An Unearthly Child: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox Doctor Who episode |
{{Infobox Doctor Who episode |
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|number=001 |
|number = 001 |
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|image=[[File:Unearthly Child 2.jpg|250px]] |
|image = [[File:Unearthly Child 2.jpg|250px]] |
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|caption=Ian and Barbara moments after forcing their way into the TARDIS. |
|caption = Ian and Barbara moments after forcing their way into the TARDIS. |
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|serial_name= An Unearthly Child |
|serial_name = An Unearthly Child |
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|show=DW |
|show = DW |
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|type=serial |
|type = serial |
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|doctor=[[William Hartnell]] ([[First Doctor]]) |
|doctor = [[William Hartnell]] ([[First Doctor]]) |
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|companion=[[Carole Ann Ford]] ([[Susan Foreman]]) |
|companion = [[Carole Ann Ford]] ([[Susan Foreman]]) |
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|companion2=[[Jacqueline Hill]] ([[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]]) |
|companion2 = [[Jacqueline Hill]] ([[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]]) |
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|companion3=[[William Russell (actor)|William Russell]] ([[Ian Chesterton]]) |
|companion3 = [[William Russell (actor)|William Russell]] ([[Ian Chesterton]]) |
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|guests=*[[Derek Newark]] — Za |
|guests = |
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* [[Derek Newark]] — Za |
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*[[Alethea Charlton]] — Hur |
* [[Alethea Charlton]] — Hur |
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*[[Eileen Way]] — Old Mother |
* [[Eileen Way]] — Old Mother |
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*[[Jeremy Young]] — Kal |
* [[Jeremy Young]] — Kal |
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*[[Howard Lang]] — Horg |
* [[Howard Lang]] — Horg |
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|writer=[[Anthony Coburn]] |
|writer = {{Unbulleted list|[[Anthony Coburn]]|{{nowrap|[[C. E. Webber]] {{small|(episode 1)}}}}}} |
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|director=[[Waris Hussein]] |
|director = [[Waris Hussein]] |
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|script_editor=[[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]] |
|script_editor = [[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]] |
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|producer=[[Verity Lambert]] |
|producer = {{Unbulleted list|[[Verity Lambert]]|[[Mervyn Pinfield]]}} |
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|composer=[[Norman Kay (composer)|Norman Kay]] |
|composer = [[Norman Kay (composer)|Norman Kay]] |
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|production_code=A |
|production_code = A |
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|length=4 episodes, 25 minutes each |
|length = 4 episodes, 25 minutes each |
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|series=[[Doctor Who (season 1)|Season 1]] |
|series = [[Doctor Who (season 1)|Season 1]] |
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|started=23 November 1963 |
|started = 23 November 1963 |
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|ended=14 December 1963 |
|ended = 14 December 1963 |
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|following = ''[[The Daleks]]'' |
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|preceding= |
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|following=''[[The Daleks]]'' |
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|}} |
|}} |
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'''''An Unearthly Child''''' (sometimes referred to as '''''100,000 BC''''') is the first serial |
'''''An Unearthly Child''''' (sometimes referred to as '''''100,000 BC''''') is the first serial of the British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was first broadcast on [[BBC One|BBC TV]] in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. Scripted by Australian writer [[Anthony Coburn]], the episode introduces [[William Hartnell]] as the [[First Doctor]] and original companions: [[Carole Ann Ford]] as the Doctor's granddaughter [[Susan Foreman]], with [[Jacqueline Hill]] and [[William Russell (actor)|William Russell]] as school teachers [[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]] and [[Ian Chesterton]]. The first episode deals with Ian and Barbara's discovery of the Doctor and his time-space ship [[TARDIS]] in a junkyard in contemporary London. The remaining episodes are set amid a power struggle between warring [[Stone Age]] factions who have lost the secret of making fire. |
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The show was created to fill a gap between children's and young adult programming. Canadian producer [[Sydney Newman]] was tasked with creating the show, with heavy contributions from [[Donald Wilson (writer and producer)|Donald Wilson]] and [[C. E. Webber]]. Newman conceived the idea of the TARDIS, as well as the central character of [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]]. Production was led by [[Verity Lambert]], the BBC's first female producer, and the serial was directed by [[Waris Hussein]]. Following several delays, the first episode was recorded in September 1963 on black and white videotape, but was rerecorded the following month due to several technical and performance errors. Several changes were made to the show's costuming, effects, performances, and scripts throughout production. |
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The first episode was recorded in September 1963 on [[405-line_television_system|405-line]] black and white videotape. However, due to several technical and performance errors in the initial recording, creator [[Sydney Newman]] and producer [[Verity Lambert]] decided to rerecord the episode. A remount was made in October, when subtle revisions were made to the Doctor's characterization. |
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The |
The show's launch was overshadowed by the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] the previous day, resulting in a repeat of the first episode the following week. The serial received mixed reviews, and the four episodes attracted an average of six million viewers. Retrospective reviews of the serial are favourable. It later received several print adaptations and home media releases. |
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==Plot== |
== Plot == |
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The first episode begins at [[Coal Hill School]], where teachers [[Ian Chesterton]] and [[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]] share their concerns about one of their pupils, [[Susan Foreman]], who seems to have a very alien outlook on England. The teachers visit her address to investigate, where they encounter a [[police box]], from within which they hear Susan's voice. An old man arrives, but refuses to let the teachers inside the police box. They force their way inside, to find Susan in a futuristic control room which is larger on the inside. Susan explains that the ship is called the [[TARDIS]], and the old man—her grandfather, [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]]—says that they are wanderers in the [[fourth dimension]], exiled from their own planet. Refusing to let Ian and Barbara leave, the Doctor sets the TARDIS in flight and ends up in the [[Stone Age]]. |
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The first episode begins in a junkyard in contemporary London and introduces the four characters who were to form the main cast in the first year: the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]], schoolteachers [[Ian Chesterton]] and [[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]], who are concerned about one of their pupils at [[Coal Hill School]] named [[Susan Foreman]], who seems to have a very alien outlook on England. |
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In the second episode, Za, the leader of a primitive [[Paleolithic]] tribe, attempts to make fire. A young woman called Hur warns him that if he fails to do so, the stranger called Kal will be made leader. After exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor is kidnapped by Kal, who witnesses him light a match. Kal takes the Doctor back to the tribe and threatens to kill him if he does not make fire; Ian, Barbara and Susan intercept, but the group is imprisoned in a large cave. With the help of Old Mother, who believes that fire will bring death to the tribe, they escape from the settlement but are intercepted before reaching the TARDIS. Za kills Old Mother for allowing the group to escape, and demands that if they do not make fire, they will be sacrificed. While Ian tries to start a fire, Kal enters the cave and attacks Za, but is killed. When Ian finally creates a fire, he gives Za a burning torch, which he shows the tribe and is declared leader. Susan notices that placing a skull over a burning torch makes it appear alive; when Hur enters the cave, she is faced with several burning skulls, and screams in terror, allowing the group to flee to the TARDIS. They travel to a silent and unknown forest. As they leave the TARDIS, the radiation meter rises to 'Danger'. |
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Susan is precocious, but seems to have strange gaps in her understanding of the world, which the teachers have come to her listed address, number 76 Totters Lane, to investigate. Here they encounter a [[police box]], the programme's main prop, known as the [[TARDIS]], from within which they hear Susan's voice. At that time, the boxes were a common sight in Britain, but only police officers held a key to enter them. The TARDIS proves to be no ordinary police box: when Ian and Barbara enter, they discover it to be much bigger on the inside than the outside, and furnished with futuristic-looking controls. The time machine retains its outward appearance when it travels through time, which Susan explains as a malfunction in the circuitry that is supposed to adapt its appearance to its surroundings. |
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== Production == |
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Susan lives with her grandfather, the mysterious Doctor, who does not otherwise identify himself. He is a cranky, hostile, suspicious old man who appears to be a fugitive. Fearing that Barbara and Ian will give away the secret of the TARDIS and make life impossible for him in London, he sets the TARDIS in flight and ends up in the [[Stone Age]]. |
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=== Conception === |
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{{See also|History of Doctor Who}} |
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In December 1962, [[BBC Television]]'s Controller of Programmes [[Donald Baverstock]] informed Head of Drama [[Sydney Newman]] of a gap in the schedule on Saturday evenings between the sports showcase ''[[Grandstand (BBC)|Grandstand]]'' and the pop music programme ''[[Juke Box Jury]]''. Baverstock figured that the programmed should appeal to three audiences: children that had previously been accustomed to the timeslot, the teenage audience of ''Juke Box Jury'', and the adult sports fan audience of ''Grandstand''.{{sfn|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=3}} Newman decided that a science fiction programme should fill the gap.{{sfn|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=166}} Head of the Script Department [[Donald Wilson (writer and producer)|Donald Wilson]] and writer [[C.E. Webber]] contributed heavily to the formatting of the program, and co-wrote the programme's first format document with Newman;{{sfn|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=182}} the latter conceived the idea of a time machine larger on the inside than the outside, as well as the central character of the mysterious "Doctor", and the show's name ''Doctor Who''.<ref name="Origins"/>{{efn|[[Hugh David]], an actor initially considered for the role of the Doctor and later a director on the programme, later claimed that [[Rex Tucker]] coined the title ''Doctor Who''. Tucker claimed that it was Newman who had done so.{{sfn|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=173}}}} Production was initiated several months later and handed to producer [[Verity Lambert]] and story editor [[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]] to oversee, after a brief period when the show had been handled by a "caretaker" producer, [[Rex Tucker]].<ref name="Origins"/> |
