William Hartnell’s granddaughter, Jessica Carney, has reacted to seeing the actor in the newly-recovered Doctor Who episodes The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet.
The black-and-white episodes, which first aired in the 1960s and form part of the 12-part serial The Daleks’ Master Plan, were released on iPlayer last month after being discovered in a private collection donated to Leicester charitable trust Film is Fabulous.
Written by Terry Nation, the episodes star Hartnell – who died in 1975 at the age of 67 – as the first incarnation of the Doctor and follow him as he battles against a Dalek planning to take over Earth, the solar system and the galaxy.
Speaking about the restored episodes featuring her late grandfather, Carney told Doctor Who Magazine: “I thought it was wonderful that these had been found.”
She added: “And I can’t imagine how thrilled he would have been to know that at this point people are still watching it and they’re still excited to see the episodes.”
Speaking about how brilliant Hartnell is in the episodes, she said: “Very funny. Great timing.”
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Carney isn’t the only Doctor Who star’s relative to respond to the newly recovered episodes.
Georgia Tennant recently revealed her actor husband David Tennant, who starred as the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors, has been enjoying the restored instalments as well.
In a video posted to her Instagram story last month, Georgia jokingly looks unimpressed while the show’s theme tune plays in the background. Text over the video reads: “Lost my husband to @BBCiplayer.”
Current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies expressed his excitement last month following the news that the episodes had been found and restored.
He wrote on Instagram: “Two missing Doctor Who episodes FOUND! The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet from 1965 (what titles!). Lost for 61 years! Best of all, these will be made available for FREE on the BBC iPlayer in April.”
He added: “Huge thanks to the amazing people at Film is Fabulous, for finding these and returning them safely. They’re a registered charity doing great work, so help them out if you can. Maybe they’ll find more! As the Doctor says… ‘Daleks!'”
The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine is out now.
Doctor Who: The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
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