The Pilot Episode

The Pilot Episode
Doctor:	[[doctor::First Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Susan Foreman (Introduction) Barbara Wright (Introduction) Ian Chesterton (Introduction)
Main enemy:	The Doctor
Main setting:	1963
Key crew
Writer:	Anthony Coburn
Director:	Waris Hussein
Producer:	Verity Lambert
Release details
Release number:	0
Premiere broadcast:	26th August 1991
Format:	1 25-minute Episode An Unearthly Child
Production code:	Not Applicable

The Pilot Episode was the first ever filmed Doctor Who story. It was an early version of what became An Unearthly Child. It had many differences to the final version and was scrapped by Sydney Newman, calling it "...the worst piece of work I've seen in a long time." (In Their Own Words Volume One)

Summary

The Pilot is made up of two sections.

Section 1 are the scenes of An Unearthly Child set in the School, Ian's car and the Junkyard. They are very similar to the broadcast version but with a few minor changes.

Section 2 is made up of 3 parts:

Part 1 - The scenes set inside the TARDIS Console room. This version has several technical problems and problems with the dialogue

Part 2 - Begins with the teachers and Doctor entering the TARDIS, there is some kind of problem and the take is abandoned.

Part 3 - The scene from the teachers first entering the TARDIS until the end of the episode, comlete with end credits of An Unearthly Child.

Cast

• Dr Who - William Hartnell
• Ian Chesterton - William Russell
• Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill
• Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford
• Policeman - Reg Cranfield
• School Children - Carole Clarke, Mavis Ransom, Francesca Bertorelli, Heather Lyons, Cedric Schoeman, Richard Wilson, Brinn Thomas
• Stand-In - Leslie Bates

Crew

• Writer - Anthony Coburn
• Director - Waris Hussein
• Producer - Verity Lambert
• Associate Producer - Mervyn Pinfield
• Story Editor - David Whitaker
• Designer - Peter Brachacki
• Incidental Music - Norman Kay

Notes

• Episode exists on 16mm telerecordings
• This episode was discovered in 1978 in a mislabeled film can
• Episode held in BBC's Film and Videotape Library
• Version 1 of the Pilot was broadcast on BBC2 on 26th August 1991 as part of The Limegrove Story, a series of programs marking the closure of the BBC Limegrove Studio's where the episode had first been recorded. It consisted of Section 1 and Section 2 part 1
• Version 2 of the Pilot was included on The Hartnell Years Video. It consists of Section 1 and Section 2 part 3. It has never been broadcast on television
• Version 3 of the Pilot was included on The Edge of Destruction Video. It consists of Section 1 and Section 2 parts 1,2, and 3
• After viewing the original pilot Sydney Newman decided that the episode needed to be remade. As well as numerous technical and dialogue problems changes were also made to the story. These primarily consisted of changing the characters of the Doctor and Susan. The Doctor was made more likeable and less confrontational, while the character of Susan is made less alien
• Although the BBC Production Paperwork states that Reg Cranfield plays the Policeman, some websites say Fred Rawlings was the actor

Influences

• The Time Machine (H.G. Wells), the first story to really popularise time travel, and a recurring theme in Doctor Who
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) - A seemingly ordinary object can be a doorway into an extraordinary world
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Doctor's motivation for kidnapping people; series creator Sydney Newman acknowledged Captain Nemo as a major influence in his original concept for the Doctor's character and personality.

Ratings

To be added.

Myths

To be added.

Location Filming

The entire episode was filmed at Lime Grove Studio D.

Continuity

• The Pilot differs considerably from An Unearthly Child.
• The Doctor shows genuine anger towards Susan rather than the affection he showed in the broadcast version

Discontinuity

• There are numerous technical difficulties throughout all of the versions

Quotes

To be added.

Story Arcs

None

Similar Stories

None

References

To be added.

More Info

• Story Synopsis
• Story Transcript
• Story Novelization
• Story Statistics
• Story in the Media
• Comparison of the Pilot Episode and An Unearthly Child

Public Releases

To be added.

External Links

BBC Episode Guide Page

Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television

BBC Production Information - The Pilot Episode

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