Doctor Who: The Massacre

War of God

"But you promise me you won't get into trouble?"

"Yes, of course!"


After several of the excellent more recent recons, it's somewhat frustrating to go back to static pictures, and even more frustrating that there are no telesnaps! Still, Loose Cannon have done an excellent job, as always.

Its quite surprising that apparently Charles Preslin was just a made up character, especially as its a little odd for the Doctor, without pausing to find out exactly where or when he is, to blithely leave Steven in a tavern while he goes to hobnob with a local scientist. This hardly seems to fit well with his more active characterisation of late; John Lucarotti seems to be writing the Doctor of Season One. Not that it matters much though; he won't be writing much of the Doctor at all!

Steven's bewildered by the situation right from the moment the Doctor sets off, as are the viewers. Preslin's comment that he hopes the Doctor "succeeds" is especially confusing in that it isn't followed up. And what happens to Preslin anyway? A good episode nonetheless.

The Sea Beggar

"You are an extraordinary man, Tavannes. You see shadows where there is no sun."


Steven is caught up in an increasingly dangerous situation without a clue what's going on; this is extremely effective, and becomes even more so as events continue to spiral slowly out of control. His confusion over whether the Doctor is the Abbot of Amboise or not is shared by the viewer (although not by me, sadly, having seen it before). The script plays this up, making the Abbot a mysterious and less than trusted character even to his fellow conspirators. And Steven, of course, puts his foot in it; now almost no one trusts him, as the swordfight scene with Eric Thompson's splendidly hotheaded Gaston demonstrates.

Hartnell's hardly in this episode, incidentally, and he's credited only as the Abbot.

Priest of Death

"War is so tedious."


We're finally introduced to the childlike King and Catherine de Medici, silent for the moment. But once she does speak, her words have real power and we're left in little doubt that she means ill and will get what she wants. De Coligny gets a nice line: "Kings are recognised only by the power they wield. The Queen Mother seems to claim that power."

Hartnell is a revelation as the Abbot, playing a character sharply distinguished from the Doctor. Yet we're still left unsure whether or not they're the same person, which makes his death a very powerful scene. With the Doctor seemingly dead Steven ends this episode alone, apparently stranded, fleeing a mob which wants him dead. Has there ever been a bleaker ending?

Incidentally the lack of reprises works well, with no cliffhangers as such but each episode covering a day and punctuated by the tocsins. Each episode ends on a dramatic high rather than a cliffhanger, but this works.

Bell of Doom

"Now, they've all gone. All gone. None of them could understand. Not even my little Susan. Or Vicki. And as for Barbara and Chatterton... Chesterton... they were all too impatient to get back to their own time. And now, Steven. Perhaps I should go home, back to my own planet. But I can't... I can't..."


Easily the finest individual episode of Doctor Who yet, and that's saying something. Hartnell is quite breathtaking in this. We start with Steven lost, despondent, entirely defeated by events, until the Doctor suddenly turns up and takes charge. On my original viewing of this story I liked it a lot but marked it down for the non-explanation of the Doctor's whereabouts. But seeing it now in context I think I originally missed the point; the story is focused on Steven as he gets hopelessly tangled up in a situation hopelessly out of his depth. The absence of the Doctor is the point; we see how much he's needed, otherwise things can go very, very wrong. This is a Doctor Lite story, and better even than Blink.

The Doctor and Steven are in no physical danger from this point onwards, but the drama lies elsewhere. We get a foreshadowing of the later TARDIS scene as the Doctor, to Steven's bewilderment, quickly dismisses Anne to her aunt's. Steven asks him firmly "But Doctor, what is going on?" but the Doctor dismisses him in typical style: "There's no time for me to explain. Come along". This exchange may seem typical, and it is, but it's pivotal. The Doctor may not be acting unusually, but the wider situation makes the moral consequences of his acts far more serious than would normally be the case. This week we're in no light-hearted adventure serial.

Even Tavannes (the great Andre Morell) is horrified by Catherine de Medici's plans to use the mob rather than targeted assassinations to attack the Huguenots; this is genocide; "The innocent? Heresy can have no innocence". This is truly horrible. Fittingly, the Doctor and Steven leave at the exact moment when the massacre is about to start.

