23 November–14 December 1963
An Unearthly Child was the first serial of Doctor Who. It was the first televised Doctor Who serial and the beginning of the Doctor Who franchise in general.
It saw the first appearances of the Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, played by William Hartnell, Carole Ann Ford, William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, respectively. Ian and Barbara became the Doctor's first companions, unwillingly whisked away on the Doctor's TARDIS. At the end of the fourth episode, "The Firemaker", the jungles of the recurring alien world of Skaro (not named in this story) were briefly seen before its first full appearance in the following serial.
This adventure also introduced the Doctor's TARDIS, which, in spite of it usually possessing the ability to change its outward appearance (having already previously disguised as an Ionic column and as a sedan chair), was stuck in its most recognisable form of a police box after leaving London in 1963.
Official Synopsis:
Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, two humble teachers during 1963, are surprised by a bright student named Susan Foreman. Confused by the contradictions in Susan's knowledge, Barbara had decided to visit her home, only to learn that the address on record is a junkyard. She and Ian decide to wait at the location until Susan or her grandfather show up. There, they discover a junkyard inhabited by her grandfather, simply known as "the Doctor", and he doesn't want them lurking about.
When the teachers refuse to leave, they discover that an ordinary police box is actually bigger on the inside. The Doctor decides they know too much about his and Susan's otherworldly origins and takes them on a journey across space and time in his TARDIS, the place he and Susan now call home.
My Opinion:
It is hard to imagine what it must have been like to watch this first ever episode of Doctor Who. I liked the mystery behind the characters at this stage. It is a little uncertain exactly what the show wants to be. I liked the fact that Susan named the TARDIS. I also liked the way the first episode is told through Ian and Barbara's eyes which you can really feel like you are one of these two characters learning everything about the Doctor and his world. I thought the whole Cave Man Story in this was very cringe worthy. I liked episode 1 then the next 3 for me were a bit hard to watch.
My Rating:
Episode 1 - 7/10
Episodes 2 - 4 - 4/10
