MANY a hit show has changed its lead actor. So cheap 60s sci-fi show Doctor Who believed they could replace theirs, and it would be no big deal.

Actor William Hartnell, star of the BBC-produced disposable confection for children, was struggling to remember his lines. So producers relying on the ephemerality of their medium decided to hire someone else. From their notes:

“Pretty sure we’ll get away with this. It’s only kids watching and it’s in black-and-white, so I’d be surprised if they even notice.

“Because it’s all made-up bullshit, we’ve done a thing where we’ve written it into the script – ‘Look! The Doctor’s changed! He’s got different hair now!’ but it’s nonsense. Tens and thousands of people working for decades couldn’t make sense of it.

“Anyway, it’s not like people can go b

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