''An Unearthly Child'' (sometimes referred to as ''100,000 BC'')
is the first serial of the British
science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
''. It was first broadcast on
BBC TV
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios ...
in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. Scripted by Australian writer
Anthony Coburn, the serial introduces
William Hartnell
William Henry Hartnell (; 8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor, who is best known for portraying the first incarnation of the Doctor, in the long-running British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 t ...
as the
First Doctor
The First Doctor is the original incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell in th ...
and his original
companions:
Carole Ann Ford
Carole Ann Lillian Ford ( Higgins; born 16 June 1940) is a British actress best known for her roles as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and as Bettina in the 1962 film adaptation of '' The Day of the T ...
as the Doctor's granddaughter,
Susan Foreman
Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter of the Doctor and original Companion (Docto ...
, with
Jacqueline Hill
Grace Jacqueline Hill (17 December 1929 – 18 February 1993)[Obituary](_blank)
cuttin ...
and
William Russell as school teachers
Barbara Wright and
Ian Chesterton
Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and a companion of the First Doctor. He was played in the series by William Russell and was one of the members of the programme's first r ...
. The first episode deals with Ian and Barbara's discovery of the Doctor and his time-space ship, the
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...
, in a junkyard in contemporary London, and the remaining episodes are set amid a power struggle between warring
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
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
Sydney Cecil Newman (; April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian producer and screenwriter who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, he was app ...
, recently made Head of Drama at the BBC, was tasked with creating the show, with heavy contributions from
Donald Wilson and
C. E. Webber
Cecil Edwin Webber (sometimes known by the nickname "Bunny"; 9 April 1909 – 26 June 1969) was a British television writer and playwright. He is best remembered as one of the co-creators of the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'' while worki ...
. Newman conceived the idea of the TARDIS, as well as the central character of
the Doctor
The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...
. Production was led by
Verity Lambert
Verity Ann Lambert (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer.
Lambert began working in television in the 1950s. She began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of t ...
, the BBC drama department's first female producer, and the serial was directed by
Waris Hussein
Waris Hussein (''né'' Habibullah; born 9 December 1938) is a British-Indian television and film director. At the beginning of his career he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of ''Doctor Who'', inc ...
. Following several delays, the first episode was recorded in September 1963 on
405-line
The 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. The number of television lines influences the image resolution, or quality of the picture.
It ...
black and white videotape, but was re-recorded 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 American President 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
At
Coal Hill School
''Class'' is a British science fiction drama programme and a spin-off of the long-running programme ''Doctor Who''. It was created and written by Patrick Ness, who also produced alongside ''Doctor Who'' showrunner and lead writer Steven Moffa ...
, teachers
Ian Chesterton
Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and a companion of the First Doctor. He was played in the series by William Russell and was one of the members of the programme's first r ...
and
Barbara Wright have concerns about pupil
Susan Foreman
Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter of the Doctor and original Companion (Docto ...
, who has an alien outlook on England. When the teachers visit her address to investigate, they find a
police box
A police box is a public telephone kiosk or callbox for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police. It was used in some countries, most widely in the United Kingdom throughout the 20th century from th ...
and hear Susan's voice inside, as an elderly man arrives and refuses to let the teachers into the police box. They force their way in to find Susan inside a technologically advanced control room that is larger than the police box exterior. Susan explains that the object is a
time and space machine called the
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...
and the old man is her grandfather, who reveals that he and his granddaughter are exiles from their own planet. Refusing to let Ian and Barbara leave, he sets the TARDIS in flight and the ship goes through time and space to the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
.
Za, the leader of a primitive
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
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 unnamed old man, whom Ian and Barbara refer to as "
the Doctor
The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...
", is ambushed by Kal, when he 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 intervene, 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 and recaptured before reaching the TARDIS. Kal says they will be sacrificed if they do not make fire. While Ian tries to start a fire, Kal enters the cave and attacks Za, but is killed. Ian gives a burning torch to Za, who shows it to the tribe and declares himself leader. Susan notices that placing a skull over a burning torch makes it appear alive; when the tribe enters the cave, they are faced with several burning skulls, and are terrified, allowing the group to flee to the TARDIS and escape through time and space to a silent and unknown forest. Unnoticed by the crew as they leave the ship to investigate, the radiation meter rises to "Danger".
