The Romans

IAN: You never told us you were going away.
DOCTOR: Oh? Well, I don't know that I was under any obligation to report my movements to you, Chesterfield. 
BARBARA: Chesterton.

DOCTOR: Oh, Barbara's calling you.

VICKI: Oh, the poor man.
DOCTOR: Yes, he's dead, and it doesn't look a natural death to me.

(No duh, Doctor!)

DOCTOR: Yes, yes. Oh, the child, she travels with me. She keeps her eye on all the lyres.

(As if the line wasn't great enough, Vicki's reaction makes it truly fab)

IAN: I've got a friend who specialises in trouble. He dives in and usually finds a way.

DOCTOR: Caesar Nero, I've always wanted to put on a good show, to give a great performance.

• I find it slightly odd that they've been living there for a month and Vicki hasn't yet learnt that you're supposed to haggle. Surely Ian and Barbara haven't been doing all the shopping up to that point? Though surely Barbara also knows better than to go babbling about being from Britain everywhere she goes? 
• I love how much fun the Doctor is having with his impersonation and with all the events happening around him. He's constantly laughing and joking, and making Vicki laugh through it all as well. Hartnell is still seriously underrated as a comic actor. It's a real strength of his, and his Doctor is at his best in stories like this, I think. 
  
• It's poor old Ian and Barbara who have to face the more serious end of the story. Ian is a slave on a galley for five days while the Doctor and Vicki are living it up! At least Barbara gets the "privilege" of being a slave for Poppaea. 
• The poisoner Lucasta is known to everyone. So you'd think Poppaea would be a little more subtle than bringing her out into a fairly crowded room and pointing very obviously at Barbara! Rather dim from the Empress, that. Still, Kay Patrick is brilliant. She also gives Tavius one hell of a smack in the final episode. I wonder how much they rehearsed that? 
• I've never noticed before that one of the "Men in Market" is called John Caesar. What an appropriate name! 
• I like all the guest cast here. Derek Francis is an excellent Nero. Childish, petulant, arrogant and deadly on a whim. Sounds about right to me! I've already mentioned how good Kay Patrick is, but she deserves another mention. As does Michael Peake as Tavius. In spite of being "our hissing friend" to the Doctor, he actually puts in a fairly subtle turn. It takes a while before you can be certain he's trustworthy. Admittedly, I do think Peter Diamond is a bit earnest as Delos, but that's being a little picky. 
• I also love that the Doctor doesn't even realise he's supposed to be assassinating Nero until right at the end of the story.

 

Verdict

Right from the start this story is relaxed and full of jokes and silliness, while somehow enforcing what a dangerous and brutal time Nero's reign was. Nero's murders of Tigellinus and the unnamed soldier simply for the sake of it highlight that. Silly as it is, everyone is playing their roles seriously and the danger is all perfectly real. I like Doctor Who like this. Not saving entire planets, just interacting with people and trying to get out alive. I unashamedly love the Romans. It's cosy, funny, fast-paced and just perfect Doctor Who. Definitely an all-time top five for me.

The Rescue

VICKI: Who’s landed on the mountain?

(First "Doctor Who?" joke in a while)

BARBARA: Oh, but Doctor, the trembling’s stopped.
DOCTOR: Oh, my dear, I’m so glad you’re feeling better.

BARBARA: Doctor, why don’t you show me how to open the doors?
DOCTOR: Hmm? Yes, yes, yes, my dear. Of course, yes, yes, how silly of me.

(Awww)

DOCTOR: Fancy landing back here again. I wonder if I were to tell Ian that it was deliberate, whether he’d believe me or not? Oh no, of course, I was asleep. Oh, pity, pity, pity.

VICKI: Its funny, but as soon as he walked in, I felt that you could trust him. But why does he wear those funny clothes? And that long white hair.

DOCTOR: Silly child, silly child.

IAN: Kockylickin.

