2.06 The Crusade
First Doctor with Ian, Barbara and Vicki
Follows on from Season One, Planet of Giants, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Rescue, The Romans and The Web Planet
Overview
Here's a thing that makes me happy. Inside the Lost in Time DVD boxset, released in 2004, is a little booklet explaining the contents. The first line of this booklet reads thus: 'Thousands of television programmes made during the 1960s, including 108 episodes of Doctor Who, no longer exist'. As I write this, ten years later in 2014, that number is now down to 97 missing episodes of Doctor Who, and who knows, maybe more will be found and made available in the future. We can only hope. As things stand, the sixth adventure of Doctor Who's second season, The Crusade, is currently not available as a DVD release in its own right, because only two of its four episodes still exist. Those two episodes the first and third of the serial are available to watch on the Lost in Time boxset, while the remaining two episodes may be experienced either as soundtrack only (also available on the boxset) or as an unofficial reconstruction put together by fans and available online, the soundtrack matched to still images usually set photos and telesnaps taken during recording.
After the extreme science fiction of The Web Planet, The Crusade sees a return to one of the iconic genres of the First Doctor era, the pure historical, set in the Holy Land at the height of the conflict between Richard the Lionheart of England and Sultan Saladin, leader of the Saracens. I am not going to get into any discussion here of the more politically contentious elements of this serial, namely the 'blacking up' of white actors to portray Saracens; unacceptable today, in 1965 this would have been seen as a perfectly normal thing to do, no different from actors dressing up as Zarbi and Menoptra in the previous serial. Times change and the material is what it is; alongside the 'blackface', this story also features non-white actors for the first time in the show's history. Progress takes small steps. I'm also not going to concern myself with the historical accuracy of the story. My interest is in the story itself and what it tells us about the characters and this is a character-centric adventure of the kind I always enjoy not character-focused in the modern sense of delving into the psyche and backstory of a particular character, but in that the story focuses on following the experiences of the characters. The story isn't about what happens; it's about what the characters do.
The plot, in a nutshell, is this: on arrival in the Holy Land, Barbara is abducted by Saracens and Ian sets off on a desperate rescue mission, while the Doctor and Vicki find themselves embroiled in the intrigues of life at King Richard's court. It doesn't sound like much to fill a four episode adventure, but this is a thoughtful, measured story, light on plot but brimming with character material. First Doctor historicals are always classy affairs and this one is no exception, with a top notch guest cast, gorgeous sets and costumes, and beautiful dialogue, a truly lovely period piece.
In the classic era of Doctor Who, the guest cast often played as big a role as the regulars, our protagonists becoming part of someone else's story, which carried large portions of the action, and the guest cast here are superb. Indeed, the Doctor and Vicki's sub-plot, in particular, revolves around the political intrigues of King Richard's court, with the Doctor and his young friend more observers of ongoing events than active participants; the point of historical stories like this, after all, isn't to change the course of past events and it isn't to save the day, it is to experience this snapshot of history as a living thing, to get to know the people and personalities and complexities behind the headlines, so to speak. The lion's share of the actual action in this story falls on Barbara and Ian, as Barbara attempts to survive and escape captivity while Ian sets off on a dangerous mission to retrieve her.
Barbara captured and Ian setting out to save her is a relatively common theme for the show, which some might see as an old-fashioned, paternalistic relationship dynamic, but there's actually more to it than that. Ian's part of that pattern might play out as a fairly straightforward hero's mission to rescue his fair lady although he experiences his fair share of diversions along the way but Barbara's is always considerably more interesting than the classic damsel in distress scenario. While Ian's story is centred on his devotion to her and his heroic efforts to rescue her, Barbara herself is free to focus on other things namely, her efforts to fend for and save both herself and the people she meets along the way. Never a passive victim awaiting rescue, Barbara always plays an active role in whatever situation she finds herself in, always striving, always driving events forward, and never giving in. She really is indomitable.
Observations
Random thoughts while watching:
In a bit of a break from tradition, episode one, 'The Lion', opens not with the TARDIS but with a hunting party in the woods a hunting party which is itself being hunted
The TARDIS materialises moments after a group of armed men has passed by, but instead of staying with the TARDIS we follow the hunting party deeper into the woods, where we learn that this is King Richard in ebullient mood, out with a party of his knights. They all appear to be in jovial high spirits with the exception of one William des Preaux, who is nervous, fretting that they are dangerously exposed this far from Jaffa. Richard is having none of it but des Preaux is soon proved right as the Saracens attack.
Meanwhile, Team TARDIS have come out to explore, and we quickly see that time has passed since their last adventure at least enough time for everyone to rest, change into fresh clothes, and for Barbara to try out a new hairdo, which is lovely. Barbara is at her most absolute gorgeous in this serial. After the slow start of The Web Planet, this story hits the ground running, as within moments of leaving the TARDIS our intrepid travellers find themselves caught up in the Saracen assault on King Richard's party, during which des Preaux bravely proclaims himself King Richard to protect the actual king and is captured. Barbara is also abducted by the Saracens, while Ian and the Doctor are forced to pick up whatever weapons they can lay their hands on and fight for their lives even young Vicki gets in on the action, picking up the heaviest rock she can find to try to defend the Doctor. By the time anyone can draw breath again, Barbara and des Preaux have been carted off as prisoners, a wounded King Richard has fled, most of his knights are dead, and the Doctor finds himself in possession both of Richard's prize belt and a badly wounded knight by the name of de Tornebu.
Must have been a lot of fun for William Russell to get to use his sword fighting experience again in this story like reliving The Adventures of Sir Lancelot!
It's a pity that the print of this episode is in quite poor condition, and that the Restoration Team who have worked such miracles on other damaged prints were unable to do very much to repair it. It's brilliant to have the episode at all, of course, to be able to see the performances of the actors, especially since this episode was missing for so many years, only coming to light in 1998. It's just a shame about the visible tramline down the screen, although it doesn't really detract from the story being told. Douglas Camfield's direction is excellent throughout, with some really creative and evocative shots and angles. This was his first outing as solo director, but he went on to have a long and glorious history with the show, of course, one of its best ever directors who always managed to bring the best out of both sets and performers.
Predictably enough, Ian is quick to notice Barbara's disappearance, and is frantic with worry. The Doctor reasons that by returning the knight and the belt they will be able to win Richard's favour and earn his help in finding her, but Ian is reluctant to wait that long, dashing off to search the woods in desperate hope of finding her. From this moment on, finding Barbara is Ian's primary concern throughout the story, that's all he cares about, all he can think about, all he is willing to work toward. Ian and Barbara's primary relationship has always been with one another, rather than with the Doctor, and stories like this, which separate them and place one or other in danger, really highlight that relationship. Writer David Whitaker also wrote the novelisation of this story, and it is clear that he was a big Ian and Barbara shipper; his novelisation of The Crusade is hands down the shippiest, most romantic novelisation of them all, the relationship written there as an out-and-out romance, and while the romance may not be entirely overt on-screen, the deep emotional bond between Ian and Barbara is always undeniable.
The Doctor insists on delaying their approach to King Richard while he travels into the nearest city to acquire suitable period clothing. On the one hand it is reasonable, perhaps, that the remaining trio should attempt to blend in, so as not to attract too much curiosity and question, but on the other hand it does seem an unreasonably long delay in a situation where time should surely be of the essence, both in terms of tracking Barbara before she is taken too far and in terms of the wounded man they must tend and keep alive to return to his king. Besides which, if the Doctor and Vicki can venture into the city swathed in cloaks and not attract attention, why can't they similarly approach Richard's court? Also, it seems strange to eyes that have seen the later years of the show that he can't just pop into the TARDIS and find something suitable there, but the concept of the expansive TARDIS wardrobe hadn't exactly been developed at this early stage. Anyway, the Doctor's little shoplifting excursion, during which he steals a pile of clothes that have already been stolen from the palace and are being fenced via a clothing merchant, makes for a highly entertaining few scenes, a spot of light entertainment in what is otherwise a fairly serious drama. He has such enormous chutzpah!
Meanwhile at Ramlah, Barbara finds herself held prisoner with the very gentlemanly William des Preaux, who goes to the trouble of buying her a cloak from their captors so that her strange clothing will not attract too much attention. Although a captive, the good-hearted William is in high spirits, chuffed to bits with the success of his ruse and so happy to have spared his king's life that he cares little what happens to him now. He is concerned for Barbara, however, and together they conspire to pass her off as the king's sister, Princess Joanna. They have a lovely scene together, swapping stories and devising this plan. Character bonding for the win!
As in Marco Polo, the dialogue written for the historical characters here is just gorgeous. William, Richard, Saladin, Joanna they all speak beautifully, almost poetically, and it really helps to set the tone and atmosphere, selling the historical context of the story.
Barbara and William's captor, El Akir, takes his prisoners before Saladin and his brother Saphadin, proud and boastful of having captured Saladin's greatest enemy. I really enjoy the framing of the scenes in Saladin's court, with the Sultan himself sitting behind a silk curtain listening in while his brother holds court Douglas Camfield's direction really makes the most of these scenes, with really creative use of the sets and cameras, and Bernard Kay's portrayal of Saladin is excellent a far cry from his previous Doctor Who outing as Tyler in The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
Alas for El Akir, Saphadin is a huge admirer of Princess Joanna and therefore knows immediately that Barbara is not her, while Saladin, intrigued, emerges from behind his curtain to likewise denounce William as an imposter. It is quickly clear, however, that Saladin is not the 'baddie' of this story far from it, he is portrayed as an elegant and educated man who is calculating but not cruel, a compassionate and intelligent ruler who takes his responsibilities very seriously. El Akir is soon established as the true villain of the piece, his cruelty and sadism highlighted by the contrast with Saladin, as it becomes clear that Barbara has earned his undying hatred both by not being who she claimed to be and by finding favour with the sultan. Saladin is intrigued by Barbara as she spins a fantastical tale of how she came to be in the woods a tale that is entirely truthful, drawing on memories of her most recent adventures with the Doctor, yet to him sounds beyond belief. He guesses that she is a travelling player and invites her to tell him more of her stories while he decides what to do with her like Scheherazade, Barbara realises, and he reminds her that Scheherazade told her stories under a sentence of death.
Meanwhile at Jaffa, the Doctor's party has arrived at the court of King Richard, bringing him his lost belt and the wounded de Tornebu. Richard is grateful for both, but remains distraught over the friends he has lost and the treachery of his brother John back home in England. Although portrayed as a noble, educated man and a charismatic leader, this is not an idealised portrait of Richard the Lionheart by any means, as he is also shown to be volatile and bull-headed, almost childish in his fits of pique. Ian is eager to ask for his help in finding Barbara nonetheless, and although the others counsel caution, seeing clearly that the king is in no mood to grant favours, Ian is too impatient to wait. He makes his request and the king shoots it down outright, unwilling in his pique even to listen. It is a perfect character scene, with the conflicting moods and motivations of the two men bringing them into conflict, volatile Richard's ill temper versus desperate Ian's impatience. The Doctor and Vicki join Ian in pleading for help in finding Barbara, but Richard refuses outright to negotiate with Saladin.
Episode two, 'Knight of Jaffa', is missing from the archives, much to my regret. The recon I got hold of does an adequate job, but cannot make up for being able to watch the actors' performances; television is such a visual media, and there's no getting away from that. There are 97 episodes of Doctor Who missing from the archives currently, and this is one of the ones I regret most.
The episode picks up pretty much where the last one left off. King Richard has refused to even contemplate sending an emissary to Saladin to barter for the freedom of Barbara and William des Preaux, and the remaining TARDIS team are in despair but then the wounded knight de Tornebu speaks up, and it is immediately clear that he knows exactly how to handle his mercurial, capricious king. He manages to put a positive slant on the terrible events of the day, slyly suggesting that they could get all kinds of good PR out of the foolish Saracens mistaking des Preaux for the king. If this man were around today, he'd be a spin doctor for a political party! The Doctor and Vicki are quick to jump on the bandwagon, jollying Richard into a better mood about the whole affair, including the idea of an exchange of prisoners.
