Doctor Who: The Beginning (An Unearthly Child / The Daleks / The Edge of Destruction) (Stories 1 - 3)

With Doctor Who back on our screens after a long rest, it's highly appropriate that BBC Video have taken the opportunity to remind everyone where it all started with this DVD package. However, if you've fallen under the spell of Christopher Eccleston & David Tennant's portrayals of the mysterious Time Lord in the new adventures, you may find the roots of the long running show a little bit on the dull side! It certainly serves as a reminder as to how TV production has changed in forty plus years!The Beginning Collection takes us all the way back to November 1963 when Doctor Who first aired on Britain's BBC TV in its traditional Saturday evening slot. This set of three discs (in two cases) brings the first four stories from the show's forty-two year history back to life and explains the origins of the format that led to the world's longest running sci-fi TV show.Not that it was all sci-fi based. The first story - An Unearthly Child aka The Tribe of Gum otherwise aka 100,000 BC - features the original crew of the TARDIS going back into ancient Earth history to deal with a tribe of cavemen desperate to rediscover the secret of fire. But that was always the intention of the show; to educate as well as to entertain and for the first four years of it's life, the stories regularly took the time travelers back in time as well as way into the future and into other worlds. The second story - The Daleks aka The Mutants - was the first story to be set in outer space on an alien world and was the kick start to the ratings phenomena that lasted for twenty six years; introducing the evil Dalek race who in many ways became as popular in their own right as the Doctor himself. The third installment is the two part adventure featuring only the original four-handed cast and set entirely within the Doctor's space and time machine - The TARDIS - variously known as Inside the Spaceship, The Edge of Destruction and Beyond the Sun. Alas, the fourth installment in the show's history, an adventure featuring Marco Polo's trek across Cathay, has long been wiped from the video archives. Thankfully, the soundtrack still exists, as do many still photographs, and the disc producers have put together a montage of the two to recreate a thirty minute version of the story on these discs. In view of the systematic wiping of tapes carried out by the BBC in the 1970's, this recreation is probably the closest we'll ever come to the real thing.Indeed, as almost always with the Doctor Who releases, it's the extras and the restoration work that makes these discs so worthwhile. The two surviving members of the original cast, Carole Ann Ford and William Russell Enoch (who played the Doctor's grand-daughter Susan and her science teacher Ian Chesterton) both have come together once more to provide fascinating commentary on several of the episodes, along with the show's original producer Verity Lambert and directors' Waris Hussein, Christopher Barry and Richard Martin. Despite how long ago it all took place, their memories are quite sharp and very clear, although they only commentate on selected episodes, thus avoiding any embarrassing silence as the thoughts dry up! There are several documentaries regarding the creation of the show, the original design elements, music, special sound and effects and some comedy sketches from the Little Britain team to enjoy amongst many other special inclusions. Also added is an Arabic soundtrack of episode two of the third story!Possibly the most interesting `extra' is the inclusion not just of the pilot episode of the show, but also the alternative takes that all miraculously still exist. More than anything, this exceptional look at what `might have been' gives real insight into the creation of Doctor Who and how it developed before being broadcast to the unsuspecting UK audience. The pilot is actually included twice on the disc. Immediately preceding episode one in its `final' format and again separately in its first take with all the alternative filming, narrated by Verity Lambert and Waris Hussein. Overkill perhaps, but worth it for the fans. It's true that all the episodes (including the pilots) have been released on VHS tape in the last decade or so, but here they been meticulously restored, remastered and "VidFired" to bring them back to almost original broadcast quality. Some of the footage in The Daleks isn't quite up to the standard of the other episodes, but that's understandable based on the quality of the remaining tapes.Just as Christopher Eccleston brings the ninth Doctor to life on US TV and David Tennant begins his reign as the tenth in the UK, it's great to see William Hartnell's original Doctor making its first tentative steps into the TV world. As noted in the commentaries, Hartnell was almost alone in having enormous faith in the show, believing it would run for five years. How wrong can you be?

