Doctor Who (TV Series) An Unearthly Child (1963) User Reviews

100,000 BC (episodes 1 through 4)

[movieman_kev · 9/10 · 28 April 2007]

Two schoolteachers, Ian and Barbara take interest in Sarah, one of their students, and her rather peculiar grandfather, Dr. Who (William Hartnell). They all take a trip in the TARDIS, back to 100,000 BC, where they're captured by cavemen wanting to know the secret of fire. And thus begins the most mature, fondly remembered, and long running 'children's programme' in the history of television. Known for it's series arcs and cliffhangers, this first tale is told across episodes 1 through 4 and is a fine start to what would soon become a stellar series. the series had tight, well-acted plots from the start. I enjoyed this first storyline immensely. Even if the good Doctor's personality is at odds with the rest of Hartnell's stint.

My Grade: A

The very first serialized story in the long-running British TV series

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 28 January 2023]

High school teachers Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and Ian Chesterton (William Russell) are concerned about a strange student named Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), who seems to have preternatural insight on many subjects, and yet is strangely ignorant on everyday things such as money. She's also very vague about her place of residence, so the two teachers decide to secretly follow her home one evening. They're led to what looks like a police call box (large telephone booth) in the middle of a junkyard. They then meet Susan's grandfather, a mysterious, cantankerous figure known only as the Doctor (William Hartnell). Susan reveals that she and the Doctor are aliens from another planet and another time, and that the call-box is actually a ship called the TARDIS capable of traveling through time and space. To prove it, they go back in time to the year 100,000 B. C., where they end up battling against hostile cave people who are trying to learn the secret of fire.

This is the first Doctor Who serial that I've watched from start to finish. It consisted of four half-hour episodes. I enjoyed it, and the theme music, which I've heard many times before, seemed eerie and compelling. The live-TV production values are limited, but the acting was good. The pilot premiered the day after the JFK assassination. I have quite a few other Doctor Who serials to watch in the future, although not all of them, by far.

Where Time Began

[timdalton007 · 7/10 · 29 May 2019]

With so many episodes of Doctor Who that aired in the 1960s missing from the BBC archives, it still seems incredible to consider that somehow we still have an episode that never even aired. An Unearthly Child, that all-important and legendary episode of what has become the world's longest running science fiction television series, was in fact made twice. While conventional wisdom has it that remaking something usually doesn't improve upon it, there are exceptions to every rule, and the unaired version of An Unearthly Child (sometimes incorrectly called a "pilot" episode) proves that.

The changes are noticeable within seconds of the titles starting. There's an odd thunderclap effect put on the opening titles, and the shots of I.M. Foreman's junkyard are different, feeling jerky and almost disorientating at times. Indeed, there's an immense visual difference between this version and the transmitted one, as there's far more emphasis placed on keeping the camera mobile throughout despite the multi-camera set-up that the episode (and indeed the next quarter century worth of episodes) was filmed under. Cameras bump into things as do actors on occasion with William Russell knocking over a mannequin shortly upon entering the junkyard. The mobile camera leaves the entire episode feeling somewhat amateurish much of the time as the camera shakes and wobbles, sometimes struggling to cope with what it's being forced to present on-screen.

Where the changes are most evident is in the back half or so of the episode once it arrives in the junkyard. Hartnell's Doctor is a very different kettle of fish than the version we would eventual get both inside and out. The characterization plays up the aspect of the "stranger", making the Doctor feel less like a warm and grandfatherly figure than a menacing figure whom one could understand Ian and Barbara being suspicious of all too easily (indeed, with 21st-century eyes, one might be forgiven for thinking something far more sinister might be taking place in the junkyard). Nowhere is this more evident than in the lengthy scene in the TARDIS console room where the Doctor is less amused with Ian's struggling to understand than coming across as an almost gloating mad-scientist figure. Even the costume is different once the hat and scarf go by the wayside, with Hartnell wearing a more contemporary suit instead of the more familiar Edwardian garb. He isn't the only one who's different though.

One thing I do lament not carrying over to the transmitted version is Carole Ann Ford's Susan. While a greater emphasis was placed on her being a teenager in that version and the subsequent series, what this version presents us with is a far more intriguing characterization. Like Hartnell's Doctor, there is more emphasis placed on the strangeness of this schoolgirl who clearly knows more than she should about some things but not about others, which Ford plays well in both versions. The differences are most apparent in the aforementioned TARDIS scene where Ford not only wears a different costume but comes across with a different demeanor, less fussy than she is in the transmitted version. While it has a moment or two that doesn't work (such as the drawing scene in the classroom that was replaced with the French Revolution book in the transmitted episode), it's a far more intriguing take on Susan than we would ever get onscreen.

Of all the characters, Ian and Barbara change the least between the two. In fact, one might argue that they don't change at all, right down to the performances of William Russell and Jacqueline Hill. Ian and Barbara's motives stay the same and their reactions to the interior of the TARDIS are identical, though there's an extra line or two of exposition given to the Doctor to make the scene perhaps a tad more understandable. It's interesting to consider that the two human characters, the ones that viewers would most recognize and identify with, changed hardly at all between the two versions, which goes to show just how important it was to get the show's other two leads right from the very first episode.

What's perhaps most remarkable is that Anthony Coburn's script doesn't change much between the pilot and the transmitted version. With the exception of the dropped "forty-ninth century" line and the change to what Susan is doing after her teachers leave her in the classroom, virtually all of the dialogue is the same. The Doctor's lines don't change very much at all, something that is surprising given the vast differences between characterizations between the two versions. What has changed has little to do with the script but in performances and emphasis, showing just how important it can be to get the characters right.

What's also interesting to consider is that the episodes that followed and make up the rest of what we today consider An Unearthly Child were not re-shot to accommodate the new version but instead continued on from this with the production team only later going back to record this episode again. That change had a knock-on effect putting the show's premiere date back a week to the now famous 23rd of November and putting the first Dalek story out a little later than it would have been otherwise. Just how much did Sydney Newman's insistence on a second version of this episode mean for the show's future? Would this version, and that week's difference in broadcast date, have made the show's history? We'll never know of course, but it's interesting to consider.

