An Unearthly Child (4-part serial; originally aired in the UK between 23 November and 14 December 1963): Worrying about the strange behaviour of student Susan (Carole Ann Ford), school teachers Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) and Ian (William Russell) decide to follow her home. They pursue her to a junkyard, which has an oddly out of place Police Public Call Box sitting inside it. Confronting the mysterious old man that they believe has done something to Susan, they force their way into the blue box. Marvelously, it is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. The old man, known only as The Doctor (William Hartnell), reveals that both he and Susan are aliens from another time and the blue box, known as the TARDIS, is actually their ship. The fated foursome finds themselves journeying through time and space. First stop - a prehistoric planet where fire is the ultimate prize.

The Daleks (7-part serial; originally aired in the UK between 21 December 1963 and 1 February 1964): The TARDIS lands on the mysterious planet Skaro. Unbeknownst to the crew, the planet is flooded with radiation from an ancient war. The Doctor, keen to explore this new planet, fakes a TARDIS malfunction and leads the others into a seemingly abandoned city. The crew is soon taken captive by the sinister machine-armoured Daleks. Although they escape, they must convince the other inhabitants of the planet - the almost physically perfect Thals - to abandon their peaceful ways and assist them in defeating the Daleks.

The Edge of Destruction (2-part serial; originally aired in the UK between 8 and 15 February 1964): After escaping from the Daleks, the TARDIS console explodes and the crew is knocked unconscious. When they awaken, they have all experienced some memory loss and are acting increasingly paranoid. Is there a sinister force trying to trap the TARDIS? Or is something even more sinister trying to force them apart from within.

Vintage television, particular of the iconic kind, is always a tricky thing to comment on. When these serials were made in the 1960s, people had no idea that they would still be watched - repeatedly - over forty years later. Naturally, this means that wobbly sets and unconvincing monsters and special effects may not hold up to today's CGI savvy audiences. One must always keep in mind that these shows were designed for a family timeslot in the 1960s, and that to a child of the era, the Daleks were probably the most terrifying creatures to ever grace the screen. Taking that on board, a review of this kind must consider how well these episodes hold up as pieces of entertainment. In this regard, Doctor Who is still one of the best examples of family entertainment over forty years on.

Modern audiences will find a few differences to the current incarnation of The Doctor, but the show provided a fairly consistent format over its initial 26 year run. The Doctor himself, for example, is not a new regeneration of a previous incarnation. He is simply the Doctor. While audiences would come to know him as a loveable seeker of knowledge and a true hero in every sense of the word, at this stage he is filled with mystery. The moody opening of An Unearthly Child shrouds the Doctor's heritage in mystery, and no mention is made of his home planet 'Gallifrey' or even that he is a 'Time Lord'. All we know about him for these first three serials is that he is The Doctor, he isn't human and he has been travelling through time and space for some time. In this sense, the William Hartnell years truly asked: 'Doctor Who'? Hartnell's Doctor is cranky, impatient and often doddering. It was not until the final scenes of The Edge of Destruction that a warmer side to The Doctor - one that would characterise most of the subsequent actor's portrayals - began to emerge. However, despite the differences in The Doctor, the format (of two to six part serials) remained basically the same over the 26 seasons. It is actually amazing at just how refined the storytelling format was at this early stage. Considering that many of the later serials, particularly those in the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker years, all too often fell into the 'too many, too long' trap, it was nice to see they got it so right at this early stage.

The three serials on this set work incredibly well together. Unlike some of the later Doctor Who episodes, the three multi-episode serials in this collection flow on from one another. Aside from the 'cliffhangers' at the end of each episode (quite literally in one episode of The Daleks), each serial also has an additional cliffhanger that leads directly into the next serial. It was this kind of television production that kept audiences coming back week after week, and it would not be surprising to find most viewers sitting down and watching this entire collection in one or two sittings. 

The episodes in this set will be a treat to fans, as well as new viewers. Most people who have been fans of the show, or any vintage BBC show, will know that many of the tapes from this era have been lost. As a result, simply having these three serials in a collection is going to be a treat for all followers of Doctor Who. After all, what Doctor Who fan could pass up the introduction of The Doctor and the Daleks?