This story is part John Lucarotti style historical (something wonderful in itself of course, but...), and part radical experimentation with the format (Donald Tosh?). So the Doctor's comments about not changing history are, if anything, too reminiscent of The Aztecs and a little outdated post- Time Meddler. But the circumstances are very different here; Steven's anger is hardly unjustified. In sending Anne to her Aunt's, where she's certain to be searched for, the Doctor most probably has sent her to her death. The Doctor isn't really behaving differently to the way he always does here- his justifications of his actions on the grounds of not changing history are nothing new and, in another context, hardly controversial. But in a situation of such horror as this we feel very differently about it: "My dear Steven, history sometimes gives us a terrible shock. And that is because we don't fully understand. Why should we? After all, we're all too small to realise its final pattern". Hartnell delivers these words despondently, with restraint but also with more emotion than we've ever heard from him before. The Doctor firmly believes in his principles but doesn't feel the horror any less than Steven; he's just too world-weary to be shocked by it. It would be nice to see Steven's expression as he wordlessly leaves the TARDIS.

The Doctor's soliloquy that follows is the most revealing character moment the Doctor's had, and a triumphant performance from Hartnell, made all the more effective by well-judged silences, which will surely prove the highlight of his tenure. Forty years before Tennant, the Doctor's essential loneliness is laid bare. This is powerful stuff.

I'm actually quite tolerant of the final scenes, if we ignore Dodo's extraordinary accent. The policemen are a flimsy excuse for Steven to return, but I suspect they're supposed to be; Steven's made his point, but doesn't really want to leave the TARDIS this way. This lets him save face, and the Doctor lets him. Still, there's no excusing the glibness of Dodo's introduction or the carelessness of the fact that the TARDIS just takes off with this new passenger who, conveniently, has no friends or family to miss her. Dodo is poorly served by her introduction, but she actually provides a nice bit of catharsis for both the Doctor and Steven. The Doctor's comment that she looks like Susan is really just indicating what he wants her to be, as he's rather raw emotionally and afraid of being alone at this point. And Steven's ridiculous theory about Dodo proving Anne survived is no more than desperate straw clutching, but again it helps him get over his trauma and save face, and once again the Doctor lets him.



This is the best story so far by a long way- it works superbly as a historical but it's also a brave experiment with the format in this fantastically experimental season, with the absence of the Doctor, and the closing dramatisation of the core emotional themes of the show. And up to now Steven's been a vaguely defined character- a little stubborn, not too bright, but little else. Not any more. But the incredible thing about this story is that the Doctor has never seemed so three-dimensional and real. Hartnell is a revelation in the final scenes. 5/5.

Doctor Who: The Aztecs

Temple of Evil

"What you are trying to do is completely impossible. I know. Believe me, I know."

Very nice opening shot of Yetaxa's tomb. John Crockett does a very good job throughout the episode, making the sets look expansive despite the tininess of Lime Grove. The initial dialogue between Barbara and Susan rather cleverly drops in a lot of educational titbits without feeling forced.

Oh, what a surprise, the TARDISeers are separated from the Ship. It's noticeable how Hartnell congratulates Barbara on engineering the perfect situation- the women are safe in the temple so the men can go out and explore!

The scene between the Doctor and Barbara about changing history is a delight. Both Jacqueline Hill and William Hartnell play it utterly convincingly.

Once again, a crowd appears off screen.

I can understand Barbara's moral revulsion at human sacrifice, but for a historian some of her assumptions are a little naive- I hardly think that ending human sacrifice in Tenochtitlan would in any way mitigate Spanish imperialism!

Great ending, with the suicide of the sacrifice: "You have denied me honour!" Tlotoxl's final speech is chilling. John Ringham is a fine Richard III.

The Warriors of Death

"What better way to destroy your enemies than to let them destroy themselves?"


Great scene between the Doctor and Barbara, superbly acted by Hartnell and Hill as usual. As the Doctor points out, Barbaras actions have now put them all in danger. The scene in which Ian calmly dispatches Ixta with his thumb also oozes coolness. I'm really liking this so far; well-paced, well plotted and well characterised with excellent dialogue and set pieces. John Crockett's direction is also impressive.

The Bride of Sacrifice

"For once the high priest of knowledge shall be in ignorance."


