William Hartnell was originally going to have a bigger part in the episodes, but after talking with his wife they realised he was just too ill. His memory had gone, so he literally sat in a chair and read his lines of boards. He died a couple of years later.
Too add further to this the BBC called Hartnell up and asked if he would be able to do the episode. He said yes so they planned for a big part for him. He kept telling his wife he was returning to Doctor Who, which she put down to his illness making him confused but she called the Beeb eventually and asked and found out it was true. She explained that they must have got him on one of his good days but that he's not capable of doing a major part. The script was rewritten and they made the part as easy as possible for him to film so he could still participate in the show. Very sad story.
@@collectingmemoriesyt But it worked out well. His role was perfect. It felt like, "I don't have time to deal with you. I'll work on my own and you two can do deal with whatever is going on whenever you are.", which is very first First Doctor. And we got to see him one last time.
So glad no one spoiled the surprise for you. You could quite possibly be the only person who watched this episode to NOT know what was coming. What a wonderful treat that clearly was.
@@Kolbeck64 If you don't know it's going to be a story with multiple Doctors, and you've avoided the story title, then of course it's going to be a surprise.
Fun story: Jon Pertwee is a very by the book actor and follows the script exactly. So when Pat Troughton came in and started riffing off the cuff like he always did, Pertwee was legitimately frustrated because he couldn't time the scene. That's one of the reasons the two were separated - so Pertwee and Troughton could follow their own styles during their scenes
Yeah, they were not dumb guys and clearly realized that any feud between them could only hurt the show with the fans. It had to have been uncomfortable for Pertwee to have to put up with the former lead of the show - and equally weird for Troughton to come back to what had been HIS show before this other guy took it over. That kind of thing doesn’t happen very often. Pertwee took himself a bit more seriously than Troughton and Troughton impishly took advantage of this early on but they’re both professionals and soon got down to business. Their clash of styles reminds me of accounts of Roger Corman shooting “The Raven” with Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, and a very young Jack Nicholson. Karloff was old school and learned his lines to the letter (not unlike like Pertwee) but Lorre improvised all the time (like Troughton) and had all kinds of fun making stuff up with Nicholson, who said later that he was happy just to be in the room. Corman was getting gold from both Karloff and Lorre individually but it almost became a problem when Karloff and Lorre had to share scenes and it would have been a problem had Vincent Price not been there. Price was comfortable working both ways and served as a bridge between the two actors and everything went fine. Corman said he didn’t know what he would have done had Price not been there.
@@karlmortoniv2951 Someone posted on a forum earlier this year about their experiences as an extra in "The Day of the Doctor". The poster was one of the Elizabethan soldiers, so got to see Matt Smith, David Tennant, and John Hurt. Tennant seems like he's something of a human metronome: each take, and he'd produce the exact same performance, beat for beat. (Unless he was asked to tweak something, of course.) If Hurt was (say) asked by the AD to move his arm in a different way for a particular take, he'd need to figure why his character would do that. And Smith gave a different performance every single take. Whatever works!
When this story was originally shown on BBC1, it was publicised and hyped up for at least a couple of months before it was shown. So actually most, if not all, original viewers knew exactly what was coming. I remember being extremely excited about seeing it as a boy, and I wasn't disappointed. Absolutely Fantastic reaction Jess.
@@johntomlinson6849 - There was a story in the October issue of the 1972 radio Times about the upcoming New Year Season, featuring "The Three Doctors" and with a pic of that years upcoming Christmas issue (I still have the clipping). It was also shown on TV in the advert for the Christmas issue well before it's publication. So the memory certainly doesn't cheat in this case.
@@bobsteele9581 There's either a reply I'm not seeing, or a reply that was deleted before I came across this. But yeah, I don't think some people (particularly younger people) realize how modern a phenomenon spoilerphobia truly is, and that's both a source of amusement and annoyance for me at varying times. (With the obvious caveat that yes, spoiling something deliberately for someone who expressly does not want to be spoiled is a d*ck move.) Sesska's reaction was truly a joy to behold, but it was by NO means the reaction intended (or even desired) by the production team when making the story.
@@drufan9 -Thanks mate. Yes there was a reply saying my memory was cheating me, since they didn't have pre-publicity in those days (deleted now apparently). They certainly did. The newspapers at the time carried stories about upcoming Doctor Who stories frequently, and the BBC advertised their upcoming schedules weeks in advance at times. What you say about spoilerphobia e.t.c is spot on. I think the phenomenon probably started with the on-line following of "Babylon 5" in the 90s actually. I must admit I hated seeing any spoilers for that myself.
I was 7 going on 8 so I don't remember anything but watching. I would never have seen Hartnell before and Troughton only as a 3 or 4 year old. However, I'm certainly sure it wasn't a surprise to any of us who watched as it was accompanied by the 10th anniversary magazine (which I owned and read for years afterwards) and there was press coverage and phots of the three of them together. On the whole I think this is the best "special" as it was the only one that was also an ordinary story in a standard season, whereas all of the others have attempted to be a one-off story that has failed more often than succeeded.
@@nickbrough8335 - Very true Nick. I was 11 at the time, a couple of months away from my 12th Birthday. So remember it quite well. My Mum had me watching DW as a 2 year old sitting on her knee - LOL, so I have vague memories of watching the early Hartnell episodes and quite vivid memories of the later ones. He'll always be "my Doctor" ;-).
Pertwee and Troughton became quite the duo in this one. They were good friends and enjoyed playing up their respective Doctor’s friendly rivalry at convention appearances throughout the 70s and 80s.
@@1funkyflyguy me too. I started watching the show when he started. And for me, much of who the Doctor is today was defined in his eta and I'll always love him, even though I don't particularly have a favorite Doctor. 3 and 13 have a special place in my heart.
the very first story I ever saw. I wasnt old enough for 1st and 2nd. The very first multi doctor story, and the 10th anniversary special. From an archival point of veiw, this is really special!!!
Benton’s more active role in the episode was actually the result of rewrites, originally 2 was supposed to return alongside Jamie, but the unavailability of Frazer Hines resulted in Jamie’s material being swapped over to Benton
One of the most delightful and iconic stories of the show! Your reaction was perfect and totally lived up to the hype! Infinite respect to William Hartnell, who was very ill at the time but powered through and returned because of how much he loved the show. One of my favourite behind-the-scenes stories is that Troughton and Pertwee didn't get on at first because of their very different acting styles (Troughton loved to ad-lib whereas Pertwee preferred to stick with the script) but eventually overcame their differences and became great pals. They were so fond of their characters' bickering relationship that they re-enacted this competitive banter at fan conventions.