• First things first. Ian would rather face the Daleks than Koquillion? A man in a silly outfit and who speaks with a silly voice and has a stick is scarier than a being that will shoot you as soon as look at you and has caused death and destruction on a mass scale? Ian, I'm not sure you have quite thought that one through! 
• Not only that, Ian unlocks the TARDIS at the end of the second episode! The last thing we heard about it was Susan's explanation of how you can melt the lock ridiculously easily if you don't know the exact way to unlock it. Unless Ian has been taught off screen, and that seems unlikely seeing as Barbara didn't even know how to open the bloody doors earlier in this episode, he's got incredibly lucky to open the door successfully! 
• I like that we've gone through something of a reversal since the previous season. Ian and Barbara are the ones who want to go exploring. The Doctor just wants a nap in the TARDIS. This is really the start of the cuddly Hartnell Doctor that we get with Dennis Spooner in charge. He hears Ian and Barbara wondering about him getting old, but simply laughs at them rather than loses his temper as he did in the previous year. 
• I'm not entirely sure what the Doctor thinks he's doing confronting Bennett like that at the end. "I'll confront a murderer completely on my own with absolutely no backup or anyone even knowing where I am". Smart move, Doctor! 
• Ian and Barbara think Susan is probably learning to milk cows. Um, okay then!

Verdict

This is a breather story after the exertions of last time, and a chance to

introduce a new companion. It's a fun story in its own right, though, if a little limited. The scenes with the Doctor, Barbara and Ian at the beginning of the story are very sweet. Really, though, this story is about introducing Vicki. I think this is probably her (and Maureen O'Brien's) weakest story, and yet she still comes as a breath of fresh air after Susan. She's fun and joyful, and this is my favourite of all the Hartnell teams. I can't wait!

Dalek Invasion of Earth

DAVID: And what do you do?

SUSAN: I eat.

(Possibly Susan's best line in her entire time on the show)

DORTMUN: Obey motorised dustbins? We'll see.

DOCTOR: (To Craddock) Hold that and shut up, will you.

IAN: You know, Doctor, sometimes you astound me.
DOCTOR: Only sometimes, dear boy?

ASHTON: Are you one of these brotherhood of man kind of people?

DAVID: Your grandfather stood up to the journey fantastically well.
SUSAN: He’s a pretty fantastic sort of man.

(Yuck)

BARBARA: Right. This revolt is timed to start almost immediately. As in the case of the Indian mutiny, which I am sure
DALEK: Indian mutiny? We are the masters of India!
BARBARA: I was talking about Red Indians in disguise! The plan will run parallel with the Boston Tea Party. Naturally, you already have information about this.
DALEK: Wait! Why have I not been informed of this?
DALEK: There has been no information.
BARBARA: Good! That means the first part of the plan is a success. Now, I warn you, General Lee and the four, the fifth cavalry are already forming up to attack from the north side of the crater. The second wave, Hannibal’s forces, will of course come in from the Southern Alps.

• Ian and Barbara seem quite excited to be "on earth again". Since the last two stories were both set on earth, that nicely highlights the gaps between the stories, plenty of room in there for Big Finish adventures and even relaxing holidays. 
• These Daleks are very odd. For starters, what exactly do they have against Bedfordshire? Of all the places on earth to turn into a gigantic mine, why there? But the really stupid thing the Daleks do is leave a key in their prison cells. The Doctor somehow justifies this by saying, "suppose you were a Dalek and got yourself trapped in this room, what would you do?" What utterly bizarre reasoning! They leave a way to escape just on the off-chance that some Dalek will be thick enough to lock itself in? 
  
• That scene of Barbara, Jenny and Dortmun running around London with Daleks after them is bizarre in every way. Considering it's simply an excuse to get the Daleks out in front of a few landmarks, it actually works rather well. Even the music somehow works even though it shouldn't. 
• I like that episode six finishes so quickly, which gives us time to focus on Susan's departure. Much as I don't like her, that bit is done really well. To be fair, it's mostly made by Hartnell being exceptional, but it's still very nicely done. It's actually so well done that by the end I almost feel sad that Susan is leaving, even though I've been eagerly awaiting her departure! Peter Fraser is a bit wet and useless as David, but really that makes him a good partner for Susan. Two nonentities rebuilding the planet. I still want to know what happens when she gets old and regenerates, though. 
• Somehow I've never noticed this was scored by the brilliantly-named Francis Chagrin. It's not the most noticeable score, I found, but effective in places. 
• The Slyther is terrible.