Early in episode two, we meet Richard's sister, Princess Joanna played by Jean Marsh in her Doctor Who debut. She would go on to make several more appearances on the show, of course, playing companion Sara Kingdom through The Dalek Masterplan and witch Morgaine in Battlefield, as well as having been married to Third Doctor Jon Pertwee for five years in the late 1950s. Joanna is the first to make any comment on Vicki, who is disguised as a young, pre-pubescent pageboy. It sounds as if she buys it, but I really wish I could see her face to know her true reaction, whether or not she has any suspicions at all, since it is hard to believe that Maureen O'Brien could fool anyone into believing that she is a boy! Meanwhile the chamberlain is definitely suspicious of the travellers, as he recognises their clothes.
With the travellers whisked away to settle into their quarters, Richard and Joanna have a rather sweet scene alone together, in which we see Richard unbending slightly, confiding in his sister his weariness of the seemingly endless war. The absurdity of the position is apparent to all concerned, it is clear, as Richard himself observes how ludicrous it is that he and Saladin trade civilities while their armies attempt to destroy one another. I'm not sure it's subject matter that the children watching in 1965 would have appreciated, but I enjoy seeing the show touch on the complexities of the war, instead of playing it as a clear-cut case of good versus evil. Neither side is shown to be either all good or all bad here, but rather both are shown to be very human, individuals caught up in something bigger than themselves, based on very different belief systems, and not sure how to get out of it again.
We already learned back in 'The Lion' that Saladin's brother Saphadin is an admirer of Princess Joanna. Here we see Richard take note of a beautiful piece of jewellery that Saphadin has sent Joanna as a gift, and while Joanna does not seem especially welcoming of these overtures, it is clear that Richard sees the potential political advantages to the match. The next time we see him he is dictating a letter to Saphadin, proposing an alliance. We already know that Richard is weary and heartsick of war; now we learn that he is astute enough and ruthless enough to consider the hand of his sister a fair price to pay for an opportunity to make some kind of peace.
Meanwhile in Ramlah, El Akir attempts to buy off the maidservant assigned to Barbara, but luckily for Barbara Sheyrah is far too loyal to take the offer. She warns Barbara that she has made an enemy and advises her to escape but Barbara already knows she cannot and is more concerned about her Scheherazade arrangement with Saladin, wondering how on Earth she is going to spin a neverending story to keep him entertained. She doesn't wonder for long, though, quickly realising that she has all the literature of the next thousand years at her disposal Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen, Gulliver's Travels, and so on, enough stories to keep her going indefinitely. It's a beautifully in-character touch that Barbara is able to draw on her education and literary background for inspiration here and I'm only sorry that we don't get to see her actually telling any of these stories. Alas, however, El Akir has struck a deal with a greedy merchant, Luigi Ferrigo, who promises him Barbara in exchange for an audience with Saladin. It's slightly out-of-character that Barbara believes this stranger so readily when he tells her he has come to help her escape, but this is a minor detail and I can believe that she'd be desperate enough to go for it; he's the first European she's seen at Saladin's court and perhaps she assumes that he'd naturally be on her side, forgetting the complexities and shades of grey that exist in any situation, never mind in times of war. Ferrigo sneaks her out of the tent and promptly hands her over to El Akir. Since viewers already know how sadistic El Akir is and how much he hates Barbara, even knowing that this is Doctor Who, we can't help but be afraid for her the dialogue and atmosphere really ramp up the air of menace, even as a recon.
Back at Jaffa, Ian has a natty new outfit and is not happy about it, grumbling that he doesn't see either the point of changing or what was wrong with what he was wearing before, and he's being such a grumpy boy about having to get dressed up that I can't help but laugh at him, even though I know his mood is largely brought on by his worry over Barbara, which is entirely justified. The Doctor is also very amused by his grumping, but advises him to go along with the king's wishes, which is pretty good advice in general when dealing with an absolute monarch, especially if you want a favour from him.
Having had time to think things through, Richard is all business now. He has decided to send an emissary to Saladin to arrange the release of des Preaux and Barbara after all, and has also decided to accept Ian's offer to be that emissary, confiding that he is sending Ian instead of one of his own knights because they are martial men and he has hopes of brokering peace. Ian, of course, doesn't care what Richard's reasons are, he's just happy to be able to go and impatient to get gone already, and even Richard can see that it's love of his companion that drives him, rather than love of peace!
Then Richard observes that his emissary has to speak from a proper position of authority, and this is the scene that places this episode near the top of my most wanted list because I long so desperately to be able to actually see Ian's reaction as he slowly realises what Richard is saying, what is about to happen that he, a humble science teacher from a London comprehensive school, is going to be knighted by the King of England! The soundtrack is so tantalising, you can hear the gears shifting in Ian's head; the very idea of it would never have occurred to him and it takes a moment to sink in, the Doctor catches on a lot faster than he does. But at last the magnitude and the honour of it dawns on him and he kneels to receive his knighthood, becomes Sir Ian, Knight of Jaffa! Oh, how I wish we could actually see this scene.
Now a valiant knight of the realm, Ian wastes no time in setting off on his mission, and I can't help but notice how much he has gained in confidence since setting out on these adventures. He'd always have wanted to go after Barbara, of course, but once upon a time he'd have been a bit daunted by the prospect of what it entailed, whereas now, after experiencing so many escapades and adventures, he doesn't even hesitate, takes the venture completely in his stride; he's been through worse and is confident that he can handle it. Once he's gone, the Doctor expresses a rather wistful wish to be knighted as well, which Vicki teases him about. He had to wait until his tenth incarnation, of course, to see that dream come to fruition, David Tennant's Doctor receiving his knighthood from Queen Victoria. There's a marked contrast between the two scenes, though in Tooth and Claw, the Doctor and Rose being knighted is played largely for humour and doesn't seem to mean very much to either of them, it's all a big lark, whereas Ian's knighthood is played within its proper historical context as a moment of gravitas and a real honour even if the Doctor does tease him about it later.
With Ian off on his mission, the Doctor and Vicki are confronted by both the Chamberlain and the clothes merchant Daheer, who each accuse them of stealing the clothes they were wearing when they arrived an accusation which is absolutely true, let us remember. They did steal the clothes from Daheer, who in turn had purchased them from the man who stole them from Richard's court. Here we see the First Doctor at his mercurial, mischievous best, absolutely hilarious as he argues the two men around in circles and befuddles them completely, getting himself and Vicki off the hook into the bargain.
Back at Ramlah, Barbara's disappearance has been discovered, and the astute Saladin is onto treacherous merchant Luigi Ferrigo at once, wheeling out William des Preaux and the maidservant Sheyrah as witnesses and producing material evidence (a glove) that links Ferrigo to the abduction. Ferrigo is forced to admit that he gave Barbara to El Akir.
And so it is that Ian arrives at Ramlah only to be told by William des Preaux that Barbara is no longer there and it's a bit of a shame that we don't get to see Ian fulfilling his role as emissary and actually negotiating with Saladin, but instead skip straight to his conversation with William, but it's understandable since that negotiation isn't really relevant to Ian's sub-plot and would have eaten up screen time that could not be afforded. Poor Ian, after he worked so hard to secure his mission and travelled so far, now he has to start all over again, so near and yet so far. He doesn't hesitate for a second, however, simply asking at once how far it is to Lydda he isn't about to give up on Barbara now, digging deep to start all over again. Although also concerned for Barbara, William tries to warn Ian off the venture, knowing that El Akir's territory is perilous, but Ian is utterly committed to his mission. He will not leave Barbara in danger and will not rest until he finds her. Where Barbara is indomitable, Ian is resolute and unwavering.
Poor Barbara, meanwhile, has arrived at Lydda tied to the back of a horse, and she can't help but be painfully aware that El Akir has very unpleasant plans for her. Barbara has never been one to passively sit around hoping for rescue, however, so she takes the first opportunity she sees, shoving one unsuspecting guard into another and making a desperate run for it before they can recover. She flees frantically through the streets of Lydda, ducking for cover where she can, desperately sprinting from one point of cover to another, knowing that she isn't safe anywhere and that the guards are hot on her heels. It's all very tense. Then, right at the end of the recon, there's a brief snatch of actual moving footage, culled from the reprise in the following episode, in which Barbara hides behind a curtain only for a heavy hand to clamp over her mouth
Episode three, 'The Warlords', sees a welcome return to live action, as this episode still exists.
Luckily for Barbara, it turns out that the guy who grabbed her at the end of episode two isn't a guard but rather is a random passer-by who just happens to have very personal reasons for not liking to see innocent women chased through the streets by El Akir's men, even aside from, you know, common decency. He quickly knocks out both guards, is hilariously scathing of their ineptitude, introduces himself as Haroun ed-Diin, and tells Barbara to come with him. Well, he might have proved himself friendly enough so far, but, having been betrayed by Luigi Ferrigo, Barbara is understandably wary of him and wants to know where he is taking her. He's taking her to his home, it turns out, where he introduces her to his daughter Safiya and then tells a tale of woe to explain his hatred of El Akir, who seems to have hit Lydda like the Mob or the Mafia or something, driving everyone to ruin, and when Haroun spoke out he had his house burned down, his wife and son murdered and his oldest daughter abducted for El Akir's harem. Grim stuff. Having told Barbara this tale of woe and announced his mission statement, which is to kill El Akir and retrieve daughter Maimuna, he promptly announces that he is going out to do a quick recce of the neighbourhood and asks Barbara to look after Safiya while he is gone. To this end, he gives her a whacking great knife and very solemnly tells her that if the guards come and try to take them, Barbara is to kill first Safiya and then herself, as he believes death to be far more humane than leaving either one of them to El Akir's tender mercies! Like I said, it's grim stuff. I'm really glad this episode still exists, allowing us to see Jacqueline Hill's excellent performance in these scenes, as the full meaning and horror of what Haroun is asking slowly sinks in. She protests that she couldn't possibly do such a thing, that life is better than this, but Haroun is deadly serious, and when you think that this is a family show made in 1965, yet it didn't shy away from such material, plays the scenario absolutely serious and absolutely straight down the line it's just really, really strong stuff, and both actors do an excellent job. Haroun takes off, leaving Barbara to stare in horror at the knife in her hand, wondering if she could ever bring herself do to what he is asking, if she could ever be desperate enough to do such a thing, or if she can possibly find another way.
So it's all doom and gloom for poor Barbara, but back at Jaffa, the Doctor and Vicki haven't really got a lot to do while Ian is off on his rescue mission, so they are pretty much just kicking their heels enjoying life at court in this episode. The Doctor has had clothing merchant Daheer procure a spiffy new cloak for him and is having an absolute blast playing at being a snooty aristocrat much as he did in The Reign of Terror, it is clearly a role he enjoys playing! He decides that Vicki could also do with some smart new clothes, but she is getting fed up of pretending to be a boy, and when Princess Joanna overhears her complaint, the jig is up. The Doctor manages to explain away the deception easily enough but it does become relevant again later. There's a comedy moment when the chamberlain is highly perplexed about being asked to procure pretty dresses for the Doctor's pageboy, and then Joanna asks the Doctor for a favour. Usually her brother's confidante, she is troubled because she can feel him freezing her out, knows he is planning something, and she wants the Doctor to find out what that something is. He agrees, of course, and although he confesses to Vicki that he's a bit concerned about the potential dangers of the political intrigues all around them, it is clear that he is enjoying himself, just as he did at Nero's court in The Romans. I love this side of the Doctor, a side of him we don't get to see very often in the years that follow. This side of him doesn't need thrilling adventures or derring-do to keep him occupied, because it is thrill enough just being able to experience this (to him alien) culture, being able to live among these people, talking to them and getting to know them, living these moments in history instead of just reading about them. That's something that the show has lost, and it's a real shame.
