Perturbation effects are defined as departures from ideal large-detector or Bragg-Gray cavity behaviour. Such effects are central to the use of practical dosimeters for accurate dose determination, as is required in external-beam radiotherapy. A theoretical framework for treating perturbation effects is established. In this first part of the review, perturbation in kilovoltage x-ray and megavoltage electron beams are treated in detail, with the emphasis on ionization chambers. The displacement factor for ion chambers in kilovoltage x-ray beams is discussed, starting with the early, pioneering work of Lamerton and Lidén. The evidence for the large values of the perturbation factor in medium-energy x-ray beams (between 100 and 300 kV) recommended in the 1987 IAEA dosimetry code is critically examined and revised, smaller values are given. In electron beams the theoretical approaches to the correction for the in-scattering correction in gas-filled cavities is discussed in detail. The evidence for negligible perturbation in low-energy electron beams in plane-parallel chambers with adequate guardring widths is critically reviewed, including the suggested correction for perturbation due to backscattering differences between the chamber-wall material and the medium. The various models for the response of thermoluminescent dosimeters in electron beams are discussed. It is concluded that Monte Carlo simulation of dosimeter response is likely to play an even bigger role in the future.