Verdict

The story starts off well and ends very well, but the middle sags quite badly. Particularly in the Hartnell-free episode. Once again, his presence lifts the

production. Even Russell and Hill struggle a little, although the Barbara/Jenny scenes are fun, and Barbara confusing the Daleks at the beginning of the final episode is great fun. I prefer this to the Daleks, but it's still fairly standard Nation. And that's without counting the daftness of the plan the Daleks have cooked up. Okay, they want to remove the Earth's core and replace it with an engine and use the planet as a spaceship. Um, why? I can't see any benefits. I can't imagine it would be especially practical? There are good sections, though, such as the Larry/Phil subplot, which is quite horrific.

Planet of Giants

DOCTOR: Oh, my dear Barbara, was I rude to you just now? If so I'm so sorry. I always forget the niceties under pressure. Please forgive me.

(Awww)

SUSAN: Strange. There are dozens of them over here. There's a whole pile of them.

("Over here" being right in front of them)

FORRESTER: If the police were to find an overturned boat and a body out at sea somewhere.

(Yeah, which would still have a bullet hole in it. Fairly sure they don't appear when you drown)

IAN: It's a ceiling up there. That means we're indoors

IAN: Yes. I'm not very well up in this, Doctor, but isn't that phosphoric acid?

(You're the ruddy science teacher!)

DOCTOR: There's nothing like a good fire, is there?

(What!!!???!!!???)

• It's lucky that Forrester and Smithers have to take a ridiculously long time to prepare to wash their hands, giving the Doctor and Susan time to escape to safety. 
• I like how Ian realises that a ceiling means they're indoors. Whatever would you do without a teacher on hand, eh?
  
• It's Dudley Simpson's debut! And I don't like it! I hate the twee "isn't this fun!" score to this. The Star Trek DS9 episode One Little Ship, where the runabout they're in gets shrunk to a tiny size, features a similar style of "haha, this is so silly!" score. Yeah yeah, we get it. No need to (badly) rub it in. 
• This is a unique story, I think? It's one that has a guest cast, but the regulars never interact with them at any point. It's not unusual at this point in Doctor Who for them to not save the day, so it is rather cheeky of the Doctor to pretend they had anything to do with it! Not only that, why do they try and use the phone even though the Doctor has already established that they can't communicate with anyone? 
• One thing I've noticed... in a crisis, the Doctor always gets Ian's name right. It's almost as if he only does it to annoy Ian. 
• I get the feeling Louis Marks wasn't too bothered about episode titles. "Planet of Giants" is fine, but "Crisis" and "Dangerous Journey" are abysmal. Nationesque.

Verdict

I can definitely see why it is a story that gets forgotten. It's not bad, but there's not really very much to it. The first two episodes are fairly decent, if a bit

average, but I find the third episode is really quite dull, highlighted in particular by the messing about with the phone. Clearly the right decision was made to make it a three parter! It's perhaps not the ideal season-opener, but it's okay. The model-work is pretty good. That fly gets a lot of credit, and deservedly so. It's fabulous.

The Reign of Terror

DOCTOR: Paris, eh? A hundred miles or so either way is to be expected. After all, it's only a fraction of the distance we've covered. It's quite accurate, in fact.

DOCTOR: Is there such a need, Citizen Robespierre? Hmm? I mean, what can this reign of terror possibly gain? For every opponent you put to the guillotine, two more will spring up!

(To Robespierre? That's playing with fire...)

IAN: Not Jules Renan, by any chance?

(So much for the no surnames thing, then)

DOCTOR: You should know by now, young lady, that you can't get rid of the old Doctor as easily as that

(Lovely scene)

BARBARA: Yes, he's dressed up as if he was running the revolution! From what I could gather, half the people there take orders from him.
IAN: That sounds like the Doctor, all right. 

• The argument right at the beginning of the story is really quite sweet. The way Ian and Barbara work over the Doctor to get him out of his angry mood and back into the cuddly Doctor who will be dominant from now on. Taking Ian and Barbara for a last (not to mention, first?) drink is a lovely idea. They'd certainly have been the only ever companions to get that privilege! 
  