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=== Casting and characters === |
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In the remaining three episodes, the four become involved in a brutal power struggle within a Stone Age tribe. In "The Cave of Skulls", the group encounters a [[Paleolithic]] tribe and are subsequently imprisoned by them in a large cave. In "The Forest of Fear", they are shown to escape from the settlement but are subsequently intercepted before reaching the TARDIS. They barely escape with their lives by exploitation of Ian's knowledge of how to produce fire, which induces fear and respect in the primitive Stone Age society. The final episode, "The Firemaker", has the group mediating separate factions of the tribe before fleeing to the TARDIS. They travel, seemingly at random, to a new destination; even the Doctor does not know where. The TARDIS's view screen shows a mysterious forest that the Doctor declares "could be anywhere", which acts as a teaser for the next story. As the time travellers leave their machine, a radiation meter is shown on the console of the machine, unheeded by them, registering "Danger". |
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{{multiple image |
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| footer = Ford was chosen to portray the Doctor's granddaughter [[Susan Foreman]], while Russell plays her teacher [[Ian Chesterton]]. |
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| image1 = Caroleanneford86.jpg |
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| width1 = 158 |
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| caption1 = [[Carole Ann Ford]] in 1986 |
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| image2 = Williamrussellatbafta1998.jpg |
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| width2 = 150 |
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| caption2 = [[William Russell (actor)|William Russell]] in 1998 |
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}} |
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In Webber's original production documents, the character of the Doctor (referred to as "Dr. Who") was a suspicious and malign character with a hatred of scientists and inventors, and a secret intention to destroy or nullify the future; Newman rejected this idea, wanting the character to be a [[father figure]].{{sfn|Molesworth|2006|loc=15:55}} Tucker offered the role of the Doctor to [[Hugh David]]; having spent a year working on ''Knight Errant Limited'' and not wanting to be tied to another series, David turned down the role.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=38–40}} Tucker envisioned a young actor to play the Doctor with aged make-up; however, Lambert favoured an older actor, avoiding preparation time and adding authenticity to the role. The part was turned down by actors [[Leslie French]], [[Cyril Cusack]], [[Alan Webb (actor)|Alan Webb]] and [[Geoffrey Bayldon]]; Cusack and Webb were reluctant to work for a year on a series, while Bayldon wished to avoid another "old man" role.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=53–54}} Lambert and director [[Waris Hussein]] invited [[William Hartnell]] to play the role; after several discussions, Hartnell accepted, viewing it as an opportunity to take his career in a new direction.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=55}} |
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The Doctor's [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companion]] was originally named Bridget or "Biddy", a 15-year-old girl eager for life. Her teachers were Miss Lola McGovern, a 24-year-old timid woman capable of sudden courage, and Cliff, a "physically perfect, strong and courageous" man.<ref name="Origins"/> Bridget was renamed Suzan/Suzanne Foreman, later changed to Susan, and writer [[Anthony Coburn]] made her the Doctor's granddaughter, to avoid any possibility of sexual impropriety implicit in having a young girl travelling with an older man; Newman was reluctant to the idea, as he wanted the character to have human naivety.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=45–46}} Miss McGovern later became history teacher Miss Canning, and a brief change saw Susan's birth name become "Findooclare"; this was soon dropped.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=51}} When the show's [[Bible (screenwriting)|bible]] was written, the two teachers were renamed Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=50}} Chesterton was also much more violent in earlier drafts of the script.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=52}} [[William Russell (actor)|William Russell]] was chosen to portray Chesterton, being the only actor considered by Lambert to do so.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=57}} Tucker held auditions for the roles of Susan and Barbara on 25 June 1963; actresses Christa Bergmann, Anne Castaldini, Maureen Crombie, Heather Fleming, Camilla Hasse, Waveney Lee, [[Anna Palk]] and [[Anneke Wills]] were all considered for the role of Susan, while Sally Home, [[Phyllida Law]] and Penelope Lee were considered for Barbara.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=48}} Following Tucker's departure from production, Lambert was in talks with actress Jacqueline Lenya to play Susan, but the role was ultimately given to [[Carole Ann Ford]], a 23-year-old who typically played younger roles.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=58}} Lambert's friend [[Jacqueline Hill]] was chosen to play Barbara.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=59}} |
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=== Writing === |
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The programme was originally intended to open with a serial entitled ''The Giants'', written by Webber,{{sfn|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|pp=181–2}} but was scrapped by June 1963 as the technical requirements of the storyline—which involved the leading characters being drastically reduced in size—were beyond the technical capabilities, and the story itself lacked the necessarily impact for an opener. Due to the lack of scripts ready for production, the untitled second serial from Coburn was moved to first in the running order.{{sfn|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=186}} The order change necessitated rewriting the opening episode of Coburn's script to include some introductory elements of Webber's script for the first episode of ''The Giants''; as a result, Webber received a co-writer's credit for "An Unearthly Child" on internal BBC documentation.<ref name="handbook">{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=}}</ref> Coburn also made several significant original contributions to the opening episode, mostly notably that the Doctor's time machine should resemble a police box, an idea he conceived after seeing a real police box while walking near his office.<ref name="handbook"/> |
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=== Filming === |
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[[File:Unearthly Child pilot.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[William Hartnell]] and [[Carole Ann Ford]] in the original recording of the episode, which was later scrapped due to technical issues. Several changes were made before the final recording, including the character's costumes.]] |
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The show remained unnamed in April 1963, simply referred to as ''The Saturday Serial''. It was provisionally scheduled to begin recording on 5 July, to be aired on 27 July, but was delayed.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=27}} A pilot recording was scheduled to begin filming on 19 July; if successful, it could be broadcast on 24 August.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=38}} Production was later deferred for a further two weeks while scripts were prepared, and the recording on 19 July was rescheduled as a test session for the dematerialisation effect of the TARDIS.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=44–47}} The show's initial broadcast date was pushed back to 9 November, with the pilot recording scheduled for 27 September and regular episodes made from 18 October;{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=49}} the broadcast date was soon pushed back a week to 16 November, due to the BBC's athletics coverage on 9 November,{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=56}} and later to 23 November.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=63}} The show was granted a budget of £2,300 per episode, with an additional £500 for the construction of the TARDIS.{{sfn|Molesworth|2006|loc=13:20}} |
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Tucker was originally selected as the serial's director, but the task was assigned to Hussein following Tucker's departure from production.<ref name="handbook"/> Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at [[Ealing Studios]] in September and October 1963,{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=67}} were directed by Hussein's production assistant [[Douglas Camfield]].<ref>{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=220}}</ref> The first version of the opening episode was recorded at [[Lime Grove Studios]] on the evening of 27 September 1963, following a week of rehearsals. However, the recording was bedevilled with technical errors, including the doors leading into the TARDIS control room failing to close properly. After viewing the episode, Newman ordered that it be mounted again. During the weeks between the two tapings, changes were made to costuming, effects, performances, and scripts.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=77–79}}{{efn|The original episode, retroactively referred to as the "pilot episode", was not broadcast on television until 26 August 1991.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=95}}}} The second attempt at the opening episode was recorded on 18 October, with the following three episodes being recorded weekly on 25 October, 1 November and 8 November.<ref name="handbook"/> |
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== Themes and analysis == |
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Scholar Mark Bould discusses how the serial establishes ''Doctor Who{{'}}''s socio-political stances. He writes, "The story represents the separation/reunion, capture/escape, pursuit/evasion that will dominate the next twenty-six years, as well as the program's consistent advocacy of the BBC's political and social liberalism." He cites Ian and Barbara's attempt to teach a cavewoman kindness, friendship and democracy, writing "a tyrant is not as strong as the whole tribe acting collectively".{{sfn|Bould|2008|p=214}} Scholar John R. Cook reflected that the presence of teachers as companions echoes ''Doctor Who{{'}}''s original educational remit.{{sfn|Cook|1999|p=116}} The ''[[New Scientist]]'' reflected, in 1982, that the serial was set in the Stone Age because the show's original intention was "to bring to life the Earth's history."{{sfn|Peltu|1982|p=177}} |
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[[Lawrence Miles]] and [[Tat Wood]] argue that the cavemen's focus on fire is meant to stand in for all technology, thus linking the latter three episodes with the questions of generational change raised by the first episode and its focus on suspicion of children, and tying that to a discussion of technological progress, including the nuclear bomb. They also argue that, contrary to the tendency to treat the story as a one-episode introduction to the series followed by "three episodes of running around and escaping" that the piece should be considered as a single, dramatic whole that is "about making four people who barely know one another learn to trust each other."{{sfn|Wood|Miles|2006|pp=17–22}} |
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== |
== Reception == |
