An Unearthly Child (also known as 100,000 BC, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. It is the first serial of the series and introduces William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright and William Russell as Ian Chesterton William Hartnell in a publicity still as the First Doctor William Henry Hartnell (January 8, 1908–April 23, 1975), a British actor, was the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966. ... The First Doctor is the name given to the first incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Anthony Coburn was an Australian United Kingdom. ... Cecil Edwin Webber (known as C. E. Webber and nicknamed Bunny by his colleagues) was a British television writer. ... Waris Hussein (born December 9, 1938 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India) is a British-Indian television director, best known for his many productions for British television. ... Douglas Camfield was an accomplished director for television in the 1960s to the 1980s. ... David Whitaker (1928 - February 4, 1980) helped create the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and served as the series first script editor. ... Verity Lambert (born November 27, 1935 in London, England, UK) is a British television and film producer, best known for producing the science-fiction series Doctor Who for the BBC for its first two years, from 1963 to 1965. ... Mervyn Pinfield was a British Television producer and director working for the BBC during the 1960s. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... The Daleks (also known as The Mutants, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast weekly from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964. ... This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. ... A broadcast of the long-running and popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... William Hartnell in a publicity still as the First Doctor William Henry Hartnell (January 8, 1908–April 23, 1975), a British actor, was the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966. ... The First Doctor is the name given to the first incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... Carole Ann Ford (born June 1940) is a British actress best known for her role as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Jacqueline Hill Jacqueline Hill (born 17 December 1929, died 18 February 1993) is a British actress best known for her role as Barbara Wright in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Barbara Wright is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ... William Russell (born Russell Enoch on November 19, 1924 in Sunderland, England, UK) is a British actor, mainly known for his television work. ... Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ...

Synopsis

Susan Foreman looks like an ordinary 15-year-old girl, but seems to possess scientific knowledge far beyond her years. When schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright try to solve the mystery of this unearthly child, they find that a police box in a junkyard holds the secrets of time and space... Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ... Barbara Wright is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ... A police box is a telephone kiosk or callbox for use by members of the police. ...

Plot

Ian and Barbara discover the secret of Susan, the unearthly child.

Schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright become concerned about one of their pupils, Susan Foreman. She seems to have a very alien outlook on 1963 England and though her knowledge of some issues is very advanced, she has other curious gaps in her basic understanding or extends concepts beyond their normal parameters. Following her home, Ian and Barbara discover that she appears to live in a junkyard with her grandfather. In fact, Susan and her grandfather, the Doctor, are aliens, who travel through time and space in the TARDIS, a time machine disguised as a police box that is much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. When Ian and Barbara stumble into the TARDIS, the Doctor, who appears to be a wanderer and a fugitive, decides that it is too dangerous to remain in 1963 London and so dematerialises the TARDIS with himself, Susan and the two schoolteachers on board. Image File history File links Anunearthlychild. ... Image File history File links Anunearthlychild. ... Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ... Barbara Wright is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ... Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Extraterrestrial life is life that exists and originates outside the planet Earth, the only place in the universe currently known by humans to support life. ... The Third Doctor emerging from the TARDIS in the 1970 serial Spearhead from Space. ... A police box is a telephone kiosk or callbox for use by members of the police. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

The four travel to back to the Stone Age as very uneasy companions, Ian and Barbara blaming the Doctor for having kidnapped them from contemporary society. They also have difficulty believing they have actually travelled in time, but the remoteness of their situation and the vileness of the civilisation they encounter convinces them that they have indeed been taken far back into the past. The Doctor is concerned too because the exterior of the TARDIS does not seem to have changed when the ship rematerialised – Susan explains that the ship is supposed to change its appearance to blend in with its surroundings, but for some reason it has remained in the shape of a police box. Stone Age fishing hook. ...