• Susan refuses to escape! When Susan and Barbara are on the way to have their heads chopped off, Barbara comes up with a plan of escape. Susan decides that she can't be bothered as "my head's splitting!" Yeah, you do realise you're on your way to have it permanently split, don't you? 
• In this house where they've worked out they've landed in the middle of the Reign of Terror, Ian Barbara and Susan find some clothes and just change into them! Now that really is getting into the adventuring spirit. I'm curious about where exactly they got changed, as from the way it's directed it looks like they didn't actually leave that room. 
• It's a tiny part, just one short scene, but I'm not letting Howard Charlton off his performance as "Judge". I'll let him off the way he stares right into the camera, as I can only assume he was told to do that, but really he's terribly awkward. To be fair, he's not alone. James Cairncross puts in a rather bizarre performance as Lemaitre. It's the stagiest, most "look at me, I'm ACTING" performance I've seen in Doctor Who so far. Still, he gets away with it, I think, by sharing most of his time on screen with the Doctor and the comedy jailer. As part of that trio he stands out a bit less than he otherwise would. 
  
• The Reign of Terror is the Doctor's favourite period in human history. What a bloodthirsty Doctor he is! 
• It's hilarious the way the Doctor manages to get to Paris and trick his way into (a show of) authority to get into the prison... only to find out that Ian, Susan and Barbara have all escaped already! 
• Barbara appears to fancy Leon so much that she's angry with Jules for saving Ian's life! That's carrying it a bit far, Barbara. (Yes, yes, I know it's part of all the "tired of all this killing" strand that is picked up later) 
  
• The episode title being flashed up on screen hasn't really caused any problems since the first story, as they usually avoid doing it when actors are on screen, but in the final episode here it's a bit awkward. Ian, Barbara, Jules, the Doctor and Lemaitre all try and stand as still as possible, waiting for "Prisoners of the Conciergerie... by Dennis Spooner" to flash up before they spring back into action. It does look rather silly. 
• The animation is ropey. It does calm down a bit, and their Cybermen efforts are much-improved, but here it's almost a bit hard to watch at times. The super-fast cutting and extreme close-ups of character's mouths and hands and so on is not just annoying anyway, it's so unlike what you'd get in the programme. Still, as it was a first effort it's not too bad.

Verdict

The incidental music is perhaps a little obvious, but I still think it works well at setting the mood of the story. I'd judge it amongst the best scores of the

season. And I'd rank the story as amongst the best of the season. Dennis Spooner hasn't got it quite right yet, but there are certainly a lot of flashes of what's to come. Even a this early stage, this story has a lot more humour in it than Marco Polo and the Aztecs, which is nice to see. The story itself isn't as strong as those two, but anything set in the latter end of the 18th century is going to be good fun, especially with such good sets and costumes. Barbara's resigned now to just "going along with the flow" of history, which does mean that (with this crew) we'll never get the drama of the Aztecs again, but we will certainly get a lot of fun.

 Season One

The first year of Doctor Who is, understandably, very unequal in quality. It may not be an original observation, but the three historicals are the best three

stories and all good fun, while the sci-fi stories are a bit ropier. They all have some good or silly moments. The Keys of Marinus and the Sensorites are a bit of a slog at times, but they both have their own charm which just about pulls them through. They're poor, but far from the worst of what Doctor Who has to offer. The four regulars are never less than great, but by the time of the Reign of Terror they're all so relaxed, so much their characters. They've grown so much over the 42 episodes, and the show has with them. Now with all this confidence... roll on Season Two, one of my very favourites.
 
  

 

The Sensorites

BARBARA: I don't know why we ever bother to leave the ship.

(That's the spirit, Barbara!)

DOCTOR: I don't make threats. But I do keep promises. And I promise you I shall cause you more trouble than you bargained for if you don't return my property!

BARBARA: But Doctor, assuming you're right
IAN: Which he is, of course.
(Suck up!)

SUSAN: Stop treating me like a child.
(No comment)

SUSAN: I understand the Sensorites. They're timid little people
(Again, no comment...)

