The Pilot Episode

The Pilot Episode was the first 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 brilliant 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 travelling 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 is 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, then doodling with the resulting inkblot, creating an image which looks like a strange alien creature (though it's also been compared to a depiction of the TARDIS control console). 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. This effect was not used in the final transmitted version or in any stories of the original series though it has become standard in the new series.


 * Part 3 - The scene from the teachers first entering the TARDIS until the end of the episode, complete with end credits of "An Unearthly Child."

Cast

 * The Doctor - 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 BBC Two 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 (notably her costume was made to look more childlike and less adult in the second version). Sydney Newman acknowledged Captain Nemo as a major influence in his original concept for the Doctor's character and personality.


 * 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 briefly 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 police box prop. Viewing the console room from outside, however, has become a standard effect of the new series.


 * A slight difference exists in the Doctor Who theme in the pilot, with the incorporation of a thunderclap sound effect which was removed for the televised version.


 * Several versions of the pilot have been circulated. The versions broadcast in 1991 and released on the videotape The Hartnell Years incorporates several of the dialogue and technical errors that occurred during filming (Carole Ann Ford muffing her life about the rock band, Jacqueline Hill getting caught in the door, William Russell knocking over a prop, the TARDIS doors banging, etc. When the episode was included in the DVD release The Beginning, two versions were prepared: an unedited version containing all takes, errors and footage shot during production, and a newly edited version that minimizes and in some cases eliminates some of the dialogue and technical errors that occurred during production. Both versions were put through the VidFIRE process, which restored the film recordings back to their original videotape appearance.

Filming Locations

 * The entire episode was filmed at Lime Grove Studio D.

Continuity

 * The Pilot differs considerably from DW: An Unearthly Child.
 * The Doctor shows genuine anger towards Susan rather than the affection he showed in the broadcast version. At one point he refers to her as a stupid child.
 * Susan says she and the Doctor come from the 49th century; this was removed from the broadcast version.

Discontinuity, Plot holes, Errors

 * There are numerous technical and dialogue difficulties throughout all of the versions. Some of these errors are retained in all versions, while some were eliminated for the reedited version of the pilot released to DVD. Among the notable errors:
 * For reasons not clear on screen, Jacqueline Hill and William Russell are seen having difficulty getting through the doorway leading into the classroom where Susan is listening to the radio, forcing Carole Ann Ford to extend her "dance" for a few additional moments.
 * Susan says John Smith and the Common Men went from 2 to 14 in the hit parade before correcting herself and saying 14 to 2.
 * There is a lighting problem while Ian and Barbara discuss Susan in the car, with William Russell's face being completely obscured by shadow for much of it.
 * During the exploration of the scrapyard, Ian trips and falls down, dropping his flashlight. Although this was scripted, the subsequent loud crash as a junk prop also falls over was not. This error is retained in all versions of the complete pilot.
 * During the scrapyard sequence, a camera runs into a piece of scenery.
 * During one of the takes of the initial TARDIS control room scene, the doors leading into the room fall open and bang against the scenery several times.


 * The colour of the French Revolution book is different from in the broadcast episode, and numerous other details vary. Remembrance of the Daleks appears to have used The Pilot Episode as reference rather than An Unearthly Child, and therefore gets these details wrong!

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.


 * The DVD Box Set "The Beginning" (released January 2006) included both the complete 45 minute film of all recorded footage for the pilot (in other words the above listed various 'takes'), as well as a new 25 minute edit using the best takes.