Background Notes for 'Dr. Who'

In this document, we can see the elements that would help to form 'Doctor Who' finally taking shape. Though the character names would be changed and the attributes of the central role adjusted, this is the first point at which we can recognise the series 'Doctor Who' would become. The brusque pencil notes come from Head of Drama Sydney Newman.

Sydney Newman's note 'Not visual... need tangible symbol' is an interesting one. By the time scriptwriter Anthony Coburn came to pen the first episode, 'An Unearthly Child', this tangible symbol had become a police box, also known as 'Time and Relative Dimension in Space' - or TARDIS for short. Meanwhile, 'Cliff' had evolved into science teacher Ian Chesterton, 'Lola' became Barbara Wright and the 'with-it' Biddy turned into the Doctor's granddaughter Susan. As for the 'Second Secret of Doctor Who', it would be six years before the Doctor's people caught up with him, at the climax to 'The War Games'.