The Regeneration Limit

[Saber]

This story is famous for kicking off the debate about whether or not Hartnell really was the First Doctor and how many incarnations had been used by the time TB was in the role.

Now, I know I go against a lot of other members here, but I am a sucker for a good piece of canon and continuity and despite what others say, and despite how some of the dialogue can be interpreted, I really think that all the incarnations were Morbius and that WH was the first incarnation of the Doctor. He even says so in The Five Doctors.

But what do you all think?

[Nyki]

Personally, I think the intention at the time was that some of them should be the Doctor, and it was changed later, but there's enough doubt that it isn't altogether inconsistent.

[Tardis-Console]

I think that they were probably meant to be the Doctor. That's what I got from watching it. It doesn't fit in with other things we know about regeneration though so perhaps the writers were trying to create their own bit of canon but it didn't take off, or something?

[Roranicus]

If I was watching this as a new episode I probably would have put it down to being the Doctor, but because I know all the 'regeneration lore' I just assumed it was Morbius' regens

[Dame Roger]

From what I've heard they intended all the other faces to be the Doctor at the time but, when they introduced the idea of the Doctor only being able to regenerate 12 times a couple of years later, they retrospectively decided that they had all been Morbius.

Incidentally, does anyone know if it's true that all those faces were actually people in the production crew due to union regulations meaning they couldn't use any other actor/model faces without paying?

[Roranicus]

According to the wiki page, that's correct, though that's updated by anyone who wants to, so it might be wrong

[Nyki]

I've heard that too.

The limit on regens hadn't been introduced at the that stage - I think it was first mentioned in The Deadly Assassin, in relation to the Master having used all his up, but I don't think even then they specified how many it was.

[The Doc]

At the time it was very definately meant to be the Doctor but as others have said it's easy enough to apply it now to Morbius (which I think is for the best)

[Exterminate]

Regen limit aside, I personally don't think they should have tried to imply that Hartnell wasn't the first. I'm all for canon, and I have had discussions on here with people about stuff like this in the past and I just don't think that they should mess around with and try to change stuff that just don't need changing. Some things should just be left alone

[Nyki]

Well, the thing was, it wasn't canon then.  Hartnell's Doctor was the first we saw, but the show hadn't committed itself then to whether he was actually the first.  I may be wrong, but I don't think it was till Mawdryn Undead that was established.  I'd see this more as a blind alley than as any departure from canon.

[Peri-Peri]

I think looking back it seems like a bad idea to imply that Hartnell wasn't the first, but as Nyki says, back then nothing was set in stone and a lot of what we know as canon today was still being set up and written then so it probably wouldnt have felt like such a leap to imply that there had been others before him

[TheDoctorDonna]

Well canon or no, I'm glad it didn't stick. I much prefer the idea that Hartnell was the original

[Oh-Wise-One]

Absolutely right about the cameos from the production crew. According to a list online, the faces were director Christopher Barry, production team member George Gallacio, writer Robert Banks Stewart, producer Phillip Hinchcliffe, director Douglas Camfield, production team member Graeme Harper, writer Robert Holmes, and production team member Chris Baker.

[Aneurin]

Maybe its because I have the canon already in my brain, but it didn't even enter my head that they might be other versions of the Doctor. I don't like that idea though