By Rebecca Drew
INCREDIBLE black and white images have been unearthed showing behind the scenes of some of the BBC’s earliest episodes of Doctor Who which featured the first doctor and the Daleks and first aired in the sixties.
The monochrome pictures show actors getting into costume as the insectoid species, Zarbi, which resembled giant ants, who appeared in The Web Planet episode aired in February 1965. The terrifying Daleks and the Mechanoids are also pictured in a standoff, whilst another image shows the time travelling TARDIS after it had landed on the web planet.
The Doctor, played by actor William Hartnell, is confronted by Frankenstein’s monster, played by John Maxim, and Count Dracula, played by Malcolm Rogers who look ready to launch an attack on the celebrated sci-fi hero.
Doctor Who has been produced by the BBC since 1963 and when it was first released, was intended to be a regular weekly programme aired on Saturday evenings.
It originally ran for 26 seasons from November 23, 1963 to December 6, 1989, it was intended to be an educational show for family viewing to teach its younger audience about history as the Doctor travelled through time with its companions, a history and science teacher.
William Hartnell was the first Doctor and played the role from 1963 to 1966, starring in 137 episodes.