These are the stories that started it all, and they had no idea, at the time, what a party they were starting.Cons:(1) The budget was below shoe-string, and it shows. Although, it was partly because of the low budget that they were forced to innovate in creative ways, some of which worked surprisingly well.(2) The pacing was slower than would be acceptable today.(3) Probably due to the low budget, they could have used more re-writing and re-shooting. They didn't even always have time to re-shoot a scene when someone tripped over their lines. And the plots didn't always make the best sense.Pros:(1) The whole concept was brilliant! And many of the most enduring parts of the show were there right from the word go-- The way the doctor deflects personal questions, most notably about his name. The mystery of why he ran away to wander time and space. The fantastic vessel that's bigger on the inside and travels through time and space and is ALIVE, but also has frequent technical difficulties and a broken chameleon circuit that leaves it stuck in the shape of a 1960s London police box. And most importantly to me, the theme of ordinary people discovering that they can make a difference.(2) The first doctor. He's such a wonderfully complex character, even before a dozen other actors got a chance to add to him. William Hartnell's doctor is far less mature and confident then the later doctors--which of course he would be, considering how much less experience he's had. He can be selfish, tetchy, and unreasonable. But he makes me love him anyway. I think that's in large part because his outward arrogance is hiding a deep inner vulnerability. And he is (occasionally) capable of a sincere apology. And then there's that endearing little giggle he gives when he knows he's doing something particularly crafty. And there's his relationship with Susan, and the developing relationships with Barbara and Ian. And the fascination of watching him slowly grow into the person he will some day be. Oh, and for the record, he's not as sexist as portrayed in "Twice Upon a Time."(3) Ian. Love him. We can thank him and Barbara for giving the doctor a good shove down the right path towards selflessness, compassion, and respect for lesser (aka "not Time Lord") species. And probably also for his predilection for human companions. Ian sells that he's an ordinary person, and yet he has extraordinary courage and decency. He's proactive and capable. He's very protective of his companions, and yet at the same time he respects their abilities. He has a sense of humor. He knows how to get along with people. He's confident without being arrogant. And most of all, he's got great chemistry with the others that develops as the show progresses. I was totally shipping him and Barbara. But I think the ups and downs of his relationship with the doctor are my favorite.(4) Barbara. Actually, to be fair, she's a bit weak in these first three stories. But that's because she's just at the beginning of her story arc. Barbara grows in courage and capability until she becomes a strong member of the team, and I love watching her journey. But even in her early "weak" days, she's intelligent and kind, and she has that lovely chemistry with Ian.(5) Susan. I wish the writers had bothered to develop Susan more, because there's no other companion that could possibly have the same relationship with the doctor as his actual granddaughter. And the two of them really sold that relationship onscreen. She was thoroughly likable, but sadly the ensuing shows rarely gave her a useful role or allowed her to grow. And the actress finally got fed up and left.(6) The Daleks! 2nd story out of the gate, and the writers created the most enduring villains of the show. I especially love their episode because you can see how shocked and repulsed the doctor is by them, and how they make this selfish man want to become as different a person as possible from what they are. They shaped his character almost as much as his companions did.

