An Unearthly Child
- Episode aired Nov 23, 1963
- TV-G
- 23m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Two schoolteachers investigate the personal life of one of their brilliant students and her mysterious grandfather.Two schoolteachers investigate the personal life of one of their brilliant students and her mysterious grandfather.Two schoolteachers investigate the personal life of one of their brilliant students and her mysterious grandfather.
Leslie Bates
- Shadow
- (uncredited)
Francesca Bertorelli
- Schoolgirl
- (uncredited)
Reg Cranfield
- Policeman
- (uncredited)
Heather Lyons
- Schoolgirl
- (uncredited)
Mavis Ranson
- Schoolgirl
- (uncredited)
Frederick Rawlings
- Policeman
- (uncredited)
Peter Sallis
- Policeman
- (uncredited)
Brian Thomas
- Schoolboy
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Waris Hussein
- Douglas Camfield(film inserts) (uncredited)
- Writers
- Anthony Coburn
- David Whitaker
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen this episode was first aired, parts of Britain were suffering a power failure. It was also the day after President Kennedy was assassinated. Both of these factors meant the program was only seen by a disappointing 4.4 million people. When repeated a week later, it was watched by 6 million.
- GoofsAfter entering the TARDIS the top of the set is visible above and behind Ian as he says "you can't keep us here."
- Quotes
The Doctor: We are not of this race. We are not of this earth. Susan and I are wanderers in the fourth dimension of space and time, cut off from our own people by distances beyond the reach of your most advanced science.
- Alternate versionsFour versions of this episode exist. Besides the final broadcast version there was also a trial pilot run-through that was not broadcast initially due to technical problems. The 2006 DVD release "Doctor Who: The Beginning" contains an unedited version of this pilot, with several different takes of the TARDIS sequence. A specially made re-edited version of the pilot is included for the first time in this set, using the best takes and digitally manipulating others to remove errors. Previously, an alternate edit of the pilot -- which included dialogue and prop errors -- was broadcast on the BBC and released on VHS.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Lively Arts: Whose Dr. Who (1977)
- SoundtracksThree Guitars Mood 2
(uncredited)
Composed by Derek Nelson and Arthur Raymond
Performed by The Arthur Nelson Group
(playing on Susan's radio)
Featured review
A Great Start to a Long Running Series
While growing up, the only "Doctor Who" episodes which I had ever seen were from the 1970's and early 1980's. I did not get a chance to see the earliest episodes of the show until the late 1980's. When I finally had the opportunity to watch "An Unearthly Child," I was thrilled!
"An Unearthly Child" did not disappoint me. The episode started with a mystery. When the two school teachers began to investigate the matter, they had no idea of where their inquiries would lead them. The episode featured an excellent story with great characters. It also contained a lot of atmosphere. The ending of this episode was the beginning of one of television's longest-running adventures.
For fans of the later episodes of the "Doctor Who" series, "An Unearthly Child" is something of a curiosity. For a television phenomenon which has endured for more than five decades, there is the question of how it all started. I highly recommend "An Unearthly Child."
"An Unearthly Child" did not disappoint me. The episode started with a mystery. When the two school teachers began to investigate the matter, they had no idea of where their inquiries would lead them. The episode featured an excellent story with great characters. It also contained a lot of atmosphere. The ending of this episode was the beginning of one of television's longest-running adventures.
For fans of the later episodes of the "Doctor Who" series, "An Unearthly Child" is something of a curiosity. For a television phenomenon which has endured for more than five decades, there is the question of how it all started. I highly recommend "An Unearthly Child."
helpful•40
- brian_m_hass
- Apr 5, 2015
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- An Unearthly Child (Pilot)
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime23 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 4:3
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What is the broadcast (satellite or terrestrial TV) release date of An Unearthly Child (1963) in Australia?
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