Classic Doctor Who "An Unearthly Child" Part 1/2 | Full Reaction

So excited to see you kick off the classic tour. What a great way to do it to give you a good flavor of the show throughout the decades without that daunting prospect of having if take years to catch up. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Carol Ann Ford (Susan) and William Russel (Ian) a few years ago. Sadly William recently passed away, so Carol is the only living cast member from that era.

Great to see you delve into classic Who, Chris! Enjoy the ride! The episode 'An Unearthly Child' is such a brilliant introduction to the show, and while the caveman story that follows is completely forgettable and extremely dated, all the key ingredients are in place from the start - the mysterious Doctor, the TARDIS, the haunting theme tune. Some of the writing is pure poetry too. The direction in that opening episode is really effective, using fog and the creepy junkyard to build mystery and atmosphere. The close-up on Barbara’s face as she walks into the TARDIS for the first time is perfect too – we see the console room through her eyes as she stares around her in wonder. It reminds me of Amy’s first steps on board the TARDIS in 2010 when we see a close-up of Karen Gillan’s wide-eyed face before the camera pulls back and shows us Doctor 11’s new TARDIS interior. You're right, the show was originally commissioned not only as a children's / family drama but as an educational vehicle to teach youngsters about history, science, etc. The sci-fi would very soon start to take centre stage though, even if pure historical stories were regular features throughout Hartnell's era. The very next story was 'The Daleks', a fantastic introduction to the Doctor's oldest enemies and much the moment the show took off. It was a little overlong at seven episodes, but it’s genuinely gripping stuff. Well worth a watch. Or, if you can get hold of it in the US, I can recommend the condensed, colourised version (90 minutes), broadcast on the BBC in the UK in December 2023. The Dalek Invasion of Earth is another great early serial, a year on from the Daleks’ initial introduction. Looking forward to the rest of your Classic Who journey! Can’t wait to see what you think of Patrick Troughton’s Doctor. His final story ‘The War Games’ is a classic and very, very important to the show’s mythology. It’s an epic 10 episodes though! A condensed, colourised version at a more manageable 90 minutes was broadcast on the BBC in the UK in December 2024. I hope 10th anniversary story ‘The Three Doctors’ and 1975’s brilliant Tom Baker story ‘Genesis of the Daleks’ are also on your list. Looking forward to joining you on this journey over the coming weeks. Have fun!

“Isn’t it silly? I feel afraid. It’s as if we are about it interfere with something that’s best left alone.” That line has so much more significance from today's standpoint. It's like they didn't just start their own little adventure, they opened a can of worms that brought the doctor to all of us today. Every episode and piece of media and spin-off and comic book and on and on. All the action and adventure and tragedy and joy. They wedged open Pandora's box and all things Doctor Who came spilling out. The other quote I love is "If you could touch the alien sand and hear the cries of strange birds and watch them wheel in another sky, would that satisfy you?" It's so poetic and full of wonder while being a genuine question on whether exposure to proof of new ideas can convince him to accept a literally alien reality. It's oddly generally applicable. When a traveler visits other parts of the world that challenge their notion of truth or morality or society or other, can they internalize it? Or do they reject it and return home with stale eyes? I adore Barbara and Ian. Excellent first companions and truly set the bar high. I look forward to you getting to know them. If you wanted to watch more classic who but don't have time to edit them, I will watch any and all unedited classic who reactions you upload!!! The pilot comes in so hot then we get caveman politics (far far from my fave) but then the next story is The Daleks (def one of my first doctor faves). There's value in seeing this first adventure but know that if you don't find the caveman plot gripping, it's not an omen for future stories.

Truly a blast from the past here lol! The names Ian and Barbara may ring a bell~ They were mentioned by Sarah Jane during the "Death of the Doctor" episode!

This is the one story where you can see the show's pure original concept as an edutainment program for kids. The idea was that it would switch between stories set in the past where Barbara the history teacher could use her knowledge to help solve the problems, and the future where Ian the science teacher would take the job.