Policeman (An Unearthly Child)

Policeman
Job:	Police officer, Constable
Affiliated with:	PC Cranfield, Sergeant Clough, The Doctor's TARDIS
Place of origin:	Earth
Mother:	Margery Whittam
Father:	Arthur Whittam
Partner:	Emma Clarke
First appearance:	An Unearthly Child
Appearances:	PROSE: An Unearthly Child PROSE: Shada TV: Doctor Who: 50 Years AUDIO: The Last Day at Work
Main actor:	Reg Cranfield
Other actors:	Fred Rawlings, Joseph Paxton

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On 22 November, 1963, a policeman walked past the TARDIS stationed inside 76 Totter's Lane in Shoreditch. (TV: An Unearthly Child ^[+]Loading...["An Unearthly Child (TV story)"], PROSE: An Unearthly Child ^[+]Loading...["An Unearthly Child (short story)"], Who Killed Kennedy ^[+]Loading...["Who Killed Kennedy (novel)"])

Identity

Various conflicting accounts existed regarding the policeman's identity. (PROSE: Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child (novelisation)"], Shroud of Sorrow ^[+]Loading...["Shroud of Sorrow (novel)"], AUDIO: The Last Day at Work ^[+]Loading...["The Last Day at Work (audio story)"])

According to one account, this policeman was PC Fred Rawlings, a human policeman. (PROSE: Shroud of Sorrow ^[+]Loading...["Shroud of Sorrow (novel)"])

According to another account, he was Constable Bernard Whittam, a projection of the TARDIS's chameleon circuit designed to accompany its police box exterior, however this projection went on to live a life for five years afterwards. (AUDIO: The Last Day at Work ^[+]Loading...["The Last Day at Work (audio story)"])

Biography

The policeman patrolled the Shoreditch area through Totter's Lane on a foggy night on 22 November 1963. (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy ^[+]Loading...["Who Killed Kennedy (novel)"]) As he passed 76 Totter's Lane, he shone his torch on its wooden gate, which read "I.M. Foreman — Scrap Merchant — 76 Totters Lane". He paused for a moment, then moved on to continue his patrol, (TV: "An Unearthly Child" ^[+]Part of An Unearthly Child, Loading...{"namedep":"An Unearthly Child (1)","1":"An Unearthly Child (TV story)"}, PROSE: "Prologue" ^[+]Part of An Unearthly Child, Loading...{"namedpart":"Prologue","1":"An Unearthly Child (short story)"}) failing to notice one of the gates swing open. (PROSE: "Prologue" ^[+]Part of An Unearthly Child, Loading...{"namedpart":"Prologue","1":"An Unearthly Child (short story)"})

The policeman did not notice nor bother about the humming sound coming from the Doctor's TARDIS that was hidden inside the junkyard. (TV: "An Unearthly Child" ^[+]Part of An Unearthly Child, Loading...{"namedep":"An Unearthly Child (1)","1":"An Unearthly Child (TV story)"}, etc.)

According to one account, the policeman had stopped by before and had noticed the police box, and found it curious that such a thing should be in a junkyard — reasoning to himself that the box was there because it had worn out and had been sold for scrap. He had heard a rumour that police boxes were eventually going to be phased out altogether in favour of every constable having a personal walkie-talkie radio but personally didn't believe such a thing would ever happen. The policeman returned to the junkyard the next night to find the police box gone and ended up thinking he must have imagined it. (PROSE: Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child (novelisation)"])

According to another account, when PC Rawlings returned to his police station, Sergeant Clough observed that Rawlings was "as white as a sheet [and was] blabbering on about people in the mist who weren't really there". Rawlings then claimed to his fellow officer Reg Cranfield that he had come down with the flu, leaving Cranfield to take Rawlings' shift on 23 November, though Reg suspected that Rawlings had had one too many drinks at the Rose and Crown. (PROSE: Shroud of Sorrow ^[+]Loading...["Shroud of Sorrow (novel)"])

According to a third account, Bernard Whittam lived on for five years afterwards, unaware of his nature as a facet of the TARDIS's chameleon circuit. In his new life, he had a mother, Margery Whittam, and a father, Arthur Whittam. He also had a wife, Emma Clarke. (AUDIO: The Last Day at Work ^[+]Loading...["The Last Day at Work (audio story)"])

Legacy

After Skagra was captured by the Ship, it played the first scan of the Doctor's adventures it could find - the scratchy, monochrome opening sequence formed on the holo-screen of an Earth policeman walking down a foggy London street. (PROSE: Shada ^[+]Loading...["Shada (novelisation)"])

Behind the scenes

• The policeman has the honour of being the first character to appear on-screen in Doctor Who.
• He was portrayed by Joseph Paxton for the 50 Years trailer.
• Reg Cranfield played the policeman seen during the opening credits of "The Pilot Episode" and "An Unearthly Child" according to the BBC Production Paperwork, but the role in the Pilot Episode was actually played by Fred Rawlings which was the only casting change between it and the broadcast episode. Either these sources are mistaken or Rawlings played the part in one of the unused versions and the BBC Production Paperwork is mistaken.