He wasn't on his deathbed, he lived for another 2 and a half years after filming this, he returned to acting for this despite his memory issues (he read his lines from cue cards off screen) and walking problems due to his Cerebrovascular disease, all worthy of massive respect of course but he wasn't dying when this was filming. He even lived through a few strokes brought on by the disease, but ultimately it wasn't the strokes or disease that killed him, he died from a heart attack in his sleep, I wouldn't classify him being on his deathbed until the strokes hit him at the beginning of 1975. Even then some might argue he was never on a deathbed because you can't predict a deadly heart attack, but that's getting into philosophy and I'll leave that to people smarter than me. Hope you and everyone reading this stays safe and has a nice day.
You are approaching the 10th anniversary and this is how it was celebrated....you've seen the 50th....enjoy the years inbetween....yes it's Hartnell's health that restricts his involvement but the way that it was done gave an amazing result...great reaction by the way...well worth the wait
I feel like the dynamic of the three Doctors in this story is very similar to that of "Day of the Doctor" 40 years later. There's a dashing and charming adventurer (Three/Ten), an eccentric goofball (Two/Eleven), and a grumpy old man who shows a lot of disapproval for his successors (One/War)
When I saw Matt Smith's first episodes I thought he was a fantastic mix of Troughton and Pertwee. The scripts sadly made him more of a clown as his run continued, but the first season had some wonderfully familiar moments that recall the second and third Doctor.
It's not coincidental that Eleven reminds you of Two and Twelve reminds you of One. Matt Smith is on record as being a fan of Troughton's Doctor. Likewise Capaldi clearly has a love of Hartnell's Doctor, what with good lapel grabbing on his reveal and his campaigning to get the Mondasian Cybermen back.
@@caitlin329 I read once that Smith apparently watched "Tomb" nearly 20 times! I doubt that he's seen (m)any more classic Who stories, because "Tomb" is the only one I've heard him mention, and I've not heard him talk about any other classic Doctor - however briefly - apart from Troughton.
Tbis was William hartnell final performance he said he would love to come back but his wife phoned to say he's to ill to do set filming so they went to his home and filmed those scanner scenes
I know how emotionally involved you get with the history and heritage of things, not just Doctor Who, so with the expectation of never seeing William Hartnell in character again, AND Patrick Troughton too, it's no surprise that you're emotional about it. I wouldn't have minded if you had already known the episode title but it's great that 48 years later, you were able to watch this without knowing. I hope everything is going well with the move and (hopefully) the stress levels are bearable. I'm sure it will all be worth it. (PS I'm not sure when you last watched An Adventure in Space and Time but I'd love to know if it hits differently now you've seen the classic era it covers.) 💕
I originally cried as well when I watched this. I loved Patrick's Doctor Who and so this was next level amazing for me, and I cry when I get very excited.
Have to say, this might be my favourite reaction of yours. :) Very happy you steered clear of the episode title, loved your reaction to One and Two showing up, loved how emotional you got in your post-episode thoughts. Amazing video!
First, we had Medusa Cascade smiling with tears in her eyes, Marie-Clare so shocked she couldn't speak, again with tears in her eyes and now we have Sess going full fan-girl and just screaming.
Yes, all three were great! I was afraid with her talk at the beginning, Jess was going to end with "I'm looking anyway, so just deal with it!". Good on her for not!
Been waiting since january this reaction, and you didn’t disappoint! Im sure many people have told you that william hartnell was too ill to be able to appear on set with the rest of the cast, so filmed his bits separately. Fraset hines was also meant to be reprising his role as jamie but he was too busy filming soap opera emmerdale. So most of his material went to benton
I was watching the intro expecting you to say you knew the title, so it was an utter delight to learn that you hadn't been spoiled. And what a reaction! So happy to see it, thanks. Nice of One and Two to come and help you with the move 😉
I love the look on the Brigadier's face when he realises that the Second Doctor was back. Though to be honest I usually love the look on the Brigadier's face in most scenes.
I never once thought you'd be able to go into this episode without "spoilers", but it was worth it. As soon as you said it I was excited anticipating your realization. Another great reaction.
I'm glad to be sharing this great reaction with you. And loving that you're as excited as we all were when we first saw this episode, some 40 years ago. Keep em coming.
The Three Doctors rivals The Day of the Doctor as my favourite anniversary story, and even now, it's still one of my personal favourite Doctor Who stories ever. Great use of all three Doctors, great support from the UNIT regulars, great villain, and like The Day of the Doctor, remembers the past while looking forward to the future. This was one of my earliest memories watching the show, and it's still one I look back on very fondly.
Remember when you watched that one episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures which had Jo and 11? You noticed a scene during Jo's memories where she saw 2 and 3 together. This is where that memory came from!
Well done on not seeing the title! Considering you've already told us you know when the classic doctors regenerate - this is a nice bonus for us watching your shocked and delighted reaction when you realised what was going down here.
she implied during her review of "the time monster" that she didn't know when jon pertwee was going to regenerate, but i'm not sure if i understood her right since i found her wording a bit vague
Always enjoy your reactions to all things Who. I’m really glad that you’re watching all of classic Who which makes New Who even better because of its history.
I appreciate the extra trouble you've taken to provide us with this absolutely delightful reaction! I know it's a lot of extra faff but the result has been wonderful. There are only four future stories that I feel have story elements in their title that might be best unspoiled - WWW, 4D, 6K (definitely!) and 6W. WWW actually changed its title between episode 1 and 2 so that the premise wasn't given away!
Although the problem with 6K is that someone will really have to warn her in advance about the episode length so she can plan her reaction accordingly. That plus the pre-titles bit will probably give the game away as to what’s happening before the episode name comes up on screen!
13:56 funnily enough according to the commentary track for this story that sound you made is very similar to what Katy Manning imagined what the jelly guards(think they called them that in the commentary) sounded like. She makes the sound a few times when they are on screen.
