The Pilot Episode
The Pilot Episode was the first ever filmed Doctor Who story. It was an early version of what became An Unearthly Child, and in fact three different versions are known to exist. The story had many differences from the final version and was scrapped by Sydney Newman.
Synopsis
Schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright are curious about their student Susan Foreman, who is briliant in many areas of science and history but is ignorant of such mundane matters as how many shillings make a pound. They follow her home one evening to discover that she seems to live in a police box in a junkyard. Soon after meeting the girl's irascible grandfather, they find that the police box is in fact a fantastic vessel, the TARDIS, capable of traveling through space and time. Fearful that the schoolteachers will tell others of what they have seen, the mysterious old man, the Doctor, activates the machine's controls and whisks them away from the world they know...
Plot
The Pilot is made up of two sections.
- Section 1 are the near-identical 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 differences. For example, rather than read the book Barbara has loaned her, Susan plays with dropping ink on a sheet of paper, than doodling with the resulting inkblot, creating an image which looks like a strange alien creature. The resulting image frightens Susan.
- 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. A noticeable difference between this and the final version is that the interior of the TARDIS is visible as Barbara forces her way through the doors.
- 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
Production Crew
- Associate Producer - Mervyn Pinfield
- Story Editor - David Whitaker
- Designer - Peter Brachacki
- Incidental Music - Norman Kay
- Writer - Anthony Coburn
- Director - Waris Hussein
- Producer - Verity Lambert
Story Notes
- A copy of this episode exists on 16mm telerecordings. It was discovered in 1978 in a mislabeled film can and is currently held in the 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.
- After viewing the original pilot Sydney Newman decided that the episode needed to be remade. He even described this version as "...the worst piece of work I've seen in a long time." (In Their Own Words Volume One)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. As three different versions were made before the final transmitted version of "An Unearthly Child," it is possible that the two actors may have both played the role, only in different versions.
- In this version, the TARDIS interior is riefly visible as Barbara forces her way through the doors. Curiously, this effect was not used in the final transmitted version or in any story of the original series, with actors being seen entering a dark interior of the plice box prop. Viewing the console room from outside, however, has become a standard effect of the new series.
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; series creator Sydney Newman acknowledged Captain Nemo as a major influence in his original concept for the Doctor's character and personality.
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.
DVD, Video, and Audio Releases
- 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.
External Links
Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television
