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| Unravelling the mystery of the enigmatic and clever Susan Foreman - genuinely An Unearthly Child in this posed promo image in the BBC TV Studios basement that would be used by the Radio Times to promote the start of the series. Photos by Don Smith. Colourized by Clayton Hickman. |
That old saying of 'curiosity killed the cat' is something that London schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright should have heeded before beginning their outside of hours investigations into the unusually bright but mysterious young Coal Hill School pupil Susan Foreman on a foggy night in 1963. A trail leading them into a macabre junkyard at 76 Totter's Lane, and a mysterious and aggressive first contact with Susan's equally mysterious and elusive grandfather, known as 'the Doctor'. From there, an adventure beyond anything the duo can dream of begins - into the realms of time and space as at first unwilling passengers as they are deliberately kidnapped by Susan's apparent 'Grandfather'...
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| The original preview for the first Who episode in the Radio Times, using one of the classic Don Smith images. |
The series already had perfect casting in the lead role of
Doctor Who with William Hartnell, but getting the right actors to play his diverse journey companions was to prove just as vital, as they became the of- their-time relatable audience figures for the dramatic and action-packed weeks ahead.
William Russell, a popular and handsome leading man on TV, best known for his staring role in The Adventures of Lancelot for commercial ITV, was perfect as the clever, practical, resourceful and often heroic leading man of
Who, whilst
Jacqueline Hill, a respected rising star of British film and TV, and a good friend to series producer Verity Lambert, brought clarity of conviction, determination, a sense of fair play and courage against the odds to her role of Barbara Wright. The toughest of the trio to cast must surely have been Susan Foreman, as Lambert wanted someone who was bright, youthful and relatable to the youngest audiences yet someone who also possessed a potentially strange, out of this world quality to her. Established model/actress
Carole Ann Ford, no stranger to acting younger roles, was ultimately found after her mesmerising face was shown to Lambert on a monitor during recording of a BBC suspense play- sadly, despite early potential plans for Susan with the pilot episode and beyond, the planned strengths of her character would be toned down too much for the actress, despite her overall love and support for the series.
Doctor Who: the man who shot the show's first Radio Times photoshoot 50 years ago reveals all | Radio Times
Doctor Who – see the earliest surviving photographs | Radio Times
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| Pre-filming images taken of the cast on Friday 20th September 1963. |
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| Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman. |
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| William Russell as science teacher Ian Chesterton. |
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| Jacqueline Hill as history teacher Barbara Wright. |
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