SENSORITE: I saw the Doctor and the other two leave the aque-aqueduck. I heard them over over er talk-talking
(Great line)

PERSON: Perhaps they're really allies of the Sensorites.
COMMANDER: No, Number One, not allies. Spies
(Which would make them allies)

• Lorne Cossette is almost as brilliant a name as Heron Carvic. It's a shame his performance is more Perfect Victim. He's not awful on that scale of terribleness, but he is pretty wooden. Not only that, he seems unable to say "Carol". The first time it took a minute to work out what he meant when he mumbled "Kell". 
• Very very picky point, I admit, but when the Sensorites return to the ship at the end of episode one, they make a loud noise which scares everyone. Yet they'd already visited the ship and left without making that noise. How? 
• The First Doctor and Susan met Henry VIII and we didn't get to see it! That is an absolute tragedy. AND they met Beau Brummell. That would make for a fun adventure! Still, I do like these pre-Ian and Barbara references. 
  
• I like slow-moving stories. I like stories that build. But there is a limit. In episode two we have a ridiculous scene where Ian and Barbara VERY slowly wander through a corridor. Ian enters a room, looks around, then gestures to Barbara to join him. They then look around together at what we now see is an empty room. They then slowly wander a bit further and encounter two Sensorites, then wander all the way back through the corridors backwards this time (but just as bloody slowly). Not only that, Barbara highlights how daft it is that Ian backed away from the Sensorites by pointing out they had no interest in attacking. I still don't understand why Ian made absolutely no effort whatsoever to communicate with them. 
• I believe this is the first (but certainly not the last) story in which proper, important characters don't actually have names. The Sensorites admit that telling each other apart isn't easy. Not having names must make it a bloody nightmare! 
• The City Administrator is basically Nigel Farage, so it's quite pleasing John condemns him as evil. He is a complete moron, too. None of what he does makes any sense, even accounting for rampant xenophobia. How could Ian possibly be faking his body temperature or any of the other symptoms of the illness? Why would Sensorite scientists deliberately produce a fake cure? "It's a trick!" he randomly claims. He's Doctor Who's first pantomime villain, but nowhere near as interesting as others.
• There's a montage scene in episode four! It would be better without those irritating incidentals that have plagued the whole story, though. There are very few scores over the 26 seasons that I really dislike. This is one of them. 
  
• I won't go on about it, but: John's mind is "open", so he can tell who is good and who is evil. What a load of nonsense! The whole veil stuff is hilarious rubbish, even worse than the "science" in the Ice Warriors. 
• Carol is kidnapped right at the end of episode five (in a really rubbish cliffhanger). She's held prisoner, but she isn't actually tied up or threatened with a weapon (until John comes to rescue her). Since she knows what noise does to Sensorites, why doesn't she just scream as loud as she can and calmly walk out? Not that it really matters as she's rescued right away anyway, since the whole kidnap of Carol was simply for a cliffhanger (in spite of being given the actual episode title!)

Verdict

There's not really a whole lot to like. I always try hard to like this story, but the pacing is just horrible. It's not that it's slow, it's that all the most interesting parts are skipped over in favour of long scenes of very little happening. As baddies go, the City Administrator is amongst the worst. It also has some ridiculous concepts. Apparently people are either good or evil. Apparently we all have a veil in our brain which when it gets stuck open leaves us permanently afraid. Apparently the concept of caring for others is bizarre, whilst absolute trust in everyone (even when you've already seen many are untrustworthy) is sensible. And apparently names aren't very worthwhile things, particularly for a species who struggle to tell each other apart anyway. The weakest story so far. Bring on Dennis Spooner!

 

The Aztecs

AUTLOC: It is our law that all who attain their fifty second year shall pleasurably pass the remainder of their lives free from responsibility and care.
DOCTOR: Poor old souls, they must be bored to tears doing nothing.

CAMECA: You know our custom?
DOCTOR: Yes, my dear, of course.
CAMECA: The drinking of cocoa has its own special meaning.
DOCTOR: Yes, I agree. A rare delight. We should take a cup together.
CAMECA: Are you certain?
DOCTOR: Yes, yes, quite. Now, give me some beans and I'll prepare them.
CAMECA: You insist upon this?
DOCTOR: I do. I insist absolutely. As a token of my esteem.
CAMECA: The gods are smiling favour through your eyes. May it always be so. My dear Doctor, I accept with all my heart.

IAN: Autloc's the extraordinary man here. He's the reasonable one, the civilised one, the one that's prepared to listen to advice. But he's one man, Barbara. One man.