Production
Conception

In March 1963,
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
's Controller of Programmes
Donald Baverstock
Donald Leighton Baverstock (18 January 1924 – 17 March 1995) was a British television producer and executive, born in Cardiff, Wales. He initially worked for BBC Television in their Talks Department, where he was the Editor of the topical mag ...
informed Head of Drama
Sydney Newman
Sydney Cecil Newman (; April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian producer and screenwriter who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, he was app ...
of a gap in the schedule on Saturday evenings between the sports showcase ''
Grandstand
A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...
'' and the pop music programme ''
Juke Box Jury
''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American ser ...
''. Baverstock figured that the programme should appeal to three audiences: children who had previously been accustomed to viewing television during the timeslot, the teenage audience of ''Juke Box Jury'', and the adult sports fan audience of ''Grandstand''. Newman decided that a science fiction programme should fill the gap. Head of the Script Department
Donald Wilson and writer
C.E. Webber contributed heavily to the formatting of the programme, and co-wrote the programme's first format document with Newman; 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 name ''Doctor Who''.
Production was initiated several months later and handed to producer
Verity Lambert
Verity Ann Lambert (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer.
Lambert began working in television in the 1950s. She began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of t ...
—the BBC's first female drama producer—and story editor
David Whitaker to oversee, after a brief period when the show had been handled by a "caretaker" producer,
Rex Tucker
Rex Tucker (20 February 1913 – 10 August 1996) was a British television director in the 1950s and 1960s.
Early life
He was born in March in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire. He attended Cheltenham Grammar School and Jesus College, Cambridge ...
.
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 who hated scientists and inventors, and had a secret intention to destroy or nullify the future; Newman rejected this idea, wanting the character to be a
father figure
A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychology, psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal t ...
. Tucker offered the role of the Doctor to
Hugh David
Hugh David (17 July 1925 – 11 September 1987) was a British actor and television director.
His directorial credits include ''Compact'', ''Z-Cars'', '' The Pallisers'' and ''Doctor Who'', for which he directed two stories in the Patrick ...
; having spent a year working on ''Knight Errant Limited'' and not wanting to be tied to another series, David turned down the role. Tucker envisioned a young actor to play the Doctor with aged make-up; however, Lambert favoured an older actor to avoid preparation time and add authenticity to the role. The part was turned down by actors
Leslie French,
Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...
,
Alan Webb and
Geoffrey Bayldon
Albert Geoffrey Bayldon (7 January 1924 – 10 May 2017) was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series '' C ...
; Cusack and Webb were reluctant to work for a year on a series, while Bayldon wished to avoid another "old man" role. Lambert and director
Waris Hussein
Waris Hussein (''né'' Habibullah; born 9 December 1938) is a British-Indian television and film director. At the beginning of his career he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of ''Doctor Who'', inc ...
invited
William Hartnell
William Henry Hartnell (; 8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor, who is best known for portraying the first incarnation of the Doctor, in the long-running British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 t ...
to play the role; after several discussions, Hartnell accepted, viewing it as an opportunity to take his career in a new direction.
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.
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 about the idea, as he wanted the character to have human naivety. Miss McGovern later became history teacher Miss Canning, and Susan's birth name briefly became "Findooclare". When the show's
bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
was written, the two teachers were renamed Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright. Chesterton was much more violent in earlier drafts of the script.
William Russell was chosen to portray Ian, being the only actor considered by Lambert to do so. 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
Anneke Wills (; born Anna Katarina Willys, 20 October 1941) is an English actress, best known for her role as the companion Polly in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''.