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=== Broadcast and ratings === |
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{{Episode table |
{{Episode table |
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|background = |
|background = |
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|series = 6 |title = 20 | aux1=6 | airdate = 10 | viewers = 6 | aux4 = |
|series = 6 |title = 20 | aux1=6 | airdate = 10 | viewers = 6 | aux4 = 6 | country = UK |
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|seriesT = Episode |
|seriesT = Episode |
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|aux1T = Run time |
|aux1T = Run time |
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|aux4T = |
|aux4T = [[Appreciation Index]] |
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|aux4R = <ref name="ArchiveStatus">{{Cite web|url= http://gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=A|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506061533/http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=a|archivedate=6 May 2008|title= An Unearthly Child|publisher = Outpost Gallifrey|author = Shaun Lyon|date = 31 March 2007|accessdate = 30 August 2008|display-authors=etal}}</ref> |
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|viewersR = <ref name="AllRatings">{{cite web|title=Ratings Guide |url=http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&type=date |website=Doctor Who News |accessdate=28 May 2017}}</ref> |
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|episodes = |
|episodes = |
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{{Episode list/sublist|An Unearthly Child |
{{Episode list/sublist|An Unearthly Child |
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|Viewers = 4.4 |
|Viewers = 4.4 |
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|Aux1 = 23:24 |
|Aux1 = 23:24 |
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|Aux4 = 63 |
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|Viewers = 5.9 |
|Viewers = 5.9 |
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|Aux1 = 24:26 |
|Aux1 = 24:26 |
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|Aux4 = 59 |
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|Viewers = 6.9 |
|Viewers = 6.9 |
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|Aux1 = 23:38 |
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|Aux4 = 56 |
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|Viewers = 6.4 |
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|Aux1 = 24:22 |
|Aux1 = 24:22 |
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|Aux4 = 55 |
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The first episode was transmitted at 5:16pm on Saturday 23 November 1963. The [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] the previous day overshadowed the launch of a new television series;{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=25}} as a result, the first episode was repeated a week later, on 30 November, preceding the second episode.{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=25}} The first episode was watched by 4.4 million viewers (9.1% of the viewing audience), and it received a score of 63 on the [[Appreciation Index|Reaction Index]];{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=25}} the repeat of the first episode reached a larger audience of six million viewers.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=95}} Across its four episodes, ''An Unearthly Child'' was watched by an average of 6 million (12.3% of potential viewers).{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=25}} Episodes 2–4 achieved ratings of 5.9, 6.9 and 5.4 million viewers, respectively.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=95}} Mark Bould suggests that a disappointing audience reaction and high production costs prompted the BBC's chief of programmes to cancel the series until the [[Dalek]]s, introduced in the second serial in December 1963, were immediately popular with viewers.{{sfn|Bould|2008|p=215}} |
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To date, the serial has been repeated twice on the BBC: on [[BBC Two]] in November 1981, as part of the repeat season ''The Five Faces of Doctor Who'', achieving average audience figures of 4.3 million viewers;{{efn|The 1982 broadcast of the serial achieved viewing figures of 4.6, 4.3, 4.4 and 3.9 million viewers, respectively.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=95}}}} and on [[BBC Four]] as part of the show's 50th anniversary on 21 November 2013, achieving an average of 630,000 viewers.{{efn|The 2013 broadcast of the serial achieved viewing figures of 0.83, 0.71, 0.52 and 0.46 million, respectively.<ref name="DW Guide">{{cite web |url=http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/story.php?story=AnUnearthlyChild&country=GB&detail=broadcast&start=1963-11-23 |title=Doctor Who Guide: broadcasting for An Unearthly Child |work=The Doctor Who Guide |publisher=News in Time and Space |date=2018 |accessdate=16 February 2018 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6xH2QTzhD |archivedate=16 February 2018 |deadurl=no }}</ref>}} |
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The serial that became ''An Unearthly Child'' was originally commissioned from writer Anthony Coburn in June 1963, when it was intended to run as the second ''Doctor Who'' serial. At this stage, it was planned that the series would open with a serial entitled ''The Giants'', to be written by BBC staff scriptwriter [[C. E. Webber]].<ref name="handbook181182">{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|pp=181–2}}</ref> Webber had been heavily involved in the brainstorming meetings which had led to the creation of ''Doctor Who'', and—with BBC Head of Drama [[Sydney Newman]] and Head of Serials [[Donald Wilson (writer and producer)|Donald Wilson]]—had co-written the initial [[Bible (television)|format document]] for the series. |
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=== Critical response === |
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By the middle of June, however, Wilson and ''Doctor Who'''s initial "caretaker producer" [[Rex Tucker]] decided to reject ''The Giants''. This was partly because it was felt the serial lacked the necessary impact for an opener, and partly because it was felt that the technical requirements of the storyline—which involved the leading characters being drastically reduced in size—would be beyond the capacities of the young series at this point, given the facilities available.<ref name="handbook186">{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=186}}</ref> Due to the lack of scripts ready for production, it was decided to move Coburn's serial up to first place in the running order.<ref name="handbook186" /> |
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The episode received mixed reviews from television critics. Michael Gower of the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' wrote a short favourable review of the first episode, claiming that the ending "must have delighted the hearts of the ''[[Telegoons]]'' who followed". A reviewer in the ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Daily Worker]]'' stated that they "intend following closely" to the show, describing the ending as "satisfying". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' felt that the script "suffered from a glibness of characterisations which didn't carry the burden of belief", but praised the "effective camerawork", noting that the show "will impress if it decides to establish a firm base in realism". After the second episode, Mary Crozier of ''[[The Guardian]]'' was unimpressed by the serial, stating that it "has fallen off badly soon after getting underway". She felt that the first episode "got off the ground predictably, but there was little to thrill", while the second was "a depressing sequel ... wigs and furry pelts and clubs were all ludicrous". Conversely, Marjorie Norris of ''Television Today'' commented that if the show "keeps up the high standard of the first two episodes it will capture a much wider audience".{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=91}} |
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Retrospective reviews are mostly positive towards ''An Unearthly Child''. Referring to the serial while discussing the early years of ''Doctor Who'', the ''[[New Scientist]]''{{'}}s Malcolm Peltu praised the script, acting and direction, but criticised the dated scenery.{{sfn|Peltu|1982|p=177}} ''[[Radio Times]]'' reviewer Patrick Mulkern praised the casting of Hartnell, the "moody" direction and the "thrilling" race back to the TARDIS.<ref name="Radio Times Review"/> In 2010, Christopher Bahn of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' labelled ''An Unearthly Child'' an essential serial to watch for background on the programme. In his review, he noted that the first episode is "brilliantly done; the next three together could be about a half-hour shorter but get the job done". He praised the characters of Ian, Barbara, and the mysterious Doctor, but noted that he was far from the character he would become and Susan was "something of a cipher" with the hope she would develop later.<ref name="AV Club Review"/> [[DVD Talk]]'s John Sinnott called the first episode "excellent", but felt the "story goes down hill a bit" with the introduction of the prehistoric time period. He cited the slower pace, the discussions in "[[Tarzan]]-speak", and the lack of tension or high stakes.<ref name="DVD Talk Review"/> |
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By the end of June, responsibility for getting ''Doctor Who'' off the ground was handed over to producer [[Verity Lambert]] and [[script editor]] [[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]], neither of whom were greatly impressed with Coburn's serial as a series 'opener'. The writer was asked to carry out major rewrites.<ref name="handbook195">{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=195}}</ref> Some consideration was even given to dropping the scripts altogether, with writer [[Terence Dudley]] briefly sounded out about providing a replacement, but a lack of time necessitated Coburn's serial going ahead.<ref name="handbook195" /> |
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== Commercial releases == |
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The moving up in the schedule of Coburn's story necessitated his rewriting the opening episode to include some introductory elements of Webber's script for the first episode of ''The Giants''; as a result, Webber received a co-writer's credit for the episode "An Unearthly Child" on internal BBC documentation.<ref name="handbook">{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=}}</ref> Coburn did, however, make several significant original contributions of his own, most notably that the Doctor's time machine should externally resemble a [[police box]], which subsequently went on to become one of the main icons of the show. Coburn had the idea for the design when he came across a real police box while on a walk near his office.<ref name="handbook"/> Concerned to avoid any possibility of sexual impropriety implicit in having a young girl travelling with an older man, Coburn also insisted that the character of Susan Foreman should be redrawn as the Doctor's granddaughter, rather than simply his travelling companion. |
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The serial as a whole was originally to have been directed by Rex Tucker, but when he moved on from the series, young staff director [[Waris Hussein]], who had been attached to ''Doctor Who'' from an early stage, was given the assignment.<ref name="handbook"/> Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at [[Ealing Studios]] in September<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-09-19/first-ever-doctor-who-scene-filmed-fifty-years-ago-today|title=First ever Doctor Who scene filmed fifty years ago today|publisher=}}</ref> and early October, were directed by Hussein's [[production assistant]], [[Douglas Camfield]].<ref>{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|1994|p=220}}</ref> The incidental music score was provided by [[Norman Kay (composer)|Norman Kay]]. The scenic designer assigned to the serial was [[Peter Brachacki]], who originated the distinctive TARDIS interior set, but he eventually handled only the very first episode before being replaced by Barry Newbery, as he was unhappy working on the programme.<ref name="handbook"/> |