In the end, life rarely hands out second chances. Doctor Who though in the fall of 1963 got one, thanks to the persistence of Sydney Newman, and we as fans should forever be thankful for it. While the episode has its pros, it also has plenty of cons, from lacking a polished look to characterizations that aren't quite there. What we're left with, when all is said and done, is an intriguing look at Doctor Who's earliest days and what might have been.

Doctor Who at its best

[dr_foreman · 10/10 · 12 November 2006]

I like pretty much every era of the original Doctor Who, but lately I've developed a particular fondness for the first season, featuring William Hartnell as the Doctor.

In fact, I think "An Unearthly Child" is the best single episode of Doctor Who ever made. It's got a creepy atmosphere and an aura of genuine mystery (something that's sadly lacking in modern Who). William Hartnell gives a great performance - his Doctor comes across as brilliant, paranoid, xenophobic and downright sinister. Later on, the character would become a heroic stereotype, but here he's three-dimensional and very real (considering that he's an alien).

William Russell and Jacqueline Hill also give good performances as the schoolteachers who are drawn into the Doctor's weird universe, though I should note that their acting gets even better and more naturalistic in later episodes. Carol Ann Ford does pretty well with the key role of the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan, though sometimes she comes across as too whiny and petulant (in fairness to her, I think this is because series creator Sydney Newman told her to play up these aspects of the character).

The episode is also very well-written and directed. The script intelligently explores the stark contrast between the everyday world and the somewhat surreal existence of the Doctor. And director Waris Hussein, who labored under very primitive conditions (he was reportedly stuck working with huge, practically immobile cameras), manages to enhance the drama with some interesting camera angles and plenty of dramatic close-ups.

Unusually for Doctor Who, "An Unearthly Child" even boasts a pretty cool special effects sequence, when the TARDIS first takes off from Earth and enters the swirly-whirly time vortex. I suppose it's rather primitive by modern standards, but I think it remains an eerie and arresting sequence and it looks much better than you'd expect, given the series' reputation for cheapness.

Though I've focused most of my comments on the first episode, I should also note that the subsequent three-part caveman adventure is much better than its lowly reputation among fans would suggest. I once read a review that mocked the cavemen for appearing to be "dental-flossed," which in retrospect I find bizarre, since the cavemen in fact have busted-up and dirty-looking teeth, and generally filthy appearances. In fact, their semi-realistic presentation is part of what makes the story so good.

Perhaps the only strike against "An Unearthly Child" is that it's very different, in many ways, from traditional Doctor Who. The character of the Doctor here is self-absorbed, somewhat cowardly and semi-evil, which is strange considering that he would quickly evolve into a straight-up good guy. Also, there's a distinct lack of alien monsters in this serial; starting with the very next adventure, "The Daleks," Doctor Who would establish a tradition of featuring such monsters in pretty much every story.

But, if you're open to a slightly different vision of Doctor Who, you should definitely check this out. Compared to the episodes that followed, "An Unearthly Child" is surprisingly adult and sophisticated, and it represents the very best of science fiction television.

Genuine sense of mystery

[spib2002 · 10/10 · 13 October 2006]

Perhaps the most important 20 minutes of TV drama ever. FACT!!!! Much of early sixties 'classic' TV comes across as stilted to a modern audience but the Doctor's debut still manages to engage, largely by making the Doctor a mysterious and somewhat menacing figure.

Hartnell's performance here is strong with little sign of his later awkward memory lapses and trips. The mind-blowing concepts of time travel and trans-dimensional engineering (although not named as such) are treated with the awe and respect they deserve through the reactions of unwilling companions Ian and Barbara. Unlike later years where Tardis occupants would just seem to take it in their stride.

Do try to catch the alternate pilot version if you get a chance. The Doctor is even nastier and Susan even more space cadet!

An Unearthly Child (Episodes 1-4)

[ametaphysicalshark · 19 July 2007]

"An Unearthly Child", the first episode of the story with the same title, is absolutely magical and in my opinion one of the greatest first episodes any television series has ever had. It introduces all the main characters the show would have in its first season, establishes the mysterious and alien nature of the Doctor, and clearly develops the characters and conveys Ian and Barbara's emotions wonderfully and realistically- all in the space of a self-contained 23 minute episode that has little to do with the rest of the first Doctor Who serial. The fact that this was intended, at this point, as an educational programme for children makes it even more worthy of praise because the script, acting, and direction prove that this production crew were taking the programme seriously and not talking down to the audience.

The follow-up, "The Cave of Skulls", is a really excellent episode as the Doctor and his companions travel back in time and attempt to determine where they are while we learn more about the struggle within a caveman tribe, a struggle centered around fire. The character development here, both for the tribe and for the main characters, is absolutely astonishing, in particular the writing for Ian and Barbara. Sadly "The Forest of Fear", the third episode, is very mediocre and outside some nice atmospheric moments quite boring. At this point Coburn seems to be running out of ideas, but "The Firemaker", the conclusion to the story, is quite solid and enjoyable and at times tense particularly toward the end.

"An Unearthly Child", also known as "The Tribe of Gum", is notably well-directed. Warris Hussein, particularly with the first episode, uses many stylistic devices quite brilliantly, especially considering this was shot on video on massive cameras one could barely move! Hussein really makes the episodes feel cinematic and not theatrical like many Doctor Who stories would feel throughout its initial 26 year run. Hussein deservedly went on to a solid career directing films, working with several notable actors and making one much-remembered classic, "Melody", in addition to several other films and miniseries that are fondly remembered.

"The Tribe of Gum"/"An Unearthly Child" is a surprisingly effective and solid start to Doctor Who's 26 year run (I'm sure the idea that it would run so long never crossed the producers' minds), and although the story itself is not too exciting or memorable on paper it is written quite well here.

Episode 1: 10/10, Episode 2: 8/10, Episode 3: 5/10, Episode 4: 7/10.

