Handman said:
Hartnell's flubs were sometimes scripted. It was a part of his character. The bumbling old man with a mysterious past. The Romans especially uses it to comedic effect.
There are times it comes across that way, but there are other times he stops in the middle of a line and just repeats the whole thing from the start with a few crucial words flipped and he's really obviously correcting himself. He's not the only one who does it, he just is the most frequent victim of the circumstances, being the knowledgeable elder archetype on what was supposed to be an educational show, he got the most (and most difficult) dialogue. I can't hold it against him.
...
I just finished The Sensorites, so I'm through all of what Britbox has to offer for season 1. Quick reviews of each story so far in order:
1 An Unearthly Child
First episode is really great, and the next three are just ok but they set the tone the show will follow.
2 The Daleks
Seven episodes, this is essentially a film. Incidentally it was adapted into a film, which I've also watched. The film looks better in every way but its continuity is so changed that it cannot replace the episodes. I don't have much to say about the story except it's interesting how the original Dalek concept depended on the Thal people, they're absent from the modern show entirely. Daleks don't default to exterminating but instead to temporarily paralyzing people so their weapons seem like Star Trek phasers whereas nowadays they're like Star Wars blasters. I have more to say about the film than the show version, but that doesn't mean this story is bad.
3 The Edge of Destruction
A bunch of nothing happening in the Tardis had never been so interesting. It helps that it's only two episodes, not much filler.
4 Marco Polo
Despite having to find a reconstruction, this is pretty delightful. Not having the original footage has the accidental bonus of removing ethical concerns over yellowface makeup. Here's hoping it gets animated.
5 The Keys of Marinus
I loved it. Each episode is like a completely different adventure in a new location, kept things fresh the whole time.
6 The Aztecs
The Doctor falls in love on screen for the first time in the show. He encourages Ian to participate in human sacrifice. Barbara may be a God. Not my first time seeing this one. Reminds me of The Road to El Dorado but with time travelers as the con men.
7 The Sensorites
Started strong, but these Ood relatives are actually super boring. Six episodes feel stretched here.
8 Reign of Terror
Not on Britbox, I googled and found it streaming somewhere. French revolution, kinda boring and then the animated episodes are IMO terrible. Jerky motion, quick cuts, floaty eyes, nobody turns their head, the shadows in faces are so sharp you could cut yourself, and the lip movement is mostly really similar to a hand puppet, very unconvincing and slow. I preferred the still photo reconstructions of Marco Polo to this. I know this animation team didn't do any other stories so the other animations may be better. But this did not leave a favorable first impression.
Anyway, that's all of season 1. Feels good to have experienced the whole thing.