"That's Not Right": Television, History and Education in Doctor Who During the Hartnell Era

When her school teachers leave Susan alone with a copy of a book on the French Revolution, the Doctor’s granddaughter is clearly surprised by what passes for education at Coal Hill. ‘That’s not right!’ she exclaims mysteriously. The audience has the opportunity to check for themselves when the travellers materialise in the French Revolution, and history teacher Barbara is faced with an ‘experiential chaos’ of squaring narrative history with “structures of feelings” (Williams, 1961: 65) – an existential threat that jolts viewers into a spectating consciousness where history is open, dynamic and performative.

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