Go straight to the pictures
With the first episode of Doctor Who broadcast late in the year—November 23rd—there was no merchandise produced for general sale in 1963. However, there are still some limited collecting opportunities.
Promotional cast card of William Hartnell in The Tribe of Gum
There is a set of promotional cast cards—postcard-sized black and white photographs—of the principal actors, and a separate promotional card of the crew returning to the TARDIS at the conclusion of their first adventure. Interestingly, the lead actor cast cards that are known to exist in complete sets of four, show William Hartnell, Carole Ann Ford, and William Russell in a disheveled state following their encounter with the Tribe of Gum, while the Jacqueline Hill card shows her perfectly coiffed. One can speculate that Ms. Hill objected to the corresponding shot of her being used for promotional purposes.
Radio Times, 23-29 November 1963
Another collecting opportunity is the Radio Times, the BBC’s television and radio programme listings magazine first published in September 1923. In addition to the weekly listing that provided the episode title, a brief plot synopsis, the writers, cast, and production team, the Radio Times would regularly feature articles and photographs from the series. (More information here.)
Ariel, November 1963
Finally, there are a variety magazine and newspaper articles about Doctor Who that can be collected. These include information published before the series started and reviews of the first story. These articles have not been comprehensively catalogued, but a representative sample are illustrated in the gallery.
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