Who inspired Who? Leave aside for one moment the hyperventilating BBC enthronement of Peter Capaldi, though we shall return to him later. I mean way back at the beginning, 50 years ago. The Doctor was invented by a committee of middle-ranking BBC executives — but who was the role-model for this anti-establishment, vaguely dotty but distinguished figure?
Come on! With hindsight, the inspiration must surely have been Tony Benn — and I’ll prove it to you.
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Sinclair McKay’s books include The Secret Listeners, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, and histories of the Hammer and James Bond films.
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