An Unearthly Child
Encyclopedia
The serial that became An Unearthly Child was originally commissioned from writer Anthony Coburn in June 1963, when it was intended to run as the second Doctor Who serial. At this stage, it was planned that the series would open with a serial entitled The Giants, to be written by BBC staff scriptwriter C. E. Webber
. Webber had been heavily involved in the brainstorming meetings which had led to the creation of Doctor Who, and — with BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman
and Head of Serials Donald Wilson — had co-written the initial format document
for the series.
By the middle of June, however, Wilson and Doctor Whos initial "caretaker producer" Rex Tucker
decided to reject The Giants. This was partly because it was felt the serial lacked the necessary impact for an opener, and partly because it was felt that the technical requirements of the storyline — which involved the leading characters being drastically reduced in size — would be beyond the capacities of the young series at this point, given the facilities available. Due to the lack of scripts ready for production, it was decided to move Coburn's serial up to first place in the running order.
By the end of June, responsibility for getting Doctor Who off the ground was handed over to producer Verity Lambert
and script editor
David Whitaker, neither of whom were greatly impressed with Coburn's serial as a series 'opener'. The writer was asked to carry out major rewrites. Some consideration was even given to dropping the scripts altogether, with writer Terence Dudley
briefly sounded out about providing a replacement, but a lack of time necessitated Coburn's serial going ahead.
The moving up in the schedule of Coburn's story necessitated his rewriting the opening episode to include some introductory elements of Webber's script for the first episode of The Giants; as a result, Webber received a co-writer's credit for the episode "An Unearthly Child" on internal BBC documentation. Coburn did, however, make several significant original contributions of his own, most notably that the Doctor's time machine should externally resemble a police box
, which subsequently went on to become one of the main icons of the show. Coburn had the idea for the design when he came across a real police box while on a walk near his office. Concerned to avoid any possibility of sexual impropriety implicit in having a young girl travelling with an older man, Coburn also insisted that the character of Susan Foreman should be redrawn as the Doctor's granddaughter, rather than simply his travelling companion.
The serial as a whole was originally to have been directed by Rex Tucker, but when he moved on from the series, young staff director Waris Hussein
, who had been attached to Doctor Who from an early stage, was given the assignment. Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at Ealing Studios
in early October, were directed by Hussein's production assistant
, Douglas Camfield
. The incidental music score was provided by Norman Kay
. The scenic designer assigned to the serial was Peter Brachacki
, who originated the distinctive TARDIS interior set, but he eventually handled only the very first episode before being replaced by Barry Newbery, as he was unhappy with working on the programme.
The first version of the opening episode was shot at Lime Grove Studios
on the evening of 27 September 1963, following a week of rehearsals. The second attempt at the opening episode was shot on 18 October, with the following three episodes being shot weekly from that point onwards on 25 October, 1 November and 8 November. As with much British television of the era, the episodes were predominantly videotape
d "as live
", with little scope for re-takes or breaks in recording. This left room for many mistakes that are evident on the show- but actually got the shows finished extremely quickly.
Sydney Newman, after viewing the episode, met producer Verity Lambert and director Waris Hussein. He indicated the many faults he found with the pilot and ordered that it be mounted again; a consequence of this was the delay of the show's planned 16 November 1963 premiere date. This initial episode is now known as the unaired "pilot episode
", although it was never intended as such, since the practice of producing pilot episodes did not exist in Britain in the 1960s.
During the weeks between the two tapings, changes were made to costuming, effects, performances, and the script (which had originally featured a more callous and threatening Doctor, and Susan doing strange things like flicking ink blots onto paper). Changes made before the final version were filmed include a thunderclap sound effect being deleted from the opening theme music; Susan's dress being changed to make her look more like a schoolgirl than the original costume, which made her appear more alien and sensual; the Doctor's costume being changed from a contemporary jacket and tie to his familiar Edwardian
clothing; a reference to the Doctor and Susan being from the 49th century was replaced with the line "[from] another time, another world"; the TARDIS door being repaired so that it closed properly; and a refinement of the TARDIS sound effect.
