It wasn't a week between the previous episode and this one: it was
longer. And when we did get to watch it we had a string of
interruptions. This added to the difficulties caused by the poor quality
of the audio (neither I nor my son have particularly good hearing) to
produce an experience that was, well, less than ideal. Even for a
missing episode.
So, what can I say? Ian gets more to do than he has since the fight at the beginning of The Lion,
so that's nice. Unfortunately it's mostly fighting again, which really
can't be judged from the soundtrack (though he does get to rescue the
Doctor at the end through guile). His sparring partner Ibrahim's voice
reminded me of the evil emissary of Emir Ahmed el Ahmed, ruler of the
land of Silver Sand, from Noggin and the Flying Machine - which was first broadcast in 1964, so that's probably not so surprising. As I've mentioned Noggin before I won't say too much now; but the feeling of recognition was quite intense.
This isn't a strong episode for women, despite a significant part of it
taking place in the quarters of El Akir's harem. Barbara tries to
organise an escape, but is overtaken by events; Maimuna weeps that her
family is safe; Fatima is sneaky. And that's it. The plot is resolved by
the men - Haroun, who I believed dead, arrives to kill the Emir; Ian
sorts out their flight back to the TARDIS. Elsewhere neither Joanna nor
Safiya appear, and Vicki hardly gets to do anything at all.
In fact, the plot thread taking place in Richard's castle resolves
itself all too quickly. I thought it was neat that the King knew it was
Leicester who betrayed him to his sister, but said otherwise because he
needs the Earl more than he needs the Doctor; but one scene with Julian
Glover (and none with Bernard Kay or Jean Marsh) felt far too little.
As a conclusion to the serial, this isn't very satisfying. The previous
episode seemed quite tightly plotted, and I was looking forward to
seeing how the jigsaw fitted together at the end; but here it feels like
the pieces are pushed together randomly, with corners cut off to speed
things along. It's as if David Whitaker thought he was writing a
six-parter but then realised he had run out of episodes, and had to tie
things up in a hurry.
I will give a thumbs up to the music, though: there's very little, but
what we have is good. I particularly like the piece Dudley Simpson
provides for the Doctor and Vicki's leaving scene in the castle. One of
my complaints about the new series is how every moment has to be filled
with sound, and this shows how effective a smattering of music can be.
The Warlords was first broadcast 35 years (well, 35 years less 7
hours 25 minutes) before my daughter was born. It's the first episode to
fall on a significant birthday for me, and makes me more aware of the
passage of time than any abstract knowledge that Doctor Who is fifty this year. My memory is also not what it once was, so although I had heard this episode and The Knight of Jaffa when I first got the Lost in Time
set, it was as if I was coming to them completely fresh as part of my
marathon. Heck, I barely remembered the recovered episodes!
The epilogue in the TARDIS truly belongs to the next serial, so I'm
going to talk about it there. As it is, though, this has to be the
weirdest bridging sequence yet, dethroning the one at the end of The Sensorites where the Doctor suddenly decides to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship for no reason...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 17th April 1965
Viewers: 9.5 million
Chart Position: 27
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
3/10, though it would be a bit higher if the sound quality were better - and visuals would make a greater difference!
Next Time:
Serial P as a whole.
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Monday 28 January 2013
Episode 66 (P3): The Wheel of Fortune
Now, this must be the episode that inspires The Crusade's
huge reputation among fans! I would say it's near perfect. The bit at
the start where Haroun outwits the guards who are searching for Barbara
appears to be written for laughs and then filmed seriously, so that it
jars somewhat; but it's not the place for light relief anyway, so only a
script rewrite could have saved it. And that's pretty much all I've got
by way of negative criticism. One short scene - and even that contains a
great shot of Barbara running up to the camera - followed by more than
20 minutes of gold. My son and I were gripped.
We're lucky to have this episode, too, like The Lion and the soundtrack to the two that are still otherwise missing. A copy of The Wheel of Fortune was found at the BBC Film Library, who had only been given it by accident. Phew!
So. Douglas Camfield has really got his act together since his good-but-not-great work on the first episode, and provides us with some excellent shots. Nothing is quite so wacky and inventive as The Web Planet, but everything works and fits together nicely. I could point to some lovely lighting (Barbara lit through the grille in Haroun's house, El Akir and his solder lit by the torch between them), lots of closeups, and places where you can draw a vertical line down the scene and see very different views in the two halves; but it's the consistent quality that really makes it.
