.jpg "Doctor Who: 'The Highlanders' DVD Mock-Up")
- Broadcast:
- 17th December 1966 - 7th January 1967
- Doctor:
- Patrick Troughton
- Companions:
- Ben, Polly
- Adversary:
- British Red Coats
- Written by:
- Elwyn Jones, Gerry Davis
- Director:
- Hugh David
- Music:
- None
- Script Editor:
- Gerry Davis
- Producer:
- Innes Lloyd
- Average Viewers:
- 7.05m (6.7, 6.8, 7.4, 7.3)
The Highlanders is noted for three reason. Primarily, it is the last truly historical adventure. Although the TARDIS would land in Earth's history several more times before the show was cancelled, never again would the Doctor encounter known events or face genuine human adversaries. The closest the show would get to this once staple type of adventure would be in 1982's Black Orchid which only featured humans in a historical setting but without any history lesson to tell. Secondly, it introduces new companion Jamie who would remain with the Doctor until he was forced to regenerate at the end of War Games, making him the longest standing companion of the show's original run (Sarah Jane Smith beats him by half a series, but is outnumbered by adventures and episodes, while the Ponds are the only companions to have more adventures but with fewer series and a fraction of the episodes). Thirdly if features no music or even special sounds beyond the bagpipe music used over the title-card, though there is a moment, as in Power Of The Daleks where the Doctor plays his recorder. Additional to these, though less noticeable, it was written entirely by story editor Gerry Davis. Despite being commissioned and receiving a credit, Elwyn Jones was in fact unavailable to work on the story.
In the news at the time, matters in Rhodesia had led to a UN approved embargo, though South Africa refused to join in, Harold Wilson announced that he would now only agree to independence with a Black majority government but Ian Smith declared that Rhodesia was already a republic. Further north in East Germany, Premier Walter Ulbricht discussed negotiations about German reunification, though it would be another 22 years before it happened.. Meanwhile, closer to home millions' worth of paintings were stolen from the Dulwich Art Gallery in London. Footballers Alf Ramsey and Bobby Moore received a knighthood and OBE respectively in the Queen's New Year Honours while land and water speed record breaker Donald Campbell lost his life in his latest attempt on Coniston Water and would posthumously be awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct two weeks later. Also departing this world were animation visionary Walt Disney and Jack Ruby, the man famous for killing the man who killed Kennedy - having been initially sentenced to death for Oswald's murder, a retrial had been granted but he was taken by natural causes before a date was set.
In the entertainment world, Charlie Chaplin launched his final film, A Countess from Hong Kong, major drama "The Forsyte Saga" was broadcast on BBC Two and would become the first British program to be sold to the USSR, and more importantly for children, "Trumpton" received its first of many broadcasts and was the second program to be filmed in colour for BBC One. The music charts were topped by Tom Jones's "Green, Green Grass of Home" (having reached the top the week before The Highlanders began, it would remain there for two weeks after it finished), the Doors released their eponymous album and The Jimi Hendrix Experience released "Hey Joe", their first single in the UK. Two television shows received cinematic spin-offs, Thunderbirds Are GO and Batman: The Movie, along side history based classics One Million Years B.C. and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the latter of which starred comedy legends Buster Keaton, Roy Kinnear, Phil Silvers, Michael Crawford.
Things were not looking so humorous for the Doctor and his companions though...
In the news at the time, matters in Rhodesia had led to a UN approved embargo, though South Africa refused to join in, Harold Wilson announced that he would now only agree to independence with a Black majority government but Ian Smith declared that Rhodesia was already a republic. Further north in East Germany, Premier Walter Ulbricht discussed negotiations about German reunification, though it would be another 22 years before it happened.. Meanwhile, closer to home millions' worth of paintings were stolen from the Dulwich Art Gallery in London. Footballers Alf Ramsey and Bobby Moore received a knighthood and OBE respectively in the Queen's New Year Honours while land and water speed record breaker Donald Campbell lost his life in his latest attempt on Coniston Water and would posthumously be awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct two weeks later. Also departing this world were animation visionary Walt Disney and Jack Ruby, the man famous for killing the man who killed Kennedy - having been initially sentenced to death for Oswald's murder, a retrial had been granted but he was taken by natural causes before a date was set.
In the entertainment world, Charlie Chaplin launched his final film, A Countess from Hong Kong, major drama "The Forsyte Saga" was broadcast on BBC Two and would become the first British program to be sold to the USSR, and more importantly for children, "Trumpton" received its first of many broadcasts and was the second program to be filmed in colour for BBC One. The music charts were topped by Tom Jones's "Green, Green Grass of Home" (having reached the top the week before The Highlanders began, it would remain there for two weeks after it finished), the Doors released their eponymous album and The Jimi Hendrix Experience released "Hey Joe", their first single in the UK. Two television shows received cinematic spin-offs, Thunderbirds Are GO and Batman: The Movie, along side history based classics One Million Years B.C. and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the latter of which starred comedy legends Buster Keaton, Roy Kinnear, Phil Silvers, Michael Crawford.
Things were not looking so humorous for the Doctor and his companions though...
