Doctor Who: 1963 BBC Reports & Notes> Prologue

Here’s what Google AI has to say when I typed in “the state of science fiction in the UK in the 1960s”:

In the 1960s, British science fiction experienced a significant shift towards the “New Wave,” characterized by experimentation and a focus on social and psychological themes. This era saw the rise of authors like Brian Aldiss and J.G. Ballard, who explored complex social and psychological issues through the lens of science fiction. The New Wave also influenced the emergence of science fiction on television, with shows like Doctor Who and Out of the Unknown gaining popularity.

It also pointed to a Wikipedia (question both sources) page on British television science fiction:

Two important events for the future of British television science fiction occurred in 1962. The first was that the BBC’s Head of Light Entertainment, Eric Maschwitz, commissioned Head of the Script Department, Donald Wilson, to prepare a report on the viability of producing a new science-fiction series for television. The second was that Sydney Newman was tempted away from ABC to accept the position of Head of Drama at the BBC, officially joining the corporation at the beginning of 1963.

The BBC developed an idea of Newman’s into Britain’s first durable science-fiction television series. Taking advantage of the research Wilson’s department had completed, Newman initiated the creation of a new series, and along with Wilson and BBC staff writer C. E. Webber oversaw its development; Newman named it “Doctor Who.” After much development work, the series was launched on 23 November 1963. It ran for 26 seasons in its original form, through which first emerged many of the writers who, until the 1980s, would create most of the genre’s successful British shows.^{[example needed]} One of the few science fiction series to have become part of the popular consciousness, its success led the BBC to produce others in the genre, notably the science fiction anthology series Out of the Unknown (1965–1971), which ran for four seasons.

What does that have to do with this?

While looking for the next story bible/writer’s guide to review I came across a series of Doctor Who related postings on this site simply called TV Writing that collects writer’s guides for study. That was after one of my other new go-to sites had one of these files, but going to a dead link. There doesn’t seem to be an actual writer’s guide for the original Doctor Who online on any of my choices. For all I know the BBC didn’t and still doesn’t use them. I’m not a historian. I’m a reviewer, semi-artist, and storyteller. Still, this site has some of those notes and early pitches for Sidney Newman’s long-running-with-a-long-break series and possibly the notes mentioned above. I didn’t know about any of this, but in this next series of articles, which I’m putting into my story bible category on a technicality, we’re all about to.

Welcome to a new article series.

Sorry, Chris Chibnall and Russell T. Davies, WE won’t forget who the First Doctor is.

According to Wikipedia (qu…wait, I already made that joke), 1946 or somewhere in the 1950s (apparently it’s debated) ended the “Golden Age Of Science Fiction“, with some authors continuing into the 1950s just before the rise of the “New Wave in the 1960s. Television was still new, but even that had it’s share of science fiction, though most of those shows are relegated to television trivia. Not many people left to tell you about Captain Z-Ro.

Doctor Who, which had to be fought for and was made by the BBC Drama department, would show that science fiction is a viable option and didn’t die with the various “Quatermass” series. Russel T. Davies did the same with the revival he actually did well (unlike his 2020s return that’s become controversial garbage), though I’m convinced he only did it to sell Torchwood, the show he really wanted to make. No, I’m not saying he wasn’t a fan, hard as that is to believe with what he’s done to the show since his return as he’s also a victim of the post-2016 rise of activist “creators”. I’m saying he had a show he really wanted to make but knew their biggest sci-fi export beloved around the world and not involving marionettes would get him what he really wanted. He even got a kids show spinoff since new Doctor Who has become less and less of a kids or even kid-friendly show recently.

Back in the 1960s, Sydney Newman wanted to use science fiction to teach kids about science and history, two things the show would take plenty of liberties with as it became a general sci-fi horror show for kids. This is why the initial cast was the old man with a time machine (writers not deciding if he was an alien or from the future), a teen the target audience could identify with, a history teacher, and a science teacher. Through their time-travelling police box, since the couch cushion budget the BBC gave the show didn’t allow for changing the form each week and calling on more props, the mysterious “Doctor”, his granddaughter, and his kidnap victims crew from present day who could ask the necessary questions without looking like idiots who didn’t belong here would land on alien worlds, primitive times, and deal with aliens and the occasional “normal” villain, writing wrongs and being an early STEM draw for the little ones. Times they would be changing.

For this series I’ll be looking at five different documents. I’ll put that link up again (don’t worry, it’s all alphabetical–and save it because we may be back for future guide reviews) so you can grab your copy before it gets taken off of this site, too, but the list in order are:

• 1963 BBC Report On SF
• 1963 BBC Follow-Up Report On SF
• 1963 BBC Concept Notes For New SF Drama
• 1963 BBC Background Notes On Doctor Who
• 1963 BBC Audience Report On Doctor Who

I don’t know if that last one is necessary but as I write this I have barely looked at any of these. Apparently this site believes all five are important to understand how this some came to be on UK television and that studying it will benefit anyone looking to push their own TV/streaming programing onto the airwaves or whatever the internet uses. Well, if they think we can learn something from this, as fans of the classic series or as storytellers looking to push our craft…or maybe as TV historians looking into how things are made, then why not give it a look? It may take awhile to see how it all connects to one of our favorite sci-fi shows. I don’t know how long these reports and notes are, or how long it will take to go over them. We’ve had actual writer’s guides take a while to dig through. Our last one did, and that included the first sales pitch.

While not technically a story bible or writer’s guide, I’m still adding it to the Story Bible Reviews category under Television Spotlight. Like I said, I don’t know if there is a guide for writing Doctor Who from any point in the franchise, so this is the closest thing available. At the very list, I’m guessing the “New SF Drama” is Doctor Who and the background notes and audience report (which just sounds like the ratings to me but we’ll see) definitely are. These documents are what we have for exploring the behind-the-scenes creation of the show before the cameras ever had a bit of film in them. It should be most interesting. Anyone in the UK who knows how this stuff works, PLEASE educate the rest of us. I’m curious what the knowledgeable will be able to add to this series.

I don’t know how long this will go, but next time we’ll begin with the first of the two BBC reports on science fiction and see how those reports led to the show we’re here to talk about.