Starring: Jacqueline Hill, William Russell, William Hartnell, Carol Ann Ford

Directed by: Waris Hussein, Richard Martin

Doctor Who - The Beginning box set includes the first three Doctor Who adventures (comprising of 13 episodes) plus the untransmitted pilot episode.

Includes:

'An Unearthly Child' - A Time Lord from another civilisation, The Doctor has travelled through time and space bringing thrilling cosmic adventures to millions of fans for over 35 years. Now the most familiar mystery figure in science-fiction, the traveller from another world and a distant future first captured a generation of viewers on November 23rd 1963. With the much missed William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the Doctor, this original unedited classic adventure returns us to the days when he first seized our imaginations and begged the question "Doctor Who?"

Visiting Britain in 1963 the Doctor's grand-daughter has become a pupil at an ordinary school. A strange amalgam of teenage normality and uncanny intelligence she whets the curiosity of two teachers who becom inextricably involved in the Doctor's strange travels.

Proving that time goes round in circles the Doctor blasts them back to a pre-civilized age of the Great Cold where tribal leaders battle for supremacy in a race to make fire. Thrown into the cave of skulls the Doctor and his companions soon realise that their lives depend on two alternatives: making fire without matches or escaping through the forest of fire.

Originally transmitted 23/11/63 - 13/12/63

'The Daleks' - The infamous Daleks made their first ever appearance in this classic black and white Doctor Who episode now digitally remastered.

The TARDIS has brought the Doctor and his companions to the planet Skaro where they meet two indigenous races. The Daleks are malicious mutant creatures encased in armoured travel machines; the Thals are beautiful humanoids with pacifist principals.

Despite the Thal's peace loving ethos, the Doctor must convince them to fight the Daleks or risk annihilation.

This, the Doctor's struggle with his most dangerous foes enters into the science fiction pantheon, heralding the start of "Dalekmania"

Originally transmitted 14/12/63 - 25/01/64.

'The Edge of Destruction' - After their skirmish with the Daleks, the TARDIS crew hurriedly leave the planet Skaro in an attempt to return to contemporary England, home to schoolteachers Ian and Barbara.

However, an explosion renders both of them, plus the mysterious doctor and his granddaughter Susan, unconscious - and when they awake, all four sense that something is very wrong indeed.

Aggression, paranoia and a feeling of despair have gripped them all - no one seems to trust the other and, bit-by-bit, the Doctor's trusted ship seems to be breaking down around them. But is it? Has the TARDIS finally tired of its inhabitants, or is there a more logical, more rational explanation for everyone's behaviour and the ship's bizarre course of action?

Also included is the pilot of 'An Unearthly Child', which preceded the version that was originally transmitted on 23 November 1963. This was the very first Doctor Who episode ever and was recorded some weeks earlier. As a pilot episode, it was created to impress the BBC hierarchy into going ahead with the series. In many ways, it is similar to the version transmitted, but there are also some small but fascinating differences, highlighted in the different 'takes' of various scenes.

DVD EXTRAS

Commentaries on various episodes by William Russell and Carol Ann Ford (companions Ian and Susan) plus the show's producer Verity Lambert and directors Waris Hussein and Christopher Barry. Unedited studio footage of the pilot episode. Documentary detailing the origins of the show. Condensed version of the (missing) fourth story Marco Polo. Comedy sketches from the Doctor Who night broadcast on BBC Two.

Soundtrack Languages

 Dolby Digital Mono: English

Technical Details

Certification: PG
Duration: 325 mins
Format: DVD
Single Sided/Dual Layer
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
Cat. No: BBCDVD1882(BBC)
Category: Science Fiction:General
Subtitles: English

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