With the advent of the new series on BBC1, it's impossible to not see the parallels between the beginning of the classic series and the new series.

In the new series, the story is focused on the mundane life of Rose Tyler. Her life is turned upside down by her meeting with a total stranger and some vicious shop dummies. The story is told from her perspective, while she ends up having the trip of a lifetime.

Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, schoolteachers at Coal Hill School are facing problems with a pupil, Susan Foreman. They follow Susan home one night where she goes missing in a junkyard. They then force their way into the TARDIS, where they are taken on the journey back to prehistoric times.

The reality that William Russell and Jacqueline Hill give makes the series work. There concern that they've been hoaxed when they enter the TARDIS, while the practical concerns when they arrive on the planet Skaro about what they're going to eat and how they are going to live makes the series feel very real.

There are two different arrangements of the pilot on the disc. The 25-minute cut has featured on The Edge of Destruction VHS releases. The other version lasts 35 minutes and includes the retakes in the 25-minute version but with the final 10 minutes of the episode added after the cut to give us something similar to what Sydney Newman.

The different versions of the pilot give us a look at why it was necessary to shoot the episode again, as alongside the technical problems, the series wasn't quite as inviting in the pilot, and it's interesting to see it in it's entirety.

The commentaries on the first disc are on the 35 minute version of the pilot with Verity Lambert and Waris Husein. Episode 1 of An Unearthly Child with Lambert, Carole Ann Ford and William Russell while Husein returns along with Ford and Russell for episode 4 of An Unearthly Child.

The pilot commentary is the best, which is full of some excellent detail on casting choices of the Doctor, on what is was like setting up the series and how TARDIS set designer Peter Brachacki was a nightmare. The episode 1 and 4 commentaries are more general, but there are some enthusiastic contributions from Russell and Ford.

The music video including the 5.1 remix of the title music is subtle while Web of Caves is the best of the sketches given that it never fails to be anything but excruciatingly funny. Pitch of Fear is ruined by the fact that the funniest line is cut from the sketch. The Kidnappers wasn't broadcast and you can see why. The Corridor Sketch is the odd one out because it wasn't done for the Doctor Who night, but it's just insane chaos. Probably a true reflection to the actual production of the series

Most of the 2nd disc is taken up with The Daleks, however there are commentaries on three of the epsidoes. Episode 2 features Lambert with Christopher Barry to make probably the best of the commentaries. Barry returns alongside Ford and Russell for a commentary that would be forgettable if it wasn't for Gary Russell asking questions. Things get better when Richard Martin replaces Barry for episode 7 and his contrrbution is a joy as ever.

Creation of the Daleks starts as a making of, but then looks at how the Dalek was created. You feel an opportunity was missed to include some archive footage of Terry Nation talking about his creations, though Lambert stresses the contribution of original story editor David Whitaker. Ray Cusick and Richard Martin are probably the stars of this short documentary.

Given that the 3rd disc features The Edge of Destruction, all the extras are saved for this disc. First up is the much-praised documentary Doctor Who: Origins. What's fascinating is the interview footage with Sydney Newman, which goes into a surprising amount of detail. Terry Molloy's narration sells this documentary as much as it's contributors. It's a comprehensive package that covers casting, creation of the titles, director and producer choices along with sound effects and title music. It's proof that no series will ever get treatment on DVD that Doctor Who has had.

Over the Edge is a making of The Edge of Destruction, which is ruined by having far too many contributors. The most interesting people (cast and crew) are sidelined at the expense of a number of fan contributors, some of which you wonder why they've been interviewed at all.

With the next story, Marco Polo missing from the archive, it's represented by a reconstruction with the recently found telesnaps and the audio track. This is a fun thirty-minute ride, which hints at the depth within the story, and it has inspired me to put the soundtrack of Marco Polo on my iPod.

The other extras on the disc include a look at the TARDIS, which is a short featurette which is a little unbalanced as no one says anything positive about the original designer Peter Brachacki. Despite the unhappiness, everyone is delighted with his design. The Masters of Sound looks at the creation of the Doctor Who theme and is worth a watch for it being the only known interview footage with Delia Derbyshire, the lady mostly credited with the creation of the theme. The other extras include episode 2 of The Edge of Destruction dubbed into Arabic plus some PDF files of the Radio Times and script for An Unearthly Child.

The Beginning is a package of the early episodes of Doctor Who coupled with some comprehensive extras. The only way it could have been better was if William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill were alive to provide their memories. A brilliant set and should take pride of place for fans of the beginning classic series

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