This is a fantastic collection of the first three Doctor Who serials. Having been a fan of the rebooted series for a long time, I decided it was time to check out some of the classic series, and what better way than to start at the very beginning?This boxset includes the first thee stories - An Unearthly Child, The Daleks and The Edge of Destruction. The Daleks is the one that really stands out; brilliant to see The Doctor's most iconic enemy in their earliest form - just as threatening as they are nowadays. I found the ma little hard to understand sometimes with the robotic voice, but once you were used to the tone it was easy. The storytelling ll the way through this episode is great, each episode ending on a cliffhanger which made you want to watch the next one right away.An Unearthly Child starts off with a fantastic episode (The introduction of The Doctor, the TARDIS, and of course Ian, Barbara and Susan), the following three episodes involving the cavemen aren't quite as good but in no way bad. There's enough plot to keep the story interesting, and it was quite a shock to see The Doctor in his early days be so miserable and at times outright dastardly. Really fits well with him progressing as a character over the last 50+ years on screen!The Edge of Destruction is only two episodes long and set entirely in the TARDIS using only the four main characters because of budget and schedule issues at the time (These are explained both on the DVD and the extras). This is still a good story however, and it's really impressive to see what they were able to do given so little.If the stories themselves aren't enough, I'm totally blown away by how many extras are on these DVDs. Loads of documentaries, commentaries and features, which are worth the money alone. One of my favourites was on The Edge of Destruction DVD - a thirty minute condensed version of the episode Marco Polo, which is one of the old Doctor Who episodes that's missing. The episode is presented using the original audio along with some stills from the episode. A really cool extra. As I'm growing my collection of Classic Doctor Who DVDs I'm seeing that the large amount of interesting extras is a regular theme across them all, which is really exciting.I thoroughly recommend this brilliant collection of DVDs to any Doctor Who fan, or those who haven't watched any but would like to get into them.

Released as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, this set presents the first three Doctor Who stories that were ever broadcast, all miraculously complete.Despite re-mastering, the image quality is not great at times, but that gives it more authenticity as it was how people would have seen these episodes on an old 405 lines, black and white TV. These three stories show your the original concept of the show, giving an idea of just how much it has changed over the years, although many things have not changed at all (people blundering into the TARDIS by accident and becoming companions, taking in the concept of travel in space and time with the same facility that most people down a beer or a cup of tea).I was too young to remember any of these stories, but became hooked on Doctor Who soon after and, for me, this was a wonderful opportunity to see how the series began and how the character of the Doctor was developed. It also shows William Hartnell as he started the series, before serious illness impacted his ability to play the role: similar to Peter Capalldi in irascibility and impatience, but without being so bizarre and very much less alien.Definitely it is an opportunity for Doctor Who fans to participate in a little history and think about how, from such modest beginnings, the series has survived now for more than 50 years.