If there was a video or film problem that could be associated with a print, these early episodes of Doctor Who are going to suffer from it. There is, of course, the natural wear and tear that a forty year-old television series is going to suffer from. Secondly, most Doctor Who episodes - indeed most vintage BBC episodes - have been filmed using a combination of film for exteriors and on location shots, and video for interior studio shots. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, many of the older Doctor Who episodes have simply been lost over the years, thanks to a BBC policy of taping over archived tapes. As mentioned above, this resulted in large chunks of the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton years of the show being lost, seemingly for good. Luckily, there are the dedicated people at the Restoration Team to ensure that these are looking as good as they can for the general public. These three episodes had been restored previously for a 1999 VHS released. Taken from the 16mm masters, the saga of the VHS project can be found here. Additional information on the DVD project, which saw the Team start the Restoration project from scratch, can be viewed here. (Thanks to Steve from the Restoration Team for the correction)!

Naturally, there are a number of problems inherent to this print that can't be blamed on the DVD transfer. Film artefacts abound - grain, dirt, scratches and anything else you can care to name. There are also a number of video artefacts that are common to most vintage BBC programming, including lens flare and the odd comet trail when fire or a flashing light gets directly in front of the camera. These are certainly not the fault of the DVD transfer, and are often part of the charm of watching vintage television. However, having recently seen an older print of An Unearthly Child, the difference in quality is instantly noticeable as soon as the first episode starts up. This new print looks less murky and a great deal sharper than previous versions, or even other black and white shows of that era.

We have to take into account that there are just some problems that can't be overcome, even by the most dedicated restoration process. The other thing to remember is that, as mentioned in the main review, these episodes were simply not filmed with the quality of modern televisions in mind. Knowing this, it is easy to see that the Restoration Team has done a wonderful job on not only providing us with the best possible copies of these episodes, but also ensuring that the serials are going to be around for a long time to come.

One bit of fun trivia about the Doctor Who opening theme - composed by Australian Ron Grainer - is that it was the first televised use of electronic music. This is discussed in more detail on the "Masters of Sound" featurette found on the Edge of Destruction disc. The familiar theme has replaced the audio on the opening and closing sequences, and it certainly sounds a lot cleaner than the rest of the track. This is not to say that the rest of the track sounds terrible, as the opposite is definitely the case. Gone are any noticeable clicks and pops that could be heard on various prints, and dialogue is loud and clear. There are no traces of audio sync loss that can be attributed to the DVD, and that 'muted' quality that often characterises shows of this era is nowhere to be heard. Naturally, all of the sound comes out of the front and centre speakers.

Episode 2 of The Edge of Destruction is available in Arabic as a comparative tool. There is also a bit of a tease in the bonus features section on An Unearthly Child, with a music video of the theme music remixed in 5.1 Surround. It is incredibly effective, and one can only wonder what the entire set would have sounded like mixed in this fashion. However, what we have is better than ever, and is a solid mix indeed.

Doctor Who DVDs usually provide us with a plethora of bonus features, and Doctor Who - The Beginning is no exception. There are a number of documentaries and other bonus materials spread out across the 3-Disc set. For the purposes of this review, each set of bonus features will be looked at separately as though reviewing each title individually.

Disc 1 - An Unearthly Child

Commentaries - Moderated by Gary Russell, one-time editor of Doctor Who Magazine, commentaries can be found on various episodes. Episode 1 features actors William Russell and Carole Ann Ford and producer Verity Lambert; Episode 4 features the same actors plus director Waris Hussein.  Commentary can also be found on the Pilot Episode with Lambert and Hussein. One may be upset that these are not feature-length commentaries. However, given the sheer number of episodes in this set (13 if you count all the parts of each serial), it would have been an endurance test for the aged actors to sit down and recall their memories on the period. Besides, the very helpful Production Subtitles - text-based trivia tracks, that are fast becoming my favourite DVD feature - fills in many of the gaps left open by the participants.

Pilot Episode - This contains an unedited 35-minute recording of the September 1963 studio session, as well as the 25 minute version of the (unaired) pilot. The edited version is a newly edited '2005' cut of the pilot episode, whereas the 35 minute studio recording is the unedited (and unaired) pilot. Fans will note a few differences, some more subtle than others. Some of these changes are touched upon in the documentary footage on the final disc of the set, but it is great to see this presented here for fans to wholly consume. Feeling a little hungry now... 

Theme Music Video (2:36) x 3 - As mentioned in the audio section, this remixes the main title theme into a music video. We are able to hear it in the original mono, stereo and a 5.1 mix. Fun, although a novelty at best. As I said above, it is also a massive tease - imagine the whole series remixed in 5.1! Sure, it wouldn't be needed, but what the hell, eh?