Average: 7.5/10

Can you imagine what seeing this in 1963 would have been like!!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 28 August 2015]

Whenever I watch this episode I really do wonder what it must have been like for people seeing it live at the time, there wasn't really anything else like it.

We meet teachers Ian and Barbara, they discuss awkward pupil Susan Foreman, a 15 year old wonder, a genius in some ways and totally inept in others. Fearing for Susan's welfare the Teachers take Susan home after school and wait for her to enter her unusual home. Inside a Junk yard lay a blue Police telephone box, which emits a slight vibration. Susan's Grandfather 'The Doctor' appears, a struggle ensues and the two burst inside, to discover a vast futuristic room which defies its external size. Susan explains the ship is the TARDIS and can go anywhere in time and space. Fearing discovery the Doctor operates the TARDIS controls....and a legend is born.

The imagery at the end is fantastic, I love how it was done, and that site of a shadow cast across the sands where the TARDIS stands is super.

This is an utterly glorious episode, it is so good. It definitely feels other worldly, Susan has a definite eerie feel about her. The concept is utterly astounding, and for a piece of 60's television it still feels modern and holds the audience, it is brilliant!! WOW 10/10

A Great Start to a Long Running Series

[brian_m_hass · 10/10 · 5 April 2015]

While growing up, the only "Doctor Who" episodes which I had ever seen were from the 1970's and early 1980's. I did not get a chance to see the earliest episodes of the show until the late 1980's. When I finally had the opportunity to watch "An Unearthly Child," I was thrilled!

"An Unearthly Child" did not disappoint me. The episode started with a mystery. When the two school teachers began to investigate the matter, they had no idea of where their inquiries would lead them. The episode featured an excellent story with great characters. It also contained a lot of atmosphere. The ending of this episode was the beginning of one of television's longest-running adventures.

For fans of the later episodes of the "Doctor Who" series, "An Unearthly Child" is something of a curiosity. For a television phenomenon which has endured for more than five decades, there is the question of how it all started. I highly recommend "An Unearthly Child."

A wonderful first episode followed by a bloated three-part adventure

[matejadjedovic_dw · 7/10 · 28 December 2020]

Watching the episode "An Unearthly Child" it is incredible to think that how it all started, almost 60 years ago, with a moody opening shot of a policeman walking through the London fog next to a cluttered junkyard dominated by an out-of-place police box. And what a corker of a first episode it is. "An Unearthly Child" is an almost ideal teaser for the wonderful adventures to come, tight, atmospheric, and wholly engrossing. It follows two schoolteachers, Ian and Barbara, who become intrigued by one of their students, the sweet but oddly knowledgable Susan who seems to have insights far beyond those of 20th-century science and history. We get curious glimpses into Susan's behaviour through quick but intriguing flashbacks - she doesn't know Britain uses the decimal system but she corrects mistakes in a history textbook, she can't solve a simple maths equation without introducing two further dimensions but she seems bored by chemistry problems which perplex her fellow students. Ian and Barbara decide to find out just what her secret is and follow her home with the hope of meeting her guardian, the austere and as of yet unseen Dr Foreman. Of course, as all "Doctor Who" fans know, once they get to the junkyard they stumble into the TARDIS and onto The Doctor, the mysterious but seemingly benevolent time traveller who whisks them away to a series of perilous but exciting adventures in time and space.

Knowing the outcome of "An Unearthly Child", however, does little to undermine its effectiveness. The first half, in which Ian and Barbara, try to get to the bottom of Susan's mysterious behaviour, is pacy and excellently acted by William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, a likeable pair of actors who generate tangible chemistry between their two characters. Carole Ann Ford is also terrific as Susan, though she gets very little to do, giving the character a sweet nature while hinting at her otherworldliness. The second half, in which Ian and Barbara come face to face with The Doctor who, afraid of being discovered and angered by Ian's disbelief at his alien nature, defiantly activates the TARDIS to prove a point, is an intense verbal match between three good actors which does a superb job of providing exposition to the viewers without ever becoming unconvincing or losing sight of the character's emotions. The scene of an innocent human wondering into the TARDIS and having to have the ship explained to him occurs in almost every season of "Doctor Who" but it has rarely been done as well as here. Ian and Barbara are shocked by what they see but their reactions are entirely believable and in line with their character. The writer, Anthony Coburn, wisely doesn't have them go on about it being bigger on the inside than the outside but rather shows how they try to reason their way out of what they're seeing. As Susan puts it: "Their minds reject things they don't understand".

All in all, the first episode of "Doctor Who" is a corker in every way. A tense, tightly-written 25-minute mystery rich with atmosphere, tension, and twists and wonderfully acted by its four-person cast. The other three episodes that make up this serial focus on the foursome's first adventure together which sees them land on prehistoric Earth where they are seized upon by a tribe whose two potential leaders both want the Doctor to teach them how to make fire. This particular story formula of the Doctor coming between two warring tribal factions has been used many times in "Doctor Who" including in the very next serial, the legendary "The Daleks", and the serial "An Unearthly Child" is not the finest example. It is, however, a fairly entertaining story which manages to hold one's attention despite some rather egregious pacing issues.

The first half of the second episode, "The Cave of Skulls" focuses on Ian and Barbara coming to terms with their newfound situation. I really enjoy the group dynamic in this serial. Ian and Barbara are clearly attracted to each other and there are genuine warmth and care between them. They also care for Susan but are a little wary of her as they slowly realise she is not quite what she appears. The Doctor, however, they do not trust and he finds them a nuisance as well. Furthermore, he is a very reluctant adventurer, a far cry from his later incarnations. This means that the leading role is evenly distributed among the TARDIS crew. Unlike in later serials in which the Doctor would be the clear protagonist and his companions merely sidekicks, here everyone gets to pitch in pretty equally. Ian quickly emerges as the natural leader, a heroic combination of brains and brawn which angers the more intellectual and careful Doctor whose crotchety manners make him a difficult companion but whose wiliness and assuredness in tough situations make him useful. In the end, however, it is Susan who finds a way out of their predicament. This dynamic, quite unusual for "Doctor Who", is on full display in the first half of "The Cave of Skulls". The second half, however, which is made up almost entirely of a wordy debate between the two potential leaders of the prehistoric tribe is a bit of slog to get through. Derek Newark and Jeremy Young play the two cavemen with little distinction, both shouting and jumping around in much the same manner, failing to differentiate them to a degree which would make us care over who wins. Furthermore, their intentionally awkward, stilted dialogue meant to evoke a primitive way of talking, does not facilitate a particularly interesting discussion. It is a needlessly long scene which serves primarily as an exposition dump, the kind that was wisely avoided in the previous episode. Sadly, Za and Kal are far less interesting characters than Ian, Barbara, and the Doctor and their conflict is far less relatable or interesting. The cavemen, impulsive and unorganised, also don't make for particularly effective antagonists. They lack the cunning and villainy to truly challenge the Doctor and his companions.

