Where it all began. What more is there to say? Well... quite a lot, as it happens.

Doctor Who's survival past its original production block of 13 episodes has generally been attributed to the success of the Daleks, which is fair enough, but it must be said that the other two serials of the block end up somewhat forgotten by comparison. I think this is a crying shame, as they're both good, and the first one (variously An Unearthly Child or 100,000 BC) is absolutely brilliant.

The first episode is a real gem. The setting of a foggy November night in 1963 is well-suited for the mystery (and sci-fi horror) of the episode and gives the whole thing an ominous atmosphere. Barbara and Ian's discovery of the TARDIS and their kidnapping by the Doctor is a really characterful exchange that not only sets up the world and conceit of the series, but introduces us to each of the main characters very smartly, setting the stage for the two seasons to follow.

Much is made of the fact that aside from the first episode, the remainder of the serial is a bit duff by comparison, and just focuses on cavemen grunting and whacking each other with rocks. I think this is a major oversimplification, for my own part; I find the remainder of the story very witty, literary, and in places even a bit Shakespearean, despite the rough clothing and coarse manners of the pseudo-historical side cast. It's important, in my opinion, that this is all played straight and shown as a drama that's no lesser for its small scale on the cosmic scene, showing the human dimension in its roughest and crudest form.

The back three episodes basically compare and contrast the leadership struggle amongst the Tribe of Gum, and the comparable struggle between the Doctor and Ian. It illustrates the things that define modern human civilization and ethics - selflessness and empathy for others - by showing us a society without them. The final scene where the TARDIS crew desperately tear through the jungle and escape in the TARDIS, leaving the slack-jawed cavefolk behind to contemplate what they just saw, is a very memorable way of closing it out.

All told, a great story, to which I hope my rambling review has paid deserving plaudits.