TLOTOXL: Yetaxa would have lived. The gods are immortal.
BARBARA: But I would have died!

IAN: Where did you get hold of this?
DOCTOR: My fiancée.
IAN: I see. Your what?

IAN: Good commanders don't jump to conclusions, Ixta. (Thwack)

DOCTOR: My dear Susan. I'll tell you how glad I am to see you later on.

(Huh?)

Issues

• I can sympathise with Barbara. How can you be put in the position she's in and not try to change things and save lives? I don't think I'd be able to sit back and watch a sacrifice knowing I had the power to stop it. That being said, I think she's incredibly naive to think that if she can "start the destruction of everything that's evil here, then everything that's good will survive when Cortes lands". Does she really believe that? It's an incredibly positive spin on Cortes and what he was doing. 
• Andre Boulay as the Perfect Victim is awful. It's a bizarre performance. It's not even bad acting, more non-existent acting. Dyoni, all is forgiven! The rest of the guest cast is brilliant (yes, even Keith Pyott and John Ringham) and faultless. Ringham is great fun, but Margot Van der Burgh and Ian Cullen really stand out for me, bringing real life to their characters. 
• There's a cheat for the cliffhanger of episode two. We see Barbara walking hesitantly towards Ian and Ixta... then when we come back next week she doesn't! Very poor form. Speaking of cliffhangers, the one at the end of the story is a bit odd, too. Have they really never landed inside a spaceship before? 
• The story is full of brilliant scenes. Not just the "you can't change history" scene. There's also the lovely scene where the Doctor lambasts Barbara but then instantly realises he's gone too far when she breaks down and consoles her. There's the argument between Ian and Barbara where Ian tries to point out that Autloc is the odd man out, not Tlotoxl. There's the fantastic scene where Barbara admits to Tlotoxl that she's not Yetaxa, and then the one where Tlotoxl tries to poison her. And through it all Hill and Hartnell in particular are outstanding. 
  
• I don't want to make complaining about Susan a thing, but the fact she manages to be annoying even when she's absent half the story is impressive. "I'm not going to be told who to marry!" Fair enough, Susan, but as the Doctor isn't actually planning on settling down and spending the rest of their lives there, why not just agree (or even just not say anything!) and not antagonise them simply for the sake of it? Bloody idiot. 
• Ian's "don't tell me you're my friend now" to Tlotoxl when he walks in with a big smile after Ixta's told Ian they can be friends now is hilarious. The way Russell and Ringham play it never fails to make me laugh.  

Verdict

It's not quite as perfect as Marco Polo, but it's still a work of class. John Lucarotti's characters are pretty much all shades of grey, which is so refreshing coming after Terry Nation's simple good/bad divide. The story does lag in places. The fight scenes are a little dull, and the start of episode four just seems to involve William Russell wandering about doing very little. Overall, though, it's a cracking script, worth it for all those wonderful strong scenes involving the brilliant Hill, Hartnell and Ringham. Those three carry the story beautifully. Autloc's faith in Barbara seems to be shaken ridiculously easily, but that's a very minor quibble. I like that Tlotoxl actually ends up more powerful thanks to Barbara's interference. All-in-all, top stuff. One of the classics.

 

The Keys of Marinus

ARBITAN: Perhaps you will bring me news of my daughter. I miss her. Yes, I miss her.

IAN: This is where we pay the bill.

BARBARA: Listen to me. I believe you're under some deep form of deep hypnosis.

TARRON: Who is he?
IAN: Who? He's a doctor. 

Points of Interest: 

• It's amazing how often in this story people suddenly see things that they must surely have been able to see already. They're standing talking, and suddenly one of them notices those massive submersibles about two feet away. They're calmly chatting away and then, "oh my gosh, there's a massive great building that dominates the skyline"! They must be incredibly unobservant people. 
• Barbara manages to do an awful lot in the few seconds where she travels on ahead of everyone else at the end of episode one. She has everything explained to her, she has a meal, she orders a dress and she settles down for a good rest. In a matter of seconds! Not only that, she somehow scratched herself badly enough to leave a load of blood on the floor. Ouch! 
• The brainwashing device is a bit useless. Apart from falling off if the person sleeping turns over, it leaves a sore spot on the forehead the next day! Interesting that under the influence, Ian tries to kill Barbara. I wonder why he gets away with it when the Sixth Doctor isn't allowed to? I've also never noticed before that the guy voicing the brains is called Heron Carvic. What a wonderful name. 
• Susan is particularly annoying in this story. Episode three is the worst, but she spends an incredible amount of time crying and screaming. Any time she's off-screen is a blessed relief. The sad thing is that Barbara catches it for a short time as well. Thank heavens for placid Sabetha. 
  
