An Unearthly Child

The journey begins in a London junkyard, where two teachers discover a time machine larger on the inside than out.

An Unearthly Child, sometimes referred to as 100,000 BC, is the first serial of Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. Scripted by Anthony Coburn, it introduces William Hartnell as the First Doctor and his original companions: Carole Ann Ford as his granddaughter Susan Foreman, alongside school teachers Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and Ian Chesterton (William Russell). The serial was created to fill a Saturday evening programming gap between sports and pop music shows. Conceived by Sydney Newman, with heavy contributions from Donald Wilson and C. E. Webber, the production was led by Verity Lambert, the BBC's first female drama producer, and directed by Waris Hussein.

Quick Facts

Doctor

William Hartnell – First Doctor

Companions

William Russell – Ian Chesterton
Jacqueline Hill – Barbara Wright
Carole Ann Ford – Susan Foreman

Director

Waris Hussein

Writer

Anthony Coburn, C. E. Webber (episode 1)

Script editor

David Whitaker

Producer

Verity Lambert

Composer

Norman Kay

Series

Season 1

Lore & Background

At Coal Hill School, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright grow concerned about pupil Susan Foreman's alien outlook. Investigating her address, they find a police box containing a technologically advanced control room far larger than its exterior. Inside, an elderly man reveals he and Susan are exiles from their home planet. Refusing to let the teachers leave, he sets the TARDIS in flight, landing them in a Stone Age setting. There, primitive factions led by Za and Kal struggle for power after losing the secret of fire. The group is ambushed, imprisoned in a cave, and threatened with sacrifice until they can make fire. Ian succeeds in lighting a torch, but Kal attacks Za and is killed. Susan discovers that placing skulls over burning flames creates terrifying illusions. This allows the group to flee back to the TARDIS, escaping through time and space to an unknown forest.

Reader's Guide

An Unearthly Child consists of four weekly episodes broadcast from 23 November to 14 December 1963. The story begins in contemporary London at a junkyard where Ian and Barbara investigate Susan Foreman, discovering the TARDIS. After being taken aboard, they are transported to a Stone Age setting involving warring factions over the secret of fire. Key moments include the Doctor's refusal to let them leave, the imprisonment in a cave, and the use of burning skulls to escape Kal's tribe.

The serial was originally intended to open with a scrapped story called 'The Giants' written by C.E. Webber; due to script delays, Coburn's untitled second serial was moved to first. Production faced delays, with the pilot recorded on 27 September 1963 on 405-line black and white videotape but re-recorded the following month due to technical errors. The launch was overshadowed by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy the previous day, leading to a repeat of the first episode.

Did You Know?

Carole Ann Ford, who played Susan, was only 23 years old at the time but typically played younger roles.
Sydney Newman conceived the idea of the TARDIS being larger on the inside than the outside, as well as the character of the Doctor.