They soon become involved in the power struggles of a stone age tribe (known in an early working title of the serial as the Tribe of Gum), where leader Za is being mocked for not being able to produce fire, which his father, the previous leader, was able to do. Kal, an interloper from another tribe, only heightens the tension when he offers himself as an alternative leader who could make fire. His evidence is the Doctor, whom he saw trying to light his pipe, but the old man has dropped his matches and is unable to help. As a punishment the four time travellers are incarcerated in the hideous Cave of Skulls, containing remnants of executed people and sacrifices, and promised a similar fate for refusing to co-operate. They are freed by Old Mother, the naïve widow of the last tribal leader, who believes that they could make fire but does not want them to do so, as she considers it a bad omen. The four travellers then flee into a Paleolithic forest pursued by Za and his partner Hur.

When Za and Hur catch up with them the tribal leader is attacked by a wild beast and seriously injured. The Doctor is so desperate to leave that he contemplates killing the caveman, but is stopped by Ian. They build a makeshift stretcher to help convey Za back to the tribal settlement, hoping by doing so to prove their good intentions. However, in their absence Kal has killed Old Mother and blamed it on Za. The four travellers are returned to the Cave of Skulls, this time with Old Mother’s body for company, but Za recovers and offers them safety. In return, Ian is eventually able to make fire for Za using friction for a spark. Za has further confirmed the leadership of the tribe by killing the usurper Kal and, with fire at his disposal, is undisputed leader. In this security he decrees that the travellers will merge with his tribe rather than leave and orders them confined to the Cave indefinitely. Friction is the force that opposes the relative motion or tendency toward such motion of two surfaces in contact. ...

Susan eventually devises a plan to scare and distract the tribespeople enough to allow them to flee. Four skulls are placed on top of burning torches, and this ghoulish vision is enough to allow them to escape back into the forest. This time the four travellers make it back inside the TARDIS before the tribe can capture them and, once they are ensconced, the ship dematerialises once more.

Cast

• Dr. Who — William Hartnell
• Ian Chesterton — William Russell
• Barbara Wright — Jacqueline Hill
• Susan Foreman — Carole Ann Ford
• Za — Derek Newark
• Hur — Alethea Charlton
• Old Mother — Eileen Way
• Kal — Jeremy Young
• Horg — Howard Lang

The Doctor is the central fictional character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also features in a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series. ... William Hartnell in a publicity still as the First Doctor William Henry Hartnell (January 8, 1908–April 23, 1975), a British actor, was the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966. ... Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ... William Russell (born Russell Enoch on November 19, 1924 in Sunderland, England, UK) is a British actor, mainly known for his television work. ... Barbara Wright is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and a companion of the First Doctor. ... Jacqueline Hill Jacqueline Hill (born 17 December 1929, died 18 February 1993) is a British actress best known for her role as Barbara Wright in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Carole Ann Ford (born June 1940) is a British actress best known for her role as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Derek Newark is an English actor. ... Alethea Charlton is a British actress. ... Eileen Way (2 September 1911–16 June 1994) was a British actress who appeared in many film and television roles in a career dating back to the 1930s. ... Jeremy Young is a British actor. ... Howard Lang was a British actor (born 1911, died 12 December 1989). ...

Continuity

• The second episode mentions the malfunction of the ship's ability to change its appearance to blend in with the background. Later stories would identify this as the chameleon circuit.
• When Ian calls the Doctor "Dr Foreman" in the second episode of this story, he gets the reply "Eh, Doctor who? What's he talking about?" Although at this stage the question is primarily presented to make a plot point (the Doctor's name is not Foreman), it is the first usage of the series' title in dialogue. The question would later be asked for humorous effect, a joke which has been repeated several times in the series.
• In the second part of this story, the Doctor is seen to smoke a pipe for the first, and last, time.
• At one point, Ian stops the Doctor from killing a caveman with a rock. While the Doctor has killed since in self-defence or as a last resort, the incongruity of the character (which was still developing) attempting to commit cold-blooded murder may shock fans who were introduced to the series through later Doctors. This scene is revisited in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel The Eight Doctors, where the Eighth Doctor is the one who persuades the First Doctor not to kill the caveman. Like all spin-off media, its canonicity in relation to the television series is unclear.
• The Doctor would return to the Foreman scrapyard on two future occasions: Attack of the Cybermen and Remembrance of the Daleks. Remembrance of the Daleks takes place in November,when the Doctor first appeared, as a calendar is visible in one of it's episodes, but it is likely it is set soon after the events of An Unearthly Child.