The sets continue to be of good quality. We see more of Richard's castle - including a clever view out of a window - and it really does feel more like a castle than a set. The streets around Haroun's house - and the house itself - are good too.
William Russell was on holiday the week this was recorded, so we don't get as much of the newly-knighted Sir Ian as I'd hoped; but, the prefilmed sequence in the desert means that his absence wasn't at all obvious. Still, it's really a game of two plots: political machinations in the castle, and El Akir's hunt for Barbara in Lydda.
Taking the former first, this is where we have some appropriate lightheartedness. The scene with the Doctor being fitted with a completely tasteless "cloak of shiny" can be read as him getting comfortably settled in the world of Shakespearean drama while simultaneously laughing at it; or it can be a seen as just a bit of fun, an indicator that we can relax more in the castle scenes. Following this up with the conclusion of the Victor/Victoria ("no, just Vicki") subplot emphasises the mood.
Julian Glover and Jean Marsh are on fiery form. It's fun just to watch them in action, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the dialogue. In the scenes involving them I didn't care about the plot, to be honest, because I was simply enjoying the performance. The actors around them seem to be invigorated and "raise their game" too - William Hartnell, for instance, shines both in his throneroom confrontation with the Earl of Leicester and at the end, when he realises he has lost. The one scene with Saladin and Saphadin is really part of the palace politics thread, too; and it's a powerful one, thanks both to Camfield's direction and the actors' performances.
On to Barbara's scenes, then, and the far more intense half of the episode. The ever-reliable Jacqueline Hill, given the opportunity to show what she can do, is beautifully expressive - without contradicting Barbara's rather reserved character. It's a fine line to walk, but she treads it effortlessly. She has good support from Petra Markham (sister of makeup designer Sonia Markham) as Safiya; the scene where they are hiding in the secret alcove is beautiful, because they are both scared but show it in such different ways. The whole business with the knife is quite harrowing, and Camfield pulls no punches - I don't know how long that extreme closeup of Barbara contemplating it is held, but it felt like ages.
And then, it's all for nothing. Haroun is killed, Barbara is recaptured, leaving Safiya silently crying. Brr. The mood could have been spoilt by a cartoon El Akir, but fortunately we have a slightly more subtle villain; and we close on a defiant Barbara. Death is so very far away, but so is the next episode. I hope I don't have to wait a week to find out what happens next...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 10th April 1965
Viewers: 9.0 million
Chart Position: 32
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
I wavered for a long time between 9.5 and 10 but to be honest its flaws are so minor that it would be churlish to dock it a whole half-mark, so for only the second time in the blog thus far (and pushing The Velvet Web into third place):
10/10.
Next Time:
The Warlords.
We're lucky to have this episode, too, like The Lion and the soundtrack to the two that are still otherwise missing. A copy of The Wheel of Fortune was found at the BBC Film Library, who had only been given it by accident. Phew!
So. Douglas Camfield has really got his act together since his good-but-not-great work on the first episode, and provides us with some excellent shots. Nothing is quite so wacky and inventive as The Web Planet, but everything works and fits together nicely. I could point to some lovely lighting (Barbara lit through the grille in Haroun's house, El Akir and his solder lit by the torch between them), lots of closeups, and places where you can draw a vertical line down the scene and see very different views in the two halves; but it's the consistent quality that really makes it.
The sets continue to be of good quality. We see more of Richard's castle - including a clever view out of a window - and it really does feel more like a castle than a set. The streets around Haroun's house - and the house itself - are good too.
William Russell was on holiday the week this was recorded, so we don't get as much of the newly-knighted Sir Ian as I'd hoped; but, the prefilmed sequence in the desert means that his absence wasn't at all obvious. Still, it's really a game of two plots: political machinations in the castle, and El Akir's hunt for Barbara in Lydda.
Taking the former first, this is where we have some appropriate lightheartedness. The scene with the Doctor being fitted with a completely tasteless "cloak of shiny" can be read as him getting comfortably settled in the world of Shakespearean drama while simultaneously laughing at it; or it can be a seen as just a bit of fun, an indicator that we can relax more in the castle scenes. Following this up with the conclusion of the Victor/Victoria ("no, just Vicki") subplot emphasises the mood.