The third episode, "The Forest of Fear" encounters a similar problem. The first half in which the foursome is helped to escape by one of the women of the tribe is suitably tense but the ensuing chase through the titular forest between the TARDIS crew and Kal and Hur doesn't really work when all you have is a single, not particularly convincing forest set. It is one of the least exciting action scenes in all of "Doctor Who" and eventually degenerates into yet another overlong discussion, this time between the TARDIS crew. This episode, never-the-less, does contain two very intriguing aspects. The first is the Lady Macbeth-like character of Hur, strikingly played by Alethea Charlton, the only one of the cavemen actors who manages to portray a distinct and well-formed character. The other is a downright shocking scene in which the Doctor picks up a rock with the intention of bashing the skull of the wounded Kal, an intention which Ian stops him in. This scene is a fascinating and unique peek at the Doctor's darker, more practical side.

Happily, the final episode "The Firemaker" significantly picks up the pace. It is a rousing finale featuring a well-choreographed though dully shot fight scene and a few genuinely tense moments which see our foursome in a very low place indeed. "Fear makes companions of all of us," says the Doctor.

"An Unearthly Child" is a decent take on the warring tribe story but Anthony Coburn's script stretches the story too thin. The second and third episodes should have been combined and all the overlong dialogue scenes pared down. The story is also plagued by a number of inconsistencies such as the fact that Kal is badly wounded in the third episode so much so that he has to be carried on a stretcher, unconscious, by the TARDIS crew, yet in episode four, which takes place mere minutes later, he is perfectly fine and able to engage in a lengthy fight to the death with Za. The most annoying inconsistency, however, comes in the characterisation of Barbara who in episodes one and two is by far the most levelheaded and collected of the four companions, but inexplicably turns into a shrieking hysterical mess in episode three, only to return to form by episode four. It would have been far more interesting to see her remain the levelheaded one. Otherwise, Coburn does a very good job, especially on the first episode. He also makes several downright unique moves such as making The Doctor the most cowardly and cunning member of the TARDIS crew and focusing on some real tension between the companions, allowing them time and space (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to grow on each other. Later serials would often ignore this period making the companion and the Doctor best of friends upon their first encounter.

I was not particularly impressed by Waris Hussein's direction which I found somewhat stilted and unimaginative. This is certainly largely down to production difficulties but directors who worked on the show just a couple of years down the line did a much better job of evoking the periods and settings of their stories and of generating tension and atmosphere than Hussein does. The serial is also plagued, as many of the early ones were, by frequent technical mistakes such as jerky camera moves. I don't fault Hussein for this nor do I find these kinds of errors awfully distracting, but it is hard to negate that they are there. Barry Newbery's sets are fairly boring and are done no favours by the harsh lighting which frequently reflects on the actors' faces. I did, however, greatly enjoy Norman Kay's incidental score. It is not in the least original but it does wring out a sense of hammy melodrama out of this often draggy serial.

It is difficult to fault "An Unearthly Child" too much seeing how it is the first "Doctor Who" serial. But even when we take off the rose tinted glasses, it stands up as a decent if bloated adventure. This comment, of course, excludes the first episode which, as I said earlier, is pretty.

Superb start to one of the greatest TV shows ever!

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 26 June 2014]

Episode 1: An Unearthly Child.

This is a truly excellent episode giving the best possible start to the series which would go on to be one of the greatest TV shows ever.

It is incredible in a way that they got it so right straight from the beginning. It is not really surprising that the remainder of the first 'serial' which covered the following three episodes shows some flaws, it was a new show, it was experimental, it was low budget and filmed on a tight schedule. It is far more surprising that this first episode is such incredibly high quality. Those following episodes whilst good were perhaps not the best story to launch with (it was actually meant to be the second story) but this opening episode is near perfect.

It is very well written (it merges writing by Anthony Coburn with C.E. Webber's script for the original opening story which this replaced), very well acted, intriguing, a little bit unnerving, atmospheric and well conceived in every respect.

The episode features two teachers who are intrigued by a pupil with unusual knowledge and behaviour. They follow the girl into an old junkyard where they encounter 'The Doctor', a time-traveller with hidden origins, as played by William Hartnell. His portrayal is mysterious, rather sinister and severe. He was to soften and develop into a multi-layered interesting and endearing character over Hartnell's tenure as The Doctor but right from the start Hartnell is superb and makes a brilliant Doctor, even viewing it after all the subsequent actors who replaced him in the role. Ian and Barbara the teachers who become companions in time travel with The Doctor by accident are excellent characters as they develop over the series and even in the first episode are well acted and characterised. Susan Foreman, grand-daughter of The Doctor, is also very good in this first episode and it is sad that the character would not be developed well as the series continued. She turns into a screaming, annoying character too much of the time. In this debut though she is very interesting.

The fact that 50 years later the same main character (after numerous changes in actor), same concept, same time machine design, same theme music (though re-arranged) and other aspects, are still working with massive success shows what a brilliant idea it all was in the first place. All Doctor Who fans should watch this first episode.

An Unearthly Child

[studioAT · 6/10 · 3 October 2021]

A wonderful start to the original Doctor Who series.

All the elements are there for what would come.

He's a Doctor isn't he?