There is also a sweet little moment between Vicki and the Doctor here. Now that she is being taken under Joanna's wing as befits a young maiden, Vicki is worried that she won't be able to see the Doctor any more, that he might even go off and leave her, and while such insecurity might be more commonly associated with Susan, it's understandable that even a usually confident, happy-go-lucky personality such as Vicki should have a little wobble, under the circumstances. Time is passing, here on this visit to the Holy Land. Barbara has been missing for quite some time now, and Ian is off on his mission to rescue her, and while no one is admitting that there's a chance neither one will return, they have to know it's a possibility. Vicki is a positive, upbeat girl, but she is also very young and she has been through a lot and has lost a lot. As she tells the Doctor here, the TARDIS is the only home she has now, and she couldn't bear to be left behind. He is quick to reassure her, at his most absolute grandfatherly she really is a Susan surrogate for him, just as he has taken the place of the father she lost on Dido, and each is absolutely what the other needs. I love their relationship.
The Doctor was right to be wary of becoming embroiled in court intrigue. Not only does he make an enemy of one of Richard's knights, the Lord of Leicester, as a result of a passionate debate of the relative merits of war versus pacifism, but no sooner has Joanna recruited him as her spy than Richard confides in him his plan to marry his sister to Saphadin, putting the Doctor squarely in the middle and it's rather interesting to see that he supports Richard's peace plans, which is what causes his quarrel with Leicester, even though he knows the marriage alliance has no chance of success. This is the Doctor attempting diplomacy, perhaps, trying to stay on the right side of the King. It doesn't work out, however. The Doctor doesn't dare betray Richard's trust, but Joanna is angry with him for breaking his promise and then Leicester, who hates the very idea of a marriage truce, goes and tells her about the marriage deal anyway. This is where the strength of the ensemble nature of the show at this time really comes into play. Without a single central lead around whom everything must revolve, the entire cast could be drawn on to carry the story at different stages, both regular and guest; Ian is not in this episode, other than one brief pre-filmed scene, as William Russell was on holiday, and the Doctor and Vicki's contribution to the plot is fairly lightweight in this story, but it doesn't matter because we are involved enough in the story of the guest characters that they can step up and carry the action where necessary instead. Here, Jean Marsh and Julian Glover play some absolutely breathtaking scenes together as Joanna refuses to even contemplate marrying an infidel and Richard tries to command her to obey. It really is excellent stuff, beautifully written and gorgeously directed, with fantastic actors giving their all to the material. Doctor Who does classic costume drama at its finest, and again I am so happy that this episode still exists because it would be such a shame if these performances had been lost.
His will thwarted by his sister's appeal to Rome, Richard takes his anger and frustration out on the Doctor, blaming him for leaking confidential state secrets to Joanna. So much for that cosy life at court!
Meanwhile at Ramlah, the Saladin sub-plot is wrapped up with a brief conversation between the sultan and his brother in which they debate the possibility of the proposed marriage bringing about peace, and decide to respond positively to the suggestion while expecting the worst, and also inform us in passing that Ian's request to go to Lydda in search of Barbara is to be granted, as 'the brave deserve their favours'.
With William Russell on holiday, Ian's sole scene in this episode, a pre-filmed insert, sees him resting in the desert en route to Lydda only to be beset by robbers, who steal his sword and knock him out before he can fight back! The rigours of filming for 40+ weeks per year being what they were, the actors had to take time off mid-story now and then, there was no way around that, so those absences simply had to be timed as best they could, with the writers and production team doing their best to work around that absence. Here, they did their best to keep Ian's story moving forward, using Saladin and his brother to provide a narrative bridge in as natural a manner as possible, and with that single scene to set up Ian's return to action in the next episode. I can't help feeling, though, that while Ian's absence doesn't really affect the overall story as a whole, as the ensemble is strong enough to fill the gap, it does weaken the momentum of Ian's individual sub-plot somewhat.
In Lydda, meanwhile, things are not looking good for Barbara, and the episode does a really good job of building up the tension of this sub-plot. With Haroun still out and about and armed guards searching the district house to house, she knows that it is only a matter of time before she and Safiya are found. There isn't time in this single episode to get to know Safiya properly, but we've seen just enough of her to know that she is a sweet, innocent girl, sheltered even from the knowledge of her mother and brother's deaths; Haroun has entrusted her to Barbara's safekeeping, ordered death over whatever torments El Akir has to offer, and the desperation of that request was palpable but there is no way Barbara could ever bring herself to kill an innocent young girl, no matter how dire the situation. Barbara is a fighter and an optimist. Back her into a corner and she will not just roll over and admit defeat she'll come out fighting, every time. With Safiya's life in her hands and El Akir's guards searching the house, we see her holding the girl close in their hiding place, knife in hand, knowing that they are about to be discovered at any moment, seriously weighing up the options Haroun saw in this situation death versus El Akir's sadism for his daughter, a truly awful, impossible choice that visibly weighs heavily on her. But Barbara sees a third option and takes it. Handing the knife to Safiya, she steps out of their hiding place and tries to sneak out of the house to draw the guards away from the girl allows them to capture her, sacrificing her own freedom, her safety and potentially even her life, to protect this girl she barely knows. That's Barbara. The episode three cliffhanger sees her dragged kicking and screaming before the sadistic El Akir, fighting every step of the way.
That leads us to the final episode of this saga, 'The Warlords' which no longer exists, so we have to make do with another recon. It kicks off with the sadistic El Akir threatening Barbara with a tortuous death but we all know that Barbara isn't going to just roll over and let him have her, guards or no guards, and she certainly doesn't have the luxury of sitting back and hoping that someone else will come and save her which is an interesting point, actually. When Barbara was sold into slavery in Nero's Rome we saw that she never doubted for a moment that Ian would come for her. She did everything in her power to improve her situation and/or escape in the meantime, but what kept her going was her belief that she wasn't in it alone, that Ian would come, that he would find her and help her get away. Here we see a Barbara who has been tempered by that experience. I don't doubt that she still believes in Ian, still believes that he will come for her if he possibly can, but with her danger here so very grave and imminent, she isn't pinning her hopes on it the last time she saw him he was fighting for his life, after all, so she has to know that there's a chance he may not be able to come. Equally, not only does she know that she can't just wait for him to come, for her own sake because her situation is so perilous, but also she is better aware now of what she is capable of. She sees El Akir rewarding his guards for her capture and recognises it as an opportunity, dashing the coins out of their hands and using the distraction to make a run for it again. That's Barbara always striving, always driving events forward, and never giving in.
Elsewhere, Ian's rescue mission has gone a bit pear-shaped thanks to being ambushed by bandits in the desert, so it's just as well Barbara is making shift for herself. By the time he comes round, his horse has been taken and he is staked out in the blazing sun, watched over by a comedy dim-witted robber named Ibrahim, played by Swedish actor Tutte Lemkow. And I've got to admit, I am very sad that this episode no longer exists because: Ian staked out in the sun! A handful of telesnaps are all we have left to see of this spectacle and it simply isn't enough. The Ian-in-bondage episode in The Reign of Terror is also missing, dammit!
Anyhow, Ibrahim is convinced that a man as richly dressed as Ian must surely have lots of gold hidden away someplace, and no amount of negotiation will convince him otherwise. Their conversation is highly entertaining. It is also rather creepy, as Ibrahim dabs honey on Ian's arm and chest and trails the honey to a nearby ant's nest, while describing in very poetic language just what the ants will do when they get the scent of it 1960s torture-your-hero drama at its finest! This kind of thing happens in The Man from Uncle and the like all the time, and there's a certain kind of irony at play in that Ian is in danger from ordinary ants here after being chased around by giant ants in his last adventure! He even observed at the time that enough ants could eat through a house, so he certainly knows what the creatures are capable of. Still, if there's one thing Ian has learned from his time with the Doctor, it is how to escape from captivity by being really, really devious, so in no time at all he has tricked Ibrahim into cutting his feet free (to get hidden treasure out of the boots, dontcha know), which gives him the leverage and mobility he needs to both kick his captor senseless and free himself completely.
One of the reasons I love Ian and Barbara so very much is their independence. They get themselves captured plenty of times along their travels, but they don't rely on the Doctor to save them. They just get on with the business of saving themselves.
Now that he is free and in control of the situation, Ian forces Ibrahim to take him on to Lydda, and the two of them make a highly entertaining double-act. Ibrahim is the kind of cheerfully opportunistic rogue who will attempt to twist any situation to his own advantage. When he had Ian at his mercy, he'd have happily killed him without a second thought just for the hope of gold, but now Ian has the better of him, well, he'll just as happily do whatever Ian asks of him, and they can be the best of friends so long as Ian doesn't trust him as far as he can spit, because Ibrahim does whatever is in Ibrahim's best interests in that moment and looks no further ahead than that. It's a bit of a cultural stereotype, perhaps, but entertaining nonetheless, alongside Ian's sceptical straight man one of the joys of this era of the show are these smaller characters we meet along the way, who are incidental but stuffed full of personality. It's just a shame we can't actually see the performances here.
Back at Jaffa, the Doctor and Vicki are in trouble. A martial sort of chap by nature, and untrusting of anyone who preaches peace as the Doctor does well, the Doctor did call him a fool in front of the King, so his resentment kinda has a solid foundation the Lord of Leicester has got the bit well and truly between his teeth, branding them traitors for betraying the King's confidence to Princess Joanna. The Doctor is fairly phlegmatic about this, but Vicki is incensed all the more so when Richard admits that he knows, now he's had time to calm down, that it was Leicester himself who gave away his plans to Joanna. Vicki can't understand why Richard doesn't then accuse Leicester openly she is young, young enough to see the world in black and white, perhaps, and this sub-plot is a lesson to her in shades of political grey. Richard is weary at the thought of renewed war, but knows it is inevitable now that his proposed marriage alliance has fallen through, and he needs Leicester's martial skills enough to overlook his betrayal. He also feels that perhaps it is time for the Doctor and Vicki to leave his court, at least until the row has blown over, and the Doctor agrees back to the TARDIS is it, to wait for Ian and Barbara to join them there. I rather like that the Doctor never seems to doubt that Ian will bring Barbara back he has grown to trust and believe in his human friends so very much.
There is time for one last rather sweet little exchange in which the Doctor offers the battle-weary king reassurance that he will get to see Jerusalem one day and I think this is the first time we've seen the Doctor actually use his knowledge of the future so overtly in a situation like this. As they leave, Vicki, who clearly isn't as well versed in the history of the Crusades, asks if he was telling the truth and he admits that it was only a partial truth, as Richard will indeed get to see Jerusalem, from afar, but will never enter the city, still less capture it. Vicki is sad and wonders why they can't tell Richard this and save him a lot of trouble, but the Doctor gives her the same lesson he once gave Barbara that history must take its course.
This is a point where the show has changed its tune somewhat over the years. This version of time traveller's rules makes some kind of sense to me, though. If the time travellers land in a place and time where they already know what the future holds, then they can't change it without creating a paradox; if, however, they land on a world where they don't know the future, they are free to act as they wish without fear of paradox, as they can't change a future they don't know, they are simply part of events as they unfold. And it makes sense that if they land in the past and find something happening that threatens the future that is their history, intervention prevents the paradox of changing the history they remember which is the Doctor's standpoint in most instances over the years, I suppose, regardless of whether his companion considers any given place the past or the future.
Back in Lydda, Barbara has found refuge in the harem, of all places, the one place in the palace that El Akir's guards are not permitted to enter on pain of death, not even to search for their escaped prisoner. Haroun's daughter Maimuna is there, a strong-minded, quick-thinking girl who remains unbroken despite her captivity and servitude; it is she who takes a lead role in hiding Barbara and lying to El Akir's face about it. Barbara is able to give Maimuna news of her family in rather a lovely scene between the two women, in which Maimuna admits that she believes her father must despise her for bringing shame on their family, and even that she once tried to kill herself, 'to spare her father's honour', because of what El Akir has done to her which is never spelled out, because of the children watching, but she's a slave in a harem, so, you know, we all know what she's talking about. And the show might not spell it out, because of the children, but it doesn't shy away from the subject matter, allowing the scenario to have real human impact and consequence. Barbara reassures Maimuna that her father loves her and wants nothing more than to rescue her and take her home, but Maimuna does not believe escape is possible.