The original episode was not broadcast until 26 August 1991, when the BBC aired a version that edited together the first half of the taping with one of the two completed second halves. As it happened, the version chosen was the one in which the TARDIS doors would not close; other errors included actress Carole Ann Ford flubbing a line of dialogue, Jacqueline Hill getting caught in a doorway, a camera banging into a piece of scenery during one of the scrapyard sequences, and William Russell accidentally knocking over a mannequin in the scrapyard. Earlier, in June 1991, a version with the first half edited together with the other take of the second half of the pilot was released on the VHS compilation The Hartnell Years; later, in 2000, the complete version (including both takes) was released in a remastered form on VHS, along with The Edge of Destruction. In 2006, the Doctor Who: The Beginning DVD set contained two versions of the episode: an unedited studio recording including all takes of the second part of the show, and a newly-created version of the pilot that uses the best footage from the original recording, with additional editing and digital adjustments to remove blown lines, technical problems, and reduce studio noise. Like the other episodes from this serial, both versions of the "pilot" were remastered for DVD release, using VidFIRE
technology that simulated the original video look of the 1963 production.
Titles used for the story include, in rough chronological order:
Many documents lack any title at all (whereas for later stories they are clearer), including the 1974 BBC Enterprises listing A Quick Guide to Doctor Who, which was the main source of titles for most early fan reference works.
Which title should be used is a subject that has generated deep controversy amongst fans of the series. Fan researchers such as David J. Howe
argue that since 100,000 BC was used by the production team at the time of transmission, it is the most accurate title. However, the BBC
tends to market the story as An Unearthly Child. Consequently, this became the most common title used for the story in recent years.
The four episodes of the serial are, respectively, "An Unearthly Child", "The Cave of Skulls", "The Forest of Fear" and "The Firemaker". In common with Coburn's original acronym TARDIS, as component parts of his script texts, these titles now remain the copyright protected property of his estate.
of John F. Kennedy
. It has been written that the transmission was delayed by ten minutes due to extended news coverage; in fact, it went out just eighty seconds late. However, because it was felt that the coverage of the events of the assassination as well as a series of power blackouts across the country may have caused too many viewers to miss this introduction to a new series it was broadcast again on 30 November 1963, just before the broadcast of episode two. This repeat was not broadcast in Northern Ireland
. The serial was repeated on BBC2 in November 1981, daily from Monday 2 November 1981 to Thursday 5 November 1981 at 5.40pm. The Pilot was transmitted on BBC2, 26 August 1991 at 2.15pm.
wrote the Target Books
novelisation of this story, initially published as Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child in October 1981. A French language
version of the novelisation with the title Docteur Who entre en scène (literally, Doctor Who takes the stage) was published in 1987. A 1990 German
edition published by Goldmann
was one of six Doctor Who novels from that publisher, this being the only not involving the Daleks. The German title was Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen (Doctor Who and the Child from the Stars). It was the first target novelisation to feature the "neon logo" and early editions featured a red foil logo. The First Doctor's appearance in the Eighth Doctor Adventures
novel The Eight Doctors
, also by Dicks, occurs during this story.
C. E. Webber
Cecil Edwin Webber was a British television writer and playwright. He is best remembered for his contribution to the creation of the famous science-fiction series Doctor Who while working as a staff writer for the BBC in the early 1960s...
. Webber had been heavily involved in the brainstorming meetings which had led to the creation of Doctor Who, and — with BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman
Sydney Newman
Sydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s...
and Head of Serials Donald Wilson — had co-written the initial format document
Bible (television)
A bible for screenwriters is a reference document used for information on a story's characters, settings and other elements. Show bibles are commonly used in television series; new writers and freelancers are often referred to it when writing scripts for the show to ensure continuity with previous...
for the series.
By the middle of June, however, Wilson and Doctor Whos initial "caretaker producer" Rex Tucker
Rex Tucker
Rex Tucker was a British television director in the 1950s and 1960s.He was born in March in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire. Amongst his work, he was a driving force during the formative stages of Doctor Who in 1963, acting as a caretaker producer prior to the arrival of Verity Lambert...
decided to reject The Giants. This was partly because it was felt the serial lacked the necessary impact for an opener, and partly because it was felt that the technical requirements of the storyline — which involved the leading characters being drastically reduced in size — would be beyond the capacities of the young series at this point, given the facilities available. Due to the lack of scripts ready for production, it was decided to move Coburn's serial up to first place in the running order.
