C02S04 The Romans
Synopsis
Italy, 64AD. Enjoying a rare holiday with his companions, the Doctor takes Vicki to visit Rome, where he is mistaken for the musician Maximus Pettulian. He finds himself obliged to perform for Nero, or risk incurring the Emperor's wrath...
In his absence, Ian and Barbara have been kidnapped from their villa. Separated and sold into slavery, they face a bleak future. Can they make their escape and find the Doctor before Rome is consumed by fire?
Cover notes
The Romans represents a brave experiment for Doctor Who, which from it's inception had approached historical tales with a scholarly sobriety. Dennis Spooner tempers what would otherwise be a dark lesson in the brutality of life in Imperial Rome with a liberal dose of farce. His depiction of Nero as a vain, libidinous fool contrasts sharply with the earnest characterisations of Marco Polo and Robespierre the previous season. Although the heavy comic elements are largely restricted to part 3, it was this, combines with certain historical inaccuracies, which drew criticism when the story was originally transmitted.
Pushing viewer credulity to the limit, Spooner would also have us believe that the Doctor honed his astonishing combat skills training the Mountain Mauler of Montana. But whilst it remains difficult to accept the First Doctor engaging in a near-slapstick fight sequence and spouting a succession of bad puns, it should also be noted that this behaviour is exactly what we could expect from the Doctor's most recent incarnation...
The adverse viewer reaction to the 'silliness' of The Romans ensured that subsequent historical adventures such as The Crusade and The Maassacre were played straight, but Dennis Spooner's gift was to introduce history as window-dressing rather than a strictly educational exercise in storytelling. It was an idea he was to develop in The Time Meddler, and by challenging the traditional template, Spooner set a vital precedent in Doctor Who which has been vibrantly exploited in recent stories like The Shakespeare Code and The Girl in the Fireplace.
Cast
| The Doctor | William Hartnell | listed as Dr. Who |
| Ian Chesterton | William Russell | |
| Barbara Wright | Jacqueline Hill | |
| Vicki | Maureen O'Brien | |
| Sevcheria | Derek Sydney | |
| Didius | Nicholas Evans | ep. 1 |
| Centurion | Denis Edwards | ep. 1 |
| Stall holder | Margot Thomas | ep. 1 |
| Slave buyer | Edward Kelsey | ep. 1 |
| Maximus Pettulian | Bart Allison | ep. 1 |
| Ascaris | Barry Jackson | ep. 1,2 |
| Delos | Peter Diamond | ep. 2,3,4 |
| Tavius | Michael Peake | ep. 2,3,4 |
| Woman slave | Dorothy-Rose Bribble | ep. 2,3 |
| Galley master | Gertan Klauber | ep. 2 |
| 1st man in market | Ernest Jennings | ep. 2 |
| 2nd man in market | John Caesar | ep. 2 |
| Court messenger | Tony Lambden | ep. 2 |
| Nero | Derek Francis | ep. 2,3,4 |
| Tigilinus | Brian Proudfoot | ep. 2,3 [ep. 3 listed as Tigilinus (Cup Bearer)] |
| Poppaea | Kay Patrick | ep. 3,4 |
| Locusta | Ann Tirard | ep. 3 |
Crew
| Written by | Dennis Spooner | |
| Title music | Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop | |
| Incidental music | Raymond Jones | |
| Fight arranger | Peter Diamond | ep. 2,3,4 |
| Costumes supervised by | Daphne Dare | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Make-up supervised by | Sonia Markham | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Lighting | Howard King | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Sound | Richard Chubb | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Story Editor | David Whitaker | |
| Designer | Raymond P. Cusick | |
| Associate Producer | Mervyn Pinfield | |
| Producer | Verity Lambert | |
| Director | Christopher Barry |
DVD Extras
| William Russell Nick Evans Barry Jackson Christopher barry |
commentary track | |
| What has 'The Romans' ever done for us? | Actors, crew and historians look at both the reality and fantasy behind the story of The Romans. | |
| Roma Parva ('Little Rome') | Director Christopher Barry demonstrates the use of a model of the studio set in the planning of camera positions and moves during recording. | |
| Dennis Spooner - Wanna write a television series? | A look at writer Dennis Spooner's work on Doctor Who. | |
| Girls! Girls! Girls! - The 1960s | An affectionate look back at the sixties Who-Girls. | |
| Blue Peter | The Blue Peter team hold a Roman banquet in the studio | |
| coming soon | An exclusive new trailer for a forthcoming Doctor Who DVD release | |
| photo gallery | ||
| Radio Times listings |
Commentary
| serial code : | M |
| episode count : | 4 |
| initial broadcast date : | 1965-01-16 |
| DVD release date : | |
| DVD SE release date : | |
| BluRay release date : | |
| part of The rescue / The Romans boxset | |