Biography
Wills's father, Alaric Willy ...
were all considered for the role of Susan, while Sally Home,
Phyllida Law and Penelope Lee were considered for Barbara. 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
Carole Ann Lillian Ford ( Higgins; born 16 June 1940) is a British actress best known for her roles as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and as Bettina in the 1962 film adaptation of '' The Day of the T ...
, a 23-year-old who typically played younger roles. Lambert's friend
Jacqueline Hill
Grace Jacqueline Hill (17 December 1929 – 18 February 1993)[Obituary](_blank)
cuttin ...
was chosen to play Barbara.
Writing
The programme was originally intended to open with a serial entitled ''The Giants'', written by Webber, 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 their capabilities, and the story itself lacked the necessary 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. 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''. 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.
Filming
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. A pilot recording was scheduled to begin filming on 19 July; if successful, it could be broadcast on 24 August. 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. 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; the broadcast date was soon pushed back to 16 November, due to the BBC's athletics coverage in July pushing subsequent Saturday transmissions back a week, and later to 23 November. The show was granted a budget of £2,300 per episode (), with an additional £500 for the construction of the TARDIS ().
Tucker was originally selected as the serial's director, but the task was assigned to Hussein following Tucker's departure from production. Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in west London, England. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on th ...
in September and October 1963, were directed by Hussein's production assistant
Douglas Camfield.
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. The second attempt at the opening episode was recorded on 18 October, with the following three episodes being recorded weekly from 25 October to 8 November. Recording for the five episodes (including the pilot) cost a total of , which Lambert noted was within the programme's budget.
Themes and analysis
Scholar Mark Bould discusses how the serial establishes ''Doctor Who'' socio-political stances in his 2008 essay "Science Fiction Television in the United Kingdom". He writes, "The story represents the separation/reunion, capture/escape, pursuit/evasion that will dominate the next twenty-six years, as well as the programme'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". Scholar John R. Cook reflected in 1999 that the presence of teachers as companions echoes ''Doctor Who'' original educational remit. Malcolm Peltu of ''
New Scientist
''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organ ...
'' noted, 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".
Lawrence Miles
Lawrence Miles (born 15 March 1972 in Middlesex) is a science fiction author known for his work on original ''Doctor Who'' novels (for both the Virgin New Adventures and BBC Books series) and the subsequent spin-off Faction Paradox. He is also ...
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".
Reception
Broadcast and ratings
The first episode was transmitted at 5:16:20p.m. on Saturday 23 November 1963. The
assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy the previous day overshadowed the launch of the series; as a result, the first episode was repeated a week later, on 30 November, preceding the second episode. 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; the repeat of the first episode reached a larger audience of six million viewers. Across its four episodes, ''An Unearthly Child'' was watched by an average of 6 million (12.3% of potential viewers). Episodes 2–4 achieved ratings of 5.9, 6.9 and 6.4 million viewers, respectively. 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
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...
s, introduced in the second serial in December 1963, were immediately popular with viewers.
The serial has been repeated twice on the BBC: on
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
in November 1981, as part of the repeat season ''The Five Faces of Doctor Who'', achieving average audience figures of 4.3 million viewers; and on
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002 as part of the show's 50th anniversary on 21 November 2013, achieving an average of 630,000 viewers.
Critical response
The serial initially received mixed reviews from television critics. Michael Gower of the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'' 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
The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in Chicago founded by communists, socialists, union members, and other activists. Publication began in 1924. It generally reflected the prevailing views of members of the Communist Party USA (CPU ...
'' stated that they "intend following closely" to the show, describing the ending as "satisfying". ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' 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
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' 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".
Retrospective reviews are mostly positive towards ''An Unearthly Child''. In 1980,
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
described the story as "a work of loving craftsmanship, worked out to perfection by all concerned". Referring to the serial while discussing the early years of ''Doctor Who'' in 1982, ''New Scientist''s Peltu praised the script, acting and direction, but criticised the dated scenery. In ''
The Discontinuity Guide'' (1995),
Paul Cornell
Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield.
Other British television dramas f ...