By the end of June, responsibility for getting Doctor Who off the ground was handed over to producer Verity Lambert
Verity Lambert
Verity Ann Lambert, OBE was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who, a programme which has become a part of British popular culture, and for her association with Thames Television...
and script editor
Script editor
A script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television programmes, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts are suitable for production...
David Whitaker, neither of whom were greatly impressed with Coburn's serial as a series 'opener'. The writer was asked to carry out major rewrites. Some consideration was even given to dropping the scripts altogether, with writer Terence Dudley
Terence Dudley
Terence Dudley was a television director and producer who directed many programs for the BBC over a number of years....
briefly sounded out about providing a replacement, but a lack of time necessitated Coburn's serial going ahead.
The moving up in the schedule of Coburn's story necessitated his rewriting the opening episode to include some introductory elements of Webber's script for the first episode of The Giants; as a result, Webber received a co-writer's credit for the episode "An Unearthly Child" on internal BBC documentation. Coburn did, however, make several significant original contributions of his own, most notably that the Doctor's time machine should externally resemble a police box
Police box
A police box is a British telephone kiosk or callbox located in a public place for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police...
, which subsequently went on to become one of the main icons of the show. Coburn had the idea for the design when he came across a real police box while on a walk near his office. Concerned to avoid any possibility of sexual impropriety implicit in having a young girl travelling with an older man, Coburn also insisted that the character of Susan Foreman should be redrawn as the Doctor's granddaughter, rather than simply his travelling companion.
The serial as a whole was originally to have been directed by Rex Tucker, but when he moved on from the series, young staff director Waris Hussein
Waris Hussein
Waris Hussein is a British-Indian television director and film director best known for his many productions for British television....
, who had been attached to Doctor Who from an early stage, was given the assignment. Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
in early October, were directed by Hussein's production assistant
Production assistant
A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production...
, Douglas Camfield
Douglas Camfield
Douglas Gaston Sydney Camfield was an accomplished director for television from the 1960s to the 1980s. His programme credits include Z-Cars, Paul Temple, Van der Valk, The Sweeney, Shoestring, The Professionals, Out of the Unknown, The Nightmare Man, the BBC dramatisation of Beau Geste and...
. The incidental music score was provided by Norman Kay
Norman Kay (composer)
Norman Forber Kay was a British composer and writer.Kay, who was born in Bolton, was educated at Bolton School, the Royal Manchester College of Music and the Royal College of Music. Kay composed the score for many episodes of Doctor Who, including the very first serial, An Unearthly Child...
. The scenic designer assigned to the serial was Peter Brachacki
Peter Brachacki
Peter Brachacki was a production designer who worked for BBC Television in the 1960s. Although he worked on several programmes, he is best remembered as the first production designer for Doctor Who in 1963, making him responsible for the iconic design of the TARDIS interior.-Doctor Who:Brachacki...
, who originated the distinctive TARDIS interior set, but he eventually handled only the very first episode before being replaced by Barry Newbery, as he was unhappy with working on the programme.
The first version of the opening episode was shot at Lime Grove Studios
Lime Grove Studios
Lime Grove Studios was a film studio complex built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915 situated in a street named Lime Grove, inShepherd's Bush, west London, north of Hammersmith and described by Gaumont as "the finest studio in Great Britain and the first building ever put up in this country...
on the evening of 27 September 1963, following a week of rehearsals. The second attempt at the opening episode was shot on 18 October, with the following three episodes being shot weekly from that point onwards on 25 October, 1 November and 8 November. As with much British television of the era, the episodes were predominantly videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
d "as live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
", with little scope for re-takes or breaks in recording. This left room for many mistakes that are evident on the show- but actually got the shows finished extremely quickly.