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 4 March 2021]

The Pilot episode is fascinating in its own right, if you look into the events surrounding its transmission, and subsequent alteration for the following week.

As a stand alone episode, it's loaded with mystery and intrigue, you really do question everything, who on Earth are these people, and where are they from, how do they know what they do? It's so imaginative.

Susan's artwork, the whoosh in the opening credits, the clothes, and some of the dialogue, just some of the differences keen eyed viewers will spot.

We hear the name John Smith, I wonder if in The Wheel in Space they looked back at this episode for a reference.

I think there is some real quality to this episode, Susan is a truly interesting character, she's more than just a screaming child here, her very existence is curious here, I liked this side of her character, an advanced girl out of her time.

It's fantastic, 10/10.

'There isn't anything there. It's just an old junkyard.'

[scorfield-51711 · 7/10 · 1 March 2021]

The show was originally conceived by the recently appointed BBC Head of Drama, Sidney Newman, after having been approached to create a weekly serial drama to fit in the television schedules between 'Grandstand' and 'Juke-Box Jury'. As an educational science-fiction series, much of the early development of 'Doctor Who' was left under the auspices of the head of the BBC Script Department, Donald Wilson.

The pilot episode, given its poor technical quality, had ended up persuading Newman that the project was not viable, unless it was immediately reshot. This is not hard to imagine, given shaky camera panning, fluffed lines, and poorly stage-managed interactions. Yet, one would have to acknowledge that the most unfortunate change between the never-broadcast 'pilot' and the first televised episode was the loss of the unnerving and pulsating light being emitted by the Tardis upon our first sighting of it in the abandoned junkyard.

For if there is a star of this opening episode, it is the TARDIS. In response to budgetary concerns, it was Newman who conceived of the Tardis as possessing a 'chameleon device', thereby allowing the ship's exterior to blend into the environment of wherever it lands, and thereby, greatly reducing costs of production. In addition, it would be Australian BBC Staff writer, Anthony Coburn, who would propose that the exterior be a police box, common in the early Sixties, the idea coming to him as he came across one on his morning constitutional. One thing which remains a matter of debate is whether the instantly recognisable police box originated from 'Dixon of Dock Green' or 'Z-Cars'.

One positive change of the re-shoot was the sea-change proposed by Newman in terms of the Doctor's character, from a gnarly genius to a much more avuncular individual. Coburn had already proposed that the Doctor's young assistant, Susan, become the time and space traveller's granddaughter in order to avoid any taint of sexual impropriety.

At the outset of the episode, we find out that Susan is an unnaturally gifted student. As her science tutor, Mr Chesterton, highlights: 'She lets her knowledge out one bit at a time, so as not to embarrass me.' At the same time, Susan seems oblivious to commonly-known facts such as how many shillings there are to the pound, whilst inaccurately maintaining that the UK has adopted decimalisation, when this has not occurred yet. Then, there is her vexation at not being required to incorporate 'time' and 'space' as dimensions when working out calculations.

Miss Wright, her history tutor's curiosity is piqued further when she attempts to track down Susan's grandfather to discuss more specialised teaching options, only to find the address given by the school secretary matches an abandoned junkyard. Having decided to trail Susan when she makes her way home, as they await in Chesterton's car, Miss Wright declares forebodingly: 'I feel frightened. As if we are about to interfere in something that is best left alone.' To their consternation, having followed her in through the one entrance to the junkyard, Susan has disappeared. Coming across the police box, not only do they discover it pulsates as if alive, but also after watching the arrival of her grandfather from their hiding spot, Susan's voice emanates from inside.

Having been denied entry by the grandfather, the inopportune opening of the police box door by Susan allows the pair of tutors to force their way inside. The audience's reaction to the greatly increased size of the interior is shaped by the bewildered reactions of our science tutor, whose questions slowly eke out explanations for us as to who our mysterious 'doctor' is, and the nature of the craft we have entered. The interior of the TARDIS was created by Polish production designer, Peter Brachaki, who worked on the programme under duress, and left as soon as he could. Yet, his central design features have lasted time, especially the hexagonal central console, with its moving time column, and the sterile white, roundel-covered walls.

Returning to the plot, in his attempt to prevent the tutors leaving, now having become acquainted with these scientific advances that the 'Doctor's' Gallifrean society have made, our Time Lord hastily launches the Tardis. The final scene is one where the Tardis sits in a desolate landscape, with an eerie shadow projected upon it by a strange figure who obviously can see the craft, suggestive that the cloaking feature has become in-operational. For those with a even interest in a historical perspective of the long-surviving series, Susan reveals that the TARDIS is named after her own acronym for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space'.

This longevity the series has enjoyed seemed a distant possibility when this episode was first aired the evening after President Kennedy had been assassinated, and given the added issue that much of the country suffered greatly from a power failure. Even after being graced a repeat transmission, the critical reviews were mixed.

For compulsive complete-ists only

[charlesadamek · 4/10 · 28 March 2021]

I am a big Dr. Who fan, but admit I was not into the program at its origin. It is very hard to put yourself into the mindset of people seeing this for the first time in 1963. But curiosity and a desire to see the program from the start drove me to watch Season One.

First, prepare yourself for the fact that this is a kinescope (I think) of live TV. When an actor flubs a line, and that happens with some frequency, there is no edit and re-take. This is how it went out over the air. The boom mike at the top of the picture happens more than once. The sets and costumes are pretty cheesy. The backgrounds are obviously painting on flats. In short, this does not show the production values and quality of more resent seasons. Chalk this up to "you have to start somewhere."

Lastly, and I suppose this is HERESEY, but Hartnel is absolutely my least favorite incarnation of the Doctor. He is unnecessarily infuriating and obtuse. Worst of all, in Season One at least, he doesn't really do the heavy lifting on the story. The school teachers carry the narrative and are the stars. And while some of the aspects lay the ground work for later events (first invention of the daleks, for example) there is too much heavy-handed foreshadowing and predictability.

In short, you will want to watch this if you are compulsive about seeing the entire saga. Otherwise, if you take a pass on this historical curiosity, you are not missing much.

