 1 1. Size of audience (based on results of the Survey of Listening and Viewing). It is estimated that the audience for this broadcast was 14.9% of the popu1tion of the United Kingdom. Programmes on ITV at the time attracted 20.8%. There was no transmission on BBC-2. 2. Reaction of audience (based on questionnaires completed by a sample of the audience. This sample, 217 in number, is the 11% of BBC 1 Viewing Panel who saw all or most of the broadcast). The reactions of this sample of the audience were distributed as follows:- A+ = 3% A = 17% B = 45% C = 22% C- = 13% giving a REACTION INDEX of 44. Figures for the first two episodes in this particular sequence were 43 and 45. Previous episodes of Dr. Who televised during the year have averaged 47. 3. Viewers in the sample who were enthusiastic about this episode in the new six part adventure featuring the Daleks, were confined to a minority, less than a quarter of the sample finding it appealing to an appreciable degree. There was, however, a warm welcome from these viewers for the 'over popular' Daleks whose doings ensured plenty of entertainment and excitement. 'This is supposed to be for the "kids", but I must confess that I found the programme quite gripping', a Senior Clerk wrote. 'As an ardent sci-fiction fan I think the Daleks are the most sinister "aliens" I've come across'. 4. More often viewers in the sample reported a very moderate degree of enjoyment, and a number were scarcely interested at all. Quite a few said they did not care for the new-style 'doctor'; he 'didn't seem right somehow', and they now liked the series less than before. 'Once a brilliant but eccentric scientist, he now comes over as a half-witted clown', a Teacher maintained, another viewer writing: 'The family have really "gone off" Dr. Who since the change. They do not understand the new one at all, and his character is peculiar in an unappealing way'. Then some of the sample said they were tired of the Daleks who were no longer a novelty ('they have made their impact, served their usefulness, now they just seem hackneyed and more unreal than usual'). The series in general was not as good as it used to be, in quite a few opinions - 'At one time we used to hate to miss it; now we are quite indifferent'. However, some of those who got little entertainment out of the episodes themselves were willing to admit that the children liked it, although criticisms were also made by several to the effect that it was rather complicated for them, and a bit frightening as well." — Image caption,
Page 1 of Audience Research Report for The Power of the Daleks part 3 (1966)

Page 2 of a typewritten document that reads: "5. Whilst there was nothing calling for special praise about the acting, according to a substant1al number of the sample, and some viewers evidently thought it pretty poor, the majority were satisfied. Most of the comment centred round Patrick Troughton as Dr. Who. Much of this took a critical form, some viewers saying that, although an excellent actor whom they much admired as a rule, who seemed miscast, not to say 'wasted', hero, although according to a Teacher he 'seemed to be struggling manfully with the idiotic new character that Dr. Who has taken on since his change'. Others criticised him for overdoing the part, 'playing for laughs', making the Doctor into 'something of a Pantomime character' - 'I'm not sure that I really like his portrayal. I feel the part is over-exaggerated - whimsical even I keep expecting him to take a great watch out of his pocket and mutter about being late like Alice's White Rabbit'. Frankly, some said, they preferred William Hartnell in the part. However, there was also comment to the effect that Patrick Troughton had not yet settled down as Dr. Who, there was still time for him to become fully accepted, and there was praise in some quarters for his portrayal as excellent; he had made 'a refreshing change', and 'brought a new dimension to the character'. A Student who found this episode 'immensely exciting and interesting' thought 'Patrick Troughton, a brilliant actor, had improved the programme greatly' Others in the cast were rarely mentioned individually. Not much was said about the production which was judged satisfactory by the majority of the sample. There were occasional criticisms of Dr. Who's get-up as 'ludicrous'. There was also praise from several for the settings as interesting and 'very much of the space-age'. Copyright of the BBC Audience Research Department 12th December, 1966." — Image caption,
Page 2 of Audience Research Report for The Power of the Daleks part 3 (1966)

“[He] brought a new dimension to the character”

However, many viewers did like the new Doctor, including a young boy named Russell growing up in South Wales.

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Russell T Davies describing his memories of the first regeneration, from Doctor Who Confidential(2007)

And so regeneration became part of the fabric of Doctor Who. Generations watched as The Doctor changed physically, while essentially remaining the same person.

When the show returned in 2005, the need to change the lead actor at the end of the series wasn’t an obstacle to overcome, but another part of the Doctor Who mythology, as executive producer Jane Tranter and directors James Hawes and Euros Lyn explain in this archive radio clip.