,
Martin Day, and
Keith Topping
Keith Andrew Topping (born 26 October 1963 in Walker, Tyneside) is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He is most well known for his work relating to the BBC Television series ''Doctor Who'' and for writing numerous official and unofficial ...
described the first episode as "twenty-five of the most important minutes in British television", particularly praising the directorial techniques, but felt that the following three episodes declined in quality. In ''The Television Companion'' (1998),
David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker lauded Hartnell's performance and the reveal of the TARDIS interior in the first episode, and felt that the following three episodes were lesser in quality but remained "intense" and "highly dramatic". In ''A Critical History of Doctor Who'' (1999),
John Kenneth Muir
John Kenneth Muir (born December 3, 1969) is an American literary critic. As of 2022, he has written thirty reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular focus on the horror and science fiction genres.
Biography
Bor ...
called the serial "an unqualified success as drama", applauding the writing, cinematic style, and production techniques.
In 2008, ''
Radio Times
''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' reviewer Patrick Mulkern praised the casting of Hartnell, the "moody" direction and the "thrilling" race back to the TARDIS.
Christopher Bahn of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' in 2010 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.
In a 2006 review,
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
'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
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
-speak", and the lack of tension or high stakes.
Commercial releases
In print
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
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'' is the second serial in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
''. 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
Target Books is a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became wel ...
were the "closest that fans had to the original programmes".
Terrance Dicks
Terrance William Dicks (14 April 1935 – 29 August 2019) was an English author and television screenwriter, script editor and producer. In television, he had a long association with the BBC science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', working as a ...
wrote the Target novelisation of this story, initially published as ''Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child'' on 15 October 1981 with a cover by
Andrew Skilleter. The release also received several translations worldwide. 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. In 1994, a phonecard with a photomontage of the episode was released by Jondar International Promotions.
Home media
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 serial was also released on VHS on 4 September 2000; for the DVD release on 30 January 2006, the serial was released as part of ''Doctor Who: The Beginning'' alongside the following two serials, with several special features, including audio commentaries and comedy sketches. 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
''An Adventure in Space and Time'' is a 2013 British Biographical film, biographical television film, starring David Bradley (English actor), David Bradley, Brian Cox (actor), Brian Cox, Jessica Raine and Sacha Dhawan. Directed by Terry McDono ...
''.
In October 2023, the BBC announced that ''An Unearthly Child'' would not be available on its
iPlayer
BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...
service the following month alongside other ''Doctor Who'' episodes as it did not hold the entire copyright.
Coburn's son, Stef Coburn, claimed he had withdrawn the licensing rights following disagreements over compensation.
Stef Coburn had previously requested recognition and compensation for his father's work in 2013 but said he did not wish to withdraw licensing rights at the time.
He had since lambasted the programme's direction, claiming in 2023 that his father would be "outrage
at what generations of progressively more corrupted BBC filth have done", in response to the casting of actors
Ncuti Gatwa
Mizero Ncuti Gatwa ( ; born 15 October 1992) is a Rwandan-Scottish actor. After a screen Breakthrough role, breakthrough portraying Eric Effiong in Sex Education (TV series), ''Sex Education'' (2019–2023), he rose to further prominence as the ...
and
Jinkx Monsoon
Hera Lilith Hoffer (born September 18, 1987), best known by the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag queen, actress, singer and comedienne, originally from the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps best-known for winning the RuPaul's Drag Race ...
.
Scenes featuring dialogue from ''An Unearthly Child'' were removed from the 2023 repeat of ''An Adventure in Space and Time'', which many attributed to the licensing issues.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Unearthly Child, An
1960s British television series premieres
1963 British television episodes
Doctor Who historical serials
Doctor Who serials novelised by Terrance Dicks
Doctor Who stories set on Earth
Fiction set in 1963
Fiction set in the Pleistocene
Films directed by Waris Hussein
First Doctor serials
Prehistoric people in popular culture
Television episodes about cavemen
Television episodes set in London
Television episodes set in prehistory
Television episodes set in schools
Television episodes set in the 1960s
Television episodes written by C. E. Webber
Television series set in the Stone Age