Reviews
Daily Mail
Michael Gowers, November 25 1963
“It goes without saying that circumstances were hardly favourable for the launching of the BBC’s space satellite Dr. Who on Saturday afternoon. But the machine which carries this mysterious old man, his inordinary precocious granddaughter and her unfortunate science and history teacher will apparently be circumnavigating the next 52 weeks at least as well as the infinities of the heavens and of time.
William Hartnell gazing from underlocks of flowing white, and the appealing Carole Ann Ford represent the Unknown Them. William Russell and Jaqueline Hill the ignorant, skeptical Us and their craft is cunningly disguised as a police call box. The penultimate shot of this nestling after a three-point touchdown in a neolithic landscape must have delighted the hearts of the Telegoons who followed.”
The Guardian
Mary Crozier, December 2, 1963
“A chance to see the first episode of the BBC’s “Dr Who” over again on Saturday before the second, turned out to accentuate that the space and time serial has fallen off badly soon after getting under way. Anthony Coburn’s science fiction story started off traditionally with a strange, unearthly girl and her grandfather, who are travelling about in space and time. To some people anything like this is anathema, but to anyone lured by time travelling, there is always the hope when a new venture starts that it will capture a genuine thrill, that slight shiver of uneasiness that means a barrier has been broken.
The first episode, in which a young man and woman, both schoolteachers, track down Susan and follow her into the mysterious police ’phone box (which inside is a space-time ship) got off the ground predictably, but there was little to thrill. The time travellers were whisked off, the young teachers too, and thanks to the strange sound effects and whirligigs on the screen, it was possible to get mildly worked up about the outcome. Part two was a depressing sequel. The vessel came down in a prehistoric landscape, and the hairy savages who lived there got busy with prolonged debates and quarrels about their inability to make fire. Wigs and furry pelts and clubs and laborious dialogue were all ludicrous. Were these serious Stone Agers or not? The space ship, for some unexplained reason, remained looking like a police box in the dusty desert. I hope this will be explained later.”
Radio Times (Click to Enlarge)
Audience Reaction
An Unearthly Child (opening episode) scored a reaction index score of 63, close to the then current averages for television drama (62) and children’s programmes (64) at the BBC. The BBC’s Audience Research Department report stated:
“‘Tonight’s new serial seemed to be a cross between Wells’ Time Machine and a space-age Old Curiosity Shop, with a touch of Mack Sennett comedy. It was in the grand style of the old pre-talkie films to see a dear old Police Box being hurtled through space and landing on Mars or somewhere. I almost expected to see a batch of Keystone Cops emerge on to the Martian landscape. Anyway, it was all good, clean fun and I look forward to meeting the nice Doctor’s planetary friends next Saturday, whether it be in the ninth or ninety-ninth century A.D.’ wrote a retired Naval Officer speaking, it would seem, for a good many viewers in the sample who regarded this as an enjoyable piece of escapism, not to be taken too seriously, of course, but none the less entertaining and, at times, quite thrilling - ‘taken as fantasy it was moat enjoyable. I presume it is meant for the kiddies but nevertheless I found it entertaining at Saturday teatime and look forward to seeing the Cave of Skulls in the next episode’. Some viewers disliked the play, either because they had a blind spot for science fiction of any kind or because they considered this a rather poor example, being altogether too far-fetched and ludicrous, particularly at the end - ‘a police box with flashing beacon travelling through interstellar space - what claptrap!’ Too childish for adults, it was at the same time occasionally felt to be unsuitable for children of a more timid disposition and, for one reason or another, proved something of a disappointment to a sizeable number of those reporting. Generally speaking, however, viewers in the sample thought this a good start to a series which gave promise of being very entertaining - the children, they were sure, would love it (indeed, there is every evidence that children viewing with adults in the sample found it very much to their taste) but it was, at the same time, written imaginatively enough to appeal to adult minds and would, no doubt, prove to be quite intriguing as it progressed.
The acting throughout was considered satisfactory, several viewers adding that it was pleasant to see William Hartnell again in the somewhat unusual role (for him) of Dr. Who, while the radiophonic effects were apparently highly successful in creating the appropriate ‘out of this world’ atmosphere, the journey through space being particularly well done.”
DWW Reader Opinion
“it starts of well with the mysterious girl with the unusually high intellect causing suspicions at school and very atmospheric with the revelation of what we were to come to know as the TARDIS and the surprise that awaited us inside which we shared with Ian and Barbara and when they landed in the bleak landscape not knowing where or when they were it was a little disappointing to find they had simply gone back to the stoneage and the rest of the story was pretty ordinary but it was different enough to get us all hooked for 50 years” - George Gillespie, Facebook
“It’s a better story than people give it credit for. Most people just say that the first episode is great and the latter three are awful, but its probably one of the best structured storylines in Doctor Who. The contrast between how the Doctor views Ian and Barbara and how they view the cavemen is really well done. It’s a great start for the series.” - Nathan Laws, Facebook
@DrWhoWorldwide The first episode is the finest pilot of any television show ever made.
— Adil (@nougdalla98) October 20, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide The twinkle in Bill Hartnell's eye in the milky foglight mesmerizingly creates television that haunts and resonates even now
— Harry Draper (@bowtieanimation) October 20, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide Best first episode of any drama series ever. The other three really are a drag though, despite some great characterisation.
— Steve Stratford (@SteveStratford9) October 20, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide /mystery, not the best start, but could not have been any other way
— Joseph Quendon (@georgianroses) October 20, 2014
@DrWhoWorldwide I loved 'An Unearthly Child' - best start to a series ever. William Hartnell was superb as the Doctor - a unique hero.
— Mark Willis (@darksouledmage1) October 20, 2014
This article is the fourth in our new “Story by Story” series running all this week celebrating An Unearthly Child. DWW welcomes all submissions and pitches on the theme throughout the week at [email protected]. +
In future weeks we shall be celebrating The Daleks (Oct 27 – Nov 2), Inside the Spaceship (Nov 3 – 9), Marco Polo (Nov 10 – 16), The Keys of Marinus (Nov 17 – 23), The Aztecs (Nov 24 – 30), The Sensorites (Dec 1 – 7) and The Reign of Terror (Dec 8 – 14).
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