012 - The Romans

Broadcast:

16^th January - 6^th February 1965

Doctor:

William Hartnell

Companions:

Ian, Barbara, Vicki

Adversary:

Roman Slave Traders

Written by:

Dennis Spooner

Director:

Christopher Barry

Music:

Raymond Jones

Script Editor:

David Whitaker / Dennis Spooner¹

Producer:

Verity Lambert

Average Viewers:

11.6m (13, 11.5, 10, 12)

Summary: The TARDIS drops in on ancient Rome and the travellers take a break until they are separated and taken on separate paths that both lead to the Emperor's palace but never quite cross...

Still on a high from The Dalek Invasion Of Earth, Doctor Who was about to take its first knock. Not that viewing numbers were especially bad, they were still in double figures, but they dropped it out of the top ten and barely scraped past 50% in the audience Appreciation Index. It was just a blip in the short term but it wouldn't be long before the numbers (both viewers and AI) would be on a steady decline until Hartnell's departure. Focusing on The Romans, the biggest problem was innovation. Verity Lambert had brought in Dennis Spooner as the new Script Editor to inject some humour. He had written The Reign Of Terror which had gone down well but The Romans was an experiment ahead of its time, stepping too far into the realms of comedy for most viewers and verged on farce in episode three. It was also criticised for being historically inaccurate (though the specifics of the complaints are rather minimal in the context of the show and its production limitations) which isn't good for a show that is supposed to be educational. However, given the path the show would eventually head in and the way we view it today, The Romans actually works quite nicely for the most part.

Back in 1965, moods were perhaps too sombre to appreciate Doctor Who's joviality and former Prime Minister Winston Churchill died during this serial's run with his funeral gathering representatives from 112 countries - the largest such gathering until the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as U.S. President and the premiers of Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland met for the first time in 43 years. On the day the last episode was broadcast, footballer Sir Stanley Matthews played his last game at the age of 50 and folk-pop singer Donovan made his first appearance on ITV's "Ready, Steady, Go!" while Paul Simon could have been heard on BBC Radio for the first time showcasing songs that would go on to appear on his album "The Paul Simon Song Book". Topping the charts were three classics from Georgie Fame, The Moody Blues, and The Righteous Brothers ("Yeh Yeh", "Go Now" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" respectively) while cinemas were showing My Fair Lady and the second Inspector Clouseau film A Shot In The Dark

The Rescue had ended with the TARDIS materialising on the edge of a cliff and wobbling before dropping off and falling out of shot! How would the travellers get out of this one as The Romans began...?

Actually, rather disappointingly! The literal cliffhanger of course was repeated and we saw the regulars grasping at the console as they were flung to one side (regrettably, the console moved slightly under their weight), we see the TARDIS fall and the picture fades to black... the new material begins as the picture fades back up and we see where the TARDIS has landed, covered in branches. We are then presented with the regulars reclining in a Roman villa wearing Roman clothes as if nothing untoward had happened. Indeed, it is some time before we learn they they have actually been there for nearly a month! Vicki is frustrated at the lack of adventure (having been promised it by the others when she first joined them) and the Doctor quite randomly decides that he is off to Rome, having been there some years before. Through confused reactions and discussions Barbara and Ian aren't invited but Vicki is welcome to come along. Curiously, nothing of real consequence happens to the main characters until over half way through the first episode (though we do witness a murder of an apparently minor character at 8 minutes in, which will go on to be significant). Having been split up (as was by now routine for the show) Barbara and Ian find themselves in trouble when slave traders attack them and they head off to Rome themselves. Meanwhile, the Doctor is mistaken for the murdered man (who turns out to have been a famous musician) by an imperial soldier and is also escorted to Rome where 'he' is expected by Emperor Nero...