The Eight Doctors was the first novel in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range. ... The Eight Doctors (ISBN 0563405635) is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... The Eighth Doctor is the name given to the eighth incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Attack of the Cybermen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from January 5 - January 12, 1985. ... Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 5 to October 26, 1988. ...

Outside references

In the first episode, Susan is scolded for not knowing how many shillings are in a pound; she replies that she had forgotten that decimalisation of British currency "hasn't started yet." Discussions on decimalisation of British currency dated back to the 19th century. The Halsbury Committee on the Inquiry on Decimal Currency was set up in 1961 and presented its report in 1963, although adoption of its recommendations was not announced until 1966 and not implemented until 1971 on Decimal Day. Decimalisation of British currency did not change the pound and so the number of shillings in a pound remained at 20, although the term eventually ceased to be in common usage. The shilling was a British coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first shilling. ... ISO 4217 Code GBP User(s) United Kingdom Inflation 2. ... Decimalisation (or Decimalization) refers to any process of converting from traditional units, usually of money, to a decimal system. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Production

The serial that became An Unearthly Child was originally commissioned from writer Anthony Coburn in June 1963, when it was intended to run as the second Doctor Who serial. At this stage, it was planned that the series would open with a serial entitled The Giants, to be written by BBC staff scriptwriter C. E. Webber.^[1] Webber had been heavily involved in the brainstorming meetings which had led to the creation of Doctor Who, and — with BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman and Head of Serials Donald Wilson — had co-written the initial format document for the series. Cecil Edwin Webber (known as C. E. Webber and nicknamed Bunny by his colleagues) was a British television writer. ... Sydney Cecil Newman OC (April 1, 1917—October 30, 1997) was a Canadian film and television producer, best remembered for the pioneering work he undertook in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. ... Donald Wilson (born September 1, 1910, Dunblane, Scotland; died March 6, 2002, Gloucestershire, England) was a British television writer and producer, best known for his work on the BBCs adaptation of The Forsyte Saga in 1967. ... The bible of a television series, sometimes more prosaically referred to as the writers guide, is the standard reference used by writers for information on that shows characters, settings and other elements. ...

By the middle of June, however, Wilson and Doctor Who's initial "caretaker producer" Rex Tucker decided to reject The Giants. This was partly because it was felt the serial lacked the necessary impact for an opener, and partly because it was felt that the technical requirements of the storyline — which involved the leading characters being drastically reduced in size — would be beyond the capacities of the young series at this point, given the facilities available.^[1] Due to the lack of scripts ready for production, it was decided to move Coburn's serial up to first in the run.^[1] Rex Tucker was a British television director in the 1950s and 1960s. ...

By the end of June, responsibility for getting Doctor Who off the ground was handed over to producer Verity Lambert and script editor David Whitaker, neither of whom were impressed with Coburn's serial, upon which the writer was asked to carry out major rewrites.^[1] There was even some consideration given to dropping the scripts altogether, with writer Terence Dudley briefly sounded out about providing a replacement, but a lack of time necessitated Coburn's serial going ahead.^[1] Verity Lambert (born November 27, 1935 in London, England, UK) is a British television and film producer, best known for producing the science-fiction series Doctor Who for the BBC for its first two years, from 1963 to 1965. ... Script Editor is a program included with Mac OS that allows AppleScripts to be written, debugged, and ran. ... David Whitaker (1928 - February 4, 1980) helped create the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and served as the series first script editor. ... Terence Dudley was a television director of many years standing who directed many programmes for the BBC. In 1980 he began an association with Doctor Who when he directed Meglos for John Nathan-Turner. ...

