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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Saturday, November 23, 1963

Production Code

A

Directed by

Waris Hussein

Runtime

100 minutes

Time Travel

Past, Present

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

Child Genius, Doctor Who?, Pure Historical

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Shoreditch, Coal Hill School, Earth, England, London

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".

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4 Episodes

An Unearthly Child

First aired

Saturday, November 23, 1963

Runtime

25 minutes

Directed by

Waris Hussein

UK Viewers

4.4 million

Appreciation Index

63

Synopsis

After discussing a strange pupil, Susan Foreman, teachers Ian and Barbara follow her to a junkyard. They meet her grandfather, the Doctor, and force their way inside a police box with frightening results.


The Cave of Skulls

First aired

Saturday, November 30, 1963

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Anthony Coburn

Directed by

Waris Hussein

UK Viewers

5.9 million

Appreciation Index

59

Synopsis

The enigmatic Doctor, afraid that schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright will reveal his secrets to the people of 20th century Earth, has taken them and his granddaughter Susan back to the dawn of human history. There, the four travellers are dragged into the savage politics of a tribe of cavemen who have lost the secret of making fire…


The Forest of Fear

First aired

Saturday, December 7, 1963

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Anthony Coburn

Directed by

Waris Hussein

UK Viewers

6.9 million

Appreciation Index

56

Synopsis

Prisoners of the earliest humans, the TARDIS crew are caught in a deadly power play for leadership of the tribe.


The Firemaker

First aired

Saturday, December 14, 1963

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Anthony Coburn

Directed by

Waris Hussein

UK Viewers

6.4 million

Appreciation Index

55

Synopsis

The TARDIS crew must make fire for the early humans to stay alive. But once they do, they may not be allowed to leave!



Characters

How to watch An Unearthly Child:

Reviews

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31 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

Começando a assistir a série clássica, achei um arco legal, achei os homens das cavernas muito inteligentes,o doctor  é meio qualquer coisa no começo, mas veremos os arcos depois.

Falando dos companions:
Ian: o melhor desse arco, o mais "ativo" do grupo até agora, ele até parece ser o protagonista.
Suzan: irritante, sempre gritando e chamando pelo avô.
Beatriz: completamente esquecível nesse arco.

A coisa dos homens das cavernas serem inteligentes me incomodou um pouco. Eles até checam o pulso para ver se o corpo está morto kkkkk. Entendo que é para ser uma época humana primitiva, mas o nível de consciência era um pouco demais para o cenário.

Conclusão: um episódio divertido com coisas não tão legais, mas vou passar por ele porque é o primeiro arco da série.


GGVICTOR

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Doctor Who is a series that has always fascinated me, thanks to its ability to add to its edifice while keeping continuity consistent, with a few exceptions because it remains a time-travel series that is over sixty years old. I therefore find it quite interesting to revisit the early years of the series, a period when no one could imagine the future of the show, not even those who worked on it. However, the early days of Doctor Who remain controversial. The cause? An Unearthly Child, a story that divides fans, but which remains negatively criticised by some fans. I never asked myself what my real opinion was of this episode, all I knew was that I was having a good time watching it, without knowing why. So, once I look into it a bit more, what stands out about this story?

First of all, I have to tell you about the first striking element: the realism of the story. We're left with a real human vision that keeps its feet on the ground, which I think is an interesting way of introducing us to a science-fiction series, because it allows us, the viewers, to enter the Doctor Who universe gradually. The realism is reflected in the first part, which takes place in a school and then in a junkyard, with deeply human characters who are worried about a pupil, but it can also be reflected in the whole plot with the prehistoric men, which I'll come back to later, or in the piloting of the time machine, which is much more elaborate than it is nowadays.

Doctor Who... Doctor Who... If the beginning of the series had been all about the Doctor, it would have been a total disaster, in my opinion. We don't really understand who the Doctor is because of his unclear motivations and loathsome character. Fortunately, we have Susan, Ian and Barbara, who are the real main characters. I won't be able to explain it, but I find this group very touching and I care about them, probably because they are the humans in this group, where the Doctor, as an alien, is shown as inhuman and heartless. So, yes, I feel sad when Susan is sad, I feel bummed when Ian and Barbara get kidnapped. I found myself feeling for all three of them, which is already a very good thing, because the scenes in which they are in danger are no longer mere twists and turns, but real events that grab me by the guts.

The other key element of this story is the presence of prehistoric men. By way of introduction, I'd just like to point out that it's a good idea to exploit time travel by going back to the first steps of humanity, it's great to go to the furthest point. Otherwise, in terms of the individuals themselves, I really liked the fact that there were fairly recognisable archetypes. It's simple, but it works, so why deprive yourself? It doesn't take long to work out who's who, who has what role, and what the tribe's problems are. It immediately makes the story more interesting, because you understand it. And as I mentioned earlier, there's also a very realistic aspect to the prehistoric men, who don't always understand everything, don't have all the language terms and have very changeable moods. Where people see simple cavemen, I see characters who may not be very advanced, but who embrace the plot perfectly.

There are also a few positive and negative elements, which I'll list below. On the positive side, we have some pretty interesting action scenes, thanks to the characters, but also to the camerawork, editing and the whole atmosphere of the scenes. We also have a fairly pessimistic vision of time travel, where everything isn't perfect and no one has control over anything, and everyone becomes a victim of time travel. And on the negative side, I'd like to mention a few scenes of exposition that are unfortunately done through dialogue, as well as a very personal problem: I found it hard to tell the difference between Kal and Za's physical appearance, so sometimes I was confused when I thought I was following one character when in reality it was someone else.

Finally, what did I think of this first Doctor Who story? I'm very pleased with it. It's not done with the codes of our time, but that doesn't mean it should be bad. The story is full of good ideas and I'm pleased to see that my favourite series is starting out on a very good footing, with flaws that are really quite trivial compared to the positives.


Romy

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This serial is a lot better than people give it credit for. While the first episode is intriguing and atmospheric, the others are no less interesting. I might even go so far as to say I like the cavemen plotline better.


uss-genderprise

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The first episode of An Unearthly Child is the main draw of the serial, and it does a wonderful job of setting up the series to come. The Tribe of Gum storyline isn't AS terribly boring as I had previously heard, but it still wasn't very enjoyable, and I was glad to see it end. Overall, a story that is more important than it is entertaining. An interesting start to my WHOniverse rewatch.


epcot

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First episode is good and the rest are fine, interesting to see where it all began


InterstellarCas

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Member Statistics

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Reviewed

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Skipped

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Owned

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Quotes

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DOCTOR: I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it. Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension? Have you? To be exiles? Susan and I are cut off from our own planet, without friends or protection. But one day we shall get back. Yes, one day. One day.

— First Doctor, An Unearthly Child

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Transcript Needs checking

(A foggy night, and a policeman is patrolling his beat past I M Foreman's Scrap Merchants at 76 Totter's Lane. Inside is an assortment of items, including a police telephone box.)

[Coal Hill School corridor]

(The bell is ringing for end of classes.)

GIRL: Night, Miss Wright.
BARBARA: Wait in here, please, Susan. I won't be long.
BOY: Goodnight, Miss Wright.

[Laboratory]


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