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The early series, says cultural scholar John Paul Green, "explicitly positioned the Doctor as grandfather to his companion Susan."<ref>{{harvnb|Green|2010|p=7}}</ref> Unlike most ''Doctor Who'' episodes, the Doctor is accompanied in the TARDIS by not only one companion, Susan, but also her school teachers, Ian and Barbara (William Russell and Jacqueline Hill). Scholar John R. Cook reflects that the teachers' presence echoes ''Doctor Who{{'}}''s original educational remit.<ref>{{harvnb|Cook|1999|p=116}}</ref> The ''[[New Scientist]]'' reflected, in 1982, that the serial was set in the [[stone age]] because the show's original intention was "to bring to life the Earth's history."<ref name="newscientist1982">{{cite journal |first=Malcolm |last=Peltu |title=Dr Who |journal=New Scientist |date=21 January 1982 |page=177 |volume=93 |number=1289|ISSN=0262-4079}}</ref> |
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The first version of the opening episode was recorded at [[Lime Grove Studios]] on the evening of 27 September 1963, following a week of rehearsals. The second attempt at the opening episode was recorded on 18 October, with the following three episodes being recorded weekly from that point onwards on 25 October, 1 November and 8 November.<ref name="handbook"/> As with much British television of the era, the episodes were predominantly [[videotape]]d "as [[live television|live]]", with little scope for re-takes or breaks in recording. This left room for the many mistakes that are evident in the serial, but did allow the episodes to be completed very quickly. |
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===Pilot episode=== |
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{{Episode list/sublist|An Unearthly Child |
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|EpisodeNumber = 1 |
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|Title = Original Pilot, version 1 |
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|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1991|8|26|df=y}} |
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|Aux1 = 25:23 |
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{{Episode list/sublist|An Unearthly Child |
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|EpisodeNumber = 2 |
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|Title = Original Pilot, version 2 |
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|RTitle = |
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|OriginalAirDate = ''unaired'' |
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|Viewers = ''n/a'' |
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|Aux1 = 25:23 |
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[[File:Unearthly Child pilot.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[William Hartnell]] and [[Carole Ann Ford]] in the original pilot episode. Note the change in costumes compared to the screen capture of the same scene, above.]] |
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The first episode, "An Unearthly Child", was originally recorded a month before full recording on the series began. However, the initial recording was bedevilled with technical problems and errors made during the performance. A particular problem occurred with the doors leading into the TARDIS control room, which would not close properly, instead randomly opening and closing through the early part of the scene. Two versions of the scene set in the TARDIS were recorded, along with an aborted first attempt to start the second version. |
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Sydney Newman, after viewing the episode, met producer Verity Lambert and director Waris Hussein. He indicated the many faults he found with the episode and ordered that it be mounted again; a consequence of this was the delay of the show's planned 16 November 1963 premiere date. This initial episode is now known as the unaired "pilot episode", although it was never intended as such, since the practice of producing pilot episodes did not exist in Britain in the 1960s. |
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During the weeks between the two tapings, changes were made to costuming, effects, performances, and the script (which had originally featured a more callous and threatening Doctor and Susan doing strange things like flicking ink blots onto paper). Changes made before the final version were filmed include a thunderclap sound effect being deleted from the opening theme music; Susan's dress being changed to make her look more like a schoolgirl than the original costume, which made her appear more alien and sensual; the Doctor's costume being changed from a contemporary jacket and tie to his familiar [[Edwardian period|Edwardian]] clothing; a reference to the Doctor and Susan being from the 49th century was replaced with the line "[from] another time, another world"; the TARDIS door being repaired so that it closed properly; and a refinement of the TARDIS sound effect. |
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The original episode was not broadcast until 26 August 1991, when the BBC aired a version that edited together the first half of the taping with one of the two completed second halves. As it happened, the version chosen was the one in which the TARDIS doors would not close; other errors included actress Carole Ann Ford fluffing a line of dialogue, Jacqueline Hill getting caught in a doorway, a camera banging into a piece of scenery during one of the scrapyard sequences, and William Russell accidentally knocking over a mannequin in the scrapyard. Earlier, in June 1991, a version with the first half edited together with the other take of the second half of the pilot was released on the VHS compilation ''The Hartnell Years'';<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?773#uk |title=The Hartnell Years |work=The TARDIS Library |accessdate=19 October 2010 }}</ref> later, in 2000, the complete version (including both takes) was released in a remastered form on VHS, along with ''The Edge of Destruction''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?872#uk |title=The Edge of Destruction & The Pilot Episode |work=The TARDIS Library |accessdate=18 October 2010 }}</ref> In 2006, the ''Doctor Who: The Beginning'' DVD set contained two versions of the episode: an unedited studio recording including all takes of the second part of the show, and a newly created version of the pilot that uses the best footage from the original recording, with additional editing and digital adjustments to remove blown lines, technical problems, and reduce studio noise. Like the other episodes from this serial, both versions of the "pilot" were remastered for DVD release, using [[VidFIRE]] technology that simulated the original video look of the 1963 production. |
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===Alternative titles=== |
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As was usual at the beginning of the series' history, no overall title appeared on-screen, and each episode has its own title. ''100,000 BC'' is the title that was used by the production team at the time of transmission. However, due to the absence of an overall onscreen title for the four-episode storyline, reference works have used various titles, some originating from the BBC Production Office and others seemingly invented by fans. |
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Titles used for the story include, in rough chronological order:<ref>{{Cite web| last=Pixley | first=Andrew | title=By Any Other Name | url=http://homepages.bw.edu/~jcurtis/Pixley_3.htm | date=15 January 2001 | work=Time Space Visualizer | publisher=New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club | accessdate=27 April 2009 }}</ref> |
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* ''The Tribe of Gum'': An early working title which was used up until the beginning of recording. It survived in a few documents derived from earlier paperwork, such as the payments for overseas sales, and started appearing again in reference works in the late 1970s and 1980s, including being used when the transcript of the serial was published by [[Titan Books]]. |
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* ''100,000 BC'': The first-known use is a publicity release dating from when the story was being recorded, and this title is used on subsequent lists and publicity releases. |
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* ''The Palaeolithic Age'': Used by producer [[Verity Lambert]] in a letter to a viewer in late 1964. |
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* ''The Stone Age'': Used on the biography listing on a publicity release for a later story in late 1965. |
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* ''An Unearthly Child'' (or variants thereof): The title of the first episode, used by the 1973 ''[[Radio Times]]'' Tenth Anniversary Special and subsequently by the 1976 edition of ''The Making of Doctor Who'', with much subsequent commercial use, including the [[novelisation]], VHS and DVD releases of the story. |
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Many documents lack any title at all (whereas for later stories they are clearer), including the 1974 [[BBC Enterprises]] listing ''A Quick Guide to Doctor Who'', which was the main source of titles for most early fan reference works. |
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Which title should be used is a subject that has generated controversy amongst fans of the series. Fan researchers such as [[David J. Howe]] argue that since ''100,000 BC'' was used by the production team at the time of transmission, it is the most accurate title. However, the [[BBC]] markets the story as ''An Unearthly Child''. Consequently, this became the most common title used for the story. |
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===Cast notes=== |
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Derek Newark later played Greg Sutton in the serial ''[[Inferno (Doctor Who)|Inferno]]''. Alethea Charlton later played Edith in the serial ''[[The Time Meddler]]''. Eileen Way later played Karela in the serial ''[[The Creature from the Pit]]'' and appeared in the film ''[[Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.]]''. Jeremy Young later played Gordon Lowery in "[[Mission to the Unknown]]". |
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==Themes and analysis== |
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Scholar Mark Bould discusses how the serial establishes ''Doctor Who{{'}}''s socio-political stances. He writes, "The story represents the separation/reunion, capture/escape, pursuit/evasion that will dominate the next twenty-six years, as well as the program's consistent advocacy of the BBC's political and social liberalism." He cites Ian and Barbara's attempt to teach a cavewoman kindness, friendship and democracy, writing "a tyrant is not as strong as the whole tribe acting collectively".<ref>{{harvnb|Bould|2008|p=214}}</ref> |
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[[Lawrence Miles]] and [[Tat Wood]] argue that the cavemen's focus on fire is meant to stand in for all technology, thus linking the latter three episodes with the questions of generational change raised by the first episode and its focus on suspicion of children, and tying that to a discussion of technological progress, including the nuclear bomb. They also argue that, contrary to the tendency to treat the story as a one-episode introduction to the series followed by "three episodes of running around and escaping" that the piece should be considered as a single, dramatic whole that is "about making four people who barely know one another learn to trust each other."<ref name="About Time 1">{{cite book|last=Wood|first=Tat and Lawrence Miles|title=About Time Volume 1|year=2006|pages=17–22|publisher=Mad Norwegian Press}}</ref> |
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==Broadcast and reception== |
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The first episode was transmitted at 5:16pm on Saturday 23 November 1963. The [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] on the previous day overshadowed the launch of a new television series.<ref name="Chapman25">{{harvnb|Chapman|2006|p=25}}</ref> It has been written that the transmission was delayed by ten minutes due to extended news coverage; in fact, it went out just eighty seconds late.<ref>{{harvnb|Howe|Walker|1998|p=9}}</ref><ref name="companion">{{harvnb|Howe|Stammers|Walker|2003|p=}}</ref> The first episode was repeated a week later, on 30 November, preceding the second episode, "The Cave of Skulls".<ref name="Chapman25"/> |