Well, we all know that Barbara isn't going to simply accept that and have done with it, not after everything she's been through already, so she immediately sets about questioning all the women about any and every possible exit she can see. They are all well guarded, the other women insist, which is why they believe that escape is impossible, but Barbara is not going to give up now.
This is where the assorted sub-plots of this strand of the story all come together, as Ian has finally made it to Lydda, with his cheerfully untrustworthy sidekick Ibrahim in tow. Ibrahim, in fact, seems genuinely impressed with Ian, especially when he announces his intention of ridding Lydda of El Akir, who is universally hated and all the more so when Ian asks him to steal some horses, which really is singing Ibrahim's own tune! He is only too happy to oblige. Rather more puzzling, though, is that the guard at the gate is already dead it seems someone else has already cleared the way for Ian's rescue mission
We don't have to wait long to find out who that was, as matters reach a head inside the harem when one of the girls betrays Barbara to El Akir in exchange for a ruby ring. He charges into the harem full of murderous rage only to be stabbed through the heart from behind just as he is about to kill Maimuna for lying to him. His killer is Haroun, arrived in the nick of time to rescue his daughter and Barbara, in gratitude for saving Safiya, or die in the attempt. And so it is that Ian arrives just that bit too late to actually save the day, which happily enough means that our protagonist is spared having to commit murder, although he does join forces with Haroun to overpower a guard or two on the way out, to re-assert his hero credentials. But I have to say, I really don't think much of El Akir's security. If it was this easy to break in and rescue girls from his harem, why hasn't Haroun tried it before now?
So all is well that ends well for that sub-plot, which is a lot more graphically violent in the novelisation, in which Barbara has been re-captured and is actually being whipped by the time Ian gets there to rescue her! More harrowing and emotional, perhaps, but I think I prefer this version, in which Barbara is on her feet and fiercely defending someone else when the menfolk burst in. Outside, Ibrahim has come through with the horses and is delighted when Ian rewards him with stolen gold his only lament is that Ian won't stay and go into the thieving business with him!
The Doctor and Vicki, meanwhile, have returned to the woods where they left the TARDIS but Leicester has had them followed, believing that the Doctor has tried to poison the king's mind and may be a Saracen spy or even worse, as he remembers that Vicki was once a boy and became a girl and suspects she may be a witch. Vicki manages to get to the TARDIS safely, but the Doctor is captured, with Leicester loudly declaring his intention of executing him on the spot as a traitor and a spy so it's just as well, really, that Ian makes another timely arrival here. He may have had his thunder stolen by Haroun's rescue of Barbara, but he's in fine form here, making full use of his newly bestowed title to win Leicester's trust, and even drawing on the true story of the ambush in the woods when the TARDIS crew first arrived to convince Leicester of his own grudge against the 'traitor', so that Leicester will grant his request to administer the execution himself. The Doctor is quick to play along, he and Ian always do make for a great double act, and the subterfuge enables them to make a hasty escape to the TARDIS, where Vicki and Barbara are waiting and it's a shame that more isn't made of the reunion with Barbara, I have to say. She has been missing in pretty dire circumstances for quite some time, so you'd think both Vicki and the Doctor would be more relieved to see her, but the focus of the scene simply doesn't allow for it, in the rush of their escape.
Leicester and his men are left to stare in shock at the sight and sound of the TARDIS dematerialising, and fearfully wonder what might have happened to poor Sir Ian, spirited away by fiends who are even at that moment tormenting him with bad puns about his knighthood! The Doctor is in fine form, teasing Ian so mercilessly that he threatens to administer that execution after all! I really love what firm friends they have become. It is a very humorous ending to what has been in places a very gritty, emotional story.
The episode ends on a cliffhanger to lead into the adventure that follows, with the four TARDIS travellers standing around the console dressed in their medieval clothing only to suddenly freeze and become immobile, like statues. And that's where we leave them, ready to pick up the action in The Space Museum
Quotable Quotes
EL AKIR: A king at liberty may give commands. A captured one obeys them.
BARBARA: What are we doing here?
DES PREAUX: As for you, I can make no guess. But I am King Richard, Coeur de Lion, leader of the mighty host, scourge of the infidel.
BARBARA: But I thought Richard had red hair.
DES PREAUX: Had? Still has if the ruse has worked.
BARBARA: Oh, then you
DES PREAUX: I am Sir William des Preaux, captured and mistaken for my King. Some smiles will turn to long faces soon, I have no doubt.
BARBARA: What happened to the others in the wood?
DES PREAUX: I do not know. Maybe I shall never know. But I have a hopeful heart and, which is better, a lucky King.
DES PREAUX: Yes, you shall be Joanna, my sister, and help me in my lies.
BARBARA: Very well. I seem to have gained a brother and a title.
DES PREAUX: And what is more, a friend.
BARBARA: I'm grateful for that.
BARBARA: Someone is going to have a very red face before long.
DES PREAUX: And an angry temper.
SALADIN: Be silent. This is not King Richard.
EL AKIR: Not?
SALADIN: A blacker head of red-gold hair I never saw. You have the better bargain, brother. She may not be the princess, but her beauty lights the room.
EL AKIR: Great Sultan, this woman can be made to entertain you. I can have her dance on hot coals, run a gauntlet of sharp tipped swords
DES PREAUX: No!
EL AKIR: Die for your pleasure.
SALADIN: What do you say to that?
BARBARA: It sounds like the punishment for a fool.
SALADIN: It does. And who here is the most foolish? El Akir, I can devise my own pleasures.
SALADIN: Please talk. It helps me to consider what I have to do with you.
BARBARA: Well, I could say that I'm from another world, a world ruled by insects. And before that we were in Rome at the time of Nero. Before that we were in England, far, far into the future.
SALADIN: Now I understand, you and your friends, you are players, entertainers.
SAPHADIN: With little value in an exchange of prisoners with the English King, brother. This is a trivial affair. I do not know why you waste your time.
SALADIN: I cannot dispense life and death lightly.
SALADIN: You must serve my purpose or you have no purpose. Grace my table tonight in more suitable clothes. If your tales beguile me, you shall stay and entertain.
BARBARA: Like Scheherazade.
SALADIN: Over whose head hung sentence of death.
RICHARD: A tragedy of fortunes and I am too much beset by them. A curse on this! A thousand curses!
RICHARD: By my father's name, you have wit, old man.
RICHARD: Saladin sends me presents of fruit and snow when I am sick, and now his brother decorates you with his jewels. Yet with our armies do we both lock in deadly combat, watering the land with a rain of blood, and the noise of thunder is drowned in the shouts of dying men.
JOANNA: Your heart calls for England, Richard.
RICHARD: Aye, it does.
JOANNA: Is there no kind of peace with Saladin?
RICHARD: All wise men look for peace. The terms of peace make wise men look fools.
SHEYRAH: The whispers are about that you will tell a never-ending story.
BARBARA: Oh, yes. How did I get myself involved in this?
RICHARD: Do you wonder why I listen to your appeal?
DOCTOR: It is a king's prerogative to make yesterday's deafness today's keen hearing.
IAN: May I leave at once, sir?
RICHARD: Is it love of peace or is it love of your companion that prompts this enthusiasm? Well, whatever the reason, may it speed you back to us. I have one duty to perform before you leave. Give me the sword, boy. You are without rank or title and while we do not doubt your courage, our emissary shall speak from a proper position of authority. What is your name?
IAN: Ian Chesterton.
RICHARD: Kneel.
IAN: But I
DOCTOR: Kneel, my boy. Kneel, kneel. Come along, come along.
RICHARD: In the name of God, Saint Michael, and Saint George, we dub you Sir Ian, Knight of Jaffa. Arise Sir Ian, and be valiant.
DOCTOR: I almost wish I'd been knighted too.
VICKI: That'll be the day.
HAROUN: Two heads without the brains of one.
HAROUN: We have a common enemy in El Akir. It makes for uncommon friendship.
JOANNA: There's something new in you, yet something older than the sky itself. I sense that I can trust you.
VICKI: I didn't really see myself as a veritable strutting peacock.
VICKI: You wouldn't go off and leave me, would you?
DOCTOR: What a question.
VICKI: I mean, your ship's the only home I've got now.
BARBARA: No. Life is better than this.
RICHARD: We do not feel obliged to explain anything to anyone, my lord of Leicester. We think our words were plain enough.
DOCTOR: You stupid butcher! Can you think of nothing else but killing, hmm?
LEICESTER: You're a man for talk, I can see that. You like a table and a ring of men. A parley here, arrangements there, but when you men of eloquence have stunned each other with your words, we, we the soldiers, have to face it out. On some half-started morning while you speakers lie abed, armies settle everything, giving sweat, sinewed bodies, aye, and life itself.
DOCTOR: I admire bravery and loyalty, sir. You have both of these. But unfortunately you haven't any brain at all. I hate fools.
LEICESTER: A fool can match a coward any day.
SALADIN: Hold one hand out in friendship but keep the other on your sword.
JOANNA: What's this I hear? I can't believe it's true. Marriage to that heathenish man, that infidel?
RICHARD: We will give you reasons for it.
JOANNA: This unconsulted partner has no wish to marry. I am no sack of flour to be given in exchange.
RICHARD: It is expedient, the decision has been made.
JOANNA: Not by me, and never would be.
RICHARD: Joanna, please consider. The war is full of weary, wounded men. This marriage wants a little thought by you, that's all, then you'll see the right of it.
JOANNA: And how would you have me go to Saphadin? Bathed in oriental perfume, I suppose? Suppliant, tender and affectionate? Soft-eyed and trembling, eager with a thousand words of compliment and love? Well, I like a different way to meet the man I am to wed!
RICHARD: Well, if it's a meeting you want.
JOANNA: I do not want! I will not have it!
BARBARA: I'm not afraid of you.
EL AKIR: No? Yet you run away. Is that not fear?
BARBARA: Fear has nothing to do with contempt. Or disgust.
DOCTOR: There is something important, sire. If you are able to defeat Saladin in this battle, can you hold the city?
RICHARD: Win the battle, lose the war. The greatest fear we have. We've come so close. I must see Jerusalem. I must.
DOCTOR: You will, sire.
RICHARD: You think so?
DOCTOR: I am certain, sire. And when you look upon the city itself, you will be able to find the answer to the problem of this war.
VICKI: Doctor, will he really see Jerusalem?
DOCTOR: Only from afar. He won't be able to capture it. Even now his armies are marching on a campaign that he can never win.
VICKI: That's terrible. Can't we tell him?
DOCTOR: I'm afraid not, my dear. No, history must take its course.
IBRAHIM: You see? I was right, my lord. You did have gold.
IAN: I acquired it.
IBRAHIM: Like I acquired the horses.
IAN: Yes.
IBRAHIM: Now you are my truly, truly brother.
IAN: Any more cracks about knighthood, and I'll carry out that execution.
DOCTOR: Well, my dear boy, I must say I think you've earned a good knight's sleep.
The Verdict
I really enjoy this serial, even if only half of it still exists more to the point, I enjoy it enough not to care in the slightest about plot holes, implausible timelines or 1960s production values. The story is so well told, almost Shakespearean in parts, that you can get all the way to the end before you realise how little actually happened. If your interest lies in event plotting, in which the story revolves around a clear-cut set-up, investigation and resolution, then this probably won't be to your taste. Early Doctor Who adventures very often didn't tell that kind of story, however; as often as not, plots weren't so much about an event as they were experience. The point of this story isn't to get from plot point to plot point to dramatic conclusion as fast as possible, but to spend time with our heroes in the context of this historical landscape, watching them meet new people, face new challenges and experience life in another culture. King Richard and his court, Sultan Saladin and his court, merchants, traders, and bandits this story boasts a wide repertoire of memorable characters that our protagonists meet along the way, the story a snapshot of those lives and that culture, that time in history, as experienced by the Doctor and his companions, and I thoroughly enjoy it.