Julian Glover and Jean Marsh are on fiery form. It's fun just to watch them in action, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the dialogue. In the scenes involving them I didn't care about the plot, to be honest, because I was simply enjoying the performance. The actors around them seem to be invigorated and "raise their game" too - William Hartnell, for instance, shines both in his throneroom confrontation with the Earl of Leicester and at the end, when he realises he has lost. The one scene with Saladin and Saphadin is really part of the palace politics thread, too; and it's a powerful one, thanks both to Camfield's direction and the actors' performances.
On to Barbara's scenes, then, and the far more intense half of the episode. The ever-reliable Jacqueline Hill, given the opportunity to show what she can do, is beautifully expressive - without contradicting Barbara's rather reserved character. It's a fine line to walk, but she treads it effortlessly. She has good support from Petra Markham (sister of makeup designer Sonia Markham) as Safiya; the scene where they are hiding in the secret alcove is beautiful, because they are both scared but show it in such different ways. The whole business with the knife is quite harrowing, and Camfield pulls no punches - I don't know how long that extreme closeup of Barbara contemplating it is held, but it felt like ages.
And then, it's all for nothing. Haroun is killed, Barbara is recaptured, leaving Safiya silently crying. Brr. The mood could have been spoilt by a cartoon El Akir, but fortunately we have a slightly more subtle villain; and we close on a defiant Barbara. Death is so very far away, but so is the next episode. I hope I don't have to wait a week to find out what happens next...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 10th April 1965
Viewers: 9.0 million
Chart Position: 32
Appreciation Index: 49
Rating:
I wavered for a long time between 9.5 and 10 but to be honest its flaws are so minor that it would be churlish to dock it a whole half-mark, so for only the second time in the blog thus far (and pushing The Velvet Web into third place):
10/10.
Next Time:
The Warlords.
Friday 25 January 2013
Episode 65 (P2): The Knight of Jaffa
It's episodes like this that make me dread seasons 3 to 5. This is the
first missing episode of series 2, and I'm glad there's only one more to
go because I found it heavy going. After a couple of false starts Isaac
and I decided to repeat our experiment from The Reign of Terror:
watch a reconstruction, but sync it with the narrated soundtrack. This
worked better, though I still felt I was missing out on a lot.
Still, many of the viewers at the time of original broadcast wouldn't have said so. This was the first time since before the last Dalek serial that the ratings dropped below 10 million (though to be fair the appreciation index shows that those who remained were enjoying this serial more than they did the second half of The Web Planet). Perhaps the ones who left had heard the announcement the day before that William Russell and Jacqueline Hill were going to be leaving, and decided the show had run its course.
And actually, we're lucky to be able to hear this one at all! For a long time we had nothing but the script and telesnaps. It was only in 1995 that an off-air recording of the soundtrack was discovered - one of the final few needed to 'complete the set'.
The one benefit of the situation is that I really had to concentrate on the dialogue because that's most of what there is. And I realised that the distinction between the Shakespearean characters (who inhabit the world of the play) and the TARDIS crew (who are just visiting) still exists. When the crew are talking amongst themselves they speak in a much more natural fashion. It's like the difference between a private conversation with friends or family, full of rapid-fire comments, colloquialisms and in-references; and speaking clearly and rhythmically, using carefully-prepared sentences, for a public audience. Nicely done.
So, putting its missing status to one side as much as I can, what else do I want to say about the story? Well, I was surprised to see Ben Daheer, the market trader, again; I'd thought he was a one-off, but it seems he is going to provide a comic relief subplot. His bit with William Hartnell this week is short but still amusing, the Doctor handling the situation believably and well. We also meet Joanna for the first time, played by Jon Pertwee's ex-wife Jean Marsh, who we'll be seeing more of a little later in this marathon. It could have been another actress, Adrienne Hill, who was also up for the part; and we'll be seeing her even sooner. I don't have a great deal to say about Joanna, yet; nor about the Chamberlain. Maybe next time.
The most important thread of the plot is Barbara's, and it takes a turn I wasn't expecting. Rather than being forced into storytelling she is tricked and kidnapped by El Akir before escaping into the streets of Lydda. We meet two more new characters in the process, the maidservant and Ferrigo; and I can't judge them at all in this format.
