Why I like the Hartnell Historicals
This last week has been Hartnell History Week, a celebration of the magnificent Historical episodes that characterize the First Doctor era. History is of course not the sole province of the Hartnell era - it is a show about time travel, after all - but the very early show has the bulk of the "pure" historicals, by contrast to later para-historical
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Yes, I love that grand sweep of culture. It wasn’t just about “someone famous” it was about how life was lived then, how the world differed, how humans adapted to all sorts of different conditions.
It wasn’t so much about one big famous event or one big famous person, but about history itself as a developmental time of the human race and of the world itself.
History is a grand and magnificent and very varied thing (and I say this as someone who hated history in school) the sheer differences and processes and even just artistic levels in things like art, architecture, clothing, or even social customs (compare the society and appearance artwise, architecture wise, and clothing wise, even weaponwise to say the Orient of Marco Polo and it would seem to be two different worlds. It’s amazing that both happened on the same planet. OURS!
“And one of those responsibilities is not to uncritically apply modern day values to its interpretation.”
Oh, thank you, thank you, I could kiss you! That’s one of the things I dislike about how the current show often treats history, as if it’s just us in costume. The old historicals made the point that history was different. And I loved that.
I love that the old historicals actually made the point the people’s worldviews were different in different times and cultures. They were’t just like us. They had a different view of the world, different beliefs, and a different way of reacting to and interpretting things.
That was an important lesson.
Strangely, Classic Who, especially the eras that used this type of historical, was far more multi-cultural than our present day, supposedly multi-cultural world, which doens’t so much celebrate differences, as just try to make all the differences the same.
I also totally agree with you about how having “pure” historicals also helped make the ethical decisions of when or when not or even if they “can” interfere more important.
It’s not a case of stopping outside interference, it’s a matter of changing the development of a species. And it is all that much more powerful, because they are developing through their own actions and decision, rather than through outside influence.
So, should the Doctor and his knowledgeable friends be that outside influence, or simply observe, try not to get swept away on the tide, and try not to have a deliterious effect?
Also, I agree that by having history itself be the challenge, such as in Marco Polo or the Aztecs, it creates more of a grand sweeping epicness than merely “stopping the monster” often does.
It had, in it’s own way, a greater majesty.
Im sorry we’ve gone past the age of pure historicals, especialy in that they seem not merely to be not done now, as actually actively avoided. It’s almost as if the show is worried we might actually learn something.
And it makes the show feel a little less true, a little less believable. More of an amusement park ride, rather than the ability to travel through time.
When history just becomes a generic “genre” rather than an actual living and breathing TIME, it loses something I think.
So I am very happy we did have those pure historicals. Not only did I learn things (which is a massive accomplishment for someone who hated history in school) but they made it fascinating.
Great article. Thank you for writing these.
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