A Flying Start

[JamesHitchcock · 20 June 2014]

23rd November 1963 was not, perhaps, the most auspicious day to launch a ground-breaking television series. Much of the country was affected by a power cut, and President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated the previous day, which meant that people could talk about little else. And yet, despite these disadvantages, "Doctor Who" went on to become one of the greatest success stories in British TV history, still going strong more than half a century later.

The first few seconds of "An Unearthly Child" introduce some of the series' most iconic elements. We hear that famous electronic music against that strange, psychedelic title sequence. And then we see a policeman looking round a London junkyard where he spots a police box which, unknown to him, is of course the Doctor's TARDIS. This is the serial in which it is explained that the TARDIS is, or should be, capable of disguising itself to blend in with its surroundings. Owing to a malfunction, however, it has remained a police box ever since. Evidently, despite the Time Lords' mastery of time-travel, none of the various manifestations of the Doctor has ever had time to repair the fault.

We do not, however, immediately meet the Doctor himself. Instead, the scene shifts to a London secondary school where two teachers, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, are discussing one of their pupils, fifteen- year-old Susan Foreman. Susan is precocious, but seems to be curiously ignorant of many aspects of British society. Believing that Susan lives with her elderly grandfather, Barbara and Ian decide to investigate by visiting the address she has given. The grandfather turns out to be the Doctor himself, and a series of events leads to all four travelling back in time to the Stone Age, where they become embroiled in a power struggle between two rival factions of cavemen. Hence the serial's alternative title "100,000 BC". Strictly speaking, the only human inhabitants of Britain during this year would have been Neanderthals rather than the modern humans shown here, although I won't claim this as a goof as the date is not actually mentioned in the script.

(My own childhood recollections of "Doctor Who" generally date from the Pertwee/Baker era of the seventies, when most of the stories seemed to be set either in contemporary Britain or on an alien planet, but in the sixties part of the programme's educational remit was to teach children about history, so stories set during the earth's past were quite common).

One thing we learn about the Doctor in this serial is that "Who" is not his surname. The title derives from an incident when Ian and Barbara address him as "Doctor Foreman"- Susan has appropriated that surname from the owner of the junkyard- and he replies "Doctor who?" We also learn that he and Susan are members of an alien race- the expression "Time Lord" is never actually mentioned- who have mastered the science of travel through time and space.

What struck me when I first saw "An Unearthly Child" was William Hartnell's characterisation of the Doctor. Having grown up with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, I always thought of Doctor Who as a kindly, if occasionally eccentric, uncle. There is, however, nothing avuncular about Hartnell's Doctor, although he is certainly eccentric. He is also suspicious, cranky and hostile, and surprisingly callous and amoral during the "caveman" episodes. It is the human characters Barbara and Ian who show far more compassion and morality than does the alien Doctor, although it must be said that Susan generally sides with them against him. This characterisation has always struck me as a weakness in the early part of the series, just as the generally sympathetic characterisation of most of the later Doctors has been one of its strengths, and so it is not surprising that his character was very much softened later in Hartnell's tenure.

The Doctor may be an exception, but the serial as a whole does show evidence of the BBC's traditional social liberalism, especially during the scenes where Ian and Barbara, as didactic in 100,000 BC as they were in 1963 AD, try to teach the prehistoric tribe about kindness, friendship and compassion, all virtues previously unknown to them, and even socialist democracy. ("A tyrant is not as strong as the whole tribe acting collectively").

I won't award "An Unearthly Child" a mark out of ten. Certainly the whole "Doctor Who" concept in itself is a ten- if not an eleven- in my eyes, but few of the individual serials or episodes would in themselves merit this mark. This is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Hartnell's character in his serial is not one I can warm to, but the story itself is surprisingly dramatic and exciting, despite the low budgets for which the series was later to become notorious. It did enough to get the series off to a flying start.

The Pilot Episode

[wetmars · 10/10 · 20 August 2020]

Schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright follow mysterious pupil Susan Foreman to her home - a police box in a junk yard - and meet her grandfather the Doctor.

Well here it is, the Pilot episode, a different version of the first episode of Doctor Who, which was not broadcast because BBC's Head of Drama (( At the time )) Sydney Newman thought it had too many technical flaws and misjudged characterisations.

It's fun to spot the differences like a thunderclap sound effect in the Doctor Who theme. The Doctor wears a suit and tie! Susan says that she was born in the 49th century, but this was removed. Susan's sensual and adult vibes were different.

What I didn't like about this pilot episode is that the Doctor was like a Grandfather, and dare saying that her granddaughter is a "stupid child."

Thank God, this wasn't aired but it's still important to remember this. Anyways, I've been starting a new Classic Doctor Who massive review, from The Pilot Episode to Survival, I missed out on stories because dailymotion at the time had almost all of the Classic Stories, plus I didn't really pay attention in the 5-7th doctor's episodes, and I didn't review An Unearthly Child to Logopolis because I just didn't feel like it, lol.

So in conclusion, I shall pay more attention and write longer, better reviews.

A Legend Is Born

[Theo Robertson · 8/10 · 9 August 2013]

Slight Spoilers To All Four Episodes

Two schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright become concerned about an enigmatic teenage pupil called Susan Foreman . One evening they follow her home to her address only to find her home is in fact a junkyard that has many derelicts items including a police box . . An elderly man enters the junkyard and the world Ian and Barbara thought they knew will change forever

How does one even begin to review the debut story of DOCTOR WHO ? I wasn't even born when this was broadcast in 1963 and one wonders if anyone who worked on this story had even the smallest notion of what a magical genie had be unleashed from the televisual bottle ? Okay Sydney Newman creator of the show ripped off HG Wells The Time Machine but let's not forgot the cultural effect Wells had on humanity and it's impossible to overstate the cultural legacy DOCTOR WHO has had on British viewers