Oh, I can't tell you how much I loved your reaction when you realised what was happening, when Patrick Troughton and then William Hartnell appeared on screen. It brought back so many memories of when I saw the Three Doctors for the first time at some point in about 1990. I was living that again through you in this video. ❤️
Beaut reaction video. Pretty much the same as my experience catching up with The Three Doctors… however many times I revisit this fun story. All the emotional highs, lows, thrills and cringeworthy joys are right on point. Thanks for sharing.
The sense of amazement you’re getting from this story actually fills my heart with joy. This the first of your videos I’ve seen but absolutely got a new subscriber
I'm kind of envious... back in the PBS days when we finally got to see a syndication package of Doc 3 episodes, this was the first time being able to see any 'live' Doctor in action besides 4 and 5 (when I came along into the show). As such, there was no sense of history or attachment for 1 or 2, they didn't have any of their stories in syndication yet. In time came their first syndication package (I still remember tuning in for the show as usual one night and being stunned when a black and white picture came up, then seeing it was Unearthly Child). And with those, the eventual VHS and DVDs... Doc 2 and 3 are my # 1 and 2 favorite Docs of all time.
This is very much where Day of the Doctor got its inspiration plus the 'contact' mind reading thing was used by the 13th Doctor and the Master in Skyfall pt 2.
It's so great to see people react with such genuine enthusiasm and affection for classic Doctor Who. I hope the show continues to be great fun for you!
Those guys from the stunt-team HAVOC had been real soldiers, and some would play stormtroopers in Star Wars made a couple of years later. They were a group of people who knew how to act, shoot, do minor stunts, and wear uniforms correctly (and they owned those uniforms, saving the Beeb some money). There are similar groups in Britain, who often play German soldiers in TV and film, or those Soviet soldiers in the 'Curce of Fenric' Doctor Who. People who knew how to be convincing as soldiers. Having to say something like 'holy moley!' would have tickled their senses of humour, though.
I'm so happy & I'm so glad you did this and wasn't disappointed or the surprise wasn't spoiled, thank you, this was a brilliant reaction and this story is a historic milestone classic of DW, it's one of the best of this era...
Glad you enjoyed it. I grew up with Tom Baker so missed most of the earlier Doctors. I remember this (along with so many other Terrance Dicks written Doctor Who books) being a real pleasure to read until the videos and (later) DVD's were released.
Love how a TV story that first aired the day I turned three can still give a new generation of fans the vapors when the 2nd Doctor appears! This show is truly timeless.
When I first watched this episode as a kid (back when Doctor Who was airing on PBS), most people had no idea how ill William Hartnell was. We were fortunate that he was able to film as much as he did for these episodes. This is still one of my favorites from the Pertwee era.
Your reaction and unbridled love for Doctor Who is so lovely to see. I feel this way about every era of Who but you capture it on screen for us all to enjoy vicariously.
great reaction to a great story, i loved seeing Benton and the Brigadier in the TARDIS, the return of Hartnell and Troughton and the Doctor, too bad Hartnell's health meant his role was very minimal
Congratulations. This is hands down the best reaction video I've seen so far for classic who. This made me laugh and made me well up in equal measure. Troughton was my Doctor and to see him go made me cry and then years later to see him come back just confused my young mind. Even in these episodes he brings so much energy and fun back to the show, that I felt was absent for the Pertwee era to this point. Thanks sesskasays for making my day!
Unfortunately, Hartnell was too sick already to appear on the set. So we have him only on the screen. This was two years before he died. But Troughton is at his best, and his chemistry with Pertwee is just hilarious.
An outstanding reaction to an outstanding doctor who story. So glad you didn't get to know the big reveal of its title. I've definitely got something to look forward to for next week. Keep enjoying what Doctor Who offers. All the very best, Trev from East London, UK. 👏👍
You are amazing ! I love your amazing genuine reactions to this ! What I would give (as a long term DW fan to watch more classic Who with you ! I'd love to do a Dr Who podcast with you ! You're fantastic ! XX please keep up the brilliant videos ! Xx
Thank you for possibly the best reaction yet to Classic Who! Very fitting as it marks a milestone in the history of the show - being it's 10th year. 1 & 2 make this such a great story!
Yeah, people call this the "10th anniversary special" but it's not really an accurate description. It aired as a regular 4-part serial at the start of season 10, about 11 months BEFORE the anniversary.
I love your reaction videos! The joy and excitement to finding out this was a multi-doctor story was especially enjoyable to watch! Keep up the good work!
This reaction video is WONDERFUL - I watched the 3 drs back in the early 90s in the UK as a teen (and I'm still in love with the show - Troughton in particular)... to see an Amercan adult in 2021 watching these for the first time and GETTING IT, understanding what makes DW the best thing ever and feeling the magic is so lovely :) One of us! One of us! One of us!
Amazing reaction! I don't think I've ever seen a new old who viewer get "new who emotional" before. This story also has one of my all time favourite Who villains!
Oh, what a delight!😍 Both the story and your reaction are absolutely wonderful!💙💙 I think I knew the title before watching it, and still, I love this story so so much, so I totally understand that you're emotional! Seeing One and Two back gives me a very special, magical feeling plus more Time Lords Lore is always exciting and the interactions of two with the U.N.I.T family is both absolutely hilarious and so wholesome at the same time! One of my favourite things in the whole show! So, there's no need to apologize! I guess we all expected you to be shook!😅👍🤗 Hope everything's good with moving and all and I'm also very excited for the next two parts! Thank you!
The dialogue when the Second Doctor first appears is one of my favourite moments in all Who. It's delivered with a pace that makes it feel truly modern - M*A*S*H is often credited with innovating the style rapid-fire delivery that has become commonplace, but the "I am the Walrus" bit feels like it could have been written yesterday.
William Hartnell had a form of dementia here but was able to take part by reading his lines off cards. He had good days where he was more lucid but his role was greatly reduced after his wife spoke to the BBC. Apparently he had a ball doing it
So glad you went in cold to this one! The idea for a multi-Doctor story (for obvious reasons, the first of its kind) apparently came from fan letters to the production office. And with the show fast approaching it's tenth anniversary the following year (this story began transmission at the very end of 1972) it was deemed appropriate. William Hartnell's obvious deterioration in health aside, it's a glorious celebration of a series that was quickly becoming a national institution.