Coburn's script for the very first episode is believed to have been heavily based on Webber's script for the opening episode of The Giants — Webber received a co-writer's credit for it on internal BBC documentation, although not on-screen.^[1] Coburn did, however, make several notable additions of his own, chiefly the idea that Susan should be the Doctor's granddaughter rather than simply a travelling companion, and that the Doctor's time machine should externally resemble a police box — this went on to become one of the main icons of the programme. Coburn had the idea for the design when he came across a real police box while on a walk near his office.^[1] A police box is a telephone kiosk or callbox for use by members of the police. ...

The serial as a whole was originally to have been directed by Rex Tucker, but when he moved on from the series young staff director Waris Hussein, who had been attached to Doctor Who from an early stage, was given the assignment.^[1] Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at Ealing Studios in early October, were directed by Hussein's production assistant, Douglas Camfield.^[1] The incidental music score was provided by Norman Kay. The scenic designer assigned to the serial was Peter Brachacki, who originated the distinctive TARDIS interior set, but he eventually handled only the very first episode before being replaced by Barry Newbery, as he was unhappy with working on the programme.^[1] Waris Hussein (born December 9, 1938 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India) is a British-Indian television director, best known for his many productions for British television. ... Ealing Studios, a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London, claims to be the oldest film studio in the world. ... Production assistant is a movie term for a person responsible for various odd jobs, such as stopping traffic, acting as couriers, getting items from craft service, etc. ... Douglas Camfield was an accomplished director for television in the 1960s to the 1980s. ... Norman Kay (5 January 1929–12 May 2001) was a British composer. ... Peter Brachacki was a production designer who worked for BBC Television in the 1960s. ...

The first version of the opening episode was shot at Lime Grove Studios on the evening of September 27, 1963, following a week of rehearsals. The second attempt at the opening episode was shot on October 18, with the following three episodes being shot weekly from that point onwards on October 25, November 1 and November 8.^[1] As with much British television of the era, the episodes were predominantly videotaped "as live", with little scope for re-takes or breaks in recording. Lime Grove Studios was a film studio complex built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915 situated in a street named Lime Grove, near Hammersmith, west London and described by Gaumont as the finest studio in Great Britain and the first building ever put up in this country solely for... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... Bottom view of VHS videotape cassette with magnetic tape exposed Videotape is a means of recording television pictures and accompanying sound onto magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. ... Live television refers to television broadcasts of events or performances on a delay of between zero and fifteen seconds, rather than from video recordings or film. ...

In many ways, the serial consists of two stories; there is a strong discontinuity between the first episode, introducing the characters and establishing the premise of the series, and the three episodes set in the Paleolithic. The first episode, in particular, is often seen as a classic of television science fiction (though the contemporary critical reaction was somewhat less positive). The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (Greek παλαιός paleos=old and λίθος lithos=stone or the Old Stone Age) was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

Pilot episode

William Hartnell and Carole Ann Ford in the original pilot episode. Note the change in costumes compared to the screen capture of the same scene, above.

The first episode, "An Unearthly Child", was originally recorded a month before full recording on the series began. However, the initial recording was bedevilled with technical problems and errors made during the performance. A particular problem occurred with the doors leading into the TARDIS control room which would not close properly, instead randomly opening and closing through the early part of the scene. Two versions of the scene set in the TARDIS were recorded, along with an aborted first attempt to start the second version. Image File history File linksMetadata UnearthlyPilot. ... Image File history File linksMetadata UnearthlyPilot. ... William Hartnell in a publicity still as the First Doctor William Henry Hartnell (January 8, 1908–April 23, 1975), a British actor, was the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966. ... Carole Ann Ford (born June 1940) is a British actress best known for her role as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

Sydney Newman, after viewing the episode, met producer Verity Lambert and director Waris Hussein. He indicated the many faults he found with the pilot and ordered that it be mounted again; a consequence of this was the delay of the show's planned November 16, 1963 premiere date. This initial episode is now known as the unaired "pilot episode", although it was never intended as such, since the practice of producing pilot episodes did not exist in Britain in the 1960s. November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

During the weeks between the two tapings, changes were made to costuming, effects, performances, and the script (which had originally featured a more callous and threatening Doctor, and Susan doing strange things like flicking ink blots onto paper). Changes made before the final version was filmed include a thunderclap sound effect being deleted from the opening theme music; Susan's dress being changed to make her look more like a schoolgirl than the original costume which made her appear more alien and sensual; the Doctor's costume being changed from a normal suit and tie to his familiar, Edwardian clothing; a reference to the Doctor and Susan being from the 49th Century being replaced by them being from "another time, another world"; the TARDIS door being repaired so that it closed properly; and a refinement of the TARDIS sound effect.

