On Nov. 23, 1963, the BBC aired the very first episode of a brand-new science fiction series about a mysterious man in a time machine called a TARDIS (which looked exactly like a British police box), who could travel to whatever time or whichever planet he chose.
The first episode of “Doctor Who” marked an inauspicious beginning for what would become a landmark of sci fi. The first episode was deemed unusable and had to be completely reshot, with changes in script, performance, costume and effects, delaying the series’ premiere by a week. When it finally aired, it, along with almost everything else, was overshadowed by news of the assassination of President Kennedy. But eventually an audience turned up, (the introduction of the Doctor’s mortal enemies the Daleks helped), and continual fan support has made “Doctor Who” the longest-running science fiction TV show in the world.
Writer Neil Gaiman took a moment to honor the series Wednesday on Twitter, writing, “48 years ago, Doctor Who started. I couldn’t be who I am today without the things the tv series, annuals, etc did to my mind. Thank you BBC.”
That first episode, “An Unearthly Child,” has long inspired awe and respect among the Doctor’s fans. In fact, following in the steps of the original BBC production crew, the first episode has been reworked multiple times by fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment