With almost 60 years worth of Doctor Who now available to stream on BBC iPlayer, fans may be looking to watch the story which started it all.

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1963's An Unearthly Child was the story that introduced us not only to teachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) and their new pupil Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), but also to that miraculous Time Lord, travelling the universe in his blue box.

The story saw the quartet thrown together and heading off on their first adventure to the Stone Age, thus beginning decades worth of adventures through time and space for fans.

Considering the importance of this story to Doctor Who history, just where can you watch An Unearthly Child?

How to watch Doctor Who's An Unearthly Child in the UK

There are a number of places to watch the opening Doctor Who story An Unearthly Child.

Is Doctor Who's An Unearthly Child available on DVD and Blu-ray?

The DVD cover of Doctor Who story An Unearthly Child featuring Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman.
The DVD cover of Doctor Who story An Unearthly Child featuring Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman. BBC

An Unearthly Child is available in a DVD format but is currently not available for purchase on Amazon as an individual DVD.

However, the story is available within a DVD boxset trilogy of the first three Doctor Who stories - An Unearthly Child, The Daleks, and The Edge of Destruction.

There is currently a 1 to 4-week wait for the dispatching of the boxset, which is currently a best seller on the store, and is available on Amazon UK.

An Unearthly Child is not available on Blu-ray, as the first season of Doctor Who has yet to be released in this format.

Is Doctor Who's An Unearthly Child available on BBC iPlayer?

An Unearthly Child is not currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer, despite a host of other classic stories having been added to the streaming service on 1st November 2023.

Is Doctor Who's An Unearthly Child available on BritBox?

Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, William Russell as Ian Chesterton, and William Hartnell as The Doctor for Doctor Who.
Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, William Russell as Ian Chesterton, and William Hartnell as The Doctor for Doctor Who. BBC

Yes, An Unearthly Child is available in its entirety on BritBox and via the plug-in to the service on ITVX.

The unaired pilot recording of the first episode is also available on the platform.

Is Doctor Who's An Unearthly Child available on the Apple Store?

Yes, An Unearthly Child is currently available to purchase as individual episodes on the Apple Store.

Each episode is available to purchase for £1.89 each on the store. The parts available are:

  • An Unearthly Child
  • The Cave of Skulls
  • The Forest of Fear
  • The Firemaker

Is Doctor Who's An Unearthly Child available on Prime Video?

Yes, An Unearthly Child is currently available to purchase as individual episodes and as a season on Amazon's Prime Video service.

Each episode is available to purchase for £1.89 each on the store or as a full season for £5.99. The parts available are:

  • An Unearthly Child
  • The Cave of Skulls
  • The Forest of Fear
  • The Firemaker

Is Doctor Who's An Unearthly Child available on Netflix?

No, An Unearthly Child is not available to stream on Netflix.

In fact, no Doctor Who content is currently available on the platform.

Read more:

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Episodes of the classic series can be streamed on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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