Pilot episode
The first episode, "An Unearthly Child", was originally recorded a month before full recording on the series began. However, the initial recording was bedevilled with technical problems and errors made during the performance. A particular problem occurred with the doors leading into the TARDIS control room, which would not close properly, instead randomly opening and closing through the early part of the scene. Two versions of the scene set in the TARDIS were recorded, along with an aborted first attempt to start the second version.Sydney Newman, after viewing the episode, met producer Verity Lambert and director Waris Hussein. He indicated the many faults he found with the pilot and ordered that it be mounted again; a consequence of this was the delay of the show's planned 16 November 1963 premiere date. This initial episode is now known as the unaired "pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
", although it was never intended as such, since the practice of producing pilot episodes did not exist in Britain in the 1960s.
During the weeks between the two tapings, changes were made to costuming, effects, performances, and the script (which had originally featured a more callous and threatening Doctor, and Susan doing strange things like flicking ink blots onto paper). Changes made before the final version were filmed include a thunderclap sound effect being deleted from the opening theme music; Susan's dress being changed to make her look more like a schoolgirl than the original costume, which made her appear more alien and sensual; the Doctor's costume being changed from a contemporary jacket and tie to his familiar Edwardian
Edwardian period
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...
clothing; a reference to the Doctor and Susan being from the 49th century was replaced with the line "[from] another time, another world"; the TARDIS door being repaired so that it closed properly; and a refinement of the TARDIS sound effect.
The original episode was not broadcast until 26 August 1991, when the BBC aired a version that edited together the first half of the taping with one of the two completed second halves. As it happened, the version chosen was the one in which the TARDIS doors would not close; other errors included actress Carole Ann Ford flubbing a line of dialogue, Jacqueline Hill getting caught in a doorway, a camera banging into a piece of scenery during one of the scrapyard sequences, and William Russell accidentally knocking over a mannequin in the scrapyard. Earlier, in June 1991, a version with the first half edited together with the other take of the second half of the pilot was released on the VHS compilation The Hartnell Years; later, in 2000, the complete version (including both takes) was released in a remastered form on VHS, along with The Edge of Destruction. In 2006, the Doctor Who: The Beginning DVD set contained two versions of the episode: an unedited studio recording including all takes of the second part of the show, and a newly-created version of the pilot that uses the best footage from the original recording, with additional editing and digital adjustments to remove blown lines, technical problems, and reduce studio noise. Like the other episodes from this serial, both versions of the "pilot" were remastered for DVD release, using VidFIRE
VidFIRE
VidFIRE is a restoration technique intended to restore the video-like motion of footage originally shot with television cameras now existing only in formats with telerecording as their basis...
technology that simulated the original video look of the 1963 production.
Alternative titles
As was usual at the beginning of the series' history, no overall title appeared on-screen, and each episode has its own title. 100,000 BC is the title that was used by the production team at the time of transmission. However, due to the absence of an overall onscreen title for the four-episode storyline, reference works have used various titles, some originating from the BBC Production Office and others seemingly invented by fans.Titles used for the story include, in rough chronological order:
- The Tribe of Gum: An early working title which was used up until the beginning of recording. It survived in a few documents derived from earlier paperwork, such as the payments for overseas sales, and started appearing again in reference works in the late 1970s and 1980s, including being used when the transcript of the serial was published by Titan BooksTitan BooksTitan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
. - 100,000 BC: The first-known use is a publicity release dating from when the story was being recorded, and this title is used on subsequent lists and publicity releases.
- The Paleolithic Age: Used by producer Verity LambertVerity LambertVerity Ann Lambert, OBE was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who, a programme which has become a part of British popular culture, and for her association with Thames Television...
in a letter to a viewer in late 1964. - The Stone Age: Used on the biography listing on a publicity release for a later story in late 1965.
- An Unearthly Child (or variants thereof): The title of the first episode, used by the 1973 Radio TimesRadio TimesRadio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
Tenth Anniversary Special and subsequently by the 1976 edition of The Making of Doctor Who, with much subsequent commercial use, including the novelizationNovelizationA novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
, VHS and DVD releases of the story.
Many documents lack any title at all (whereas for later stories they are clearer), including the 1974 BBC Enterprises listing A Quick Guide to Doctor Who, which was the main source of titles for most early fan reference works.