Last time I was trying to figure out where I'd seen the actor who played El Akir before, but it wasn't until the credits that I finally got there. Walter Randall was the rather stiff (many would say wooden) Tonila in The Aztecs, but here he gets the chance to show off his slimy and sadistic side - which seems to suit him better. I think he has a tendency to hold something back, which worked against him when he was Tonila; but as El Akir - where someone like John Ringham might have gone for scenery-chewing EEEEVIIIILLL! - Randall's more subdued style is actually an advantage, taking the edge off a cartoon villain just slightly and bringing him back towards the space occupied by Bernard Kay's Saladin and Julian Glover's King Richard.
Richard is involved in the second-most important part of the proceedings, the one that forms the focus for the linking material on the DVD/video: the knighting of Sir Ian Chesterton. William Russell was no stranger to playing a knight, of course. He was the eponymous (love that word!) warrior in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in 1956-7, which was the first British series to be shot in colour thanks to success in the American market.
I'm sure most of us would agree that Ian deserves knighting. We'll see what he does with the honour (beyond a quick chat with William des Preaux) next time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 3rd April 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 29
Appreciation Index: 50
Rating:
4.5/10.
Next Time:
The Wheel of Fortune.
Still, many of the viewers at the time of original broadcast wouldn't have said so. This was the first time since before the last Dalek serial that the ratings dropped below 10 million (though to be fair the appreciation index shows that those who remained were enjoying this serial more than they did the second half of The Web Planet). Perhaps the ones who left had heard the announcement the day before that William Russell and Jacqueline Hill were going to be leaving, and decided the show had run its course.
And actually, we're lucky to be able to hear this one at all! For a long time we had nothing but the script and telesnaps. It was only in 1995 that an off-air recording of the soundtrack was discovered - one of the final few needed to 'complete the set'.
The one benefit of the situation is that I really had to concentrate on the dialogue because that's most of what there is. And I realised that the distinction between the Shakespearean characters (who inhabit the world of the play) and the TARDIS crew (who are just visiting) still exists. When the crew are talking amongst themselves they speak in a much more natural fashion. It's like the difference between a private conversation with friends or family, full of rapid-fire comments, colloquialisms and in-references; and speaking clearly and rhythmically, using carefully-prepared sentences, for a public audience. Nicely done.
So, putting its missing status to one side as much as I can, what else do I want to say about the story? Well, I was surprised to see Ben Daheer, the market trader, again; I'd thought he was a one-off, but it seems he is going to provide a comic relief subplot. His bit with William Hartnell this week is short but still amusing, the Doctor handling the situation believably and well. We also meet Joanna for the first time, played by Jon Pertwee's ex-wife Jean Marsh, who we'll be seeing more of a little later in this marathon. It could have been another actress, Adrienne Hill, who was also up for the part; and we'll be seeing her even sooner. I don't have a great deal to say about Joanna, yet; nor about the Chamberlain. Maybe next time.
The most important thread of the plot is Barbara's, and it takes a turn I wasn't expecting. Rather than being forced into storytelling she is tricked and kidnapped by El Akir before escaping into the streets of Lydda. We meet two more new characters in the process, the maidservant and Ferrigo; and I can't judge them at all in this format.
Last time I was trying to figure out where I'd seen the actor who played El Akir before, but it wasn't until the credits that I finally got there. Walter Randall was the rather stiff (many would say wooden) Tonila in The Aztecs, but here he gets the chance to show off his slimy and sadistic side - which seems to suit him better. I think he has a tendency to hold something back, which worked against him when he was Tonila; but as El Akir - where someone like John Ringham might have gone for scenery-chewing EEEEVIIIILLL! - Randall's more subdued style is actually an advantage, taking the edge off a cartoon villain just slightly and bringing him back towards the space occupied by Bernard Kay's Saladin and Julian Glover's King Richard.
Richard is involved in the second-most important part of the proceedings, the one that forms the focus for the linking material on the DVD/video: the knighting of Sir Ian Chesterton. William Russell was no stranger to playing a knight, of course. He was the eponymous (love that word!) warrior in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in 1956-7, which was the first British series to be shot in colour thanks to success in the American market.
I'm sure most of us would agree that Ian deserves knighting. We'll see what he does with the honour (beyond a quick chat with William des Preaux) next time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 3rd April 1965
Viewers: 8.5 million
Chart Position: 29
Appreciation Index: 50
Rating:
4.5/10.
Next Time:
The Wheel of Fortune.
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Episode 64 (P1): The Lion
It's been a long while since I posted anything, and even longer since I
posted a review, thanks to my impromptu story-writing. I'm looking
forward to it again. This episode was missing for a long time; the story
of its return is available from the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club's website.