The Unlikely Start'This is boring', said Alexandra and Matthew, when I showed them this a few years ago, reminding me that when I first saw it, in 1979, it did seem remarkably slow, even by Power of Kroll standards. I just mention this for any twelve year olds that might be reading.The weight of the following years makes all of the first episode really very moving - in a way never envisaged in 1963 - rather as if the fluttering of a butterfly were captured on film just before it caused all the office blocks of Capitalism to collapse, destroying all within. And it's highly intelligent; the weirdnesses of Susan all point to her being a very clever tourist to this planet, rather than just an odd product of an eccentric older relative, and her 'the Decimal System hasn't started yet' is poetry, in hindsight at least.The mystery deepens; a junkyard at 76 Totters Lane (ah, back to the sinister location of Scene 1) and then the strange, oddly hostile grandfather and the police box.And in they go. Lummee.It's all played so beautifully straight, that's the thing; nobody seems remotely aware that any of this could be funny - I mean, it's all in Black and White.And then the thing at the end of Episode 1, the Police Box really does take off and disappear, pull back from London and Earth, and there's a camera pointing down its own monitor, and then we're somewhere else - definitely not Coal Hill - and a big shadow falls across the land.It's a good job that the first episode is so magical, because the following three are really quite... challenging.To be fair, it can't have been easy to write, and it feels rather as if Anthony Steven hadn't quite thought through how difficult a Stone Age vocabulary might be. How, for instance, do you translate 'Imagine'? 'The way I see things when I sleep'. Hmmm.Caveman politics, it transpires, is just like any other kind, only less refined and rather nastier. Morally there's very little between Za and Kal, and while the latter kills the old woman, there's little to say that Za wouldn't have done much the same thing - and what about the Dr looking very like being on the point of finishing Za off with a stone? Ever likely Za locks them in the Cave of Skulls as soon as he gets the secret of fire out of them. I think that the four are darn lucky to get away with the skulls and fire trick, and that it's a good job they don't fall over any more dead animals on the way back to the TARDIS.The choice of two schoolteachers is an interesting one, and points me towards the HG Wells story 'The Country of the Blind', which proved the fallacy of 'in the country of the blind, a one-eyed man is king'; in this 'country of the ignorant' the educated are not kings and queens but, ultimately, fleeing fugitives.Does it look good? Yes, I suppose it has to be said that it does. Obviously it's in a studio, and civilisation is at so basic a stage that there's no need to worry about such niceties as Art Deco wallpaper or Louis XV chairs; a cave and a jungle is all it needs and they look properly convincing, and there's no sign of Raquel Welch in a fur bikini fighting dinosaurs. I don't fancy Hur much, I have to say.If it had gone on like this, I doubt they'd have got to a second series, but we all know what happened the following week.DaleksThe allusion to Country of the Blind may be a touch abstruse, but that to The Time Machine in this is blatant. The Thals are the Eloi and the Daleks are the Morlocks (the two names even sound the same). The other half sets the ideas of the growing anti-nuclear movement (1963 was the year of the Aldermaston March) against the ghost of WWII, rather in the manner of the school playground argument that generally starts with the word 'Eerr'.'Eerr, if fighting's wrong, what you going to do if the Nazis come?'Once beyond this seminal piece of philosophy, it becomes a Terry Nation adventure yarn, and rather better for that; forbearance and tolerance may be excellent virtues, but they're really not nearly so good as courage and fortitude when it comes to telling a good story and Mr Nation was never backward in that; here he gleefully mixes flavours from H Ryder Haggard, Where Eagles Dare and Flash Gordon to create a highly enjoyable romp with a neutron bomb at the end. That'll answer all the beatniks and peaceniks then; the way to avoid nuclear war is to brave the Lake of the Mutations and leap over the very deep chasm.This is the first time we see the Dr come up against an alien creature, and as such it's a special moment - how much does he reveal he knows of extra-terrestrials to the humans? The answer is 'very little'. And the Daleks are marvelous.It's easy to see why they became such an instant hit. Terry Nation's Nazis in tanks, Ray Cusick's design, and Peter Hawkins and David Graham doing the voices - it all comes together as a thoroughly disconcerting whole - a thing nastier than the sum of its parts.And it's not - quite - inhuman; it's got tone of voice and body language, admittedly the tone starts at pre-emptory and goes way beyond ranting hysteria, and the physical message may start at inscrutable and end at psychotic - it's never funny or kind. It's quite surprising just how interesting such malicious atonal evil can be.After all this, it's perhaps little wonder that the Thals are a little bit dull.The design is beautifully realised; the petrified jungle looks great, along with the creature made entirely out of metal, and the Dalek city seems like a direct extension of Fritz Lang's Metropolis, odd angles, very unsettling - the horror of being stuck in a hostile alien maze created by a German Expressionist on some very bad LSD.It's also, note well, a much better, much more grown up telling of the tale than that told in the movie.

It all starts here! Episode one of “An Unearthly Child” is brilliant! Episode 2-4 are decent but not as good as the first episode imo“The Daleks” is a pretty great story and the beginning of the Daleks! The 7 parts fly by and Hartnell is great! So are his companions!“The Edge Of Destruction” isn’t that great but the characters shine and it’s only 2 parts so it doesn’t drag too much!

Only 2 stars as I not watch them yet, but when I opened the dvds up all three dvd cases were broke!! I just hope the actual dvds play ok! Very disappointed in the packaging!UPDATEI Replace the cases not a problemsWell I am now on the second disc and I got to be honest I didn’t think I would like them as they are so old and in black and white!! Well I love them and now want to collect all the series it just a shame that quite a few episodes the recordings are missing which means they can’t put them on to dvds, but I shall collect what I can.