Follows on from Season One, Planet of Giants, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Rescue, The Romans and The Web Planet
Overview
Here's a thing that makes me happy. Inside the Lost in Time DVD boxset, released in 2004, is a little booklet explaining the contents. The first line of this booklet reads thus: 'Thousands of television programmes made during the 1960s, including 108 episodes of Doctor Who, no longer exist'. As I write this, ten years later in 2014, that number is now down to 97 missing episodes of Doctor Who, and who knows, maybe more will be found and made available in the future. We can only hope. As things stand, the sixth adventure of Doctor Who's second season, The Crusade, is currently not available as a DVD release in its own right, because only two of its four episodes still exist. Those two episodes the first and third of the serial are available to watch on the Lost in Time boxset, while the remaining two episodes may be experienced either as soundtrack only (also available on the boxset) or as an unofficial reconstruction put together by fans and available online, the soundtrack matched to still images usually set photos and telesnaps taken during recording.
After the extreme science fiction of The Web Planet, The Crusade sees a return to one of the iconic genres of the First Doctor era, the pure historical, set in the Holy Land at the height of the conflict between Richard the Lionheart of England and Sultan Saladin, leader of the Saracens. I am not going to get into any discussion here of the more politically contentious elements of this serial, namely the 'blacking up' of white actors to portray Saracens; unacceptable today, in 1965 this would have been seen as a perfectly normal thing to do, no different from actors dressing up as Zarbi and Menoptra in the previous serial. Times change and the material is what it is; alongside the 'blackface', this story also features non-white actors for the first time in the show's history. Progress takes small steps. I'm also not going to concern myself with the historical accuracy of the story. My interest is in the story itself and what it tells us about the characters and this is a character-centric adventure of the kind I always enjoy not character-focused in the modern sense of delving into the psyche and backstory of a particular character, but in that the story focuses on following the experiences of the characters. The story isn't about what happens; it's about what the characters do.
The plot, in a nutshell, is this: on arrival in the Holy Land, Barbara is abducted by Saracens and Ian sets off on a desperate rescue mission, while the Doctor and Vicki find themselves embroiled in the intrigues of life at King Richard's court. It doesn't sound like much to fill a four episode adventure, but this is a thoughtful, measured story, light on plot but brimming with character material. First Doctor historicals are always classy affairs and this one is no exception, with a top notch guest cast, gorgeous sets and costumes, and beautiful dialogue, a truly lovely period piece.
In the classic era of Doctor Who, the guest cast often played as big a role as the regulars, our protagonists becoming part of someone else's story, which carried large portions of the action, and the guest cast here are superb. Indeed, the Doctor and Vicki's sub-plot, in particular, revolves around the political intrigues of King Richard's court, with the Doctor and his young friend more observers of ongoing events than active participants; the point of historical stories like this, after all, isn't to change the course of past events and it isn't to save the day, it is to experience this snapshot of history as a living thing, to get to know the people and personalities and complexities behind the headlines, so to speak. The lion's share of the actual action in this story falls on Barbara and Ian, as Barbara attempts to survive and escape captivity while Ian sets off on a dangerous mission to retrieve her.
Barbara captured and Ian setting out to save her is a relatively common theme for the show, which some might see as an old-fashioned, paternalistic relationship dynamic, but there's actually more to it than that. Ian's part of that pattern might play out as a fairly straightforward hero's mission to rescue his fair lady although he experiences his fair share of diversions along the way but Barbara's is always considerably more interesting than the classic damsel in distress scenario. While Ian's story is centred on his devotion to her and his heroic efforts to rescue her, Barbara herself is free to focus on other things namely, her efforts to fend for and save both herself and the people she meets along the way. Never a passive victim awaiting rescue, Barbara always plays an active role in whatever situation she finds herself in, always striving, always driving events forward, and never giving in. She really is indomitable.
Observations
Random thoughts while watching:
In a bit of a break from tradition, episode one, 'The Lion', opens not with the TARDIS but with a hunting party in the woods a hunting party which is itself being hunted
The TARDIS materialises moments after a group of armed men has passed by, but instead of staying with the TARDIS we follow the hunting party deeper into the woods, where we learn that this is King Richard in ebullient mood, out with a party of his knights. They all appear to be in jovial high spirits with the exception of one William des Preaux, who is nervous, fretting that they are dangerously exposed this far from Jaffa. Richard is having none of it but des Preaux is soon proved right as the Saracens attack.
Meanwhile, Team TARDIS have come out to explore, and we quickly see that time has passed since their last adventure at least enough time for everyone to rest, change into fresh clothes, and for Barbara to try out a new hairdo, which is lovely. Barbara is at her most absolute gorgeous in this serial. After the slow start of The Web Planet, this story hits the ground running, as within moments of leaving the TARDIS our intrepid travellers find themselves caught up in the Saracen assault on King Richard's party, during which des Preaux bravely proclaims himself King Richard to protect the actual king and is captured. Barbara is also abducted by the Saracens, while Ian and the Doctor are forced to pick up whatever weapons they can lay their hands on and fight for their lives even young Vicki gets in on the action, picking up the heaviest rock she can find to try to defend the Doctor. By the time anyone can draw breath again, Barbara and des Preaux have been carted off as prisoners, a wounded King Richard has fled, most of his knights are dead, and the Doctor finds himself in possession both of Richard's prize belt and a badly wounded knight by the name of de Tornebu.
Must have been a lot of fun for William Russell to get to use his sword fighting experience again in this story like reliving The Adventures of Sir Lancelot!
It's a pity that the print of this episode is in quite poor condition, and that the Restoration Team who have worked such miracles on other damaged prints were unable to do very much to repair it. It's brilliant to have the episode at all, of course, to be able to see the performances of the actors, especially since this episode was missing for so many years, only coming to light in 1998. It's just a shame about the visible tramline down the screen, although it doesn't really detract from the story being told. Douglas Camfield's direction is excellent throughout, with some really creative and evocative shots and angles. This was his first outing as solo director, but he went on to have a long and glorious history with the show, of course, one of its best ever directors who always managed to bring the best out of both sets and performers.
Predictably enough, Ian is quick to notice Barbara's disappearance, and is frantic with worry. The Doctor reasons that by returning the knight and the belt they will be able to win Richard's favour and earn his help in finding her, but Ian is reluctant to wait that long, dashing off to search the woods in desperate hope of finding her. From this moment on, finding Barbara is Ian's primary concern throughout the story, that's all he cares about, all he can think about, all he is willing to work toward. Ian and Barbara's primary relationship has always been with one another, rather than with the Doctor, and stories like this, which separate them and place one or other in danger, really highlight that relationship. Writer David Whitaker also wrote the novelisation of this story, and it is clear that he was a big Ian and Barbara shipper; his novelisation of The Crusade is hands down the shippiest, most romantic novelisation of them all, the relationship written there as an out-and-out romance, and while the romance may not be entirely overt on-screen, the deep emotional bond between Ian and Barbara is always undeniable.
The Doctor insists on delaying their approach to King Richard while he travels into the nearest city to acquire suitable period clothing. On the one hand it is reasonable, perhaps, that the remaining trio should attempt to blend in, so as not to attract too much curiosity and question, but on the other hand it does seem an unreasonably long delay in a situation where time should surely be of the essence, both in terms of tracking Barbara before she is taken too far and in terms of the wounded man they must tend and keep alive to return to his king. Besides which, if the Doctor and Vicki can venture into the city swathed in cloaks and not attract attention, why can't they similarly approach Richard's court? Also, it seems strange to eyes that have seen the later years of the show that he can't just pop into the TARDIS and find something suitable there, but the concept of the expansive TARDIS wardrobe hadn't exactly been developed at this early stage. Anyway, the Doctor's little shoplifting excursion, during which he steals a pile of clothes that have already been stolen from the palace and are being fenced via a clothing merchant, makes for a highly entertaining few scenes, a spot of light entertainment in what is otherwise a fairly serious drama. He has such enormous chutzpah!
Meanwhile at Ramlah, Barbara finds herself held prisoner with the very gentlemanly William des Preaux, who goes to the trouble of buying her a cloak from their captors so that her strange clothing will not attract too much attention. Although a captive, the good-hearted William is in high spirits, chuffed to bits with the success of his ruse and so happy to have spared his king's life that he cares little what happens to him now. He is concerned for Barbara, however, and together they conspire to pass her off as the king's sister, Princess Joanna. They have a lovely scene together, swapping stories and devising this plan. Character bonding for the win!
As in Marco Polo, the dialogue written for the historical characters here is just gorgeous. William, Richard, Saladin, Joanna they all speak beautifully, almost poetically, and it really helps to set the tone and atmosphere, selling the historical context of the story.
Barbara and William's captor, El Akir, takes his prisoners before Saladin and his brother Saphadin, proud and boastful of having captured Saladin's greatest enemy. I really enjoy the framing of the scenes in Saladin's court, with the Sultan himself sitting behind a silk curtain listening in while his brother holds court Douglas Camfield's direction really makes the most of these scenes, with really creative use of the sets and cameras, and Bernard Kay's portrayal of Saladin is excellent a far cry from his previous Doctor Who outing as Tyler in The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
Alas for El Akir, Saphadin is a huge admirer of Princess Joanna and therefore knows immediately that Barbara is not her, while Saladin, intrigued, emerges from behind his curtain to likewise denounce William as an imposter. It is quickly clear, however, that Saladin is not the 'baddie' of this story far from it, he is portrayed as an elegant and educated man who is calculating but not cruel, a compassionate and intelligent ruler who takes his responsibilities very seriously. El Akir is soon established as the true villain of the piece, his cruelty and sadism highlighted by the contrast with Saladin, as it becomes clear that Barbara has earned his undying hatred both by not being who she claimed to be and by finding favour with the sultan. Saladin is intrigued by Barbara as she spins a fantastical tale of how she came to be in the woods a tale that is entirely truthful, drawing on memories of her most recent adventures with the Doctor, yet to him sounds beyond belief. He guesses that she is a travelling player and invites her to tell him more of her stories while he decides what to do with her like Scheherazade, Barbara realises, and he reminds her that Scheherazade told her stories under a sentence of death.
Meanwhile at Jaffa, the Doctor's party has arrived at the court of King Richard, bringing him his lost belt and the wounded de Tornebu. Richard is grateful for both, but remains distraught over the friends he has lost and the treachery of his brother John back home in England. Although portrayed as a noble, educated man and a charismatic leader, this is not an idealised portrait of Richard the Lionheart by any means, as he is also shown to be volatile and bull-headed, almost childish in his fits of pique. Ian is eager to ask for his help in finding Barbara nonetheless, and although the others counsel caution, seeing clearly that the king is in no mood to grant favours, Ian is too impatient to wait. He makes his request and the king shoots it down outright, unwilling in his pique even to listen. It is a perfect character scene, with the conflicting moods and motivations of the two men bringing them into conflict, volatile Richard's ill temper versus desperate Ian's impatience. The Doctor and Vicki join Ian in pleading for help in finding Barbara, but Richard refuses outright to negotiate with Saladin.
Episode two, 'Knight of Jaffa', is missing from the archives, much to my regret. The recon I got hold of does an adequate job, but cannot make up for being able to watch the actors' performances; television is such a visual media, and there's no getting away from that. There are 97 episodes of Doctor Who missing from the archives currently, and this is one of the ones I regret most.
The episode picks up pretty much where the last one left off. King Richard has refused to even contemplate sending an emissary to Saladin to barter for the freedom of Barbara and William des Preaux, and the remaining TARDIS team are in despair but then the wounded knight de Tornebu speaks up, and it is immediately clear that he knows exactly how to handle his mercurial, capricious king. He manages to put a positive slant on the terrible events of the day, slyly suggesting that they could get all kinds of good PR out of the foolish Saracens mistaking des Preaux for the king. If this man were around today, he'd be a spin doctor for a political party! The Doctor and Vicki are quick to jump on the bandwagon, jollying Richard into a better mood about the whole affair, including the idea of an exchange of prisoners.