To make things more dramatic, Barbara and Ian are further separated when he is taken off to be a galley slave and she is put to sale in a market. What follows is largely centred around the comedy elements rather than any grand plot, although it seems to be hung on a central thread of trying to get everyone back together. In fact, although they do eventually all end up at Nero's palace there are two very separate stories that cross over but never meet. Ian finds his way back to Rome where he learns that Barbara has been sold to Nero and sets about rescuing her while she is trying to avoid his amorous advances (chasing her around like a giddy schoolboy). Meanwhile, the Doctor tries not to upset the emperor or get killed and Vicki finds herself caught up with the court poisoner (or perhaps apothecary would be a fairer title) and almost kills Nero by trying to save his new hand maiden - whom she doesn't realise is in fact Barbara! You can see already how silly and farcical it all is, a comedy of errors and consequences that rely on each other without knowing it. It is all very cleverly done and there are some very impressive fight scenes as well as some grim and violent moments which are only bearable because of the light hearted approach. They are not lightly dismissed, other than one callous line from Nero but Tigilinus (Nero's servant) does have a comedy death when he drinks the poison, nothing silly or gratuitous really, just the way he collapses and the timing of it. I should also mention that he is played by Brian Proudfoot who had appeared in The Reign Of Terror portraying the Doctor in the location shots where he was only seen from behind. Back then, his performance was notable for it's accurate recreation of Hartnell's gait and this time he again puts in a flawless physical performance following Nero around trying to put his crown on his head.

As well as the comedy aspect, The Romans is notable for its large amount of stock footage. Numerous shots of seas and stormy weather as well as the galley ship that Ian is on, caged lions that he is expected to fight and model shots that were acquired via the Italian Embassy to provide accurate representations of ancient Rome. The climax of the action sees further stock footage as well as rushed model effects shots as the great fire of Rome engulfs the city. It was this fire that also proved controversial, or at least the Doctor's part in it. Until now he had very clearly stated that history could not be affected by anything he or his companions did but this story suggests that as he stood being criticised by Nero he held his glasses in such a way that the Sun's rays were focused, inadvertently, onto a single spot on Nero's plans for a new city and catching them on fire... This is not the Doctor causing the fire but it does inspire Nero to start it himself as a means of clearing out the existing city so he can built his own... In reality, it is not actually known how the fire started and there is no evidence to support the sabotage idea but it is at least a known theory.

Ultimately, the final gag of the story is the return to the villa. Barbara and Ian arrive first and start to settle in again before the Doctor and Vicki get back thinking they were the only two to go anywhere and what an adventure they had! There are a few extra pay-offs as well which refer back to the earliest scenes in the villa, again highlighting the clever structure of the whole thing. It's easy to dismiss The Romans and comedy fluff that has no place in a state of the art science fiction series but if there was one thing that Doctor Who did, it was break new ground and push the boundaries. Lambert and Spooner may have pushed a little too far this time but it showed what could be done. It's not camp or silly and childish. The actors all turn out wonderfully strong performances with scripts that feel natural, for the most part, and allow everyone to just relax into each scene. There are a couple of minor fluffs here and there but that was par for the course in any shows recorded 'as live' at the time and there is nothing that undermines or devalues the show. The music is excellent and in contrast the silence while the Doctor plays his "Emperor's New Clothes" style Lyre piece is surprisingly exquisite. Ray Cusick is critical of his limited sets as always but they work wonderfully and allow for what could be regarded as Doctor Who's first running-down-corridors scenes. Costumes are as pure as any BBC period piece would expect and the only aspects that let The Romans down in my scoring are the relative lack of fear factor and a weakness in the enemies (which is often the case for historical stories) and I was surprised that not only did I enjoy it more than I expected but I also scored it higher than any other story so far with an incredible 86% because it ticks so many boxes and ticks them well. It also has a number of unique or near unique moments including a wipe rather than a cut or fade and a scene in a sauna where the Doctor is practically naked, or at least topless (I believe on Jon Pertwee and Matt Smith share that, er, 'honour')

As the travellers return to the TARDIS and head off for another adventure (seeing the TARDIS dematerialise with the 'right' sound even with traces of a thud at the beginning), Vicki learns that the Doctor doesn't quite have control of where they are going we are left with the news that the TARDIS has been imprisoned by some kind of force and is being slowly dragged down...