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The first episode was watched by 4.4 million viewers (9.1% of the viewing audience), and it received a "higher-than-average" score of 63 on the [[Appreciation Index|Reaction Index]].<ref name="Chapman25"/> The repeat of episode 1 reached a larger audience of 6.0 million viewers<ref name="guide.doctorwhonews.net">{{cite web|url=http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/story.php?story=AnUnearthlyChild&detail=broadcast|title=Doctor Who Guide: broadcasting for An Unearthly Child|first=|last=doctorwhonews.net|publisher=}}</ref> Across its four episodes, ''An Unearthly Child'' was watched by an average of 6 million (12.3% of potential viewers).<ref name="Chapman25"/> Episodes 2 - 4 achieved ratings of 5.9, 6.9 and 5.4 million viewers respectively.<ref name="guide.doctorwhonews.net"/> Mark Bould, however, suggests that a disappointing audience reaction and high production costs prompted the BBC's chief of programmes to cancel the series, until the [[Dalek]]s, introduced in the second serial in December 1963, were immediately popular with viewers.<ref>{{harvnb|Bould|2008|p=215}}</ref> |
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''[[The Guardian]]'' reviewer Mary Crozier was unimpressed by the serial after the first two episodes, thinking that it "has fallen off badly soon after getting underway". Of the first episodes, she wrote that it "got off the ground predictably, but there was little to thrill". She went on to write that the second part was "a depressing sequel" and the "wigs and furry pelts and clubs and laborious dialogue were all ludicrous".<ref>{{cite news |first=Mary|last=Crozier|url=http://archive.guardian.co.uk/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=R1VBLzE5NjMvMTIvMDIjQXIwMDcwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom|title=Television|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|page=7|date=2 December 1963|accessdate=15 January 2012}}</ref> It also received a short favourable review in the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', who claimed that it "must have delighted the hearts of the ''[[Telegoons]]'' who followed".<ref name="Chapman25"/> |
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Retrospective reviews are mainly positive towards ''An Unearthly Child''. Referring to the serial while discussing the early years of ''Doctor Who'', the ''[[New Scientist]]''{{'}}s Malcolm Peltu praised the script, acting and direction, although he was less complimentary about the scenery, which, he says, looks like cardboard.<ref name="newscientist1982"/> ''[[Radio Times]]'' reviewer Patrick Mulkern praised the casting of Hartnell, the "moody" direction and the "thrilling" race back to the TARDIS.<ref name="Radio Times">{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=Mulkern|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/blog/2008-10-01/doctor-who-an-unearthly-child|title=Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child|work=[[Radio Times]]|date=1 October 2008|accessdate=22 November 2012}}</ref> In 2010, Christopher Bahn of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' labelled ''An Unearthly Child'' an essential serial to watch for background on the programme.<ref>{{cite web|first=Christopher|last=Bahn|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/doctor-who,39924/|title=Doctor Who: Primer|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=8 April 2010|accessdate=31 March 2012}}</ref> In his review, he noted that the first episode is "brilliantly done; the next three together could be about a half-hour shorter but get the job done". He praised the characters of Ian, Barbara, and the mysterious Doctor, but noted that he was far from the character he would become and Susan was "something of a cipher" with the hope she would develop later.<ref>{{cite web|first=Christopher|last=Bahn|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/an-unearthly-child,56915/|title=An Unearthly Child|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=5 June 2011|accessdate=31 March 2012}}</ref> [[DVD Talk]]'s John Sinnott called the first episode "excellent", but felt the "story goes down hill a bit" with the introduction of the prehistoric time period. He cited the slower pace, the discussions in "[[Tarzan]]-speak", and the lack of tension or high stakes.<ref name="DVD Talk">{{cite web|first=John|last=Sinnott|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/20936/doctor-who-the-beginning/|title=Doctor Who: The Beginning|publisher=[[DVD Talk]]|date=1 April 2006|accessdate=22 November 2012}}</ref> The opening episode's [[cliffhanger]] was commended by the ''[[Morning Star (UK newspaper)|Daily Worker]]'',<ref name="Chapman25"/> and in 2010, [[Charlie Anders|Charlie Jane Anders]] of [[io9]] listed it among the show's greatest cliffhangers.<ref>{{cite web|first=Charlie Jane|last=Anders |authorlink=Charlie Anders|url=http://io9.com/5625151/greatest-doctor-who-cliffhangers-of-all-time|title=Greatest Doctor Who cliffhangers of all time!|publisher=[[io9]]|date=31 August 2010|accessdate=31 March 2012}}</ref> |
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To date, the serial has been repeated twice on the BBC, on [[BBC Two]] in November 1981, the first full repeat for a Hartnell story screened on the BBC, achieving audience figures of 4.6, 4.3, 4.4 & 3.9 million viewers respectively.<ref name="guide.doctorwhonews.net"/> It was shown again (with viewing figures of 0.8, 0.7. 0.5 & 0.5 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/story.php?story=AnUnearthlyChild&detail=broadcast&page=3|title=Doctor Who Guide: broadcasting for An Unearthly Child|first=|last=doctorwhonews.net|publisher=}}</ref>) as part of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary, on 21 November 2013, when [[BBC Four]] aired the four episodes of a newly restored version in succession,<ref>{{cite web |title=Doctor Who, Season 1, An Unearthly Child - Episodes by date, November 1981 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jxl63/broadcasts/1981/11 |publisher=[[BBC Programmes]] |accessdate=19 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Jeffery|first=Morgan|title='Doctor Who' specials, documentaries and classic episodes for 50th|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a514174/doctor-who-specials-documentaries-and-classic-episodes-for-50th.html|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|accessdate=10 November 2013|date=11 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=BBC releases 'Doctor Who' 50th anniversary trailer|url=http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/bbc-releases-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-trailer/323842|publisher=nme.com|accessdate=10 November 2013|date=21 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=An Unearthly Child Series 1, An Unearthly Child Episode 1 of 4|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03jprm9|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref> as did the [[Horror Channel]] as part of the Who On Horror season on Good Friday, 18 April 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Horror Channel: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child|url=http://www.horrorchannel.co.uk/shows.php?title=Doctor%20Who:%20An%20Unearthly%20Child|accessdate=18 April 2014}}</ref> |
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==Commercial releases== |
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===In print=== |
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{{Infobox book |
{{Infobox book |
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|name = An Unearthly Child |
|name = An Unearthly Child |
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|isbn = 0-426-20144-2 |
|isbn = 0-426-20144-2 |
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Writer David Whitaker omitted |
Writer David Whitaker omitted ''An Unearthly Child'' from the first spin-off novelisation, ''Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks'' (later retitled ''Doctor Who and the Daleks'' and ''Doctor Who - The Daleks''), with Ian and Barbara's entrance into the TARDIS leading directly into an adaptation of the second televised serial, ''[[The Daleks]]''. Historian James Chapman highlights this as a reason that, in an age before home video, many people believed the Dalek serial to be the first ''Doctor Who'' story because the novelisations published by [[Target Books]] were the "closest that fans had to the original programmes".{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=26}}{{efn|Cornell ''et al.'' report that the second serial overshadowed ''An Unearthly Child'' to such an extent that many people believed that [[Terry Nation]], writer of ''The Daleks'', created ''Doctor Who''; this error became so prevalent that it was mistakenly included in an edition of the board game ''[[Trivial Pursuit]]''.{{sfn|Cornell|Day|Topping|1993|p=303}}}} [[Terrance Dicks]] wrote the Target novelisation of this story, initially published as ''Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child'' in October 1981. The novel was translated to different languages: a French version with the title ''Docteur Who Entre en scène'' (''Doctor Who Takes the Stage'') was translated by Jean-Daniel Brèque and published in February 1987; and the German version ''Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen'' (''Doctor Who and the Child from the Stars'') was translated by Bettina Zeller and published in 1990.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=96}} A verbatim transcript of the transmitted version of this serial, edited by John McElroy and titled ''The Tribe of Gum'', was published by Titan Books in January 1988. It was the first in an intended series of ''Doctor Who'' script books.{{sfn|Coburn|1988|pp=4, 7}} In 1994, a phonecard with a photomontage of the episode was released by Jondar International Promotions.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=96}} |
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The story was originally released on VHS on 5 February 1990, with a cover designed by Alister Pearson. The unaired pilot was released as part of ''The Hartnell Years'' on 3 June 1991, and with ''Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction and Dr Who: The Pilot Episode'' on 1 May 2000. A remastered version of the episode was also released on VHS on 4 September 2000; for the DVD release on 30 January 2006, the episode was released as part of ''Doctor Who: The Beginning'' alongside the following two episodes, with several special features.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2015|p=98}} It was also released in the US and Canada on 27 May 2014 as part of the Blu-ray set for ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-Adventure-In-Space-and-Time/19541 |title=Doctor Who DVD news: Announcement for An Adventure in Space and Time |last=Lambert |first=David |publisher=[[TVShowsOnDVD.com]] |date=5 March 2014 |accessdate=16 February 2018 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6xH41P9Or |archivedate=16 February 2018 |deadurl=no }}</ref> |
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[[Terrance Dicks]] wrote the Target novelisation of this story, initially published as ''Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child'' in October 1981. A French-language version of the novelisation with the title ''Docteur Who entre en scène'' (literally, ''Doctor Who takes the stage'') was published in 1987. A 1990 German edition published by [[Goldmann (publisher)|Goldmann]] was one of six ''Doctor Who'' novels from that publisher, and was the only one not to feature the Daleks. The German title was ''Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen'' (''Doctor Who and the Child from the Stars''). It was the first Target novelisation to feature the "neon logo" and early editions featured a red foil logo. The First Doctor's appearance in the [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novel ''[[The Eight Doctors]]'', also by Dicks, occurs during this story. |