One thing this episode does very well is shroud the story in mystery . Right from the opening haunting theme tune with its psychedelic opening title sequence the contemporary audience are hooked as to what they might be watching . We see a policeman walking along a dark set and the camera stops on a police box a common sight in the 1960s but this one seems to be emitting a low electronic hum . What does mean . Of course the surprise is lost 50 years later but uncredited writer C.E Webber and the production team know how to grab an audience and one feels genuine sadness that one doesn't have a time machine of ones own to go back through time and see the faces of the audience as Barbara brushes past the Doctor and finds herself not in the interior of a police box but of the Tardis . I watched this as part of a repeat season of Doctor Who on BBC 2 as a die hard fan away back in 1981 and despite knowing what happens next the impact of this scene is nevertheless is stunning

The episode ends on a moody understated cliffhanger of a shadow falling on the exterior of the Tardis which the next episode reveals to be a cave man . Anyone expecting monsters to turn up attacking minor characters and the camera cutting away like in those SF B movies are going to be disappointed because this isn't what the show is about at this point . This is straight drama with a fantasy premise and the sheer lack of post modernism is a refreshing change . Ian Chesterton is very much the matinée idol hunky hero who carries the show along with Barbara Wright and the programme focuses on the duo while the mysterious character known only as The Doctor is a peripheral character similar to how how the dynamic worked in the debut season of NuWho though to be honest not even Eccleston's Doctor portrayed the hard edged anti-heroism of Hartnell . Witness the slightly shocking scene where the time travellers come across a wounded troglodyte and Ian asks the Doctor why he's picking up a rock . You really do get the impression that this Doctor is a man whose great knowledge is only matched by his amorality

Written and acted with total and utter conviction An Unearthyly child is an absolute pleasure to watch . All the four regular cast who probably saw the draft script and thought " hmmm seems a bit of weird show it'll never last but I'll just give a go and be professional " are superb especially William Russell as Ian Chesterton who was cast because Hartnell was considered too old to do any heroic stuff . As good as the opening story is the next story that dovetails from this story is very special indeed

Perfect start to my favourite show, a classic in every possible sense of the word.

[zacpetch · 10/10 · 27 July 2015]

Doctor Who has been going for more than half a century and its cultural impact on Britain and the world cannot be overstated. So to say this makes the first episode essential viewing is a no-brainer. The question is then now we know what the show has gone on to be did Doctor Who actually start off as a good show? The answer, thankfully, is a definitive yes!

In this debut episode from the pen of Anthony Coburn we are presented with a sense of mystery from the beginning right from even the first otherworldly sound of the now-iconic theme. We meet Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright (that latter has the distinction of getting to say the first spoken line ever in Doctor Who), two schoolteachers who are curious about the advanced knowledge of a shared student Susan Foreman. They follow her home to a junkyard where all that they see of note is a Police Box making a humming sound. And then we meet him, the original Doctor himself Mr William "Billy" Hartnell.

The 1st Doctor is of a different breed to what modern fans have seen in David Tennant's 10th or Matt Smith's 11th but Peter Capaldi's 12th is similar in many ways. Hartnell's performance is exquisite and draws you in. You just have to join him as "wanderers in the fourth dimension" to see what he's all about. It's just such a perfect performance he gives here and you question this man is he trustworthy? It will turn out he is but you have to get to know him first.

If you're a fan of the show you need to see this. If you're someone who has ever appreciated television you need to see this. If you are alive and well and a human being then you need to see this.

Have I made myself clear??? GO WATCH THIS NOW!!!!!!!!!

An Unearthly Child

[guswhovian · 10/10 · 27 April 2020]

Schoolteachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) are suspicious of one of their students, Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford). They decide to follow her home and meet her mysterious grandfather, the Doctor (William Hartnell), who has a time and space machine called the TARDIS.

One the most important episodes in TV history, "An Unearthly Child" gets Doctor Who off to a fantastic start. Despite being studio bound, Waris Hussein directs the episode inventively and the actors are all great, especially Hartnell. The script is great, managing to introduce and flesh out the four main characters very well in 25 minutes.

More Than "The One With The Cavemen"

[timdalton007 · 7/10 · 17 August 2019]

(Note: A review of the entire serial)

Most beginnings are humble, a little rough around the edges. Doctor Who, that great long-running series from the BBC, is no exception to that rule. Broadcast from the 23rd of November to the 14th of December 1963, An Unearthly Child is where the series began via a four-episode story that introduced its lead characters and the time machine at the heart of the series plus, latterly, a group of cavemen.

The opening episode, set in the then-present day, handles much of that heavy lifting. The first half of it introduces us to teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright and their mysterious pupil Susan Foreman, a girl who seems at once wise beyond her years and remarkably uninformed on everyday matters. A foggy night leads to an encounter in a junkyard with a man and a blue box and, well, the rest is history as they say. The second half is set inside and is all about the TARDIS. It may seem odd to spend so much time introducing it, like imagining spending half of Star Trek's Where No Man Has Gone Before being spent introducing the Enterprise. That's the great thing about early Doctor Who: it's fresh, exciting and trying to figure out its identity. That first episode is just such a case in point.

What about the three episodes that follow? The perceived wisdom is that the opening chapter, brilliant as it is, gets followed up by three slightly boring ones involving inner-tribal politics and the quest for fire. Now, there is some truth to that between the semi-theatrical and the actor's performances, leaving one with the slight feeling of watching Shakespeare as performed by cavemen (or potentially vice versa given the backgrounds of many British actors at the time). It's a cliche, to be sure, but one with a basis in reality, though not as much of one as you might think.

Look beyond actors grunting and groaning and, surprise, there's more to those three episodes. There's a timeless tale of the nature of power to corrupt, the struggle between old and new, perception versus reality in politics, and questions about whether technology (in this case fire, the foundation of all advancement) will ultimately help or destroy us. There are interesting reflections of the TARDIS travelers in the tribe they encounter: the conflict between Za and Kal mirrored in that between the Doctor and Ian, as well as the moments of female intuition in the Old Mother and Barbara, each of them having a sense of the uncanny in front of them. It might be hard to see behind the furs and sometimes dodgy camera work (director Waris Hussein trying so hard to keep things mobile instead gives a rough, unpolished look to the production), but there is a more intriguing tale beneath it all than many fans (myself included) have given it credit for having.