Comedy Sketches - The appeal of these sketches may me limited to Doctor Who fans, as most of them are giant 'in-jokes'. Largely starring The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss and Little Britain's David Walliams, they are as patchy as most sketch comedy although are sure to leave you with a smile on your face.  The sketch involving the initial pitch of Doctor Who to the BBC is particularly funny. Great for anyone who ever thought Gatiss would make a great Doctor, and watch out for a cameo by Nicholas 'Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart' Courtney towards the end.

Photo Gallery (6:02) - The first disc is rounded out with a photo gallery containing production stills, behind the scenes shots and publicity stills. As with all Doctor Who galleries, this one is self-playing at set to music.

Disc 2 - The Daleks

Commentaries - Once again moderated by Gary Russell, commentaries for this serial can be found on Episode 2, with director Christopher Barry and Verity Lambert. Episode 4 gives Christopher Barry, Carole Ann Ford and William Russell the microphone and the final Episode 7 allows us to hear director Richard Martin, Carole Ann Ford and William Russell again. As with the other discs, the Production Subtitles serve as a complimentary feature to the commentaries.

Creation of the Daleks (17:10) - A fairly straightforward piece that looks at how Terry Nation's creations made their way to the small screen. Once again, the documentarians have done their homework, with even the guys that did the voices of Daleks being interviewed!

Photo Gallery (5:33) - More exciting stills from various stages of production of this serial. Not sure what else to add here. If you like, I can do a little dance for you?

Disc 2 - The Edge of Destruction

Doctor Who: Origins (53:31) - For many, this documentary will be the main one to watch. Through retrospective and vintage interviews with as many of the people involved with the production of An Unearthly Child as possible, we learn the story of how Doctor Who came to television screens. A very comprehensive piece that not only covers the history of Doctor Who, but of changes within the BBC and television production in the UK.

Over the Edge (29:19) - In lieu of any commentaries on this disc, we get a thorough documentary on the making of this character-based story. Through retrospective interviews with the cast and crew, we learn how a simple 'filler' story came to define the relationship The Doctor has with his companions. It is worth mentioning, however, that if you have not seen the last few episodes of the recent Christopher Eccleston series, there are major spoilers for (and footage from) the season finale, The Parting of the Ways.

Inside the Spaceship - The Story of the TARDIS (10:15) - A brief retelling of how the TARDIS set came together, with the cast and crew reflecting on the design. Director of An Unearthly Child, Waris Hussein, admits that he never liked the set. Given how long the set was used on the series, remaining relatively unchanged through the first few Doctors, the set designers obviously did something right. Some interview footage and information, primarily on the 'sound' of the TARDIS, has been reused from the Origins documentary on this disc.

Masters of Sound (12:24) - Containing previously unseen footage taken from the 1993 documentary, "30 Years in the TARDIS", this featurette/snippet explores the Radiophonic workshop in which all of the Doctor Who sounds were made. It closed down in 1998. It also contains footage from 1960s behind the scenes programs. Some of this information can also be heard in the Origins documentary on this disc, although this is simply a case of the same information being extracted from different interviews. A fascinating look at sound design.

Marco Polo (31:25) - For many fans, this alone will be worth the purchase price. As mentioned, many of the Doctor Who episodes from this era have gone missing. Last year's Lost in Time collection gathered together the 'orphan' episodes from incomplete serials. However, Marco Polo is one of the unfortunate cases where the entire 7-part serial is missing. From still photographs and the surviving audio track, this featurette reconstructs the story that follows on directly from The Edge of Destruction. The entire sound recording, as we are usefully told at the end of the featurette, is available separately on audio CD.

Gallery (5:09) - A self-playing gallery set to music. This time we get a few scenes from the production of The Edge of Destruction, with the majority being from Marco Polo. Many of these are behind the scenes stills in colour, making this a very welcome inclusion for those keen to see more of the lost episode.

DVD-ROM - An Unearthly Child script and a reproduction of the original Radio Times billings for the same episode can be found in PDF format on the disc. One of those things that just makes the package feel complete.

Production Subtitles - How could I forget my favourite feature? As always, one of the most informative trivia tracks in the business.

Fans will no doubt be running towards the shops for this one. Until somebody finds all the lost episodes in a bunker somewhere, this set represents the chunkiest chunk of the early Hartnell years that we are likely to see on DVD for some years to come. Witnessing the origins of one of the most enduring characters on television is always going to conjure up an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, but the fun elements of these scripts allow the stories to endure on their own accord over forty years later.

The fact that the first three serials have survived at all is a miracle, but the Restoration Team have done such a great job of scrubbing them up that even those intimately familiar with the episodes will look at them with renewed vigor. A generous and thoughtful set of bonus features will make this a must buy for fans, and a history lesson in vintage television for everyone else.

Highly Recommended.