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A verbatim transcript of the transmitted version of this serial, edited by John McElroy and titled ''The Tribe of Gum'', was published by Titan Books in January 1988. It was the first in what was intended to be a long series of ''Doctor Who'' script books.<ref>{{harvnb|Coburn|1988|pp=4, 7}}</ref> |
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===Home media=== |
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The story was originally released on VHS in 1990,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?874#ukoriginal |title=An Unearthly Child |work=The TARDIS Library |at=Edition: UK (original) |accessdate=12 June 2010 }}</ref> and the unaired pilot (edited with the second take of the TARDIS scene) was released as part of ''The Hartnell Years'' in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?773#uk |title=The Hartnell Years |work=The TARDIS Library |at=Edition: UK |accessdate=12 June 2010 }}</ref> The story ''An Unearthly Child'' was rereleased and remastered in 2000, with this edition being released only in the UK and Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?874#ukremastered |title=An Unearthly Child |work=The TARDIS Library |at=Edition: UK (remastered) |accessdate=12 June 2010 }}</ref> |
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It was remastered again and subsequently released on DVD in January 2006 with ''[[The Daleks]]'' and ''[[The Edge of Destruction]]'' in the DVD box set ''The Beginning'', which includes all footage from the pilot (as well as an edited and enhanced 'special edition' of the pilot episode).<ref name=homecinema>{{Cite web|url=http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/content.php?contentid=60182 |title=Doctor Who: The Beginning (1963–1964) Region 2 DVD Video Review |first=Gary |last=Couzens |date=30 January 2006 |work=Home Cinema @ The Digital Fix |publisher=Poisonous Monkey |accessdate=12 June 2010 }}</ref> It was also released in the US and Canada 27 May 2014 as part of ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time]]'' 3 disc Blu-ray set. The set includes the feature on Blu-ray & DVD and ''An Unearthly Child'' on DVD.<ref>{{cite web|title=Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time Blu-ray|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Doctor-Who-An-Adventure-in-Space-and-Time-Blu-ray/98541/|publisher=blu-ray.com|accessdate=30 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Lambert|first=David|title=Doctor Who - 'An Adventure in Space and Time' Blu-ray/DVD Combo: Date, Cost, BONUS!|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-Adventure-In-Space-and-Time/19541|publisher=[[TVShowsOnDVD.com]]|accessdate=30 September 2015|date=5 March 2014}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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;Notes |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{notelist}} |
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;Footnotes |
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{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs= |
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<ref name="Origins">{{cite AV media |year=2006 |title=Doctor Who: Origins |last=Molesworth |first=Richard |publisher=[[2 Entertain]] |ref={{harvid|Molesworth|2006}} }}</ref> |
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<ref name="AV Club Review">{{cite web |url=https://tv.avclub.com/doctor-who-classic-an-unearthly-child-1798168500 |title=Doctor Who (Classic): "An Unearthly Child" |last=Bahn |first=Christopher |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |publisher=Onion, Inc. |date=5 June 2011 |accessdate=16 February 2018 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6xH2hE1oB |archivedate=16 February 2018 |deadurl=no }}</ref> |
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<ref name="DVD Talk Review">{{cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/20936/doctor-who-the-beginning/ |title=Doctor Who: The Beginning |last=Sinnott |first=John |publisher=[[DVD Talk]] |date=1 April 2006 |accessdate=16 February 2018 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6xH2rfJb8 |archivedate=16 February 2018 |deadurl=no }}</ref> |
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<ref name="Radio Times Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2008-09-30/an-unearthly-child/ |title=An Unearthly Child |last=Mulkern |first=Patrick |work=[[Radio Times]] |publisher=[[Immediate Media Company]] |date=30 September 2008 |accessdate=16 February 2018 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6xH2Zg3E1 |archivedate=16 February 2018 |deadurl=no }}</ref> |
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}} |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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{{refbegin}} |
{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite journal |editor-last=Ainsworth |editor-first=John |year=2015 |title=100,000 BC and The Mutants (aka The Daleks) |journal=Doctor Who: The Complete History |publisher=[[Panini Comics]], [[Hachette Book Group|Hachette Partworks]] |volume=1 |issue=4 |ref=harv }} |
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*{{cite book |last=Bould|first=Mark |chapter=Science Fiction Television in the United Kingdom |title=The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader |publisher=University Press of Kentucky|year=2008 |editor=J.P. Telotte |isbn=0-8131-2492-1|ref=harv}} |
*{{cite book |last=Bould|first=Mark |chapter=Science Fiction Television in the United Kingdom |title=The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader |publisher=University Press of Kentucky|year=2008 |editor=J.P. Telotte |isbn=0-8131-2492-1|ref=harv}} |
||
*{{cite book |last=Chapman |first=James |title=Inside the Tardis: The Worlds of Doctor Who |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2006|isbn=1-84511-162-1|ref=harv}} |
*{{cite book |last=Chapman |first=James |title=Inside the Tardis: The Worlds of Doctor Who |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2006|isbn=1-84511-162-1|ref=harv}} |
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*{{cite book |first=John R. |last=Cook |chapter=Adapting telefantasy: the ''Doctor Who and the Daleks'' films |editor-first=IQ|editor-last=Hunter|title=British Science Fiction Cinema |publisher=Psychology Press|year=1999 |isbn= 0-415-16868-6|ref=harv}} |
*{{cite book |first=John R. |last=Cook |chapter=Adapting telefantasy: the ''Doctor Who and the Daleks'' films |editor-first=IQ|editor-last=Hunter|title=British Science Fiction Cinema |publisher=Psychology Press|year=1999 |isbn= 0-415-16868-6|ref=harv}} |
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*{{cite book |last1 =Cornell |first1=Paul |authorlink1=Paul Cornell |first2=Martin |last2=Day |authorlink2=Martin Day |first3=Keith |last3=Topping |authorlink3=Keith Topping |title= The Guinness Book of Classic British TV |publisher=Guinness |year= 1993 |isbn=0-85112-543-3|ref=harv}} |
*{{cite book |last1 =Cornell |first1=Paul |authorlink1=Paul Cornell |first2=Martin |last2=Day |authorlink2=Martin Day |first3=Keith |last3=Topping |authorlink3=Keith Topping |title= The Guinness Book of Classic British TV |publisher=Guinness |year= 1993 |isbn=0-85112-543-3|ref=harv}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Jeff |last=Evans |authorlink=Jeff Evans |title=The Guinness Television Encyclopedia |publisher=Guinness |year=1995 |isbn= 0-85112-744-4|ref=harv}} |
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*{{cite book |last=Green|first=John Paul |chapter=The Regeneration Game: Doctor Who and the Changing Faces of Heroism |editor1-first=Ross P. |editor1-last=Garner |editor2-first=Melissa |editor2-last= Beattie |editor3-first=Una |editor3-last=McCormack |title=Impossible Worlds, Impossible Things: Cultural Perspectives on "Doctor Who", "Torchwood" and the "Sarah Jane Adventures" |year=2010 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |location=Newcastle upon Tyne|isbn=1-4438-1960-3 |ref=harv }} |
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*{{Cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |authorlink1=David J. Howe |first2=Mark |last2=Stammers |first3=Stephen James |last3=Walker |year=1994 |title=Doctor Who The Handbook: The First Doctor – The William Hartnell Years 1963–1966 |publisher=[[Virgin Books|Doctor Who Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-426-20430-1 |ref=harv |authorlink3=Stephen James Walker }} |
*{{Cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |authorlink1=David J. Howe |first2=Mark |last2=Stammers |first3=Stephen James |last3=Walker |year=1994 |title=Doctor Who The Handbook: The First Doctor – The William Hartnell Years 1963–1966 |publisher=[[Virgin Books|Doctor Who Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-426-20430-1 |ref=harv |authorlink3=Stephen James Walker }} |
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*{{cite journal |first=Malcolm |last=Peltu |title=Dr Who |journal=New Scientist |date=21 January 1982 |volume=93 |number=1289|ISSN=0262-4079 |ref=harv }} |
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*{{Cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |authorlink1=David J. Howe |first2=Mark |last2=Stammers |first3=Stephen James |last3=Walker |year=2003 |title=The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to DOCTOR WHO |edition=2nd |publisher=[[Telos Publishing]] |location = Surrey |isbn=1-903889-51-0 |ref=harv}} |
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*{{cite book |last1= |
*{{cite book |last1=Wood |first1=Tat |last2=Miles |first2=Lawrence |title=About Time Volume 1 |year=2006 |publisher=Mad Norwegian Press |ref=harv}} |
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===Reviews=== |
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930214417/http://www.gallifreyone.com/review.php?id=a ''An Unearthly Child''] reviews at [[Outpost Gallifrey]] |
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*{{DWRG | id=unea | title=An Unearthly Child}} |
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*{{DWRG | id=u0 | title=An Unearthly Child | description=original pilot}} |
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===Target novelisation=== |
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* {{DWRG | id=uneanov | title=Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child}} |
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*{{Isfdb title|id=10644|title=Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child}} |
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*[http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1981/unearthl/81uneart.htm On Target — ''Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child'']{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1963 British television episodes]] |
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[[Category:1963 in fiction]] |
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[[Category:British television pilots]] |
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[[Category:Doctor Who historical serials]] |
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[[Category:Doctor Who serials novelised by Terrance Dicks]] |
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Revision as of 14:42, 16 February 2018
001 – An Unearthly Child | |||
---|---|---|---|
Doctor Who serial | |||
![]() Ian and Barbara moments after forcing their way into the TARDIS. | |||
Cast | |||
Guest
| |||
Production | |||
Directed by | Waris Hussein | ||
Written by |
| ||
Script editor | David Whitaker | ||
Produced by | |||
Music by | Norman Kay | ||
Production code | A | ||
Series | Season 1 | ||
Running time | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | ||
First broadcast | 23 November 1963 | ||
Last broadcast | 14 December 1963 | ||
Chronology | |||
| |||
An Unearthly Child (sometimes referred to as 100,000 BC) is the first serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. Scripted by Australian writer Anthony Coburn, the episode introduces William Hartnell as the First Doctor and original companions: Carole Ann Ford as the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman, with Jacqueline Hill and William Russell as school teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. The first episode deals with Ian and Barbara's discovery of the Doctor and his time-space ship TARDIS in a junkyard in contemporary London. The remaining episodes are set amid a power struggle between warring Stone Age factions who have lost the secret of making fire.
