Sputnik 5, was launched on August 19, 1960.
   On board were the dogs Belka and Strelka.
   Also on board were 40 mice, 2 rats and a
   variety of plants. 

For those readers who have grown up in this new technological age, black and white
television must seem like a life-time away and it was - literally! 

This was the time when the sets looked like they were about to
fall over; the special effects - if they can be called that, were
almost non-existent and the enemies were made out of cereal
boxes, super glue and plastic bin-liners. But make no mistake
about it, these were still the very best of times!

It all started way back in November 1963. Two interfering school
teachers become fascinated by one of their pupils, Susan Foreman,
and decide to investigate further. They follow her to a junkyard
at 76 Totters Lane where they meet her mysterious grandfather.
Susan and her grandfather turn out to be aliens who travel through
time and space in something that looks like a Police box, but is 
in fact a sophisticated time machine. The adventures begin...

During this time there were few if any self-contained stories. Each adventure was broken down into twenty
five minute episodes in a season that ran for over six months. At the end of each episode, viewers 
would be left hanging onto their seats as the programme ended in a dramatic cliffhanger. Not to worry
though.The Doctor would always escape to fight another day. 

And of course the Doctor never travelled alone. The role of the assistant was central to the show. In
every episode, as sure as night follows day, the Doctor and his companion(s) would become seperated. This
was a clever device used by writers to create a sub-plot, a sort of story within a story. But what about
those assistants. Remember, we are talking about the 1960s here, so of course they conformed to various
stereotypes. The guy would be typically masculine; tough, uncompromising, always up for a bit of the 
physical stuff. The female assistant would be the complete opposite; a feeble, screaming, pathetic wreck. 
No change there then (stone me - are you looking for a punch up the bracket? The Editor). 

The programme itself got off to a slow start - but remember, this was radical stuff - totally different from the
usual BBC rubbish. Anyway, by the end of the second story, Doctor Who was already beginning to make it's
mark. Many of the best ever stories originate from this era. Most of these have now been deleted, but 
enough remain and are still worth watching - if you don't mind a bit of black on white. Happy viewing!

1970s>>