Autloc's words are awfully pregnant with tragedy: "In all humility, I beg you- do not deceive me or prove false to me". Like Marco Polo, he is a good man but weak. Jacqueline Hill is excellent here. As also is Ixta's hair, and pronunciation of "Ian". I love his genial, back-slapping threats to Ian's life.

The Doctor's romantic interlude with Cameca here is fascinating, as I suspect we shan't be seeing its like again, or at least not without the involvement of fireplaces. Another interesting relationship is the one between Ian and Barbara who are getting noticeably closer over time. Significantly it's Ian in this episode, not the Doctor, who finally convinces Barbara of the futility of trying to change history. He's right that it's Tlotoxl, not Autloc, who is the conventional one.

The scene where Barbara confesses to Tlotoxl that she is not Yetaxa shows just how outstanding Jacqueline Hill has been ever since the series started. She really has been fantastic, and stands out even from Hartnell and Russell.

Heh: "Yes, I made some cocoa and got engaged". Ian's reaction is priceless- after spending the whole time on Marinus acting the generic action hero, he now has the constantly raised eyebrow again. I like him much better with his tongue in his cheek.

The Day of Darkness

"As the gods appear, may they not also disappear as suddenly?"


This is the first story where I've noticed the incidental music- it's really quite effective. This is the most impressively produced story so far, not counting Marco Polo for obvious reasons.

Autloc's disillusionment is genuinely tragic- the priest who loses his faith and his place in his society and the collateral damage from Barbara's actions. Cameca's tale ends unhappily too- we can sympathise with the Doctor's motives, but he has deceived her The TARDISeers may make their escape in the end, but there's no happy ending here: Tlotoxl wins.


Overall, this was pretty much flawless, and my favourite so far. The script, the direction, the main performances- all were first rate. I'm ranking this above Marco Polo as the story seems more satisfying as a whole, but it's a close run thing. More John Lucarotti please!

Doctor Who: Marco Polo. Or Journey to Cathay. Gah!

Phew! Seven episodes in one day...!


The Roof of the World

"I command you in the name of Kublai Khan!"


First up, I love Loose Cannon and I want to have their babies. Damn the physical impossibilities! There's no denying that the lack of footage, especially from this of all stories, detracts hugely from the experience. But the recon is quite magnificent. I particularly love the groovy colour title sequence, which rocks.

Hmm, shortly after the Fast Return Switch debacle it doesn't take much time for another serious problem to arise with the Ship. But this is top stuff. Mark Eden, and especially Derren Nesbitt, are immediately compelling. Right from the start the writing and acting are top-notch.

I love Susan's use of the word "fab". Clearly she went native somewhat during her time in the 60s.

Marco immediately comes across as an interesting and layered individual. He blatantly steals the caravan yet remains likeable to a degree, a credit to both Eden and Lucarotti, as this is going to have to be sustained for quite a while...

The Doctor's hysterical laughter is... most extraordinary! But it's most reassuring to see that the rift between him and the two schoolteachers appears to have gone.

Incidentally, anybody know exactly know exactly where the Plain of Pamir is? Somewhere in Central Asia near Samarkand? I don't recognise many of the geographical references in this story.

The Singing Sands

"The bones of many many men who thought they had enough [water] lie bleached in the desert sands..."


The dialogue in this story is wonderful. I love the double edged comments made by Tegana while Marco and Ian play chess: "It means 'The king is dead'"; "Marco, can you save your king?". Also wonderful is a line of Susan's: "One day, we'll know all the mysteries of the stars and stop our wanderings". This harks back to her desire to stay on Earth in An Unearthly Child- fundamentally Susan doesn't share the Doctor's wanderlust and eventually will opt for stability. Mind you, that still picture we constantly see of Susan gurning is a sauce of great amusement.

Blimey, the Doctor makes only a token (pre-filmed?) appearance in this episode. Marco is the central character for the moment, and an interesting one. He's the one with authority, but is fundamentally quite weak and credulous. The dynamics of this small, claustrophobic group of people, thrust together by chance, is compelling, especially as they're all so well written.

Oh, "Our fate rests with Tegana."- oh dear! A truly terrifying cliffhanger, the prospect of death by thirst. Something very real and horrific.

Five Hundred Eyes

"With such a caravan, Noghai would be invincible!"