Love your reactions to the 2nd Doctor coming in (and the tease of the 1st ..). I watched (or more likely rewatched a few years later, as I as born July '72..) this as a very young kid on 1st airing, so no internet spoilers etc, and it was outstanding
Interesting bit, David Tennant's favorite Doctor was Peter Davison (of course, now his father-in-law), but Peter Davison's favorite Doctor was Patrick Troughton. So some legacy passing gone crazy there. And in the 50th Anniversary, where 10 goes into 11's TARDIS, and says "Oh, you've redecorated! I don't like it." is an homage to of course, 2 saying the same to 3 in this the 10th Anniversary.
Only 10 minutes in & I'm subbing, wow you brought a tear to my eye that joy was awesome to see when The Doctors were revealed, thank you! I look forward to watching the rest of your reactions, glad I picked this one first, aw' the best :)
So glad to see your joy, and honest surprise, Jess! Yes, we who are older fans saw this, knowing the title, or read the novel before, and bought the vhs, the dvd, the bluest. Many of us have the action figures, of all principle actors, in attire, for this story. Surprise for a story 55+ years on, is priceless! :)
I have never watched any Dr Who reaction videos, this just came on my feed. Been a life long Who fan, starting as a young boy of 7 on PBS in New England. I have watched the whole entire series several times in my life, and Dr Who is the only TV show that I WANT to watch. I'll watch anything with anyone, but when I am alone, this is my ONLY show. To see someone with such emotional responses as myself, is wonderful. (For example, I cried like a baby watching School Reunion.) I wish I could find a woman who is as quirky as I am, who will share the things in life that I like, like Dr. Who! It's nice to an explosion of interest, because all of my life, up until about five years ago, I am been the only fan that I knew, and was always ridiculed and made fun of by people who would never even give this show a chance. You're a delight. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. And if you have a friend or a sister that loves Dr. Who as much as you, send her my way! 😜🤣😂🤣😂
I started to watch "reaction" videos during the first lockdown here in the UK last year. I'd been aware of them existing (not necessarily for DW) as I'd occasionally get them recommended to me by TH-cam's mysterious algorithm, but they seemed such a stupid idea (literally watching someone else watching something!) and the videos often had either really dull thumbnails (someone wearing earphones staring at a screen) or at the opposite extreme they would have clickbait thumbnails and/or titles. But watching people exploring DW, typically starting with "Rose", seeing them quickly becoming fans, and seeing the expression on their faces at pivotal moments has been a joy! Some of them can also do a nice job of articulating their thoughts at the end of the video.
Remember seeing this on original transmission way-back when. Nobody talked of anything else in the school yard after the first episode. Even the headmaster (principal) mentioned it in the school assembly!
I believe this story was originally supposed to be in An Adventure in Space and Time with Mark Gatiss playing Pertwee, but it never made the final cut.
William Hartnell was originally going to have a bigger part in the episodes, but after talking with his wife they realised he was just too ill. His memory had gone, so he literally sat in a chair and read his lines of boards. He died a couple of years later.
This was also his last acting appearance.
Too add further to this the BBC called Hartnell up and asked if he would be able to do the episode. He said yes so they planned for a big part for him. He kept telling his wife he was returning to Doctor Who, which she put down to his illness making him confused but she called the Beeb eventually and asked and found out it was true. She explained that they must have got him on one of his good days but that he's not capable of doing a major part. The script was rewritten and they made the part as easy as possible for him to film so he could still participate in the show. Very sad story.
@@collectingmemoriesyt But it worked out well. His role was perfect. It felt like, "I don't have time to deal with you. I'll work on my own and you two can do deal with whatever is going on whenever you are.", which is very first First Doctor. And we got to see him one last time.
@@TheGoauldApophis he his the first doctor no matter what the bloody idiot chibbers says
@@vasyear facts
So glad no one spoiled the surprise for you. You could quite possibly be the only person who watched this episode to NOT know what was coming. What a wonderful treat that clearly was.
Marie-Clare didn’t know what was happening when she reacted.
Marie Claire didn’t know
@@BronyDanProductions one would have thought she wouldn't be that surprised since she already saw the doctor meeting with his past self like 3 times
The Wife In Space didn’t know.
@@Kolbeck64 If you don't know it's going to be a story with multiple Doctors, and you've avoided the story title, then of course it's going to be a surprise.
Fun story: Jon Pertwee is a very by the book actor and follows the script exactly. So when Pat Troughton came in and started riffing off the cuff like he always did, Pertwee was legitimately frustrated because he couldn't time the scene. That's one of the reasons the two were separated - so Pertwee and Troughton could follow their own styles during their scenes
They didn’t get along when they first met but they eventually became good friends.
Yeah, they were not dumb guys and clearly realized that any feud between them could only hurt the show with the fans. It had to have been uncomfortable for Pertwee to have to put up with the former lead of the show - and equally weird for Troughton to come back to what had been HIS show before this other guy took it over. That kind of thing doesn’t happen very often. Pertwee took himself a bit more seriously than Troughton and Troughton impishly took advantage of this early on but they’re both professionals and soon got down to business.
Their clash of styles reminds me of accounts of Roger Corman shooting “The Raven” with Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, and a very young Jack Nicholson. Karloff was old school and learned his lines to the letter (not unlike like Pertwee) but Lorre improvised all the time (like Troughton) and had all kinds of fun making stuff up with Nicholson, who said later that he was happy just to be in the room. Corman was getting gold from both Karloff and Lorre individually but it almost became a problem when Karloff and Lorre had to share scenes and it would have been a problem had Vincent Price not been there. Price was comfortable working both ways and served as a bridge between the two actors and everything went fine. Corman said he didn’t know what he would have done had Price not been there.
Yes, Troughton's acting was a lot more intuitive. Just like Tom Baker's.
They mucked around all the time whenever they were at conventions together. Playing up their antagonism for laughs.
@@karlmortoniv2951 Someone posted on a forum earlier this year about their experiences as an extra in "The Day of the Doctor". The poster was one of the Elizabethan soldiers, so got to see Matt Smith, David Tennant, and John Hurt.
Tennant seems like he's something of a human metronome: each take, and he'd produce the exact same performance, beat for beat. (Unless he was asked to tweak something, of course.)