The first thing that struck me watching this was a sense of nostalgia, not for anything in the actual story but for the quality of the film. I love the work of the Restoration Team, but the fact that this is fuzzier than the individual DVD releases took me back to my childhood. This is closer to how I first saw Patrick Troughton's and Jon Pertwee's Doctors, the main difference being that the TV I'm watching it on has a much bigger screen. It made for an interesting change.
On to the story, then, and this one is in some ways a lot like a stage play. Most obvious is, of course, the dialogue, which is plainly modelled on Shakespeare's. Marry! 'Tis an uncertain mast upon which to nail one's faith - since cod-Shakespearean (like wot I rote just then) can so easily miss the mark and come across as totally naff. Fortunately David Whitaker is a lot more subtle, and while I'm no Shakespeare expert it has a certain ring to it - he captures the feel, rather than copying the trappings, and in so doing manages to evoke the correct mood. Which is, in this case, one of the history plays - Richard I, of course. It's not a comedy, though there is comedy in it, and it's not poking fun at Shakespeare - it's trying to be part of the same strain of theatre.
The other thing that gives a theatrical impression is its division into scenes. There are five of these, with no intercutting between them. Let's take a look at them in order:
A Forest in Palestine
The story opens in a good forest set, the atmosphere of which is enhanced by the birdsong, and - where appropriate - dramatic music. Like the TARDIS team, we are plunged into the thick of it; and the combination of some nice camerawork (though with less imaginative framing than Richard Martin's) and a properly cinematic filmed fight really sets the mood. There's a Hollywood feel to it, both in the costumes and the action; this is very pacy.
It's also fun to see the Doctor physically active. William Hartnell once again gives the impression of someone very willing to get stuck in, knowledgeable about fighting but slightly limited by his age. In contrast, Vicki is fairly useless; but at least she's trying! The fight is mainly Ian's, though, which is a good job because we aren't going to be seeing him for the next few scenes...
El Akir's Tent
...the first of which we get to via a nice fade from Ian's worried face to Barbara's, then focusing on hands pouring water and "sounds off", as they say. Beyond that it's mostly setting up Barbara's part of the plot, showing us what a nice bloke William is and what a nasty specimen we have in El Akir. Oh, and having some actual black actors for a change (though all the speaking parts for Saracens are, of course, still going to blacked up white people). But for now, I'm going to move swiftly on.
A Market in Jaffa
Next up is a comedy sequence featuring a trader of garments, reminiscent of the scene in The Reign of Terror where the Doctor becomes a Regional Officer. This time we even get comedy music! This is great, and positioned at just the right point in the narrative. The only grating aspect is the thief's mockney accent, which feels somehow out of place.
Hartnell is on fine form, and I chuckled out loud at the self-referential joke of echoing his heartfelt speech when leaving Susan: "I shall return. Yes, I will return." He even ends with an almost-trademark string of words: "mm, yes, yes, goodbye, goodbye." Nice.
Saphadin's Tent
The next scene is the most obviously Hollywood in look. It's fun to see El Akir outwitted, though you can tell it's storing up trouble for the future; he's not one to take humiliation lying down. Barbara, meanwhile, is set up as a potential Scheherazade - and I look forward to seeing how that turns out while El Akir is still around to try and turn the tables.
The list of stories she mentions when referring to her past travels is interesting, because at first glance it looks as if it covers all her recent adventures - but she misses out Dido. Which is handy for the expanded universe: if she misses out one, why not more? Why not Victorian China, a platform above a gas giant, or even a planet of talking stones?
The direction is more confident here, with better framing. There's a great shot of Saladin's dark face and light turban alongside Barbara's light face and dark hair, just before the cut to the other side in the conflict...
Richard's Castle
...where we see Julian Glover in full-on Shakespearean mode. There's an interesting transition here; I can't quite put my finger on what it is that gives this impression, but it seems to me that there is a moment shortly before the end when Ian steps from his world into Richard's.
Hmm...getting long-winded again. I'll just add a note about the production team. It's full of well-remembered names, not just early ones like Barry Newbery but also a couple who haven't yet hit the heights: director Douglas Camfield on his first full outing, and composer Dudley Simpson on his second (both having previously worked on serial J, Planet of Giants). This bodes well for future episodes...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 27th March 1965
Viewers: 10.5 million
Chart Position: 16
Appreciation Index: 51
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
The Knight of Jaffa.
