Day 104: The Sea Beggar

This story is a bit Doctor-lite, (we'll focus on what Hartnell is actually doing tomorrow) and as such Steven is forced into the role normally taken by the Doctor. He is the one who is going out and meeting people, and getting himself into historical hijinks. He's even got himself a companion, in the form of Anne Chaplet, a young serving girl. But the problem is, and this is quite a big problem, he's not very good at being the Doctor. There are two reasons for this, one is that he doesn't know things. The Doctor is a man with universal knowledge, and while there are always points where he is able to learn things, he still tends to wards having strong ideas as to what is happening around this time. Steven, on the other hand, comes into this completely blind, with no real idea of what is happening around him. All he knows is that he needs to find the Doctor, but he's not sure of how he's going to do that. The other point of why Steven can't be the Doctor is that he lacks authority. When the Doctor, particularly Hartnell, walks into a room, he is able to take full control, and become a trusted figure quickly. Steven, on the other hand, is losing allies left, right and centre. Everyone that he has met is turning against him because they fell that he is acting against their interests, and whilst he is trying his best to explain to them the truth of the matter, he is failing. Behind the scenes of this period of Doctor Who, it is becoming far more apparent that Hartnell's health is rapidly deteriorating, and the production staff is trying to write him out and find a replacement. If anything, this is showing to them that they can't just promote any character, you need to be special in order to be the Doctor.