• The holiday William Hartnell has really works wonders. He doesn't seem quite right in the first two episodes and fluffs considerably. When he returns he's like a new man and brings a much-needed energy to a flagging story. Well, apart from the "I can't improve at this very moment" fluff. 
• If Arbitan can set up forcefields so easily, why doesn't he put one up around his building to stop the Voord getting in and killing him? Also, why can't Darrius just tell Ian and Barbara where the key is rather than just being cryptic simply for the sake of being cryptic and extending an already dull dull episode? 
• Of the guest characters, Altos and Sabetha are quite good fun, even if Altos desperately needs to sort out his wardrobe! I enjoy Katherine Schofield's somewhat relaxed (okay, rubbish) performance. She'd be a better companion than Susan. Also, Donald Pickering always brings a touch of class to proceedings. 
• The Monoid who stupidly gives himself away to Dodo in the Ark is always made fun of, but it seems to be something people from Millenius do out of habit. Aydan is unbelievably thick. Especially considering he knows the law of the land and that if he just shuts up Ian will be convicted anyway.  

 
Verdict

The Doctor and his companions on a quest to find keys to work a machine that removes free will! Interesting premise there, Mr Nation. The quest format is an interesting idea that might have worked with a more imaginative writer. Or one who had more time to work on the script, to be fair. The two Doctor-free episodes are interminably dull. Hartnell's return is greeted with a cheer from everyone. The last two episodes are the strongest, even if the whole "guilty until proven innocent" thing is daft. The story as a whole manages to be both silly and quite dull. For me it's the first proper blip in Doctor Who.

 

Marco Polo

DOCTOR: Oh we're travellers yes. That's my grandchild, Susan, and that's Miss Wright, and that's Charlton.

MARCO POLO: Susan's a bad influence. 
(Never a truer word spoken) 

DOCTOR: I could hardly have it placed in the hanging garden, now could I? What does he think it is? A potting shed, or something?

MARCO POLO: Ian, don't you see it doesn't matter to me why you lied. What is important is the fact that you are capable of lying.

KUBLAI KHAN: Your beloved husband-to-be, so anxious to be worthy of your love, drank a potion of quicksilver and sulphur, the elixir of life and eternal youth, and expired.

DOCTOR: I always knew Tegana was a two-faced villain.

(Well duh, Doctor) 

Points of Interest 

• I know the TARDIS has always had various problems throughout the 48 years of Doctor Who, but I hadn't taken in just how rickety it is right at the start. In the Daleks it doesn't work because one small part is (very easily) removed. There are no spares for this extremely vital part! In the Edge of Destruction a switch gets stuck, which nearly causes the whole ship to explode. And now here in Marco Polo, for no reason that is explained, the lights and heating have failed and there's no water, turning the ship into what would have been a death trap if Marco Polo hadn't conveniently chanced upon them in exactly the right place and time in this absolutely gigantic part of the world. 
• Where does Susan's 60s girl lingo come from all of a sudden? "Oh, crazy", "I dig it" and all that. It's like she's saying that just to annoy poor old Ping-Cho. No wonder when Susan offered at the start of the story to go and find fuel with Ian and Barbara, Ian very firmly told her to stay with the TARDIS! Or "TARDIS", I should say, since the "the" hasn't been invented at this point of the show. Oh, and Susan's scream at the cliffhanger to Five Hundred Eyes is her most annoying so far. An impressive feat. 
• Much as I adore everything about this story, Tegana seems very indecisive in the second episode. He makes a big thing in the cliffhanger for the first episode about getting poison and using it in all but the first water gourd. So what happens when they head out into the desert? He doesn't bother with the poison, he just slashes the gourds. That seems a more sensible plan anyway, so what was all the guff about the poison for? 
• The episode titles are wonderful. As is Tristram Cary's soundtrack. That is all. 
• John Lucarotti really does blend the educational aspects into the story brilliantly. The stuff about water boiling at a lower temperature when there's less air pressure, all of that about the Hashishins (and the brilliant messaging system the Mongols used), and bamboo exploding and so on. To be honest, I'm slightly less convinced about condensation, mainly because of Ian's rubbish explanation. "The outside of the caravan cooled, but the inside stayed warm, and so moisture formed on the inside. It's condensation, we just call it that. It's just a name". Yeah, good going with that, science teacher. I bet your pupils learnt loads from you.  

