Untitled (1963 trailer)

You may wish to consult Untitled for other, similarly-named pages.

In preparation for the transmission of An Unearthly Child, an untitled trailer was recorded with William Hartnell introducing the concept of the show. It not only described the plot of the first episode, but also featured mention of a "series of adventures" which would air weekly. While some have speculated or claimed that this also doubled as a televised trailer, only the radio version has ever been confirmed through documentation.

This is one of the few pieces of transmitted Doctor Who media which is considered to be totally lost, as most other missing episodes have survived through the means of off-air audio recordings at least. Only the script survives, and as Hartnell has held up a reputation for "adapting" lines written for him, it's not impossible that the original written text is not entirely accurate to how it was transmitted.

The script is as follows:

"My name is William Hartnell and, as Doctor Who, I make my debut on Saturday the 23rd November at 5.15. The Doctor is an extraordinary old man from another world who owns a time and space machine. He and his grand-daughter, Susan (played by Carole Ann Ford) have landed in England and are enjoying their stay, until Susan arouses the curiosity of two of her school-teachers (played by William Russell and Jacqueline Hill). They follow Susan and get inside the Ship and Doctor Who decides to leave Earth, starting a series of adventures which I know will thrill and excite you every week."

Notes

• William Hartnell is scripted to have presented the trailer in person as himself, rather than the Doctor. He describes said character as "Doctor Who."
• This is the first trailer for the program. It is also, obviously, the first trailer to feature specifically-recorded audio with the cast rather than just clips from the stories themselves.
• A similar trailer was later aired for The Ice Warriors (Lost completely) and The Web of Fear (Only the audio survives).