In the final analysis, An Unearthly Child isn't going to rank among the great Doctor Who stories. It's too rough, too unpolished for that as a production, despite that opening episode and the items of interest in the later ones. On the other hand, it's an appetizer of sorts, one that gets things rolling at least. It's a stage-setter, though, at the time, no one could have imagined just far that would extend. That's the other great thing about beginnings: You can never entirely be sure just where the road (or space/time machine for that matter) is going to take you.

The original, you might say

[teobodea · 10/10 · 21 August 2021]

This is where it all started.

The first time we see the Doctor, the first time we see the TARDIS, the first time we travel in time and space.

A Different Time

[arconner · 7/10 · 16 January 2024]

Okay so the jist of the episode is 2 schoolteachers, Ian and Barbara, are curious and concerned about a student of theirs - Susan, who is brilliant and at times, they think, stupid (for the mere fact she knows more than they do in this time period) - when Barbara obtains Susan's address and finds an old junkyard where a house should be.

And what do they do? Well they make an unexpected visit to the Susan's "home".

Only to find a strange, rather condescending old man in the junkyard who lies straight to them about the whereabouts of Susan (spoiler: she's in the TARDIS), then trApS Ian and Barbara inside of the TARDIS and takes them, well, at the end of the 20 minute runtime, we don't know where in time and space.

And so begins my journey across every single episode from 1963 onwards into the Doctor Who universe... that's attainable, that is (ofc the lost episodes that are animated I will watch and review and patiently wait for them to recreate the rest).

It was a different time. While I did find the Doctor condescending, Ian wasn't much better. But it was entertaining, it was intriguing, and in 1963 I would've come back for episode 2 no problem.

At the time of this review, I have only seen some of the newer seasons with Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. I fell off and got bored with Capaldi's Doctor but since Tennant's brief return and Ncuti Gatwa's appearance, I wanted to start from the beginning and try to find the love I once had for the show again. (I saw some of the earlier episodes from the original run and the TV movie reboot attempt as well beforehand, but only a small amount of the original content.)

It's Doctor Who... graphics were never a big concern. Some oddball, boring aliens are not an end all for this show. It's a show about adventure and companionship. So we can ignore tiny details like kidnapping, yeah? LOL

Overall I'm rating this episode a 7/10. I never go lower than a 5/10, for the record. I can't say any of the characters are a favorite so far, but the show definitely keeps you pondering what just happened and what's going to happen next. I like Susan's character as an idea... the Doctor's granddaughter, huh? Not something explored in the newer series much at all. It's humorous when she explains things to Ian and Barbara that the world hasn't discovered yet, even if she does sound whiny. And I love the backstory of the Doctor and Susan being... banished?.... from their home planet. It'll be a fun story to explore for sure, and to all the die hard Who fans out there who know the outcome of this story I'm sorry for how naive I am right now.

As someone who couldn't stand older television and movies until recently, this was decent for 1963.

And away we go....

First episode AMAZING. The rest.....does it's job well enough

[r-lythgoe · 8/10 · 22 July 2014]

Review of all 4 episodes Let's start with the first episode of the greatest show ever put on television, Doctor Who, created in 1963 by Sydney Newman and produced by Verity Lambert (And make sure to check out the brilliant docudrama An Adventure In Space And Time for the story on how the series was made) Now, let's get it out of the way. The first episode of Doctor Who is a MASTERPIECE. Hands down. It flows well, it's got a great mystery surrounding Susan and the introduction to the show is pulled off with perfection. Then we go to episodes 2-4. Now, this is where it gets difficult. Episodes 2-4 are not all that great. Nothing really happens except a paper thin "capture and escape" plot along with a tiresome caveman storyline. HOWEVER, episodes 2-4, despite how paper-thin they are, do their job very well in establishing the characters and themes of the show, doing a great job in developing the character of the doctor. So, in conclusion, the first episode is masterful and while episodes 2-4 aren't all that good, they do their job well enough.

8/10

Groundbreaking TV drama

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 5 May 2015]

Review of the Complete Story:

AN UNEARTHLY CHILD is the first-ever episode of the long-running DR WHO TV series. First shown on TV the day after JFK's assassination, this is understandably dated, looking cheap and feeling slow by modern standards. And yet the seeds are here sowed for what would become most of the most popular science fiction TV shows of all time.

Certainly the first episode of AN UNEARTHLY CHILD is great fun, as the identity of the Doctor and his Tardis are slowly revealed via a mystery build-up focusing around a pair of teachers investigating the Doctor's granddaughter, Sarah. William Hartnell is at the top of his game in this one, and everything about the episode feels fresh and new; it must have been an exciting time to watch.

The three subsequent episodes are disappointing considering that opening. The stuff involving the Doctor and his new-found companions is good, but there's too much time spent with Neanderthal characters whose portrayal is just silly. A dearth of action and some backwards-and-forwards type danger scenes don't help. Still, AN UNEARTHLY CHILD will be unmissable to Whovians who want to see how it all started out.

A Legend was Born

[wetmars · 10/10 · 20 August 2020]

Review of four parts -

Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, two humble teachers during 1963, are surprised by a bright student named Susan Foreman. Confused by the contradictions in Susan's knowledge, Barbara had decided to visit her home, only to learn that the address on record is a junkyard. She and Ian decide to wait at the location until Susan or her grandfather show up. There, they discover a junkyard inhabited by her grandfather, simply known as "the Doctor", and he doesn't want them lurking about.

When the teachers refuse to leave, they discover that an ordinary police box is actually bigger on the inside. The Doctor decides they know too much about his and Susan's otherworldly origins and takes them on a journey across space and time in his TARDIS, the place he and Susan now call home.

Man, this is what you call the greatest start to a very long broadcasting TV show! The acting is just superior, like you feel their emotions, had the most satisfying ending, great camerawork, the sequels were a bit downhill, they felt depressing, anyways! A great start!

10/10