![]() ![]() None more so than An Unearthly Child, at one point even shocking Ian. The First Doctor, as played by William Hartnell, is often a very cruel specimen in his early stories. Even the classic tune created by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire that we know and love is present, albeit in its earliest and eeriest state. The sound of the TARDIS dematerializing is still very much the same exasperated whine here as it is in modern episodes. We get the very first mention of a ‘John Smith’ in episode one, a name the Doctor will use many times down the line as an alias. Namely that the TARDIS hasn’t changed its shape to match its surroundings because it can’t any longer, and the fact that it doesn’t take the Doctor where he wants it to go are paramount to both the ship’s iconic look and the show’s groundbreakingly simple formula. Much of what we understand as canon comes directly from these crucial episodes. This definitely wouldn’t fly in the current series.ĭespite the fairly drastic dip in quality between the first episode and the rest, we have a lot to be thankful for from this story. (How the cavemen can even tie knots of rope together, but not understand how fire works is the true mystery.) In the end the Doctor and companions use sheer stupid logic to outsmart them into returning to safety.Īnd we get to witness a particularly graphic fight/brawl scene that ends with a gruesome death. ![]() The next three episodes see the Doctor and his companions strung up multiple times, run away several times, and a lot of Susan yelling and Barbara falling ensues. The only issue is the leader can only be someone respected for making fire, but the two warring tribesmen do not know how that is done. They get stuck in a tribal drama over which cave-leader to follow. The four of them get lost some 100,000 years in the past, in the age of the cavemen (or at the very least how Anthony Coburn imagined the age of the cavemen being). But the rest of the serial is rather mindless. The entirety of the first episode, wobbly sets and all, is a brilliant piece of fiction, and an episode all fans of the series should get around to viewing at some point. All is forgiven when they show us the classy interior (which happens to be far larger on the inside). Perhaps it was an unrealistically quick conclusion that Ian jumped to when he thought the police box was alive just after feeling it vibrate a little, but hey. The blue police box is found in the middle of a junkyard, and the juxtaposition of its magisterial presence in lieu of the frankly creepy statues, dolls and other oddiments, is something worth seeing for yourself. The Doctor’s ship the TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space (an anagram Susan takes all the credit for), is one of the most brilliant things about the episode. But one constant that is introduced in An Unearthly Child stands front and center, down to this very day. Over the course of the show’s history there have been many changing variables. It’s only true star would be the first episode, where we are introduced to Susan Foreman – the Doctor’s granddaughter, her teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, as well as the irascible Doctor himself, as played by William Hartnell. The four episodes that comprise the show’s first story (which is now most commonly titled after the first episode therein, An Unearthly Child) are charming as a whole, but hold up quite poorly next to majority of the show’s run. And would forever burrow its way into the consciousness of British pop culture. Ratings were low, so they chose to air the episode once more, on the following Saturday. This was sadly eclipsed by the assassination of John F. November 23rd 1963 saw the airing of the very first Doctor Who episode. Why not review them? And what better place to start than where it all began. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched any Classic Who. This series will see me bounce around to different stories in different eras of the show’s history. Throughout its 51 years, over 800 episodes have aired, and many missed the mark. The series is currently one of the most popular programs in the world, and the BBC’s most profitable show by far. And watching my collection of Doctor Who DVDs slowly gather dust on their shelves isn’t something I wish to continue doing. ![]() It’s an itch that’s needed scratching long before I got married. Doctor Who Rewind is a project I’ve been meaning to begin heading for some time. ![]()
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