If Hurt was (say) asked by the AD to move his arm in a different way for a particular take, he'd need to figure why his character would do that.
And Smith gave a different performance every single take.
Whatever works!
“I can see you’ve been doing the TARDIS up a bit.”
“I don’t like it.”
I love a good origin story.
When this story was originally shown on BBC1, it was publicised and hyped up for at least a couple of months before it was shown. So actually most, if not all, original viewers knew exactly what was coming. I remember being extremely excited about seeing it as a boy, and I wasn't disappointed. Absolutely Fantastic reaction Jess.
@@johntomlinson6849 - There was a story in the October issue of the 1972 radio Times about the upcoming New Year Season, featuring "The Three Doctors" and with a pic of that years upcoming Christmas issue (I still have the clipping). It was also shown on TV in the advert for the Christmas issue well before it's publication. So the memory certainly doesn't cheat in this case.
@@bobsteele9581 There's either a reply I'm not seeing, or a reply that was deleted before I came across this. But yeah, I don't think some people (particularly younger people) realize how modern a phenomenon spoilerphobia truly is, and that's both a source of amusement and annoyance for me at varying times. (With the obvious caveat that yes, spoiling something deliberately for someone who expressly does not want to be spoiled is a d*ck move.) Sesska's reaction was truly a joy to behold, but it was by NO means the reaction intended (or even desired) by the production team when making the story.
@@drufan9 -Thanks mate. Yes there was a reply saying my memory was cheating me, since they didn't have pre-publicity in those days (deleted now apparently). They certainly did. The newspapers at the time carried stories about upcoming Doctor Who stories frequently, and the BBC advertised their upcoming schedules weeks in advance at times. What you say about spoilerphobia e.t.c is spot on. I think the phenomenon probably started with the on-line following of "Babylon 5" in the 90s actually. I must admit I hated seeing any spoilers for that myself.
I was 7 going on 8 so I don't remember anything but watching. I would never have seen Hartnell before and Troughton only as a 3 or 4 year old. However, I'm certainly sure it wasn't a surprise to any of us who watched as it was accompanied by the 10th anniversary magazine (which I owned and read for years afterwards) and there was press coverage and phots of the three of them together.
On the whole I think this is the best "special" as it was the only one that was also an ordinary story in a standard season, whereas all of the others have attempted to be a one-off story that has failed more often than succeeded.
@@nickbrough8335 - Very true Nick. I was 11 at the time, a couple of months away from my 12th Birthday. So remember it quite well. My Mum had me watching DW as a 2 year old sitting on her knee - LOL, so I have vague memories of watching the early Hartnell episodes and quite vivid memories of the later ones. He'll always be "my Doctor" ;-).
There is no need to apologize for crying. No show can bring the tears 😭 like Doctor Who! Lovely reaction.
If anything, I come to these videos *because of* the emotionality! If she didn't get invested in DW, there'd be nothing for me here.
Pertwee and Troughton became quite the duo in this one. They were good friends and enjoyed playing up their respective Doctor’s friendly rivalry at convention appearances throughout the 70s and 80s.
All three of my favorite classic era Doctors all featured in the same story. It is glorious.
Very true. Pertwee, Troughton and Hartnell. That's my ranking
@@TheLibrarianOG1 Mine two. Pertwee is the Doctor I grew up with.
@@1funkyflyguy me too. I started watching the show when he started. And for me, much of who the Doctor is today was defined in his eta and I'll always love him, even though I don't particularly have a favorite Doctor. 3 and 13 have a special place in my heart.
Pertwee is my favourite Doctor and I'm a Wilderness years kid. 😅 So totally feel this comment.
The original multi-Doctor story, and imo still the best.
the very first story I ever saw. I wasnt old enough for 1st and 2nd. The very first multi doctor story, and the 10th anniversary special. From an archival point of veiw, this is really special!!!
Only one to feature the great William Hartnell
@@travisgray8376 the first time we saw 1st and 2nd in colour and Hartnells very last role
5 Dr's is the best
I'm actually partial to Day of the Doctor, which was actually the first episode of Doctor Who that I ever watched, but this one is a close second.
Benton’s more active role in the episode was actually the result of rewrites, originally 2 was supposed to return alongside Jamie, but the unavailability of Frazer Hines resulted in Jamie’s material being swapped over to Benton
If I'm not mistaken, Jamie was also only written in to account for Hartnell's greatly reduced role in the story due to ill health.
My one question about this story is where was Richard Franklin? Why wasn’t Captain Mike Yates in it?
I'm going to guess he's recovering after nearly getting blown up in the last story
@@13thwho the actor wasn’t available
One of the most delightful and iconic stories of the show! Your reaction was perfect and totally lived up to the hype! Infinite respect to William Hartnell, who was very ill at the time but powered through and returned because of how much he loved the show.
One of my favourite behind-the-scenes stories is that Troughton and Pertwee didn't get on at first because of their very different acting styles (Troughton loved to ad-lib whereas Pertwee preferred to stick with the script) but eventually overcame their differences and became great pals. They were so fond of their characters' bickering relationship that they re-enacted this competitive banter at fan conventions.
He wasn't on his deathbed, he lived for another 2 and a half years after filming this, he returned to acting for this despite his memory issues (he read his lines from cue cards off screen) and walking problems due to his Cerebrovascular disease, all worthy of massive respect of course but he wasn't dying when this was filming.
He even lived through a few strokes brought on by the disease, but ultimately it wasn't the strokes or disease that killed him, he died from a heart attack in his sleep, I wouldn't classify him being on his deathbed until the strokes hit him at the beginning of 1975.
Even then some might argue he was never on a deathbed because you can't predict a deadly heart attack, but that's getting into philosophy and I'll leave that to people smarter than me.
Hope you and everyone reading this stays safe and has a nice day.
8:14 - it's the reaction we've all been waiting for... and it is *GLORIOUS!*
You are approaching the 10th anniversary and this is how it was celebrated....you've seen the 50th....enjoy the years inbetween....yes it's Hartnell's health that restricts his involvement but the way that it was done gave an amazing result...great reaction by the way...well worth the wait
Smith has said he based his Doctor on Patrick Troughtons, as he liked the humor.
