Growing up, I was always tangentially aware of Doctor Who. I knew of it, but it never factored into my fandom at all. I was a child of the ’80s. If it wasn’t Star Wars or He-Man, then it was battling an uphill battle to my heart. My mother was/is a Trekkie, so the age-old battle between Star Wars and Star Trek was a mainstay in my house.

I caught the occasional Doctor Who episode on TV (usually Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor), and I remember really liking The Five Doctors, even though I understood almost none of it. More than anything, though, I suppose that Doctor Who always felt very . . . old. I never thought it had much to say to me.

I admit that even after the relaunch in 2005, I still didn’t have much interest. Then David Tennant came on the scene, and I couldn’t help but hear the rave reviews from all corners. Once the show hit Netflix, I started in with the Ninth Doctor and then, like a good geek, binged my way through the show.

And now I’m going back to the beginning. All the way back. This is not a “rewatch” for me. I’m watching these shows fresh. For the first time. I’ll do my best to leave preconceptions at the door, but I have no baggage at all that pertains to pre-Eccleston Who.

Much has been written about classic Doctor Who. Too much, probably. I’m not here to write an authoritative history or connect all the dots among the characters, planets, and eras of the franchise.

I’m simply here to correct one of my most flagrant Geeky Blind Spots. And I hope you’ll join me on the journey. There’s only 26 seasons and 8 Doctors to catch up on. Easy peasy.

Most of these episodes and serials have been released on DVD, but if you’re interested in catching up on classic Doctor Who (even if you’re not planning to watch through it ALL), I highly recommend BritBox. They’ve got it all available for instant streaming, and the monthly subscription fee is very much worth it. You can subscribe to BritBox as a standalone service or as an Amazon Channel. Both are $6.99/month. Listen, I pay that subscription fee myself (i.e., this bit’s not an ad), and there are plenty of other great shows on the service. Do check it out.

So here we are. At the very beginning, with a LONG road ahead of us. Let’s do this! The four-episode serial that started it all off, back in 1963, is collectively called “An Unearthly Child.” To set some context, President Kennedy had been assassinated the day before the first episode premiered in the UK.

“An Unearthly Child” is composed of the following episodes:

• “An Unearthly Child” (November 23, 1963)
• “The Cave of Skulls” (November 30, 1963)
• “The Forest of Fear” (December 7, 1963)
• “The Firemaker” (December 14, 1963)

Going back to 1963, I really had no idea what to expect. However, from the get-go, it was all very familiar. The theme music has changed remarkably little over the past 55 years.

The establishing shot then focuses on a familiar police box. Along with the music, the TARDIS has also changed very little. A minute and a half in, and I already feel at home.

However, this show is very much a product of the ’60s. It’s also very much a product of a small budget. It’d be all too easy to critique its low production value or cheesy special effects. But that wouldn’t be fair. It’s simply not fair to judge The First Doctor by The Thirteenth Doctor’s standard. So I won’t.

“Well, open the doors, Doctor Foreman.”
“Hm? Doctor who? What’s he talking about?”

What I can do is judge The First Doctor by how he’s presented to us. This is where the character begins, and, well, The First Doctor is . . . different. He’s not charismatic or charming or funny . . . or even very likable. He’s meant to be refined and sophisticated. We’re meant to view him as a weary and jaded time traveler who’s seen and experienced more than we can even conceive. I’m honestly not sure if we’re meant to like him.

Naturally, he’s completely self-absorbed (which is a defining characteristic of The Doctor in any incarnation), but it doesn’t play here as a fun eccentricity or personality quirk. Whereas the self-absorption displayed by the Ninth through Twelfth Doctors betrays a cavalier attitude that is ultimately charming, William Hartnell’s Doctor is much more arrogant – and malevolent – than those modern interpretations.

The primary challenge that The Doctor and his companions face in this first serial is their inability to make fire. They’re trapped in a power struggle among cavemen, and their lack of matches puts their lives at risk. (There’s no sonic screwdriver yet to save the day.) It’s far from the most compelling storyline, but it establishes our main characters and successfully shows the dynamic among them.

Our companions? Foremost among them is The Doctor’s granddaughter Susan. Despite being set up as a genius child, Susan very quickly becomes a panicky handicap to the group. The rest of the trio includes Susan’s teachers, Ian and Barbara, who stumble their way into The Doctor’s company.

Sadly, Barbara almost immediately freaks out and is all but totally useless. The Doctor spends a majority of the story absentminded and helpless. And Ian turns out to be the only one who keeps a cool head and saves the day.

More than once, The Doctor all but gives up and proclaims, “It’s hopeless.” He has no compassion. He cares very little for his companions and even less for the cavemen. He repeatedly calls them “savages,” treats them with contempt, and even tries to kill them. In short, he’s almost the polar opposite of The Doctor I know.

Like I said, it’s unfair to judge this show by the weight of the following half century, but this first serial manages to pack a lot in: the TARDIS (we’re even told that Susan named it . . . and we get its full name: Time and Relative Dimension in Space), the attractive female companion, the incredulity that the TARDIS is bigger on the inside, the signature engine noise, and stumbling headlong into trouble. All hallmarks of Doctor Who that will remain defining characteristics for decades to come.

There’s not much more to be said than this is where it all begins. “An Unearthly Child” isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s a good introduction to our core characters, and it’s a worthy beginning to the weighty franchise that was built on these humble roots. Even though The First Doctor, his companions, and this story are different and slightly bizarre, there’s so much here that is familiar and reminds us that this is EXACTLY the same show that’s on the air today.

It’s a rocky start, sure, but I’m in. This should be a fun ride.