The Doctor In The TARDIS

Travels In Time And Space => The 1960's => Topic started by: Tardis-Console on January 24, 2011, 05:32:01 pm



Title: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Tardis-Console on January 24, 2011, 05:32:01 pm
Ok, it's been long enough now. This evening I am going to start on The Beginning box set. So far my only dalliance with the classic series have been two Pertwee stories that my gran got my by accident, but I adored them and got myself this box set ages ago and then never got around to it. I think it is about time I catch up so tonight is as good a night as any. If you havent watched it yet, then do it tonight, and if you have watched it, then be here tomorrow and we can all discuss. Then I don't have to talk to myself about it :)


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: thefifthdoctor on January 24, 2011, 05:33:23 pm
If I had it, I'd join you!
Really need to educate myself more with the stories of 1 & 2 - sad really that I've left it go on so long!


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: TheDoctorDonna on January 24, 2011, 05:38:32 pm
You should enjoy it. The first episode particularly, is brilliant.

TFD, there are loads of places online that you can watch ;)


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Nyki on January 24, 2011, 06:02:01 pm
Episodes 2-4 perhaps don't quite live up to episode one, but they're still very enjoyable, and the other two stories in the box are awesome.


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Oh-Wise-One on January 24, 2011, 09:39:28 pm
With the exception of the opener I really aint so keen on this one. Though the other two stories in the box set are crackers


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: poprockgeek on January 24, 2011, 10:17:37 pm
Have to agree that for me episode 1 is the best of the lot - but still it's an enjoyable opening story.


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Peri-Peri on January 24, 2011, 10:40:10 pm
All the stories are great but as others have said, the first episode of AUC is the best of the first story. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it though :)


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Tardis-Console on January 25, 2011, 04:42:26 pm
I don't really know what to say to be honest. The first episode was great, it set everything up really well and the two teachers seem like great companions. Susan is a bit odd, but I suppose she is meant to be. The Doctor seems like a grumpy old fuddy duddy, but I would imagine he will change over time. When I first watche the Ninth Doctor I didnt particularly like him, but he mellowed and then I really liked him. The stuff with the cavemen was ok I guess. Some of it was a bit silly but it was the first story and you have to give it time to find it's feet I guess. Overall I would say a thumbs up from me.

I skipped the Dalek story because it was getting late, but I did watch The Edge Of Destruction because it was only a short one and I thought it was brilliant. Totally wierd but kinda awesome at the same time. For a lot of it I had no idea what was going on but I loved it anyways. I particularly like that it was all set inside the TARDIS. It was quite eerie and creepy. They should do something like that now. I think it would go down well. I will get around to the Dalek one tonight now.

Also, feel free to move the Edge of Destruction stuff if you think it should be in its own thread :)


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Nyki on January 25, 2011, 06:37:13 pm
For a lot of it I had no idea what was going on but I loved it anyways.

You're not alone in that 8)


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Dame Roger on January 28, 2011, 03:00:35 am
The first Doctor really mellowed a lot during his three years on screen. He was initially imagined as very grumpy, a little bit scary and very very alien, but by the end he was more of a lovable Grandfather-type figure. You probably won't see much of that in this box set, but if you check out later Hartnell stories like The Time Meddler or The War Machines you'll see what I mean. Incidentally, does your copy have the original unbroadcast pilot version of the first episode? It's more-or-less the same script-wise but the Doctor is even more bad-tempered and unlikeable than in the broadcast version. Apparently one of the reasons it was re-shot was because they decided that the character needed softening - and, after watching it back, even William Hartnell himself agreed with this and was keen to give it another try.

As for the three stories in the box set, I'd agree with the assessment that An Unearthly Child has a brilliant first episode, but tails off badly after that. Episode one sets the scene perfectly, with everything being seen through the eyes of the ordinary humans who get drawn into the Doctor's circle, with the truly magical moment when they step into the TARDIS for the first time. (not entirely unlike another first episode a mere 42 years later!)

I absolutely LOVE The Daleks, but we'll come back to that.

The Edge Of Destruction I was a little less keen on. I like the strangeness of it (it seems weird now so what the hell must it have been like in 1963?), but it often feels like it's not really going anywhere and I didn't really feel much the wiser about what was supposed to have been going on by the end of it.

Overall though I love this set. It's great to see how different, and yet how similar, the show was when it first started to how it later became and how it still is today.


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: chrissymarieb on January 28, 2011, 11:54:59 am
I have also recently watched The Beginning box set.  As I have said in another thread, I think that the stories were actually very good, and I love that the Daleks look exactly the same, but I was so surprised at how different the Doctor was.  He really started out as this grumpy, arrogant old man.  It will be interesting to see how the character evolves into the character that we have today.

I agree with the above statements though: that the first episode of An Unearthly Child was a great start to the series :)


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Nyki on January 28, 2011, 03:23:00 pm
Incidentally, does your copy have the original unbroadcast pilot version of the first episode? It's more-or-less the same script-wise but the Doctor is even more bad-tempered and unlikeable than in the broadcast version. Apparently one of the reasons it was re-shot was because they decided that the character needed softening - and, after watching it back, even William Hartnell himself agreed with this and was keen to give it another try.

Also, Susan is pretty weird and scary in the pilot.


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: Saber on May 28, 2011, 12:57:44 pm
Incidentally, does your copy have the original unbroadcast pilot version of the first episode? It's more-or-less the same script-wise but the Doctor is even more bad-tempered and unlikeable than in the broadcast version. Apparently one of the reasons it was re-shot was because they decided that the character needed softening - and, after watching it back, even William Hartnell himself agreed with this and was keen to give it another try.

Also, Susan is pretty weird and scary in the pilot.

I like that. I think it was something they were aiming for because although she looked like an ordinary (sort of :P) girl, the audience still needed to believe she was from another world.

An Unearthly Child, while not at the top of my list of favourites is still a really good story. It sort of loses its way in episode 3 but then finds its way back to a brilliant concluding episode. This is a story, whether you are a fan of the classics or not, that every fan should watch at least once to see how it all began


Title: Re: An Unearthly Child
Post by: The Cyber Mistress on January 19, 2013, 02:22:53 pm
Episodes 2-4 perhaps don't quite live up to episode one, but they're still very enjoyable, and the other two stories in the box are awesome.

This is what I always assumed and it's not a story that I revisit often as a result of that, but last week I rewatched it again and I enjoyed it a whole lot more. I think it feels a bit disjointed and tacked on to the first episode, but as a story on it's own with the cavemen I actually quite enjoyed it this time around.