Doctor Who review: An Unearthly Woman begins the sixth series of The Diary of River Song

River goes back to the origins of her husband’s story in An Unearthly Woman, the opening episode to the sixth series of Doctor Who spinoff The Diary of River Song. How well does River work in this setting?

Released back in August, the sixth series of The Diary of River Song features four adventures for River heavily connected to some classic adventures of her husband’s. As you can probably guess from the title, An Unearthly Woman has clear connections to the first ever Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child.

Don’t worry, the story isn’t how River herself was incredibly crucial to the show’s origins. In fact, in some ways, River is trying hard not to interfere too much. Working as a teacher at Coal Hill School, she’s keeping an eye on Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Susan Foreman – three people destined for great things. She knows she doesn’t have to worry about bringing them together – after all, their story isn’t one that she’s meant to be a part of.

But what is she doing in London, 1963? Why is she trying (and failing) to keep a low profile? And what else is in London, hiding in the fog…?

The team from The First Doctor Adventures star in this story, which includes Jemma Powell, Claudia Grant and Jamie Glover as Barbara, Susan and Ian.

(Image Courtesy: Big Finish Productions.)

Respecting the past

I’d be lying if I said that a part of me wasn’t skeptical when I heard about a box set of adventures for River connected to some major Doctor Who stories. This was especially true of An Unearthly Woman. River’s a brilliant character in her own right, but I didn’t like the idea of her being important to the very origins of the series.

So it’s a relief to find out that Matt Fitton’s script avoids doing that. Yes, it’s set before An Unearthly Child, and Ian, Barbara and Susan do feature. (Played by Jamie Glover, Jemma Powell and Claudia Grant, who play exactly the same roles in The First Doctor Adventures.)

But Fitton also makes it clear that the adventure River has in this story is largely unconnected to the show’s debut story. River doesn’t draw Barbara’s attention to Susan or gently point her in the direction of a certain junkyard. Instead, we just hear River meeting these characters and what they make of her, and vice versa. There’s a lot of respect both ways, and there’s a strong sense of chemistry there.

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An early glimpse

What really makes this story worth listening to is getting a good, solid glimpse of Ian’s and Barbara’s ordinary lives before the day everything changed. We find out what they’re like as schoolteachers and how much they care about their students. It’s fascinating to get this early glimpse of them, especially as Fitton has written a story that feels somehow authentic to London in the sixties.

We also hear about what life was like for Susan, too. About the friends she made, and how her attitudes clearly stood out in the time period she was in. It reminds me of Kim Newman’s excellent book Time and Relative, and while she isn’t focused on quite as much here as she was in that novella, it’s still great to discover more of her life during the time she lived in twentieth century London.

Obviously, there’s your classic Doctor Who monster in this story, but if I’m honest, that’s not the main draw for me. What really makes An Unearthly Woman such a fascinating listen is the extremely early glimpse it provides. Rather than take away from the origins of the series, Matt Fitton has instead written a rather respectful story, one where River’s a natural fit without overshadowing what made that first episode so brilliant in the first place. An extremely strong opening episode for series six.

Are you a fan of the original TARDIS team? Have you watched An Unearthly Child? Do you think River would be a natural fit in the world London, 1963? Let us know in the comments below.