I feel like the dynamic of the three Doctors in this story is very similar to that of "Day of the Doctor" 40 years later. There's a dashing and charming adventurer (Three/Ten), an eccentric goofball (Two/Eleven), and a grumpy old man who shows a lot of disapproval for his successors (One/War)
@@christianwise637 There a few times where Third reminded me of War Doctor, particularly when snapped and Second to be serious.
When I saw Matt Smith's first episodes I thought he was a fantastic mix of Troughton and Pertwee. The scripts sadly made him more of a clown as his run continued, but the first season had some wonderfully familiar moments that recall the second and third Doctor.
It's not coincidental that Eleven reminds you of Two and Twelve reminds you of One.
Matt Smith is on record as being a fan of Troughton's Doctor. Likewise Capaldi clearly has a love of Hartnell's Doctor, what with good lapel grabbing on his reveal and his campaigning to get the Mondasian Cybermen back.
I think it's because in prep for the role one of the only classic stories (possibly the only one) Matt Smith watched was Tomb of the Cybermen.
@@caitlin329 I read once that Smith apparently watched "Tomb" nearly 20 times! I doubt that he's seen (m)any more classic Who stories, because "Tomb" is the only one I've heard him mention, and I've not heard him talk about any other classic Doctor - however briefly - apart from Troughton.
I feel like Capaldi was mix of the 1st, 3rd and 7th Doctors (mostly the latter era 7th Doctor when he was with Ace).
Tbis was William hartnell final performance he said he would love to come back but his wife phoned to say he's to ill to do set filming so they went to his home and filmed those scanner scenes
I know how emotionally involved you get with the history and heritage of things, not just Doctor Who, so with the expectation of never seeing William Hartnell in character again, AND Patrick Troughton too, it's no surprise that you're emotional about it. I wouldn't have minded if you had already known the episode title but it's great that 48 years later, you were able to watch this without knowing. I hope everything is going well with the move and (hopefully) the stress levels are bearable. I'm sure it will all be worth it. (PS I'm not sure when you last watched An Adventure in Space and Time but I'd love to know if it hits differently now you've seen the classic era it covers.) 💕
I originally cried as well when I watched this. I loved Patrick's Doctor Who and so this was next level amazing for me, and I cry when I get very excited.
Have to say, this might be my favourite reaction of yours. :) Very happy you steered clear of the episode title, loved your reaction to One and Two showing up, loved how emotional you got in your post-episode thoughts. Amazing video!
First, we had Medusa Cascade smiling with tears in her eyes, Marie-Clare so shocked she couldn't speak, again with tears in her eyes and now we have Sess going full fan-girl and just screaming.
now we need to see a man reactor feel the same emotional freedom
@@conscienceaginBlackadder oh there are plenty of us out there!
Splendid Reactors! All of them :)
Love them both
Yes, all three were great! I was afraid with her talk at the beginning, Jess was going to end with "I'm looking anyway, so just deal with it!". Good on her for not!
Been waiting since january this reaction, and you didn’t disappoint! Im sure many people have told you that william hartnell was too ill to be able to appear on set with the rest of the cast, so filmed his bits separately. Fraset hines was also meant to be reprising his role as jamie but he was too busy filming soap opera emmerdale. So most of his material went to benton
I was watching the intro expecting you to say you knew the title, so it was an utter delight to learn that you hadn't been spoiled.
And what a reaction! So happy to see it, thanks.
Nice of One and Two to come and help you with the move 😉
I love the look on the Brigadier's face when he realises that the Second Doctor was back. Though to be honest I usually love the look on the Brigadier's face in most scenes.
The low budget of this story adds to the charm and having three doctors is just amazing.
I never once thought you'd be able to go into this episode without "spoilers", but it was worth it. As soon as you said it I was excited anticipating your realization. Another great reaction.
I've really been looking forward to this one, thanks Jess, your reaction has made a lot of "Classic" Whovians very happy.
I'm glad to be sharing this great reaction with you. And loving that you're as excited as we all were when we first saw this episode, some 40 years ago. Keep em coming.
The Three Doctors rivals The Day of the Doctor as my favourite anniversary story, and even now, it's still one of my personal favourite Doctor Who stories ever. Great use of all three Doctors, great support from the UNIT regulars, great villain, and like The Day of the Doctor, remembers the past while looking forward to the future. This was one of my earliest memories watching the show, and it's still one I look back on very fondly.
This is great but for me it's The Five Doctors.
I find DotD overrated frankly. The Zygon stuff just felt like padding.
the original, and STILL the best
Remember when you watched that one episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures which had Jo and 11? You noticed a scene during Jo's memories where she saw 2 and 3 together. This is where that memory came from!
Well done on not seeing the title! Considering you've already told us you know when the classic doctors regenerate - this is a nice bonus for us watching your shocked and delighted reaction when you realised what was going down here.
she implied during her review of "the time monster" that she didn't know when jon pertwee was going to regenerate, but i'm not sure if i understood her right since i found her wording a bit vague
Your reaction to The First and Second Doctor showing up is exactly why people wanted you to avoid the title
Ah. William Hartnell's final appearance as the Doctor. I am so glad he got to be part of this in a way.
Always enjoy your reactions to all things Who. I’m really glad that you’re watching all of classic Who which makes New Who even better because of its history.
I appreciate the extra trouble you've taken to provide us with this absolutely delightful reaction! I know it's a lot of extra faff but the result has been wonderful.
There are only four future stories that I feel have story elements in their title that might be best unspoiled - WWW, 4D, 6K (definitely!) and 6W. WWW actually changed its title between episode 1 and 2 so that the premise wasn't given away!
I'd add 6W in there too for sure!
@@Pablo-hj1rt Whoops! I did of course mean 6W, not 6X. Well spotted! I've edited my comment accordingly. 6K is the one, though!
Although the problem with 6K is that someone will really have to warn her in advance about the episode length so she can plan her reaction accordingly. That plus the pre-titles bit will probably give the game away as to what’s happening before the episode name comes up on screen!
13:56 funnily enough according to the commentary track for this story that sound you made is very similar to what Katy Manning imagined what the jelly guards(think they called them that in the commentary) sounded like. She makes the sound a few times when they are on screen.
It's a good job you forgot about this because The Sarah Jane Adventures actually spoiled this for you in the episode where Jo comes back.
The "contact!" between the thirteenth Doctor and the Master in Spyfall was a callback ("old school") to this story.