The show was created to fill a gap between children's and young adult programming. Canadian producer Sydney Newman was tasked with creating the show, with heavy contributions from Donald Wilson and C. E. Webber. Newman conceived the idea of the TARDIS, as well as the central character of the Doctor. Production was led by Verity Lambert, the BBC's first female producer, and the serial was directed by Waris Hussein. Following several delays, the first episode was recorded in September 1963 on black and white videotape, but was rerecorded the following month due to several technical and performance errors. Several changes were made to the show's costuming, effects, performances, and scripts throughout production.
The show's launch was overshadowed by the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous day, resulting in a repeat of the first episode the following week. The serial received mixed reviews, and the four episodes attracted an average of six million viewers. Retrospective reviews of the serial are favourable. It later received several print adaptations and home media releases.
Plot
The first episode begins at Coal Hill School, where teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright share their concerns about one of their pupils, Susan Foreman, who seems to have a very alien outlook on England. The teachers visit her address to investigate, where they encounter a police box, from within which they hear Susan's voice. An old man arrives, but refuses to let the teachers inside the police box. They force their way inside, to find Susan in a futuristic control room which is larger on the inside. Susan explains that the ship is called the TARDIS, and the old man—her grandfather, the Doctor—says that they are wanderers in the fourth dimension, exiled from their own planet. Refusing to let Ian and Barbara leave, the Doctor sets the TARDIS in flight and ends up in the Stone Age.
In the second episode, Za, the leader of a primitive Paleolithic tribe, attempts to make fire. A young woman called Hur warns him that if he fails to do so, the stranger called Kal will be made leader. After exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor is kidnapped by Kal, who witnesses him light a match. Kal takes the Doctor back to the tribe and threatens to kill him if he does not make fire; Ian, Barbara and Susan intercept, but the group is imprisoned in a large cave. With the help of Old Mother, who believes that fire will bring death to the tribe, they escape from the settlement but are intercepted before reaching the TARDIS. Za kills Old Mother for allowing the group to escape, and demands that if they do not make fire, they will be sacrificed. While Ian tries to start a fire, Kal enters the cave and attacks Za, but is killed. When Ian finally creates a fire, he gives Za a burning torch, which he shows the tribe and is declared leader. Susan notices that placing a skull over a burning torch makes it appear alive; when Hur enters the cave, she is faced with several burning skulls, and screams in terror, allowing the group to flee to the TARDIS. They travel to a silent and unknown forest. As they leave the TARDIS, the radiation meter rises to 'Danger'.
Production
Conception
In December 1962, BBC Television's Controller of Programmes Donald Baverstock informed Head of Drama Sydney Newman of a gap in the schedule on Saturday evenings between the sports showcase Grandstand and the pop music programme Juke Box Jury. Baverstock figured that the programmed should appeal to three audiences: children that had previously been accustomed to the timeslot, the teenage audience of Juke Box Jury, and the adult sports fan audience of Grandstand.[1] Newman decided that a science fiction programme should fill the gap.[2] Head of the Script Department Donald Wilson and writer C.E. Webber contributed heavily to the formatting of the program, and co-wrote the programme's first format document with Newman;[3] the latter conceived the idea of a time machine larger on the inside than the outside, as well as the central character of the mysterious "Doctor", and the show's name Doctor Who.[4][a] Production was initiated several months later and handed to producer Verity Lambert and story editor David Whitaker to oversee, after a brief period when the show had been handled by a "caretaker" producer, Rex Tucker.[4]
Casting and characters
In Webber's original production documents, the character of the Doctor (referred to as "Dr. Who") was a suspicious and malign character with a hatred of scientists and inventors, and a secret intention to destroy or nullify the future; Newman rejected this idea, wanting the character to be a father figure.[6] Tucker offered the role of the Doctor to Hugh David; having spent a year working on Knight Errant Limited and not wanting to be tied to another series, David turned down the role.[7] Tucker envisioned a young actor to play the Doctor with aged make-up; however, Lambert favoured an older actor, avoiding preparation time and adding authenticity to the role. The part was turned down by actors Leslie French, Cyril Cusack, Alan Webb and Geoffrey Bayldon; Cusack and Webb were reluctant to work for a year on a series, while Bayldon wished to avoid another "old man" role.[8] Lambert and director Waris Hussein invited William Hartnell to play the role; after several discussions, Hartnell accepted, viewing it as an opportunity to take his career in a new direction.[9]
The Doctor's companion was originally named Bridget or "Biddy", a 15-year-old girl eager for life. Her teachers were Miss Lola McGovern, a 24-year-old timid woman capable of sudden courage, and Cliff, a "physically perfect, strong and courageous" man.[4] Bridget was renamed Suzan/Suzanne Foreman, later changed to Susan, and writer Anthony Coburn made her the Doctor's granddaughter, to avoid any possibility of sexual impropriety implicit in having a young girl travelling with an older man; Newman was reluctant to the idea, as he wanted the character to have human naivety.[10] Miss McGovern later became history teacher Miss Canning, and a brief change saw Susan's birth name become "Findooclare"; this was soon dropped.[11] When the show's bible was written, the two teachers were renamed Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.[12] Chesterton was also much more violent in earlier drafts of the script.[13] William Russell was chosen to portray Chesterton, being the only actor considered by Lambert to do so.[14] Tucker held auditions for the roles of Susan and Barbara on 25 June 1963; actresses Christa Bergmann, Anne Castaldini, Maureen Crombie, Heather Fleming, Camilla Hasse, Waveney Lee, Anna Palk and Anneke Wills were all considered for the role of Susan, while Sally Home, Phyllida Law and Penelope Lee were considered for Barbara.[15] Following Tucker's departure from production, Lambert was in talks with actress Jacqueline Lenya to play Susan, but the role was ultimately given to Carole Ann Ford, a 23-year-old who typically played younger roles.[16] Lambert's friend Jacqueline Hill was chosen to play Barbara.[17]
Writing
The programme was originally intended to open with a serial entitled The Giants, written by Webber,[18] but was scrapped by June 1963 as the technical requirements of the storyline—which involved the leading characters being drastically reduced in size—were beyond the technical capabilities, and the story itself lacked the necessarily impact for an opener. Due to the lack of scripts ready for production, the untitled second serial from Coburn was moved to first in the running order.[19] The order change necessitated rewriting the opening episode of Coburn's script to include some introductory elements of Webber's script for the first episode of The Giants; as a result, Webber received a co-writer's credit for "An Unearthly Child" on internal BBC documentation.[20] Coburn also made several significant original contributions to the opening episode, mostly notably that the Doctor's time machine should resemble a police box, an idea he conceived after seeing a real police box while walking near his office.[20]
Filming
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/Unearthly_Child_pilot.jpg/300px-Unearthly_Child_pilot.jpg)
The show remained unnamed in April 1963, simply referred to as The Saturday Serial. It was provisionally scheduled to begin recording on 5 July, to be aired on 27 July, but was delayed.[21] A pilot recording was scheduled to begin filming on 19 July; if successful, it could be broadcast on 24 August.[22] Production was later deferred for a further two weeks while scripts were prepared, and the recording on 19 July was rescheduled as a test session for the dematerialisation effect of the TARDIS.[23] The show's initial broadcast date was pushed back to 9 November, with the pilot recording scheduled for 27 September and regular episodes made from 18 October;[24] the broadcast date was soon pushed back a week to 16 November, due to the BBC's athletics coverage on 9 November,[25] and later to 23 November.[26] The show was granted a budget of £2,300 per episode, with an additional £500 for the construction of the TARDIS.[27]
Tucker was originally selected as the serial's director, but the task was assigned to Hussein following Tucker's departure from production.[20] Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at Ealing Studios in September and October 1963,[28] were directed by Hussein's production assistant Douglas Camfield.[29] The first version of the opening episode was recorded at Lime Grove Studios on the evening of 27 September 1963, following a week of rehearsals. However, the recording was bedevilled with technical errors, including the doors leading into the TARDIS control room failing to close properly. After viewing the episode, Newman ordered that it be mounted again. During the weeks between the two tapings, changes were made to costuming, effects, performances, and scripts.[30][b] The second attempt at the opening episode was recorded on 18 October, with the following three episodes being recorded weekly on 25 October, 1 November and 8 November.[20]
Themes and analysis
Scholar Mark Bould discusses how the serial establishes Doctor Who's socio-political stances. He writes, "The story represents the separation/reunion, capture/escape, pursuit/evasion that will dominate the next twenty-six years, as well as the program's consistent advocacy of the BBC's political and social liberalism." He cites Ian and Barbara's attempt to teach a cavewoman kindness, friendship and democracy, writing "a tyrant is not as strong as the whole tribe acting collectively".[32] Scholar John R. Cook reflected that the presence of teachers as companions echoes Doctor Who's original educational remit.[33] The New Scientist reflected, in 1982, that the serial was set in the Stone Age because the show's original intention was "to bring to life the Earth's history."[34]
Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood argue that the cavemen's focus on fire is meant to stand in for all technology, thus linking the latter three episodes with the questions of generational change raised by the first episode and its focus on suspicion of children, and tying that to a discussion of technological progress, including the nuclear bomb. They also argue that, contrary to the tendency to treat the story as a one-episode introduction to the series followed by "three episodes of running around and escaping" that the piece should be considered as a single, dramatic whole that is "about making four people who barely know one another learn to trust each other."[35]
Reception
Broadcast and ratings
Episode | Titel | Run time | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | Appreciation Index |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "An Unearthly Child" | 23:24 | 23 November 1963 | 4.4 | 63 |
2 | "The Cave of Skulls" | 24:26 | 30 November 1963 | 5.9 | 59 |
3 | "The Forest of Fear" | 23:38 | 7 December 1963 | 6.9 | 56 |
