Doctor Who: 1. An Unearthly Child

1963, 4 episodes, written by Anthony Coburn

76 Totter’s Lane, a junkyard. An inauspicious start to what is the longest-running and certainly one of the greatest science-fiction series ever produced. But this story is utterly, utterly brilliant.

   From that first moment where a policeman walks around the outside of the junkyard unaware of the secrets contained within this series has you hooked. Then there’s more and more mysteries and we become just as curious about the strange Susan as Ian and Barbara are. She’s so strange and wonderfully alien, but you feel a little sorry for her because she’s so sincere in her lack of knowledge. The book on the French Revolution as she points out what the authors got wrong is an immensely clever way to introduce her.

   But it’s the perspectives of her curious teachers that are the most interesting here. Ian is the logical and reasonable one, refusing to believe what he sees in front of him, while Barbara is empathetic and senstive, putting the best interests of others above her own. These are some of the most fully rounded characters ever to appear in the series. Their curiosity about Susan gets the better of them and they enter the junkyard.

   This first episode is so wonderfully atmospheric, it becomes so, so real, with an evocative score, particularly as they investigate the junkyard. However, it is the Doctor’s appearance here that it is quite different from his later incarnations.

   Because of the way in which the episodes are ordered on the DVD, I found myself watching the pilot episode without realising it. However, this does bring up many interesting ideas, particularly in what was changed. In the original pilot, the Doctor is rude, belligerent and very annoying. He’s gruff and angry for no readily apparent reason. However, the Doctor of the broadcast episode is still just as unhelpful but he is also more charming, gently ignoring them and being immensely evasive which is much, much more interesting. In the pilot, the Doctor was just an angry old man; in the actual episode, he’s an alien, which is fitting, considering what comes next.

   Barbra manages to push her way into the police box and it’s bigger on the inside. Knowing what we do now, the moment does lose a little of its power but it’s still utterly breathtaking. Imagine what that would have been like to see for the first time? It would be spectacular.

   However, it’s clear something’s wrong. The Doctor almost constant giggling is immensely unnerving and he debates with Susan seemingly of the merits to allowing the Coal Hill School educators to survive (by the way, Susan states that she loves 20^th century Earth. Does this mean that she is the reason the Doctor fell in love with the planet in the first place? If so, that is immensely awesome).

   However, as the Doctor sets the TARDIS in motion (first ever use of the VworpVworp!) and we go to the time of the cavemen, the story becomes immediately less interesting. That isn’t to say that it becomes boring because it rarely is. Okay, it’s a little slow but there’s such a lovely attention to detail on display here. The sound of the bird calls and the rushing of the wind create an effectively menacing mood which will rarely be seen again. There’s a sense of complete and utter dread that the story settles into, mainly because of the fact that everyone seem to be always screaming. While later it will become almost a cliché, here it is utterly heartfelt because they really panic and freak-out (notable examples of this include Susan panicking after she thinks the Doctor has been kidnapped and Barbara in the forest).

   The Doctor even seems to take note of the horror of their situation, stating that he’s sorry which will hardly ever happen in future stories and he seems to care about Ian and the others, stating that “fear makes companions of all of us”. He is also immensely clever as when he convinces Cal to reveal that he was the murderer, but is not adverse to violence, possibly going to kill Zar and actively encouraging the cavemen to stone Cal. It is very difficult to care for the plight of the cavemen, but unlike later stories, it doesn’t really seem necessary (although, the exciting fight between Cal and Zar would challenge this, with its wonderful flickering lighting, but the focus is always on the TARDIS travellers). Here, our priorities lie with the Doctor and his companions, allowing for their immensely tense run back to the TARDIS at the conclusion of the story.

   Doctor Who was rarely this personal and character driven again. It is the perfect story to get to know these characters and allow them to form a bond. It’s the beginning. Aptly it’s just like the series, it’s mysterious and terrifying and clever and absolutely, wonderfully hopeful. It’s the beginning of a legend.

Verdict: 5 stars