The original episode was not broadcast until August 26, 1991 when the BBC aired a version that edited together the first half of the taping with one of the two completed second halves. As it happened, the version chosen was the one in which the TARDIS doors would not close; other errors included actress Carole Ann Ford flubbing a line of dialogue, Jacqueline Hill getting caught in a doorway, a camera banging into a piece of scenery during one of the scrapyard sequences, and William Russell accidentially knocking over a mannequin in the scrapyard. This version was later released on the VHS compilation The Hartnell Years. In late 2005, the Doctor Who: The Beginning DVD set (released in North America in March 2006) contained two versions of the episode: an unedited studio recording including all takes of the second part of the show, and a newly created version of the pilot that uses the best footage from the original recording, with additional editing and digital adjustments to remove blown lines, technical problems, and reduce studio noise. Like the other episodes from this serial, both versions of the "pilot" were remastered for DVD release, using VidFIRE technology that simulated the original video look of the 1963 production. August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... VidFIRE, short for Video Field Interpolation Restoration Effect, is a restoration technique developed by Peter Finklestone. ...

Alternative titles

As was usual at the beginning of the series' history, no overall title appeared on-screen, and each episode has its own title. 100,000 BC is the title that was used by the production team at the time of transmission. However, due to the absence of an overall onscreen title for the four episode storyline, reference works have used various different titles, some originating from the BBC production office and others seemingly invented by fans.

Titles used for the story include, in rough chronological order:

• The Tribe of Gum - An early working title which was used up until the beginning of recording. It survived in a few documents derived from earlier paperwork, such as the payments for overseas sales, and started appearing again in reference works in the late 1970s and 1980s, including being used when the teleplay was published by Titan Books.
• The Paleolithic Age - Used by producer Verity Lambert in a letter to a viewer in late 1964.
• The Stone Age - Used on the biography listing on a publicity release for a later story in late 1965.
• An Unearthly Child (or variants thereof) - The title of the first episode, used by the 1973 Radio Times Tenth Anniversary Special and subsequently by the 1976 edition of The Making of Doctor Who, with much subsequent commercial use including the novelisation, VHS and DVD releases of the story.
• The Cavemen - A quick description of the story material used in a 1974 fan listing due to the seeming lack of any other title.

Many documents lack any title at all (whereas for later stories they are clearer), including the 1974 BBC Enterprises listing "A Quick Guide to Doctor Who" which was the main source of titles for most early fan reference works. A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ... Titan Books is a UK publisher of graphic novels. ... Verity Lambert (born November 27, 1935 in London, England, UK) is a British television and film producer, best known for producing the science-fiction series Doctor Who for the BBC for its first two years, from 1963 to 1965. ... Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ... A novelization (or novelisation in British English) is a work of fiction that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ...

Which title should be used is a subject that has generated deep controversy amongst fans of the series. Fan researchers such as David J. Howe argue that since 100,000 BC was used by the production team at the time of transmission, it is the most accurate title. However, the BBC tends to market the story as An Unearthly Child. Consequently, this become the most common title used for the story in recent years (see also Doctor Who story title controversy). The four episodes of the serial were, respectively, "An Unearthly Child", "The Cave of Skulls", "The Forest of Fear" and "The Firemaker". David J. Howe is a British novelist, writer, journalist, publisher, and media historian. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... The Doctor Who story title controversy is a debate amongst fans of the BBC television series Doctor Who as to what certain stories should be called. ...

In print

The Target novelisation by Terrance Dicks.

