10 Behind The Scenes Secrets From Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child

5. It Helps To Have Friends In High Places

Doctor Who An Unearthly Child
BBC Studios

Now, while this is not to suggest that Jacqueline Hill wasn't perfect for the part of Barbara Wright, it can't be denied that there was a little nepotism at play when it came to the casting of the character for An Unearthly Child.

Miss Lola MacGovern was the 24-year-old history teacher for Susan, who was described as timid, but capable of great feats of courage when the situation called for it. The character went through several different rewrites before Lola became Barbara. This was locked in by the time that the show's bible was written, with Rex Tucker holding auditions for the part.

Sally Home, Phyllida Lee (who would eventually go on to appear in The Sarah-Jane Adventures), and Penelope Lee were all considered for the part. However, once Tucker left the production, Verity Lambert was not interested in any of these actors for the part. She sought out her friend, Jacqueline Hill.

Hill and Lambert had worked together previously at ABC TV, so Lambert was well aware of Hill's talent. She offered her the part, which she played for the first two seasons of the show.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"