Which title should be used is a subject that has generated deep controversy amongst fans of the series. Fan researchers such as David J. Howe
David J. Howe
David J. Howe is a British writer, journalist, publisher, and media historian.-Biography:David Howe was born in 1961 and established himself as an authoritative media historian through writing articles for fanzines and other publications...
argue that since 100,000 BC was used by the production team at the time of transmission, it is the most accurate title. However, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
tends to market the story as An Unearthly Child. Consequently, this became the most common title used for the story in recent years.
The four episodes of the serial are, respectively, "An Unearthly Child", "The Cave of Skulls", "The Forest of Fear" and "The Firemaker". In common with Coburn's original acronym TARDIS, as component parts of his script texts, these titles now remain the copyright protected property of his estate.
Cast notes
- Derek Newark later played Greg Sutton in the serial InfernoInferno (Doctor Who)Don Houghton came to Terrence Dicks with an idea for the story based on the real life Project Mohole. A smaller budget for the serial drove the idea of a parallel world, where the studio could use the same actors in multiple roles...
. - Alethea Charlton later played Edith in the serial The Time MeddlerThe Time MeddlerThe Time Meddler is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 July to 24 July 1965...
. - Eileen Way later played Karela in the serial The Creature from the PitThe Creature from the PitThe Creature from the Pit is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 27 October to 17 November 1979.-Synopsis:On the planet Chloris, metal is scarce....
and appeared in the film Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD. - Jeremy Young later played Gordon Lowery in Mission to the UnknownMission to the Unknown"Mission to the Unknown", sometimes known as "Dalek Cutaway", is an episode in the television series Doctor Who. It is a standalone episode, serving as an introduction to the 12 part story The Daleks' Master Plan...
.
Broadcast and reception
The first episode was transmitted the day after the assassinationAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. It has been written that the transmission was delayed by ten minutes due to extended news coverage; in fact, it went out just eighty seconds late. However, because it was felt that the coverage of the events of the assassination as well as a series of power blackouts across the country may have caused too many viewers to miss this introduction to a new series it was broadcast again on 30 November 1963, just before the broadcast of episode two. This repeat was not broadcast in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The serial was repeated on BBC2 in November 1981, daily from Monday 2 November 1981 to Thursday 5 November 1981 at 5.40pm. The Pilot was transmitted on BBC2, 26 August 1991 at 2.15pm.
In print
Terrance DicksTerrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.- Early career :...
wrote the Target Books
Target Books
Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became well known for their highly successful range of...
novelisation of this story, initially published as Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child in October 1981. A French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
version of the novelisation with the title Docteur Who entre en scène (literally, Doctor Who takes the stage) was published in 1987. A 1990 German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
edition published by Goldmann
Goldmann (publisher)
Goldmann is one of the largest publishing houses in Germany.Founded on 21 June 1922 by Wilhelm Goldmann in Leipzig, the first works to be published were the detective stories of Edgar Wallace....
was one of six Doctor Who novels from that publisher, this being the only not involving the Daleks. The German title was Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen (Doctor Who and the Child from the Stars). It was the first target novelisation to feature the "neon logo" and early editions featured a red foil logo. The First Doctor's appearance in the Eighth Doctor Adventures
Eighth Doctor Adventures
The Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
novel The Eight Doctors
The Eight Doctors
The Eight Doctors is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range and features the Eighth Doctor and introduces his new companion, Sam Jones.The novel...
, also by Dicks, occurs during this story.
VHS and DVD releases
- The story was originally released on VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1990, and the unaired pilot (edited with the second take of the TARDIS scene) was released as part of The Hartnell Years in 1991. The story An Unearthly Child was rereleased and remastered in 2000. - It was subsequently released on DVD in January 2006 with The DaleksThe DaleksThe Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964...
and The Edge of DestructionThe Edge of DestructionThe Edge of Destruction is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on February 8 and February 15, 1964. The serial is distinguished as a rare "bottle episode", in that the entire story is shot on a single set, with just...
in the DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box set The Beginning, which includes all footage from the pilot (as well as an edited and enhanced 'special edition' of the pilot episode).
Reviews
- An Unearthly Child reviews at Outpost GallifreyOutpost GallifreyOutpost Gallifrey was a fan website for the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was active as a complete fan site from 1995 until 2007, then existing solely as a portal to the still-active parts of the site, including its news page and forums Outpost Gallifrey was a fan website...