I always forgot they did that (I can't get on with Part 2). But we also see it between Thirteen and Gat in "Fugitive of the Judoon".
They do it multiple times in Flux too, Chibnall must love this story
Oh, I can't tell you how much I loved your reaction when you realised what was happening, when Patrick Troughton and then William Hartnell appeared on screen. It brought back so many memories of when I saw the Three Doctors for the first time at some point in about 1990. I was living that again through you in this video. ❤️
Your reaction was priceless! This is one of my go-to stories when I need cheering up, because it's just so much fun. Hope the move is going okay!
Such a good story. It's sad about Hartnell being ill but it shows how much he loved Doctor Who that he did what he could.
Beaut reaction video. Pretty much the same as my experience catching up with The Three Doctors… however many times I revisit this fun story. All the emotional highs, lows, thrills and cringeworthy joys are right on point. Thanks for sharing.
The sense of amazement you’re getting from this story actually fills my heart with joy. This the first of your videos I’ve seen but absolutely got a new subscriber
I'm kind of envious... back in the PBS days when we finally got to see a syndication package of Doc 3 episodes, this was the first time being able to see any 'live' Doctor in action besides 4 and 5 (when I came along into the show). As such, there was no sense of history or attachment for 1 or 2, they didn't have any of their stories in syndication yet. In time came their first syndication package (I still remember tuning in for the show as usual one night and being stunned when a black and white picture came up, then seeing it was Unearthly Child). And with those, the eventual VHS and DVDs... Doc 2 and 3 are my # 1 and 2 favorite Docs of all time.
My favorite Who story of all time, and the one that made me fall in love with the show. I think you got more emotional here than DotD!
This is very much where Day of the Doctor got its inspiration plus the 'contact' mind reading thing was used by the 13th Doctor and the Master in Skyfall pt 2.
It's so great to see people react with such genuine enthusiasm and affection for classic Doctor Who. I hope the show continues to be great fun for you!
The fact that 2 and 3 continued this antagonistic relationship even into conventions and other events is why The Doctor actors are just outstanding.
Everybody lives. A rare special episode.
Epic, perfect reaction. The whole video delighted me from start to finish. I'll probably watch this one when I need a shot of joy every now and then.
Old 70’s soldier boys: ‘Holy-moley!’
Sesska: *screams* ‘AAAGH WHAT THE FUCK?!’
Those guys from the stunt-team HAVOC had been real soldiers, and some would play stormtroopers in Star Wars made a couple of years later. They were a group of people who knew how to act, shoot, do minor stunts, and wear uniforms correctly (and they owned those uniforms, saving the Beeb some money).
There are similar groups in Britain, who often play German soldiers in TV and film, or those Soviet soldiers in the 'Curce of Fenric' Doctor Who. People who knew how to be convincing as soldiers. Having to say something like 'holy moley!' would have tickled their senses of humour, though.
I'm so happy & I'm so glad you did this and wasn't disappointed or the surprise wasn't spoiled, thank you, this was a brilliant reaction and this story is a historic milestone classic of DW, it's one of the best of this era...
Glad you enjoyed it. I grew up with Tom Baker so missed most of the earlier Doctors. I remember this (along with so many other Terrance Dicks written Doctor Who books) being a real pleasure to read until the videos and (later) DVD's were released.
Love how a TV story that first aired the day I turned three can still give a new generation of fans the vapors when the 2nd Doctor appears! This show is truly timeless.
Okay, 1, 2, 11 and 12! I always *did* want to know! THANKS for this!!!!
This for some reason is my favorite episode of Doctor Who of all time.
When I first watched this episode as a kid (back when Doctor Who was airing on PBS), most people had no idea how ill William Hartnell was. We were fortunate that he was able to film as much as he did for these episodes. This is still one of my favorites from the Pertwee era.
And all he had to do was sit in a chair and read his lines from a prompter and they filmed him in costume walking around his garden
@@jamiexavier1546 Yes, I'm aware of all that. Your point?
I freaking Love your reaction to these episodes!!❤❤❤❤
Been waiting for this since your reaction to death of the doctor in sja, hence how jo remembers all 3 of them
Your reaction and unbridled love for Doctor Who is so lovely to see. I feel this way about every era of Who but you capture it on screen for us all to enjoy vicariously.
great reaction to a great story, i loved seeing Benton and the Brigadier in the TARDIS, the return of Hartnell and Troughton and the Doctor, too bad Hartnell's health meant his role was very minimal
Legitimately one of my favorite episodes of the classic series
Congratulations. This is hands down the best reaction video I've seen so far for classic who. This made me laugh and made me well up in equal measure. Troughton was my Doctor and to see him go made me cry and then years later to see him come back just confused my young mind. Even in these episodes he brings so much energy and fun back to the show, that I felt was absent for the Pertwee era to this point. Thanks sesskasays for making my day!
Unfortunately, Hartnell was too sick already to appear on the set. So we have him only on the screen. This was two years before he died. But Troughton is at his best, and his chemistry with Pertwee is just hilarious.
I love how much you love the doctors 💖
especially considering how your journey with this show started 😄
_”…that’s the exciting thing. No one else can do what we’re doing.”_
An outstanding reaction to an outstanding doctor who story. So glad you didn't get to know the big reveal of its title. I've definitely got something to look forward to for next week. Keep enjoying what Doctor Who offers. All the very best, Trev from East London, UK. 👏👍
You are amazing ! I love your amazing genuine reactions to this ! What I would give (as a long term DW fan to watch more classic Who with you ! I'd love to do a Dr Who podcast with you ! You're fantastic ! XX please keep up the brilliant videos ! Xx
Thank you for possibly the best reaction yet to Classic Who! Very fitting as it marks a milestone in the history of the show - being it's 10th year. 1 & 2 make this such a great story!
I was waiting for you to get to this one. Your reaction was everything I could've hoped for. Absolutely adorable.
This is the 10th Anniversary but it didn’t actually air 23rd November 1973
Yeah, people call this the "10th anniversary special" but it's not really an accurate description. It aired as a regular 4-part serial at the start of season 10, about 11 months BEFORE the anniversary.
Watching someone get so emotional about a surprise entrance of the Troughton Doctor... glorious :)
I love your reaction videos! The joy and excitement to finding out this was a multi-doctor story was especially enjoyable to watch! Keep up the good work!
