This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, July/August 2006
Label: BBC/Warner
“Have you ever thought what it’s like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension? To be exiles? Susan and I are cut off from our own planet without friends or protection, but one day we should get back,” says The Doctor (William Hartnell) in his demand to not allow Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) to leave with the knowledge of his and Susan’s (Carole Anne Ford) existence as alien time travellers.
The Beginning box set contains the first three serials of Doctor Who : “An Unearthly Child,” “Daleks” and “The Edge of Destruction.” Two curious teachers are determined to learn the secrets behind a strange student, Susan Foreman, who seems to have knowledge beyond her years, yet not knowing popular culture like those her age. Ian and Barbara follow Susan home only to find a junkyard. Among the junk is a ship disguised as a police box, and the adventures of The Doctor begin. Travels to the time of the cavemen, a mystery in the TARDIS and perhaps most profoundly, The Doctor’s first encounter with his most famous enemy, the Daleks.
Also included on the box set is the original shoot of the pilot. The BBC was unhappy with the production and asked it to be reshot. There were some minor script changes, but mostly the refilming served to improve on some bad acting. The bonus features also contain documentaries on the origins of Doctor Who with new interviews with producer Verity Lambert, cast members and other Doctor Who writers and directors. They also used archival interviews with Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman.
This set was compiled with care, and the video and audio were cleaned up and restored making up for the poor quality of the film duplicates which were saved by the BBC. Unfortunately the original video recordings were lost. Most of all, the restoration team put together a 30 minute version of The Doctor’s fourth adventure, “Marco Polo.” Using stills and available audio, the team reconstructed the missing episode.
This box set honours the vision of Doctor Who and the beginning of the longest running science fiction show in television’s history. Doctor Who has a legacy that lives on, now with David Tennant as the tenth actor to play the title role.