The first thing that struck me watching this was a sense of nostalgia, not for anything in the actual story but for the quality of the film. I love the work of the Restoration Team, but the fact that this is fuzzier than the individual DVD releases took me back to my childhood. This is closer to how I first saw Patrick Troughton's and Jon Pertwee's Doctors, the main difference being that the TV I'm watching it on has a much bigger screen. It made for an interesting change.
On to the story, then, and this one is in some ways a lot like a stage play. Most obvious is, of course, the dialogue, which is plainly modelled on Shakespeare's. Marry! 'Tis an uncertain mast upon which to nail one's faith - since cod-Shakespearean (like wot I rote just then) can so easily miss the mark and come across as totally naff. Fortunately David Whitaker is a lot more subtle, and while I'm no Shakespeare expert it has a certain ring to it - he captures the feel, rather than copying the trappings, and in so doing manages to evoke the correct mood. Which is, in this case, one of the history plays - Richard I, of course. It's not a comedy, though there is comedy in it, and it's not poking fun at Shakespeare - it's trying to be part of the same strain of theatre.
The other thing that gives a theatrical impression is its division into scenes. There are five of these, with no intercutting between them. Let's take a look at them in order:
A Forest in Palestine
The story opens in a good forest set, the atmosphere of which is enhanced by the birdsong, and - where appropriate - dramatic music. Like the TARDIS team, we are plunged into the thick of it; and the combination of some nice camerawork (though with less imaginative framing than Richard Martin's) and a properly cinematic filmed fight really sets the mood. There's a Hollywood feel to it, both in the costumes and the action; this is very pacy.
It's also fun to see the Doctor physically active. William Hartnell once again gives the impression of someone very willing to get stuck in, knowledgeable about fighting but slightly limited by his age. In contrast, Vicki is fairly useless; but at least she's trying! The fight is mainly Ian's, though, which is a good job because we aren't going to be seeing him for the next few scenes...
El Akir's Tent
...the first of which we get to via a nice fade from Ian's worried face to Barbara's, then focusing on hands pouring water and "sounds off", as they say. Beyond that it's mostly setting up Barbara's part of the plot, showing us what a nice bloke William is and what a nasty specimen we have in El Akir. Oh, and having some actual black actors for a change (though all the speaking parts for Saracens are, of course, still going to blacked up white people). But for now, I'm going to move swiftly on.
A Market in Jaffa
Next up is a comedy sequence featuring a trader of garments, reminiscent of the scene in The Reign of Terror where the Doctor becomes a Regional Officer. This time we even get comedy music! This is great, and positioned at just the right point in the narrative. The only grating aspect is the thief's mockney accent, which feels somehow out of place.
Hartnell is on fine form, and I chuckled out loud at the self-referential joke of echoing his heartfelt speech when leaving Susan: "I shall return. Yes, I will return." He even ends with an almost-trademark string of words: "mm, yes, yes, goodbye, goodbye." Nice.
Saphadin's Tent
The next scene is the most obviously Hollywood in look. It's fun to see El Akir outwitted, though you can tell it's storing up trouble for the future; he's not one to take humiliation lying down. Barbara, meanwhile, is set up as a potential Scheherazade - and I look forward to seeing how that turns out while El Akir is still around to try and turn the tables.
The list of stories she mentions when referring to her past travels is interesting, because at first glance it looks as if it covers all her recent adventures - but she misses out Dido. Which is handy for the expanded universe: if she misses out one, why not more? Why not Victorian China, a platform above a gas giant, or even a planet of talking stones?
The direction is more confident here, with better framing. There's a great shot of Saladin's dark face and light turban alongside Barbara's light face and dark hair, just before the cut to the other side in the conflict...
Richard's Castle
...where we see Julian Glover in full-on Shakespearean mode. There's an interesting transition here; I can't quite put my finger on what it is that gives this impression, but it seems to me that there is a moment shortly before the end when Ian steps from his world into Richard's.
Hmm...getting long-winded again. I'll just add a note about the production team. It's full of well-remembered names, not just early ones like Barry Newbery but also a couple who haven't yet hit the heights: director Douglas Camfield on his first full outing, and composer Dudley Simpson on his second (both having previously worked on serial J, Planet of Giants). This bodes well for future episodes...
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 27th March 1965
Viewers: 10.5 million
Chart Position: 16
Appreciation Index: 51
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
The Knight of Jaffa.
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