All three of the doctors are my favorite they are the best
This reaction video is WONDERFUL - I watched the 3 drs back in the early 90s in the UK as a teen (and I'm still in love with the show - Troughton in particular)... to see an Amercan adult in 2021 watching these for the first time and GETTING IT, understanding what makes DW the best thing ever and feeling the magic is so lovely :) One of us! One of us! One of us!
Somebody buy the Time Lords a color TV! 🤣
Lol.
Omega was draining the colour out of the picture. ;-)
Amazing reaction! I don't think I've ever seen a new old who viewer get "new who emotional" before. This story also has one of my all time favourite Who villains!
the Tardis decorated, The 2nd Doctor doesn't like it. Of course lol
ive watceh this reaction 100 times its never gets old
Oh, what a delight!😍
Both the story and your reaction are absolutely wonderful!💙💙
I think I knew the title before watching it, and still, I love this story so so much, so I totally understand that you're emotional!
Seeing One and Two back gives me a very special, magical feeling plus more Time Lords Lore is always exciting and the interactions of two with the U.N.I.T family is both absolutely hilarious and so wholesome at the same time!
One of my favourite things in the whole show!
So, there's no need to apologize!
I guess we all expected you to be shook!😅👍🤗
Hope everything's good with moving and all and I'm also very excited for the next two parts!
Thank you!
Given the reaction to One, does anyone else think we should recommend a (movie) reaction to "Carry On Sergeant"?
The dialogue when the Second Doctor first appears is one of my favourite moments in all Who. It's delivered with a pace that makes it feel truly modern - M*A*S*H is often credited with innovating the style rapid-fire delivery that has become commonplace, but the "I am the Walrus" bit feels like it could have been written yesterday.
William Hartnell had a form of dementia here but was able to take part by reading his lines off cards. He had good days where he was more lucid but his role was greatly reduced after his wife spoke to the BBC. Apparently he had a ball doing it
He loved playing Doctor Who and was sad to leave it.
13:55 - Wow. A spot-on K-9 malfunction impersonation.
This reaction was priceless! - thank you so much for avoiding the title.
Your reaction was fantastic! To see those two old friends must have felt such a tonic to you during all this stressful time!
I especially liked the credits at the end with the three Doctors listed.
Thank you for this. It was wonderful to be reminded of the fun I had when I saw this story for the first time. This was so enjoyable to watch.
You never need to say you are sorry. It has been awhile watching your reactions,and glad it was my all time favorite Doctor Who story of all time.
So glad you went in cold to this one! The idea for a multi-Doctor story (for obvious reasons, the first of its kind) apparently came from fan letters to the production office. And with the show fast approaching it's tenth anniversary the following year (this story began transmission at the very end of 1972) it was deemed appropriate. William Hartnell's obvious deterioration in health aside, it's a glorious celebration of a series that was quickly becoming a national institution.
Love your reactions to the 2nd Doctor coming in (and the tease of the 1st ..). I watched (or more likely rewatched a few years later, as I as born July '72..) this as a very young kid on 1st airing, so no internet spoilers etc, and it was outstanding
Interesting bit, David Tennant's favorite Doctor was Peter Davison (of course, now his father-in-law), but Peter Davison's favorite Doctor was Patrick Troughton. So some legacy passing gone crazy there. And in the 50th Anniversary, where 10 goes into 11's TARDIS, and says "Oh, you've redecorated! I don't like it." is an homage to of course, 2 saying the same to 3 in this the 10th Anniversary.
Note - one of the Time Lords (the negative Nelly one) was also one of the Time Lords in the War Games! It’s the same character!
The blobby things, known as Gel Guards, have been described as Yeti dipped in marmalade
I was just thinking they reminded me of the yetis 😂
Watching the titles or not it is still a surprise when it happens. Even though it was the most advertised thing when it happened.
Only 10 minutes in & I'm subbing, wow you brought a tear to my eye that joy was awesome to see when The Doctors were revealed, thank you! I look forward to watching the rest of your reactions, glad I picked this one first, aw' the best :)
Awwww tears of joy, I knew you will love this story as the last two doctors come back. Bless you.
So glad to see your joy, and honest surprise, Jess! Yes, we who are older fans saw this, knowing the title, or read the novel before, and bought the vhs, the dvd, the bluest. Many of us have the action figures, of all principle actors, in attire, for this story. Surprise for a story 55+ years on, is priceless! :)
Yes, Math error - 49 year old story ;)
I come back here every once in a while, just makes me happy.
I have never watched any Dr Who reaction videos, this just came on my feed. Been a life long Who fan, starting as a young boy of 7 on PBS in New England. I have watched the whole entire series several times in my life, and Dr Who is the only TV show that I WANT to watch. I'll watch anything with anyone, but when I am alone, this is my ONLY show.
To see someone with such emotional responses as myself, is wonderful. (For example, I cried like a baby watching School Reunion.) I wish I could find a woman who is as quirky as I am, who will share the things in life that I like, like Dr. Who! It's nice to an explosion of interest, because all of my life, up until about five years ago, I am been the only fan that I knew, and was always ridiculed and made fun of by people who would never even give this show a chance.
You're a delight. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. And if you have a friend or a sister that loves Dr. Who as much as you, send her my way! 😜🤣😂🤣😂
I started to watch "reaction" videos during the first lockdown here in the UK last year. I'd been aware of them existing (not necessarily for DW) as I'd occasionally get them recommended to me by TH-cam's mysterious algorithm, but they seemed such a stupid idea (literally watching someone else watching something!) and the videos often had either really dull thumbnails (someone wearing earphones staring at a screen) or at the opposite extreme they would have clickbait thumbnails and/or titles. But watching people exploring DW, typically starting with "Rose", seeing them quickly becoming fans, and seeing the expression on their faces at pivotal moments has been a joy! Some of them can also do a nice job of articulating their thoughts at the end of the video.
Remember seeing this on original transmission way-back when. Nobody talked of anything else in the school yard after the first episode. Even the headmaster (principal) mentioned it in the school assembly!
I believe this story was originally supposed to be in An Adventure in Space and Time with Mark Gatiss playing Pertwee, but it never made the final cut.
Aah thank you, I’ve seen the picture and wondered where it came from