Verdict

It's the first true classic for me. What makes Marco Polo especially fantastic is how unique it is. The rambling journey over a period of months through one of the most interesting periods of the world's history. It uses the seven episode length to give it that epic feel. While it's not quite a Marinus-style different location/enemy every week story, there is certainly an element of facing fresh and new dangers with each episode that keeps the story fresh and exciting. This story is where Doctor Who really hits its stride. When you have the Lucarotti/Hussein combination that isn't particularly surprising. The regulars are all in top form, and Eden, Nesbitt and Merten provide so much depth to their characters. It's a story I will always cherich and enjoy whether I get to see it or not. It shows just what a great show Doctor Who is that on my last marathon Marco Polo only managed 12th place.

  

The Edge of Destruction

IAN: You're working late tonight, Miss Wright.

SUSAN: Who are you?
IAN: Susan.

DOCTOR: He very nearly tried to strangle me.

BARBARA: Oh, don't be so stupid.
DOCTOR: I know it. I'm sure of it.
BARBARA: How dare you! Do you realise, you stupid old man, that you'd have died in the Cave of Skulls if Ian hadn't made fire for you? And what about what we went through against the Daleks? Not just for us, but for you and Susan too. And all because you tricked us into going down to the city. Accuse us? You ought to go down on your hands and knees and thank us. But gratitude's the last thing you'll ever have, or any sort of common sense either.

BARBARA: Yes, of course. That explains the clock face. We had time taken away from us, and now it's being given back to us because it's running out.

(What on earth are you babbling about, Barbara?)

Points of Interest

• Ian mentions that the Doctor's heart is working okay. Heart singular. That said, Ian's not exactly a trained medic, so we can't really take his word as gospel. 
• To go back to the Barbara/Ganatus theme... I wonder why she changed into Thal trousers. Why would she have been taking her trousers off in the first place? Hmm. 
• Barbara's rant at the Doctor is magnificent (helped by Hill's brilliance), but it is rather undermined by it ending with her turning around and screaming at a clock. 
• The ointment headband is a fun idea. It has colour in it which drains away as the ointment "enters the wound". Shame the side of his head didn't get treatment. The colour never fades from there. 
• I like the way Barbara says, "Susan, please don't!" as Susan starts to begin yet another session of crying and yelling. Even kind Barbara is getting tired of her by this point. I can't believe the Doctor calls her brave. His definition must be quite different from the dictionary one. 
• William Russell's vacant acting is quite fun, from the "working late tonight, Miss Wright" to pointing at the Doctor on the floor and saying, "what's he doing there?" to the bit where he looks at his broken watch and says, "if it is night, we have no way of telling now". The forced creepiness of the first episode doesn't really work brilliantly, but I think Russell sells it the best of the four of them. 
• The TARDIS is supposedly giving off these warnings and clues. I'm not sure how things like repeatedly knocking out the crew and opening and shutting the doors to frustrate Ian exactly count as clues so much as being annoying!  

 

Verdict
  It's good for what it is. We all know how this story came about, and I think David Whitaker made the most of it. As far as spending 50 minutes in the TARDIS with just the regulars can go, I think you can't get too much better. There are issues, and even for such a short story the pacing is a bit odd. The change of directors halfway through did help (poor old Richard Martin), but this again is a middling story. It's fine, it passes the time, it's better than most shows. It isn't Doctor Who at its best. It serves a good purpose, though, and any time spent with Hartnell, Russell and Hill can never be all bad. Now it feels like Doctor Who is really beginning. Should be fun.