10 Behind The Scenes Secrets From Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
9. Dr. Who Was Originally Much More Like The Master
Cecil Edwin Webber didn't receive on-screen credit for his work on Doctor Who, though he was a well-respected playwright and author who was brought on board in the early stages to help craft the show. He wrote a pilot script called Nothing At The End Of The Lane which, while it would go unfilmed itself, would serve as the basis for An Unearthly Child.
In Webber's story, the focus was primarily on Biddy and her teachers. Dr. Who, as he was called in the script, would actually have been a malign character who had a fierce distrust of scientists and, though not bent on destruction himself, was certainly not what one would consider a 'good guy'.
Webber's script was rejected by Rex Tucker, who served as the producer before Verity Lambert took over. Tucker felt that Webber was unable to write a story that would appeal to the target market, namely, only that would have to involve children. Another mark against him was that his script contained spiders and centipedes. Show creator Sydney Newman was staunchly against bug-eyed monsters of any kind.