4 | "The Firemaker" | 24:22 | 14 December 1963 | 6.4 | 55 |
The first episode was transmitted at 5:16pm on Saturday 23 November 1963. The assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous day overshadowed the launch of a new television series;[36] as a result, the first episode was repeated a week later, on 30 November, preceding the second episode.[36] The first episode was watched by 4.4 million viewers (9.1% of the viewing audience), and it received a score of 63 on the Reaction Index;[36] the repeat of the first episode reached a larger audience of six million viewers.[31] Across its four episodes, An Unearthly Child was watched by an average of 6 million (12.3% of potential viewers).[36] Episodes 2–4 achieved ratings of 5.9, 6.9 and 5.4 million viewers, respectively.[31] Mark Bould suggests that a disappointing audience reaction and high production costs prompted the BBC's chief of programmes to cancel the series until the Daleks, introduced in the second serial in December 1963, were immediately popular with viewers.[37]
To date, the serial has been repeated twice on the BBC: on BBC Two in November 1981, as part of the repeat season The Five Faces of Doctor Who, achieving average audience figures of 4.3 million viewers;[c] and on BBC Four as part of the show's 50th anniversary on 21 November 2013, achieving an average of 630,000 viewers.[d]
Critical response
The episode received mixed reviews from television critics. Michael Gower of the Daily Mail wrote a short favourable review of the first episode, claiming that the ending "must have delighted the hearts of the Telegoons who followed". A reviewer in the Daily Worker stated that they "intend following closely" to the show, describing the ending as "satisfying". Variety felt that the script "suffered from a glibness of characterisations which didn't carry the burden of belief", but praised the "effective camerawork", noting that the show "will impress if it decides to establish a firm base in realism". After the second episode, Mary Crozier of The Guardian was unimpressed by the serial, stating that it "has fallen off badly soon after getting underway". She felt that the first episode "got off the ground predictably, but there was little to thrill", while the second was "a depressing sequel ... wigs and furry pelts and clubs were all ludicrous". Conversely, Marjorie Norris of Television Today commented that if the show "keeps up the high standard of the first two episodes it will capture a much wider audience".[39]
Retrospective reviews are mostly positive towards An Unearthly Child. Referring to the serial while discussing the early years of Doctor Who, the New Scientist's Malcolm Peltu praised the script, acting and direction, but criticised the dated scenery.[34] Radio Times reviewer Patrick Mulkern praised the casting of Hartnell, the "moody" direction and the "thrilling" race back to the TARDIS.[40] In 2010, Christopher Bahn of The A.V. Club labelled An Unearthly Child an essential serial to watch for background on the programme. In his review, he noted that the first episode is "brilliantly done; the next three together could be about a half-hour shorter but get the job done". He praised the characters of Ian, Barbara, and the mysterious Doctor, but noted that he was far from the character he would become and Susan was "something of a cipher" with the hope she would develop later.[41] DVD Talk's John Sinnott called the first episode "excellent", but felt the "story goes down hill a bit" with the introduction of the prehistoric time period. He cited the slower pace, the discussions in "Tarzan-speak", and the lack of tension or high stakes.[42]
Commercial releases
Author | Terrance Dicks |
---|---|
Cover artist | Andrew Skilleter |
Series | Doctor Who book: Target novelisations |
Release number | 68 |
Publisher | Target Books |
Publication date | 15 October 1981 |
ISBN | 0-426-20144-2 |
Writer David Whitaker omitted An Unearthly Child from the first spin-off novelisation, Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks (later retitled Doctor Who and the Daleks and Doctor Who - The Daleks), with Ian and Barbara's entrance into the TARDIS leading directly into an adaptation of the second televised serial, The Daleks. Historian James Chapman highlights this as a reason that, in an age before home video, many people believed the Dalek serial to be the first Doctor Who story because the novelisations published by Target Books were the "closest that fans had to the original programmes".[43][e] Terrance Dicks wrote the Target novelisation of this story, initially published as Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child in October 1981. The novel was translated to different languages: a French version with the title Docteur Who Entre en scène (Doctor Who Takes the Stage) was translated by Jean-Daniel Brèque and published in February 1987; and the German version Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen (Doctor Who and the Child from the Stars) was translated by Bettina Zeller and published in 1990.[45] A verbatim transcript of the transmitted version of this serial, edited by John McElroy and titled The Tribe of Gum, was published by Titan Books in January 1988. It was the first in an intended series of Doctor Who script books.[46] In 1994, a phonecard with a photomontage of the episode was released by Jondar International Promotions.[45]
The story was originally released on VHS on 5 February 1990, with a cover designed by Alister Pearson. The unaired pilot was released as part of The Hartnell Years on 3 June 1991, and with Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction and Dr Who: The Pilot Episode on 1 May 2000. A remastered version of the episode was also released on VHS on 4 September 2000; for the DVD release on 30 January 2006, the episode was released as part of Doctor Who: The Beginning alongside the following two episodes, with several special features.[47] It was also released in the US and Canada on 27 May 2014 as part of the Blu-ray set for An Adventure in Space and Time.[48]
References
- Notes
- ^ Hugh David, an actor initially considered for the role of the Doctor and later a director on the programme, later claimed that Rex Tucker coined the title Doctor Who. Tucker claimed that it was Newman who had done so.[5]
- ^ The original episode, retroactively referred to as the "pilot episode", was not broadcast on television until 26 August 1991.[31]
- ^ The 1982 broadcast of the serial achieved viewing figures of 4.6, 4.3, 4.4 and 3.9 million viewers, respectively.[31]
- ^ The 2013 broadcast of the serial achieved viewing figures of 0.83, 0.71, 0.52 and 0.46 million, respectively.[38]
- ^ Cornell et al. report that the second serial overshadowed An Unearthly Child to such an extent that many people believed that Terry Nation, writer of The Daleks, created Doctor Who; this error became so prevalent that it was mistakenly included in an edition of the board game Trivial Pursuit.[44]
- Footnotes
- ^ Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 3.
- ^ Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 166.
- ^ Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 182.
- ^ a b c Molesworth, Richard (2006). Doctor Who: Origins. 2 Entertain.
{{cite AV media}}
: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - ^ Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 173.
- ^ Molesworth 2006, 15:55.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 38–40.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 53–54.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 55.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 45–46.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 51.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 50.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 52.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 57.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 48.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 58.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 59.
- ^ Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, pp. 181–2.
- ^ Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 186.
- ^ a b c d Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 27.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 38.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 44–47.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 49.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 56.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 63.
- ^ Molesworth 2006, 13:20.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 67.
- ^ Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 220
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 77–79.
- ^ a b c d Ainsworth 2015, p. 95.
- ^ Bould 2008, p. 214.
- ^ Cook 1999, p. 116.
- ^ a b Peltu 1982, p. 177.
- ^ Wood & Miles 2006, pp. 17–22.
- ^ a b c d Chapman 2006, p. 25.
- ^ Bould 2008, p. 215.
- ^ "Doctor Who Guide: broadcasting for An Unearthly Child". The Doctor Who Guide. News in Time and Space. 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 91.
- ^ Mulkern, Patrick (30 September 2008). "An Unearthly Child". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Bahn, Christopher (5 June 2011). "Doctor Who (Classic): "An Unearthly Child"". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Sinnott, John (1 April 2006). "Doctor Who: The Beginning". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Chapman 2006, p. 26.
- ^ Cornell, Day & Topping 1993, p. 303.
- ^ a b Ainsworth 2015, p. 96.
- ^ Coburn 1988, pp. 4, 7.
- ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 98.
- ^ Lambert, David (5 March 2014). "Doctor Who DVD news: Announcement for An Adventure in Space and Time". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
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Bibliography
- Ainsworth, John, ed. (2015). "100,000 BC and The Mutants (aka The Daleks)". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 1 (4). Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks.
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(help) - Bould, Mark (2008). "Science Fiction Television in the United Kingdom". In J.P. Telotte (ed.). The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2492-1.
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(help) - Chapman, James (2006). Inside the Tardis: The Worlds of Doctor Who. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1-84511-162-1.
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(help) - Coburn, Anthony (1988). McElroy, John (ed.). Doctor Who - The Scripts: The Tribe of Gum. London: Titan Books. ISBN 1-85286-012-X.
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(help) - Cook, John R. (1999). "Adapting telefantasy: the Doctor Who and the Daleks films". In Hunter, IQ (ed.). British Science Fiction Cinema. Psychology Press. ISBN 0-415-16868-6.
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(help) - Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1993). The Guinness Book of Classic British TV. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-543-3.
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(help) - Howe, David J.; Stammers, Mark; Walker, Stephen James (1994). Doctor Who The Handbook: The First Doctor – The William Hartnell Years 1963–1966. London: Doctor Who Books. ISBN 0-426-20430-1.
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(help) - Peltu, Malcolm (21 January 1982). "Dr Who". New Scientist. 93 (1289). ISSN 0262-4079.
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(help) - Wood, Tat; Miles, Lawrence (2006). About Time Volume 1. Mad Norwegian Press.
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External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- An Unearthly Child at BBC Online
- An Unearthly Child at BBC Online
- Template:Brief
- Template:Doctor Who RG
- An Unearthly Child Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- An Unearthly Child on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki