The First Story
Wow, the first story of Doctor Who has a strange beginning, or at least strange to this fan. I suppose this is a way for the creators and show runner bring interest for the show. Personally, I would not have thought to start the show with the TARDIS in a junkyard. To some people this will be trashy. A junkyard, really, how bad can you get. A junkyard does not scream high intelligence, but what it does do is give cover for the Doctor. Cover he needs since he is an alien and does not want anyone to find him.
Well, his cover does not last long because of some very nosy teachers. But I do understand their concern. This is a teachers life. They are to care about their students and take time to find out about their problems. But I do not know that they went about it the correct way. I have a teachers heart and if I see a student confused and having trouble reconciling an issue I will step in and try to figure out what is going on.
This first story airs for the first time on November 23rd 1963 and begins a journey which continues until today. Unknown to Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, Susan is an alien, Hence the title of Unearthly Child. I really give away some of the information before I begin my commentary, but I suppose that is alright. Really, I do not know whether I will ever begin a television show as they do this one. I probably won’t ever be apart of one anyway some my opinion is just that an opinion. Ian and Barbara are Susan’s teachers at Coal Hill School and they notice that she is confused by some of the ideas they are using to teach her about science and history. As I mention earlier, they do what I personally will do when and if I become a teacher. They show concern and follow Susan home.
What they find isn’t like anything they expect. Now, these two according to the show are humans and the Doctor and Susan are aliens. At this time, the writer do not reveal the Doctor’s and Susan’s planet of origin. We are only given that they are aliens on the run from their people. Which is the mystery that writers build the show. The developers of the show want the Doctor to be mysterious. They keep much of who he is in the dark in hopes to keep viewers coming back to see the show.
Well, Barbara forces her way into the TARDIS and is startled at what she sees. To be honest with you I believe I would be just as startled as she is when she enters the TARDIS. At the same time they find a very rude and egotistical character in the TARDIS. This man is known as the Doctor. He does not like the fact that Susan’s teachers discover his secret. In an attempt to keep his secret the Doctor dematerializes the TARDIS.
This is where the story gets interesting. For the first time, viewers see the Doctor travel through time and space. When the TARDIS rematerializes they are 100,000 years in the past. Wow, now that is a trip. What will I do if I find myself that far in the past in modern day clothes and Blue Police Box. Well, do not know, but as for the Doctor he gets involved in the people of the time.
When the story first airs the viewers do not know much about this Doctor on their television screen. Therefore, they do not know that he is going to get involved with the people of the era he lands. Being that it is now 50 some odd years since this shows release, I know what he is going to do. I can say with confidence I know there is going to be something for the Doctor help these people with and for him to make right. The Doctor’s mo is to help the less fortunate and make wrongs right.
Until the late 80’s, I did not even know about the Doctor’s granddaughter or the full story from the beginning. It not until recently I have watched the first story of Doctor Who. Overall, I like the story and what the team is trying to do. Taking the audience back to time where the people are working on finding fire and showing how people may have lived during the Stone Age. This is the principle of the show in the beginning. Since they are directing the show towards children, they want to make it educational for them. What a brilliant idea! Well, it works eve today as they continue to use different historical events with in the show.
I love this show and will always look for historical events where the Doctor may just popup. The creator of teh show made a great choice in the title and because of the creativity and imagination of the creator and the creative team the show lives on.