The resolution to the cliffhanger, with the condensation, is very impressive indeed. The TARDIS crew now all suspect Tegana but Marco, for reasons essential to sustaining the plot, does not.

Nice that the slow pace allows us the digression on the hashashin (who of course foreshadow Tegana's behaviour in the final episode). Ping-Cho's performance is quite wonderful.

Nice cliffhanger- the threat to Barbara is again grounded in the very real, with nothing of the fantastic about it. Strong stuff for Saturday teatime.

The Wall of Lies

"The old magician. How can you kill him?

"With a stake through the heart."

Interesting how Marco's authority over the travellers is undercut by his obvious guilt; we instinctively know that he will never carry out his threats to the travellers. A format of losing the TARDIS seems to be established, following on from Susan's comments about nearly losing the Ship on Quinnis in The Brink of Disaster. Incidentally, Susan is at no point annoying in this story, which is largely down to the writing. When given a script that can be played well, Carole Ann Ford puts in a good performance.

Marco proves easily swayed by Tegana's persuasiveness, but once again behind his bluster he knows he's in the wrong. His desperate "Obey me!" to Ping-Cho is very revealing. It has to be said though, the constant mistrust between Marco and the TARDIS crew, although well-executed, is also quite annoying.

This story seems to be taking a long time in terms of days- I wonder how long it takes chronologically?

Rider From Shang-Tu

"What does he think it is, a potting shed or something?"

Ian's plan with the bamboo is very clever indeed. As is the storytelling and characterisations- during the situation with the bandits it becomes clear that Marco makes no independent decisions aside from stealing the TARDIS, being buffeted this way and that by Ian and Tegana. Of course, Tegana is the more persuasive of the two...

Oh, a swordfight involving the Doctor! If only we had footage...

Great line by Tegana: "Work your magic against him if you will. But make no move against me." Derren Nesbitt is fantastic as Tegana, with a real silky menace in his delivery.

I love the minor characters introduced here, the wonderfully camp Wang-Lo and Kuiju with his eyepatch and the monkey on his shoulder! The incidental details in this story are wonderful. I'm sure there's a huge amount of visual texture we're missing- the sets seem magnificent, and this was directed by Waris Hussein...

The TARDIS crew attempting to escape is becoming boringly repetitive by now. We know perfectly well that Marco is too weak to follow through with his threats.

Mighty Kublai Khan

"And you don't believe me when I say I come from another time?"

"If I did, Ian, I would give you the key."


Ironic that the TARDIS is almost nicked by someone allied to neither Marco nor the Doctor. We get more of Wang-Lo's campness here, which come to think of it is quite interesting; gay sex would remain illegal in Britain for another three years after this story's broadcast, but there is still Julian and Sandy style campness in popular culture.

Very nice ending, with the frail Kublai Khan. Also, by a later definition, a somewhat Doctorish moment. Once again, an excellent cliffhanger.


Assassin at Peking

""What of I that the Khan should fear?"

"The power of persuasion."



Once again the dialogue sparkles- the Doctor's winnings at backgammon are hilarious, and the lines perfectly delivered by Hartnell. "All the commerce from Burma for one year" indeed...

Nice touch, that; as the Doctor loses his gamble with Kublai Khan for the TARDIS, he once again bursts into laughter. The Doctor has noticeably mellowed in this story. He's still far from the active hero, primarily being motivated by escape to the TARDIS with no thought for Tegana's designs, but nevertheless the real nastiness has gone.

Great scene as Kublai Khan effectively calls Marco on his weakness. It's also clear that he sees through Tegana's rhetoric; in spite of his physical frailties and genuine comical qualities he's no fool.

The greatest line in all of Doctor Who so far: 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."

Once again, a swordfight makes the lack of footage very apparent indeed. The conclusion satisfies, and Marco gets the last word: "No, my Lord, they will not believe half the things I have seen in Cathay."





Overall, then? Admittedly there are certain... challenges to watching a recon, and I won't pretend there weren't points where the photos inevitably became repetitive, or times where the lack of footage became especially frustrating. But the script and acting were magnificent. The dialogue, the acting, the characterisation- all were magnificent. Admittedly there were times where the dynamic between Marco and the crew vis-à-vis the TARDIS became repetitive and annoying, but then I did watch the whole thing in one go. It would have been churlish not to give this a much-deserved 5/5. The best yet.