Early in episode two, we meet Richard's sister, Princess Joanna played by Jean Marsh in her Doctor Who debut. She would go on to make several more appearances on the show, of course, playing companion Sara Kingdom through The Dalek Masterplan and witch Morgaine in Battlefield, as well as having been married to Third Doctor Jon Pertwee for five years in the late 1950s. Joanna is the first to make any comment on Vicki, who is disguised as a young, pre-pubescent pageboy. It sounds as if she buys it, but I really wish I could see her face to know her true reaction, whether or not she has any suspicions at all, since it is hard to believe that Maureen O'Brien could fool anyone into believing that she is a boy! Meanwhile the chamberlain is definitely suspicious of the travellers, as he recognises their clothes.
With the travellers whisked away to settle into their quarters, Richard and Joanna have a rather sweet scene alone together, in which we see Richard unbending slightly, confiding in his sister his weariness of the seemingly endless war. The absurdity of the position is apparent to all concerned, it is clear, as Richard himself observes how ludicrous it is that he and Saladin trade civilities while their armies attempt to destroy one another. I'm not sure it's subject matter that the children watching in 1965 would have appreciated, but I enjoy seeing the show touch on the complexities of the war, instead of playing it as a clear-cut case of good versus evil. Neither side is shown to be either all good or all bad here, but rather both are shown to be very human, individuals caught up in something bigger than themselves, based on very different belief systems, and not sure how to get out of it again.
We already learned back in 'The Lion' that Saladin's brother Saphadin is an admirer of Princess Joanna. Here we see Richard take note of a beautiful piece of jewellery that Saphadin has sent Joanna as a gift, and while Joanna does not seem especially welcoming of these overtures, it is clear that Richard sees the potential political advantages to the match. The next time we see him he is dictating a letter to Saphadin, proposing an alliance. We already know that Richard is weary and heartsick of war; now we learn that he is astute enough and ruthless enough to consider the hand of his sister a fair price to pay for an opportunity to make some kind of peace.
Meanwhile in Ramlah, El Akir attempts to buy off the maidservant assigned to Barbara, but luckily for Barbara Sheyrah is far too loyal to take the offer. She warns Barbara that she has made an enemy and advises her to escape but Barbara already knows she cannot and is more concerned about her Scheherazade arrangement with Saladin, wondering how on Earth she is going to spin a neverending story to keep him entertained. She doesn't wonder for long, though, quickly realising that she has all the literature of the next thousand years at her disposal Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen, Gulliver's Travels, and so on, enough stories to keep her going indefinitely. It's a beautifully in-character touch that Barbara is able to draw on her education and literary background for inspiration here and I'm only sorry that we don't get to see her actually telling any of these stories. Alas, however, El Akir has struck a deal with a greedy merchant, Luigi Ferrigo, who promises him Barbara in exchange for an audience with Saladin. It's slightly out-of-character that Barbara believes this stranger so readily when he tells her he has come to help her escape, but this is a minor detail and I can believe that she'd be desperate enough to go for it; he's the first European she's seen at Saladin's court and perhaps she assumes that he'd naturally be on her side, forgetting the complexities and shades of grey that exist in any situation, never mind in times of war. Ferrigo sneaks her out of the tent and promptly hands her over to El Akir. Since viewers already know how sadistic El Akir is and how much he hates Barbara, even knowing that this is Doctor Who, we can't help but be afraid for her the dialogue and atmosphere really ramp up the air of menace, even as a recon.
Back at Jaffa, Ian has a natty new outfit and is not happy about it, grumbling that he doesn't see either the point of changing or what was wrong with what he was wearing before, and he's being such a grumpy boy about having to get dressed up that I can't help but laugh at him, even though I know his mood is largely brought on by his worry over Barbara, which is entirely justified. The Doctor is also very amused by his grumping, but advises him to go along with the king's wishes, which is pretty good advice in general when dealing with an absolute monarch, especially if you want a favour from him.
Having had time to think things through, Richard is all business now. He has decided to send an emissary to Saladin to arrange the release of des Preaux and Barbara after all, and has also decided to accept Ian's offer to be that emissary, confiding that he is sending Ian instead of one of his own knights because they are martial men and he has hopes of brokering peace. Ian, of course, doesn't care what Richard's reasons are, he's just happy to be able to go and impatient to get gone already, and even Richard can see that it's love of his companion that drives him, rather than love of peace!
Then Richard observes that his emissary has to speak from a proper position of authority, and this is the scene that places this episode near the top of my most wanted list because I long so desperately to be able to actually see Ian's reaction as he slowly realises what Richard is saying, what is about to happen that he, a humble science teacher from a London comprehensive school, is going to be knighted by the King of England! The soundtrack is so tantalising, you can hear the gears shifting in Ian's head; the very idea of it would never have occurred to him and it takes a moment to sink in, the Doctor catches on a lot faster than he does. But at last the magnitude and the honour of it dawns on him and he kneels to receive his knighthood, becomes Sir Ian, Knight of Jaffa! Oh, how I wish we could actually see this scene.
Now a valiant knight of the realm, Ian wastes no time in setting off on his mission, and I can't help but notice how much he has gained in confidence since setting out on these adventures. He'd always have wanted to go after Barbara, of course, but once upon a time he'd have been a bit daunted by the prospect of what it entailed, whereas now, after experiencing so many escapades and adventures, he doesn't even hesitate, takes the venture completely in his stride; he's been through worse and is confident that he can handle it. Once he's gone, the Doctor expresses a rather wistful wish to be knighted as well, which Vicki teases him about. He had to wait until his tenth incarnation, of course, to see that dream come to fruition, David Tennant's Doctor receiving his knighthood from Queen Victoria. There's a marked contrast between the two scenes, though in Tooth and Claw, the Doctor and Rose being knighted is played largely for humour and doesn't seem to mean very much to either of them, it's all a big lark, whereas Ian's knighthood is played within its proper historical context as a moment of gravitas and a real honour even if the Doctor does tease him about it later.
With Ian off on his mission, the Doctor and Vicki are confronted by both the Chamberlain and the clothes merchant Daheer, who each accuse them of stealing the clothes they were wearing when they arrived an accusation which is absolutely true, let us remember. They did steal the clothes from Daheer, who in turn had purchased them from the man who stole them from Richard's court. Here we see the First Doctor at his mercurial, mischievous best, absolutely hilarious as he argues the two men around in circles and befuddles them completely, getting himself and Vicki off the hook into the bargain.
Back at Ramlah, Barbara's disappearance has been discovered, and the astute Saladin is onto treacherous merchant Luigi Ferrigo at once, wheeling out William des Preaux and the maidservant Sheyrah as witnesses and producing material evidence (a glove) that links Ferrigo to the abduction. Ferrigo is forced to admit that he gave Barbara to El Akir.
And so it is that Ian arrives at Ramlah only to be told by William des Preaux that Barbara is no longer there and it's a bit of a shame that we don't get to see Ian fulfilling his role as emissary and actually negotiating with Saladin, but instead skip straight to his conversation with William, but it's understandable since that negotiation isn't really relevant to Ian's sub-plot and would have eaten up screen time that could not be afforded. Poor Ian, after he worked so hard to secure his mission and travelled so far, now he has to start all over again, so near and yet so far. He doesn't hesitate for a second, however, simply asking at once how far it is to Lydda he isn't about to give up on Barbara now, digging deep to start all over again. Although also concerned for Barbara, William tries to warn Ian off the venture, knowing that El Akir's territory is perilous, but Ian is utterly committed to his mission. He will not leave Barbara in danger and will not rest until he finds her. Where Barbara is indomitable, Ian is resolute and unwavering.
Poor Barbara, meanwhile, has arrived at Lydda tied to the back of a horse, and she can't help but be painfully aware that El Akir has very unpleasant plans for her. Barbara has never been one to passively sit around hoping for rescue, however, so she takes the first opportunity she sees, shoving one unsuspecting guard into another and making a desperate run for it before they can recover. She flees frantically through the streets of Lydda, ducking for cover where she can, desperately sprinting from one point of cover to another, knowing that she isn't safe anywhere and that the guards are hot on her heels. It's all very tense. Then, right at the end of the recon, there's a brief snatch of actual moving footage, culled from the reprise in the following episode, in which Barbara hides behind a curtain only for a heavy hand to clamp over her mouth
Episode three, 'The Warlords', sees a welcome return to live action, as this episode still exists.
Luckily for Barbara, it turns out that the guy who grabbed her at the end of episode two isn't a guard but rather is a random passer-by who just happens to have very personal reasons for not liking to see innocent women chased through the streets by El Akir's men, even aside from, you know, common decency. He quickly knocks out both guards, is hilariously scathing of their ineptitude, introduces himself as Haroun ed-Diin, and tells Barbara to come with him. Well, he might have proved himself friendly enough so far, but, having been betrayed by Luigi Ferrigo, Barbara is understandably wary of him and wants to know where he is taking her. He's taking her to his home, it turns out, where he introduces her to his daughter Safiya and then tells a tale of woe to explain his hatred of El Akir, who seems to have hit Lydda like the Mob or the Mafia or something, driving everyone to ruin, and when Haroun spoke out he had his house burned down, his wife and son murdered and his oldest daughter abducted for El Akir's harem. Grim stuff. Having told Barbara this tale of woe and announced his mission statement, which is to kill El Akir and retrieve daughter Maimuna, he promptly announces that he is going out to do a quick recce of the neighbourhood and asks Barbara to look after Safiya while he is gone. To this end, he gives her a whacking great knife and very solemnly tells her that if the guards come and try to take them, Barbara is to kill first Safiya and then herself, as he believes death to be far more humane than leaving either one of them to El Akir's tender mercies! Like I said, it's grim stuff. I'm really glad this episode still exists, allowing us to see Jacqueline Hill's excellent performance in these scenes, as the full meaning and horror of what Haroun is asking slowly sinks in. She protests that she couldn't possibly do such a thing, that life is better than this, but Haroun is deadly serious, and when you think that this is a family show made in 1965, yet it didn't shy away from such material, plays the scenario absolutely serious and absolutely straight down the line it's just really, really strong stuff, and both actors do an excellent job. Haroun takes off, leaving Barbara to stare in horror at the knife in her hand, wondering if she could ever bring herself do to what he is asking, if she could ever be desperate enough to do such a thing, or if she can possibly find another way.
So it's all doom and gloom for poor Barbara, but back at Jaffa, the Doctor and Vicki haven't really got a lot to do while Ian is off on his rescue mission, so they are pretty much just kicking their heels enjoying life at court in this episode. The Doctor has had clothing merchant Daheer procure a spiffy new cloak for him and is having an absolute blast playing at being a snooty aristocrat much as he did in The Reign of Terror, it is clearly a role he enjoys playing! He decides that Vicki could also do with some smart new clothes, but she is getting fed up of pretending to be a boy, and when Princess Joanna overhears her complaint, the jig is up. The Doctor manages to explain away the deception easily enough but it does become relevant again later. There's a comedy moment when the chamberlain is highly perplexed about being asked to procure pretty dresses for the Doctor's pageboy, and then Joanna asks the Doctor for a favour. Usually her brother's confidante, she is troubled because she can feel him freezing her out, knows he is planning something, and she wants the Doctor to find out what that something is. He agrees, of course, and although he confesses to Vicki that he's a bit concerned about the potential dangers of the political intrigues all around them, it is clear that he is enjoying himself, just as he did at Nero's court in The Romans. I love this side of the Doctor, a side of him we don't get to see very often in the years that follow. This side of him doesn't need thrilling adventures or derring-do to keep him occupied, because it is thrill enough just being able to experience this (to him alien) culture, being able to live among these people, talking to them and getting to know them, living these moments in history instead of just reading about them. That's something that the show has lost, and it's a real shame.