Terrance Dicks wrote the Target Books novelisation of this story, initially published as Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child in October 1981. A French language version of the novelisation with the title Docteur Who entre en scène (literally, Doctor Who takes the stage) was published in 1987. A 1990 German edition published by Goldmann was one of six Doctor Who novels from that publisher, this being the only not involving the Daleks. The German title was "Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen" (Doctor Who and the Child of the Stars). It was the first target novelisation to feature the "bar logo". Image File history File links Target68. ... Image File history File links Target68. ... Terrance Dicks Terrance Dicks (born 1935 in East Ham, London, England, UK) is a British writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular childrens books during the 1970s and 80s. ... Terrance Dicks Terrance Dicks (born 1935 in East Ham, London, England, UK) is a British writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular childrens books during the 1970s and 80s. ... Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... Goldmann is one of the largest publishing houses in Germany. ...

The First Doctor's appearance in the BBC Books Eighth Doctor Adventures novel The Eight Doctors, also by Dicks, occurs during this story. The Eight Doctors was the first novel in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range. ... The Eight Doctors (ISBN 0563405635) is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

Broadcast and video releases

• The first episode was transmitted the day after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. There is a myth that the transmission was delayed by ten minutes due to extended news coverage; in fact, it went out just eighty seconds late.^[2] However, due to the fact that it was felt that the coverage of the events of the assassination as well as a series of power blackouts across the country may have caused too many viewers to miss this introduction to a new series it was broadcast again on November 30, just before the broadcast of episode two. This repeat was not broadcast in Northern Ireland. The repeat is to date the only occasion in the series' history that an episode starring William Hartnell has been repeated on the BBC's main channel, BBC One (then simply "BBC Television").
• This story represented the First Doctor in "The Five Faces of Doctor Who" on BBC2 in 1981.
• This story was originally released on VHS in 1990. It was rereleased and remastered in 2000. It was subsequently released with The Daleks and The Edge of Destruction in the DVD box set "The Beginning".

Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK, John Kennedy or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th president of the United States. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... Motto:  (Latin for Who will separate us?)[1] Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Ulster Scots, Irish3, Northern Ireland Sign Language, Irish Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the primary channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC. History The channel was scheduled to begin at 7:20pm on April 20, 1964 and show an evening of light entertainment, starting with the comedy show The Alberts and... Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Vertical Helical Scan, better known by its abbreviation VHS (and often confused to be Video Home System) is a recording and playing standard for analog video cassette recorders (VCRs), developed by... The Daleks (also known as The Mutants, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast weekly from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964. ... The Edge of Destruction (also known as Inside the Spaceship, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 2 weekly parts on February 8 and February 15, 1964. ... DVD (commonly known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

References

David J. Howe is a British novelist, writer, journalist, publisher, and media historian. ... Mark Stammers is a graphic designer, editor and author best known for his work related to the BBC Television series Doctor Who. ... Stephen James Walker is a writer and editor most associated with his work relating to the BBC Television series Doctor Who, usually with co-editors David J. Howe and/or Mark Stammers. ... Virgin Books is the book publishing arm of Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company. ... David J. Howe is a British novelist, writer, journalist, publisher, and media historian. ... Mark Stammers is a graphic designer, editor and author best known for his work related to the BBC Television series Doctor Who. ... Stephen James Walker is a writer and editor most associated with his work relating to the BBC Television series Doctor Who, usually with co-editors David J. Howe and/or Mark Stammers. ... Telos Publishing Ltd. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ...

External links

• An Unearthly Child at bbc.co.uk
• 100,000 BC at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
• 100,000 BC at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
• An Unearthly Child at Outpost Gallifrey

The URL bbc. ... Outpost Gallifrey is a fan website for the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

Reviews

• An Unearthly Child reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
• An Unearthly Child original pilot reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
• An Unearthly Child reviews at Outpost Gallifrey
• The Whoniverse's review on An Unearthly Child

Outpost Gallifrey is a fan website for the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ...

Target novelisation

• Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child reviews at Outpost Gallifrey
• On Target — Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child