Earliest Possible Doctor Who?

What is the earliest PoD for Doctor Who to be created before 1963? Bonus points if it doesn't require a different show entirely.
 
Well Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert only arrived at the BBC in December 1962. Before that, the only time they had worked together was at the Midlands ITV franchise ABC between 1957 and 1961, when Newman was Head of Drama and Lambert was his Secretary, going on to produce early episodes of the Avengers by 1961. This then puts the earliest date for Doctor Who as January 1961 provided that it airs in place of the Avengers on ABC/ITV rather than BBC. The earliest air date on BBC would be January/February 1963 though as the collective minds involved in its creation would've needed time to sort out production etc. All of this is assuming that William Hartnell is available, if not, Geoffrey Bayldon (better known as Catweazle in the 1970s children's TV show of the same name) was a candidate who could pick up the mantle.
 
Well Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert only arrived at the BBC in December 1962. Before that, the only time they had worked together was at the Midlands ITV franchise ABC between 1957 and 1961, when Newman was Head of Drama and Lambert was his Secretary, going on to produce early episodes of the Avengers by 1961. This then puts the earliest date for Doctor Who as January 1961 provided that it airs in place of the Avengers on ABC/ITV rather than BBC. The earliest air date on BBC would be January/February 1963 though as the collective minds involved in its creation would've needed time to sort out production etc. All of this is assuming that William Hartnell is available, if not, Geoffrey Bayldon (better known as Catweazle in the 1970s children's TV show of the same name) was a candidate who could pick up the mantle.
How about it beginning as an ABC show around 1957-58?
 
How about it beginning as an ABC show around 1957-58?

The problem here is that Verity Lambert was only a shorthand typist at ABC initially, and they wouldn't have interacted until 1960, when she started doing production secretary work for him on minor dramas. The earliest PoD I can think of is that Lambert is transferred from the job she was sacked from prior to arriving at ABC, a press secretary role at Granada in 1956, after six months to work at ABC.

Even then, Sydney Newman didn't arrive as a Head of Drama there probably until late 1958, so she would've been working under Dennis Vance, who was noted for preferring history-based dramas such as "The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel" and "Sherlock Holmes" (which he worked on during his later career), so chances are that a 57-58 Doctor Who would be a very different show, probably with a younger actor and with significantly less science fiction elements (he'd probably travel in the unfortunately-named TARD as the space race wasn't up and running yet).

I couldn't see it lasting all that long on a channel like ABC where series generally lasted for a series or two unless it was incredibly popular ala Crossroads and The Avengers (which were 60s inventions anyway).
 
The problem here is that Verity Lambert was only a shorthand typist at ABC initially, and they wouldn't have interacted until 1960, when she started doing production secretary work for him on minor dramas. The earliest PoD I can think of is that Lambert is transferred from the job she was sacked from prior to arriving at ABC, a press secretary role at Granada in 1956, after six months to work at ABC.

Even then, Sydney Newman didn't arrive as a Head of Drama there probably until late 1958, so she would've been working under Dennis Vance, who was noted for preferring history-based dramas such as "The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel" and "Sherlock Holmes" (which he worked on during his later career), so chances are that a 57-58 Doctor Who would be a very different show, probably with a younger actor and with significantly less science fiction elements (he'd probably travel in the unfortunately-named TARD as the space race wasn't up and running yet).

I couldn't see it lasting all that long on a channel like ABC where series generally lasted for a series or two unless it was incredibly popular ala Crossroads and The Avengers (which were 60s inventions anyway).
If it was popular, could it have been transferred to the BBC and survive that way?
 
If it was popular, could it have been transferred to the BBC and survive that way?

What would have most likely happened is that it'd have been revived in later years like other popular ABC dramas of the time, For example,The Avengers became The New Avengers after about five years of hiatus and enjoyed renewed success for a couple of years and is occasionally resurrected every two decades or so for a re-run. That's the sort of status I think an earlier Doctor Who would have: cult status but not legendary status.

