Every Doctor Who Debut Story Ranked From Worst To Best

We might expect William Hartnell’s debut story to bear no resemblance to a post-regeneration debut, but it does include a key element: the Doctor starts out by being a character the audience are suspicious of and has to earn our trust as the story progresses.

The first episode as a standalone introduction to the First Doctor is one of the most remarkable pieces of television drama ever – across the board, never mind in Doctor Who. Unfortunately as soon as we travel in the TARDIS back to the Stone Age, things rapidly go downhill and the overall effect on the audience of the beginning of Doctor Who was one of mild bemusement. That said it works surprisingly well as an introduction to the Doctor.

The Doctor at first is greeted with disbelief and mistrust by the school teachers Ian and Barbara, but even after he has sent them back in time, he remains misunderstood and at one point has to tell them not to treat him as the weakest member of the team. They, like the audience, are still learning what type of hero the Doctor is, but in the meantime with so much mystery surrounding the character, we identify with the teachers.

Despite its stereotypes and plodding plot, the framing narrative of the tribe of Gum ties in directly to the establishment of the TARDIS team in the audience’s affections. The story looks at what makes an effective leader, and challenges us to accept that the Doctor’s unconventional approach might be more desirable than that of the traditional hero.