There is also a sweet little moment between Vicki and the Doctor here. Now that she is being taken under Joanna's wing as befits a young maiden, Vicki is worried that she won't be able to see the Doctor any more, that he might even go off and leave her, and while such insecurity might be more commonly associated with Susan, it's understandable that even a usually confident, happy-go-lucky personality such as Vicki should have a little wobble, under the circumstances. Time is passing, here on this visit to the Holy Land. Barbara has been missing for quite some time now, and Ian is off on his mission to rescue her, and while no one is admitting that there's a chance neither one will return, they have to know it's a possibility. Vicki is a positive, upbeat girl, but she is also very young and she has been through a lot and has lost a lot. As she tells the Doctor here, the TARDIS is the only home she has now, and she couldn't bear to be left behind. He is quick to reassure her, at his most absolute grandfatherly she really is a Susan surrogate for him, just as he has taken the place of the father she lost on Dido, and each is absolutely what the other needs. I love their relationship.
The Doctor was right to be wary of becoming embroiled in court intrigue. Not only does he make an enemy of one of Richard's knights, the Lord of Leicester, as a result of a passionate debate of the relative merits of war versus pacifism, but no sooner has Joanna recruited him as her spy than Richard confides in him his plan to marry his sister to Saphadin, putting the Doctor squarely in the middle and it's rather interesting to see that he supports Richard's peace plans, which is what causes his quarrel with Leicester, even though he knows the marriage alliance has no chance of success. This is the Doctor attempting diplomacy, perhaps, trying to stay on the right side of the King. It doesn't work out, however. The Doctor doesn't dare betray Richard's trust, but Joanna is angry with him for breaking his promise and then Leicester, who hates the very idea of a marriage truce, goes and tells her about the marriage deal anyway. This is where the strength of the ensemble nature of the show at this time really comes into play. Without a single central lead around whom everything must revolve, the entire cast could be drawn on to carry the story at different stages, both regular and guest; Ian is not in this episode, other than one brief pre-filmed scene, as William Russell was on holiday, and the Doctor and Vicki's contribution to the plot is fairly lightweight in this story, but it doesn't matter because we are involved enough in the story of the guest characters that they can step up and carry the action where necessary instead. Here, Jean Marsh and Julian Glover play some absolutely breathtaking scenes together as Joanna refuses to even contemplate marrying an infidel and Richard tries to command her to obey. It really is excellent stuff, beautifully written and gorgeously directed, with fantastic actors giving their all to the material. Doctor Who does classic costume drama at its finest, and again I am so happy that this episode still exists because it would be such a shame if these performances had been lost.
His will thwarted by his sister's appeal to Rome, Richard takes his anger and frustration out on the Doctor, blaming him for leaking confidential state secrets to Joanna. So much for that cosy life at court!
Meanwhile at Ramlah, the Saladin sub-plot is wrapped up with a brief conversation between the sultan and his brother in which they debate the possibility of the proposed marriage bringing about peace, and decide to respond positively to the suggestion while expecting the worst, and also inform us in passing that Ian's request to go to Lydda in search of Barbara is to be granted, as 'the brave deserve their favours'.
With William Russell on holiday, Ian's sole scene in this episode, a pre-filmed insert, sees him resting in the desert en route to Lydda only to be beset by robbers, who steal his sword and knock him out before he can fight back! The rigours of filming for 40+ weeks per year being what they were, the actors had to take time off mid-story now and then, there was no way around that, so those absences simply had to be timed as best they could, with the writers and production team doing their best to work around that absence. Here, they did their best to keep Ian's story moving forward, using Saladin and his brother to provide a narrative bridge in as natural a manner as possible, and with that single scene to set up Ian's return to action in the next episode. I can't help feeling, though, that while Ian's absence doesn't really affect the overall story as a whole, as the ensemble is strong enough to fill the gap, it does weaken the momentum of Ian's individual sub-plot somewhat.
In Lydda, meanwhile, things are not looking good for Barbara, and the episode does a really good job of building up the tension of this sub-plot. With Haroun still out and about and armed guards searching the district house to house, she knows that it is only a matter of time before she and Safiya are found. There isn't time in this single episode to get to know Safiya properly, but we've seen just enough of her to know that she is a sweet, innocent girl, sheltered even from the knowledge of her mother and brother's deaths; Haroun has entrusted her to Barbara's safekeeping, ordered death over whatever torments El Akir has to offer, and the desperation of that request was palpable but there is no way Barbara could ever bring herself to kill an innocent young girl, no matter how dire the situation. Barbara is a fighter and an optimist. Back her into a corner and she will not just roll over and admit defeat she'll come out fighting, every time. With Safiya's life in her hands and El Akir's guards searching the house, we see her holding the girl close in their hiding place, knife in hand, knowing that they are about to be discovered at any moment, seriously weighing up the options Haroun saw in this situation death versus El Akir's sadism for his daughter, a truly awful, impossible choice that visibly weighs heavily on her. But Barbara sees a third option and takes it. Handing the knife to Safiya, she steps out of their hiding place and tries to sneak out of the house to draw the guards away from the girl allows them to capture her, sacrificing her own freedom, her safety and potentially even her life, to protect this girl she barely knows. That's Barbara. The episode three cliffhanger sees her dragged kicking and screaming before the sadistic El Akir, fighting every step of the way.
That leads us to the final episode of this saga, 'The Warlords' which no longer exists, so we have to make do with another recon. It kicks off with the sadistic El Akir threatening Barbara with a tortuous death but we all know that Barbara isn't going to just roll over and let him have her, guards or no guards, and she certainly doesn't have the luxury of sitting back and hoping that someone else will come and save her which is an interesting point, actually. When Barbara was sold into slavery in Nero's Rome we saw that she never doubted for a moment that Ian would come for her. She did everything in her power to improve her situation and/or escape in the meantime, but what kept her going was her belief that she wasn't in it alone, that Ian would come, that he would find her and help her get away. Here we see a Barbara who has been tempered by that experience. I don't doubt that she still believes in Ian, still believes that he will come for her if he possibly can, but with her danger here so very grave and imminent, she isn't pinning her hopes on it the last time she saw him he was fighting for his life, after all, so she has to know that there's a chance he may not be able to come. Equally, not only does she know that she can't just wait for him to come, for her own sake because her situation is so perilous, but also she is better aware now of what she is capable of. She sees El Akir rewarding his guards for her capture and recognises it as an opportunity, dashing the coins out of their hands and using the distraction to make a run for it again. That's Barbara always striving, always driving events forward, and never giving in.
Elsewhere, Ian's rescue mission has gone a bit pear-shaped thanks to being ambushed by bandits in the desert, so it's just as well Barbara is making shift for herself. By the time he comes round, his horse has been taken and he is staked out in the blazing sun, watched over by a comedy dim-witted robber named Ibrahim, played by Swedish actor Tutte Lemkow. And I've got to admit, I am very sad that this episode no longer exists because: Ian staked out in the sun! A handful of telesnaps are all we have left to see of this spectacle and it simply isn't enough. The Ian-in-bondage episode in The Reign of Terror is also missing, dammit!
Anyhow, Ibrahim is convinced that a man as richly dressed as Ian must surely have lots of gold hidden away someplace, and no amount of negotiation will convince him otherwise. Their conversation is highly entertaining. It is also rather creepy, as Ibrahim dabs honey on Ian's arm and chest and trails the honey to a nearby ant's nest, while describing in very poetic language just what the ants will do when they get the scent of it 1960s torture-your-hero drama at its finest! This kind of thing happens in The Man from Uncle and the like all the time, and there's a certain kind of irony at play in that Ian is in danger from ordinary ants here after being chased around by giant ants in his last adventure! He even observed at the time that enough ants could eat through a house, so he certainly knows what the creatures are capable of. Still, if there's one thing Ian has learned from his time with the Doctor, it is how to escape from captivity by being really, really devious, so in no time at all he has tricked Ibrahim into cutting his feet free (to get hidden treasure out of the boots, dontcha know), which gives him the leverage and mobility he needs to both kick his captor senseless and free himself completely.
One of the reasons I love Ian and Barbara so very much is their independence. They get themselves captured plenty of times along their travels, but they don't rely on the Doctor to save them. They just get on with the business of saving themselves.
Now that he is free and in control of the situation, Ian forces Ibrahim to take him on to Lydda, and the two of them make a highly entertaining double-act. Ibrahim is the kind of cheerfully opportunistic rogue who will attempt to twist any situation to his own advantage. When he had Ian at his mercy, he'd have happily killed him without a second thought just for the hope of gold, but now Ian has the better of him, well, he'll just as happily do whatever Ian asks of him, and they can be the best of friends so long as Ian doesn't trust him as far as he can spit, because Ibrahim does whatever is in Ibrahim's best interests in that moment and looks no further ahead than that. It's a bit of a cultural stereotype, perhaps, but entertaining nonetheless, alongside Ian's sceptical straight man one of the joys of this era of the show are these smaller characters we meet along the way, who are incidental but stuffed full of personality. It's just a shame we can't actually see the performances here.
Back at Jaffa, the Doctor and Vicki are in trouble. A martial sort of chap by nature, and untrusting of anyone who preaches peace as the Doctor does well, the Doctor did call him a fool in front of the King, so his resentment kinda has a solid foundation the Lord of Leicester has got the bit well and truly between his teeth, branding them traitors for betraying the King's confidence to Princess Joanna. The Doctor is fairly phlegmatic about this, but Vicki is incensed all the more so when Richard admits that he knows, now he's had time to calm down, that it was Leicester himself who gave away his plans to Joanna. Vicki can't understand why Richard doesn't then accuse Leicester openly she is young, young enough to see the world in black and white, perhaps, and this sub-plot is a lesson to her in shades of political grey. Richard is weary at the thought of renewed war, but knows it is inevitable now that his proposed marriage alliance has fallen through, and he needs Leicester's martial skills enough to overlook his betrayal. He also feels that perhaps it is time for the Doctor and Vicki to leave his court, at least until the row has blown over, and the Doctor agrees back to the TARDIS is it, to wait for Ian and Barbara to join them there. I rather like that the Doctor never seems to doubt that Ian will bring Barbara back he has grown to trust and believe in his human friends so very much.
There is time for one last rather sweet little exchange in which the Doctor offers the battle-weary king reassurance that he will get to see Jerusalem one day and I think this is the first time we've seen the Doctor actually use his knowledge of the future so overtly in a situation like this. As they leave, Vicki, who clearly isn't as well versed in the history of the Crusades, asks if he was telling the truth and he admits that it was only a partial truth, as Richard will indeed get to see Jerusalem, from afar, but will never enter the city, still less capture it. Vicki is sad and wonders why they can't tell Richard this and save him a lot of trouble, but the Doctor gives her the same lesson he once gave Barbara that history must take its course.
This is a point where the show has changed its tune somewhat over the years. This version of time traveller's rules makes some kind of sense to me, though. If the time travellers land in a place and time where they already know what the future holds, then they can't change it without creating a paradox; if, however, they land on a world where they don't know the future, they are free to act as they wish without fear of paradox, as they can't change a future they don't know, they are simply part of events as they unfold. And it makes sense that if they land in the past and find something happening that threatens the future that is their history, intervention prevents the paradox of changing the history they remember which is the Doctor's standpoint in most instances over the years, I suppose, regardless of whether his companion considers any given place the past or the future.
Back in Lydda, Barbara has found refuge in the harem, of all places, the one place in the palace that El Akir's guards are not permitted to enter on pain of death, not even to search for their escaped prisoner. Haroun's daughter Maimuna is there, a strong-minded, quick-thinking girl who remains unbroken despite her captivity and servitude; it is she who takes a lead role in hiding Barbara and lying to El Akir's face about it. Barbara is able to give Maimuna news of her family in rather a lovely scene between the two women, in which Maimuna admits that she believes her father must despise her for bringing shame on their family, and even that she once tried to kill herself, 'to spare her father's honour', because of what El Akir has done to her which is never spelled out, because of the children watching, but she's a slave in a harem, so, you know, we all know what she's talking about. And the show might not spell it out, because of the children, but it doesn't shy away from the subject matter, allowing the scenario to have real human impact and consequence. Barbara reassures Maimuna that her father loves her and wants nothing more than to rescue her and take her home, but Maimuna does not believe escape is possible.