As for your point on the BBC, this was almost unheard for dramas at the time. Individual actors moved from company to company and a revival could happen that way, but even now the terrestrial channels are very careful not to merge their programming so it'd be likely that whoever ended up playing The Doctor would do similar series, so you'd get carbon copies of the original series over the years.

Of course, in order to do either, the show would have to be regularly aired over the years. There aren't many programmes from the 1950s that are common knowledge for viewers these days as the real TV boom happened in the early 1960s, ironically the time at which DW first aired IOTL.
 
What would have most likely happened is that it'd have been revived in later years like other popular ABC dramas of the time, For example,The Avengers became The New Avengers after about five years of hiatus and enjoyed renewed success for a couple of years and is occasionally resurrected every two decades or so for a re-run. That's the sort of status I think an earlier Doctor Who would have: cult status but not legendary status.

As for your point on the BBC, this was almost unheard for dramas at the time. Individual actors moved from company to company and a revival could happen that way, but even now the terrestrial channels are very careful not to merge their programming so it'd be likely that whoever ended up playing The Doctor would do similar series, so you'd get carbon copies of the original series over the years.

Of course, in order to do either, the show would have to be regularly aired over the years. There aren't many programmes from the 1950s that are common knowledge for viewers these days as the real TV boom happened in the early 1960s, ironically the time at which DW first aired IOTL.
The reason I bring up the Beeb is that, assuming Newman still enters in, he COULD bring Who over. IOTL, SN tried to help it several times after he left (In '70, 87, and the Wilderness Years) and he was looking for a flagship Sci Fi show. Even if he wasn't creator of the ABC incarnation, he likely would have overseen it.
It could have piqued his interest...
 
The reason I bring up the Beeb is that, assuming Newman still enters in, he COULD bring Who over. IOTL, SN tried to help it several times after he left (In '70, 87, and the Wilderness Years) and he was looking for a flagship Sci Fi show. Even if he wasn't creator of the ABC incarnation, he likely would have overseen it.
It could have piqued his interest...

It all depends on whether he leaves ABC in better terms than he did IOTL. Newman was incredibly resentful of ABC refusing to initially let him move to the BBC, and as such, the severence of ties would mean that any attempt to take ABC programmes for the BBC would likely be rejected outright.
 
It all depends on whether he leaves ABC in better terms than he did IOTL. Newman was incredibly resentful of ABC refusing to initially let him move to the BBC, and as such, the severence of ties would mean that any attempt to take ABC programmes for the BBC would likely be rejected outright.
I think him taking on a show from ABC would improve the negotiations. ABC would have to be easier with him, or he could do damage.
 
I think him taking on a show from ABC would improve the e. ABC would have to be easier with him, or he could do damage.

Assuming a revised series does well enough to last five series/is popular enough to warrant a revival in whatever short time it has, this is fairly plausible, as long as Newman produces it independently of ABC and holds the rights to the show and its associated characters. Otherwise there's absolutely no way he'd be able to obtain those rights outside of a courtroom (a protracted legal battle that the BBC may not want to have with a critical early 60s Conservative government looking over them).
 
Newman produced 4 series of what's become known as The Pathfinders In Space saga, starting with Target Luna in 1960 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_Luna It was four supposedly educational science-fiction serials (Target Luna/Pathfinders In Space/To Mars/To Venus) that went out in a Sunday afternoon slot that was usually used for children's drama on the ITV network. Partway through, the serials introduce an untrustworthy old man who, IIRC, sabotages their craft so that they have to explore an alien landscape just to satisfy his curiosity. And it was co-created by Malcolm Hulke.

Even earlier, Sydney Newman was involved with the Canadian version of Howdy Doody which had Mr X who travelled through time in his Whatsis Box. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howdy_Doody#The_Canadian_Howdy_Doody_Show
 
Top