An Unearthly Child

[lostcarpark]

Jack said he wanted to watch the very first episode of Doctor Who, so we watched An Unearthly Child. Jack was glued to the screen, though he asked why there were no aliens towards the end.

I hadn't noticed before, but the tone of the first episode is quite similar in tone to Rose, the first of the new series, with Susan's teachers taking on the role of conspiracy theory investigators. Of course, there is a stark difference in the Doctor's attitude to humans. The first doctor had presumably been round the galaxy a couple of times, but this would appear to be his first visit to Earth, and he is deeply mistrustful of humans.

Comments

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

I recently read Kim Newman's book on "Doctor Who" (slight, but entertaining and informative) and I'd be very interested in seeing all the various versions of the first episode (the pilot, the edited and unedited version of the transmitted first episode). Do you have the DVD set (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000C6EMTC/026-5968449-4386023?v=glance&n=283926&s=dvd&v=glance)? It seems that the original Doctor was very different from the Doctor we later came to know, but then the First Doctor was a (very) old man. But then I've long thought they should go for an older actor for the Doctor. Eccleston and Tennant are just too damned young. How does one retcon the fact that this is the Doctor's first visit to the Earth. He's certainly got pretty wide experience of the different eras of human history. Was this all gained in Missing Adventures during the First Doctor period after "An Unearthly Child"? Does the Doctor suggest any extensive knowledge of the Earth's past (and future)in his early episodes? He certainly does in the later ones.

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

Not yet - I did the evil Bittorrent thing - but it is one I will definitely be adding to the collection.

I don't think the Doctor does, but Susan certainly does ("Oh, yes, you're not on the decimal system yet). You could be right, though, the Doctor does show off extensive historical knowledge in the Hartnell years, and from the perspective of one who has seen it all, not just read about it. It could be that when they arrived on Earth they went on a tour of our history, witnessing battles and other significant events. However, prior to Ian and Barbera stepping into the Tardis, I suspect that the Doctor's involvement with humans had been purely as an observer.

On one hand, I agree the new doctors have generally been too young, but on the other, if you're going to regenerate, why regenerate into an already worn out body? We have good reason to believe that he lived for a very long time in his first body, probably by staying out of trouble. Somehow when he got involved with humans he got a conscience and started poking his nose where he would previously thought it didn't belong, and doing things Time Lords aren't supposed to, like helping people in trouble out. That's why he's gone through eight bodies in about 1/20th of the time his first one lasted.

[nwhyte]

It's just brilliant.