Well, we all know that Barbara isn't going to simply accept that and have done with it, not after everything she's been through already, so she immediately sets about questioning all the women about any and every possible exit she can see. They are all well guarded, the other women insist, which is why they believe that escape is impossible, but Barbara is not going to give up now.
This is where the assorted sub-plots of this strand of the story all come together, as Ian has finally made it to Lydda, with his cheerfully untrustworthy sidekick Ibrahim in tow. Ibrahim, in fact, seems genuinely impressed with Ian, especially when he announces his intention of ridding Lydda of El Akir, who is universally hated and all the more so when Ian asks him to steal some horses, which really is singing Ibrahim's own tune! He is only too happy to oblige. Rather more puzzling, though, is that the guard at the gate is already dead it seems someone else has already cleared the way for Ian's rescue mission
We don't have to wait long to find out who that was, as matters reach a head inside the harem when one of the girls betrays Barbara to El Akir in exchange for a ruby ring. He charges into the harem full of murderous rage only to be stabbed through the heart from behind just as he is about to kill Maimuna for lying to him. His killer is Haroun, arrived in the nick of time to rescue his daughter and Barbara, in gratitude for saving Safiya, or die in the attempt. And so it is that Ian arrives just that bit too late to actually save the day, which happily enough means that our protagonist is spared having to commit murder, although he does join forces with Haroun to overpower a guard or two on the way out, to re-assert his hero credentials. But I have to say, I really don't think much of El Akir's security. If it was this easy to break in and rescue girls from his harem, why hasn't Haroun tried it before now?
So all is well that ends well for that sub-plot, which is a lot more graphically violent in the novelisation, in which Barbara has been re-captured and is actually being whipped by the time Ian gets there to rescue her! More harrowing and emotional, perhaps, but I think I prefer this version, in which Barbara is on her feet and fiercely defending someone else when the menfolk burst in. Outside, Ibrahim has come through with the horses and is delighted when Ian rewards him with stolen gold his only lament is that Ian won't stay and go into the thieving business with him!
The Doctor and Vicki, meanwhile, have returned to the woods where they left the TARDIS but Leicester has had them followed, believing that the Doctor has tried to poison the king's mind and may be a Saracen spy or even worse, as he remembers that Vicki was once a boy and became a girl and suspects she may be a witch. Vicki manages to get to the TARDIS safely, but the Doctor is captured, with Leicester loudly declaring his intention of executing him on the spot as a traitor and a spy so it's just as well, really, that Ian makes another timely arrival here. He may have had his thunder stolen by Haroun's rescue of Barbara, but he's in fine form here, making full use of his newly bestowed title to win Leicester's trust, and even drawing on the true story of the ambush in the woods when the TARDIS crew first arrived to convince Leicester of his own grudge against the 'traitor', so that Leicester will grant his request to administer the execution himself. The Doctor is quick to play along, he and Ian always do make for a great double act, and the subterfuge enables them to make a hasty escape to the TARDIS, where Vicki and Barbara are waiting and it's a shame that more isn't made of the reunion with Barbara, I have to say. She has been missing in pretty dire circumstances for quite some time, so you'd think both Vicki and the Doctor would be more relieved to see her, but the focus of the scene simply doesn't allow for it, in the rush of their escape.
Leicester and his men are left to stare in shock at the sight and sound of the TARDIS dematerialising, and fearfully wonder what might have happened to poor Sir Ian, spirited away by fiends who are even at that moment tormenting him with bad puns about his knighthood! The Doctor is in fine form, teasing Ian so mercilessly that he threatens to administer that execution after all! I really love what firm friends they have become. It is a very humorous ending to what has been in places a very gritty, emotional story.
The episode ends on a cliffhanger to lead into the adventure that follows, with the four TARDIS travellers standing around the console dressed in their medieval clothing only to suddenly freeze and become immobile, like statues. And that's where we leave them, ready to pick up the action in The Space Museum
Quotable Quotes
EL AKIR: A king at liberty may give commands. A captured one obeys them.
BARBARA: What are we doing here?
DES PREAUX: As for you, I can make no guess. But I am King Richard, Coeur de Lion, leader of the mighty host, scourge of the infidel.
BARBARA: But I thought Richard had red hair.
DES PREAUX: Had? Still has if the ruse has worked.
BARBARA: Oh, then you
DES PREAUX: I am Sir William des Preaux, captured and mistaken for my King. Some smiles will turn to long faces soon, I have no doubt.
BARBARA: What happened to the others in the wood?
DES PREAUX: I do not know. Maybe I shall never know. But I have a hopeful heart and, which is better, a lucky King.
DES PREAUX: Yes, you shall be Joanna, my sister, and help me in my lies.
BARBARA: Very well. I seem to have gained a brother and a title.
DES PREAUX: And what is more, a friend.
BARBARA: I'm grateful for that.
BARBARA: Someone is going to have a very red face before long.
DES PREAUX: And an angry temper.
SALADIN: Be silent. This is not King Richard.
EL AKIR: Not?
SALADIN: A blacker head of red-gold hair I never saw. You have the better bargain, brother. She may not be the princess, but her beauty lights the room.
EL AKIR: Great Sultan, this woman can be made to entertain you. I can have her dance on hot coals, run a gauntlet of sharp tipped swords
DES PREAUX: No!
EL AKIR: Die for your pleasure.
SALADIN: What do you say to that?
BARBARA: It sounds like the punishment for a fool.
SALADIN: It does. And who here is the most foolish? El Akir, I can devise my own pleasures.
SALADIN: Please talk. It helps me to consider what I have to do with you.
BARBARA: Well, I could say that I'm from another world, a world ruled by insects. And before that we were in Rome at the time of Nero. Before that we were in England, far, far into the future.
SALADIN: Now I understand, you and your friends, you are players, entertainers.
SAPHADIN: With little value in an exchange of prisoners with the English King, brother. This is a trivial affair. I do not know why you waste your time.
SALADIN: I cannot dispense life and death lightly.
SALADIN: You must serve my purpose or you have no purpose. Grace my table tonight in more suitable clothes. If your tales beguile me, you shall stay and entertain.
BARBARA: Like Scheherazade.
SALADIN: Over whose head hung sentence of death.
RICHARD: A tragedy of fortunes and I am too much beset by them. A curse on this! A thousand curses!
RICHARD: By my father's name, you have wit, old man.
RICHARD: Saladin sends me presents of fruit and snow when I am sick, and now his brother decorates you with his jewels. Yet with our armies do we both lock in deadly combat, watering the land with a rain of blood, and the noise of thunder is drowned in the shouts of dying men.
JOANNA: Your heart calls for England, Richard.
RICHARD: Aye, it does.
JOANNA: Is there no kind of peace with Saladin?
RICHARD: All wise men look for peace. The terms of peace make wise men look fools.
SHEYRAH: The whispers are about that you will tell a never-ending story.
BARBARA: Oh, yes. How did I get myself involved in this?
RICHARD: Do you wonder why I listen to your appeal?
DOCTOR: It is a king's prerogative to make yesterday's deafness today's keen hearing.
IAN: May I leave at once, sir?
RICHARD: Is it love of peace or is it love of your companion that prompts this enthusiasm? Well, whatever the reason, may it speed you back to us. I have one duty to perform before you leave. Give me the sword, boy. You are without rank or title and while we do not doubt your courage, our emissary shall speak from a proper position of authority. What is your name?
IAN: Ian Chesterton.
RICHARD: Kneel.
IAN: But I
DOCTOR: Kneel, my boy. Kneel, kneel. Come along, come along.
RICHARD: In the name of God, Saint Michael, and Saint George, we dub you Sir Ian, Knight of Jaffa. Arise Sir Ian, and be valiant.
DOCTOR: I almost wish I'd been knighted too.
VICKI: That'll be the day.
HAROUN: Two heads without the brains of one.
HAROUN: We have a common enemy in El Akir. It makes for uncommon friendship.
JOANNA: There's something new in you, yet something older than the sky itself. I sense that I can trust you.
VICKI: I didn't really see myself as a veritable strutting peacock.
VICKI: You wouldn't go off and leave me, would you?
DOCTOR: What a question.
VICKI: I mean, your ship's the only home I've got now.
BARBARA: No. Life is better than this.
RICHARD: We do not feel obliged to explain anything to anyone, my lord of Leicester. We think our words were plain enough.
DOCTOR: You stupid butcher! Can you think of nothing else but killing, hmm?
LEICESTER: You're a man for talk, I can see that. You like a table and a ring of men. A parley here, arrangements there, but when you men of eloquence have stunned each other with your words, we, we the soldiers, have to face it out. On some half-started morning while you speakers lie abed, armies settle everything, giving sweat, sinewed bodies, aye, and life itself.
DOCTOR: I admire bravery and loyalty, sir. You have both of these. But unfortunately you haven't any brain at all. I hate fools.
LEICESTER: A fool can match a coward any day.
SALADIN: Hold one hand out in friendship but keep the other on your sword.
JOANNA: What's this I hear? I can't believe it's true. Marriage to that heathenish man, that infidel?
RICHARD: We will give you reasons for it.
JOANNA: This unconsulted partner has no wish to marry. I am no sack of flour to be given in exchange.
RICHARD: It is expedient, the decision has been made.
JOANNA: Not by me, and never would be.
RICHARD: Joanna, please consider. The war is full of weary, wounded men. This marriage wants a little thought by you, that's all, then you'll see the right of it.
JOANNA: And how would you have me go to Saphadin? Bathed in oriental perfume, I suppose? Suppliant, tender and affectionate? Soft-eyed and trembling, eager with a thousand words of compliment and love? Well, I like a different way to meet the man I am to wed!
RICHARD: Well, if it's a meeting you want.
JOANNA: I do not want! I will not have it!
BARBARA: I'm not afraid of you.
EL AKIR: No? Yet you run away. Is that not fear?
BARBARA: Fear has nothing to do with contempt. Or disgust.
DOCTOR: There is something important, sire. If you are able to defeat Saladin in this battle, can you hold the city?
RICHARD: Win the battle, lose the war. The greatest fear we have. We've come so close. I must see Jerusalem. I must.
DOCTOR: You will, sire.
RICHARD: You think so?
DOCTOR: I am certain, sire. And when you look upon the city itself, you will be able to find the answer to the problem of this war.
VICKI: Doctor, will he really see Jerusalem?
DOCTOR: Only from afar. He won't be able to capture it. Even now his armies are marching on a campaign that he can never win.
VICKI: That's terrible. Can't we tell him?
DOCTOR: I'm afraid not, my dear. No, history must take its course.
IBRAHIM: You see? I was right, my lord. You did have gold.
IAN: I acquired it.
IBRAHIM: Like I acquired the horses.
IAN: Yes.
IBRAHIM: Now you are my truly, truly brother.
IAN: Any more cracks about knighthood, and I'll carry out that execution.
DOCTOR: Well, my dear boy, I must say I think you've earned a good knight's sleep.
The Verdict
I really enjoy this serial, even if only half of it still exists more to the point, I enjoy it enough not to care in the slightest about plot holes, implausible timelines or 1960s production values. The story is so well told, almost Shakespearean in parts, that you can get all the way to the end before you realise how little actually happened. If your interest lies in event plotting, in which the story revolves around a clear-cut set-up, investigation and resolution, then this probably won't be to your taste. Early Doctor Who adventures very often didn't tell that kind of story, however; as often as not, plots weren't so much about an event as they were experience. The point of this story isn't to get from plot point to plot point to dramatic conclusion as fast as possible, but to spend time with our heroes in the context of this historical landscape, watching them meet new people, face new challenges and experience life in another culture. King Richard and his court, Sultan Saladin and his court, merchants, traders, and bandits this story boasts a wide repertoire of memorable characters that our protagonists meet along the way, the story a snapshot of those lives and that culture, that time in history, as experienced by the Doctor and his companions, and I thoroughly enjoy it.