BBC ARCHIVE
WRITTEN DOCUMENT 1963


British Broadcasting Corporation 
Confidential
AN AUDIENCE RESEARCH REPORT

(Week 48) [File number] VR/63/668

'DR. WHO'
1: An Unearthly Child

Designer: Peter Brachacki
Produced by Verity Lambert
Directed by Waris Hussein

Saturday, 23rd November, 1963. 
5.15—5.40 pm, Television Service

1. Size of audience (based on results of the Survey of Listening and Viewing.) 

It is estimated that the audience was 9%. Programmes on ITV at the time were 
seen by 8%.

2. Reaction of audience (based on questionnaires completed by a sample of the 
audience. This sample, 124 in number, is the 12% of the Viewing Panel who saw 
the broadcast.)

The reactions of this sample of the audience were distributed as follows:—

A+ 17%
A  39%
B  31%
C   6%
C—  7%

giving a REACTION INDEX of 63, close to the current averages for television 
drama (62) and children's programmes (64).

3. 'Tonight's new serial seemed to be a cross between Wells' Time Machine and 
a space—age Old Curiosity Shop, with a touch of Mack Sennett comedy. It was in 
the grand style of the old pre—talkie films to see a dear old Police Box being 
hurtled through space and landing on Mars or somewhere. I almost expected to 
see a batch of Keystone Cops emerge on to the Martian landscape. Anjway, it 
was all good, clean fun and I look forward to meeting the nice Doctor's 
planetary friends next Saturday, whether it be in the ninth or ninety—ninth 
century A.D.' wrote a retired Naval Officer speaking, it would seem, for a good 
many viewers in the sample who regarded this as an enjoyable piece of escapism, 
not to be taken too seriously, of course, but none the less entertaining and, at 
times, quite thrilling — 'taken as fantasy it was moat enjoyable. I presume it 
is meant for the kiddies but nevertheless I found it entertaining at Saturday 
teatime and look forward to seeing the Cave of Skulls in the next episode'. Some 
viewers disliked the play, either because they had a blind spot for science 
fiction of any kind or because they considered this a rather poor example, 
being altogether too far—fetched and ludicrous, particularly at the end — 'a 
police box with flashing beacon travelling through interstellar space — what 
claptrap!' Too childish for adults, it was at the same time occasionally felt 
to be unsuitable for children of a more timid disposition and, for one reason 
or another, proved something of a disappointment to a sizeable number of those 
reporting. Generally speaking, however, viewers in the sample thought this a 
good start to a series which gave promise of being very entertaining — the 
children, they were sure, would love it (indeed, there is every evidence that 
children viewing with adults in the sample found it very much to their taste) 
but it was, at the same time, wnitten imaginatively enough to appeal to adult 
minds and would, no doubt, prove to be quite intriguing as it progressed.


4. The acting throughout was considered satisfactory, several viewers adding 
that it was pleasant to see William Hartnell again in the somewhat unusual role 
(for him) of Dr. Vho, while the radiophonio effects were apparently highly 
successful in creating the appropriate 'out of this world' atmosphere, the 
journey through space being particularly well done.

Copyright Audience Research Department of the BBC 
30th December, 1963.