An Unearthly Child

Terrance Dicks

1963

(original TV broadcast)

The Doctor finds his way to 1960s Earth where his TARDIS breaks down. Whilst repairing it, he sends his granddaughter to a local school where her foreknowledge startles and worries a couple of her teachers. Concerned, they follow to her home and are worried to find that this is actually a scrap yard. They are just in time to spot the girl entering a police box and they resolve to follow her in. They are completely gob smacked when they force their way in and find the interior is bigger, much bigger, on the inside than the outside. The owner, an irascible old man, stuns them and when they recover, they find that they are travelling in time - or so they are told.

When they leave the craft, they find that they are no longer in a scrap yard in Swinging London but a further problem with the TARDIS is revealed. Although the Doctor has explained that it should blend into the background, no-one has ever suggested that the neolithic era had blue police telephone boxes!

Squabbling amongst themselves, they are witnesses to an attempted coup when the leader of a neolithic tribe looses the secrets of fire. Saving his life, they are escorted back to his tribe where they make fire for the Tribe. But the Tribe, fearful of losing the secret of fire, imprison the Time Travellers in their ritual cave.

Eventually they escape and make their way back to the TARDIS

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