❤️(9.8) Superb!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

PRIMARY NOTES:

The Romans, a comedic romp set in the Roman Empire during the time of Nero's rule, offers a unique twist on pure historical fiction. This is Dennis Spooner bringing out his best writing skills and giving us a historical adventure with proper entertainment value.

I love the unique way this serial starts, with our heroes comfortably settled down just outside Rome, living as if they were on a holiday.

The lively sets, beautiful costumes, and period-appropriate music make this another production success.

The chemistry between the leads is lovely. I particularly enjoy the friendly connection between Barbara and Vicki, as well as Ian and Barbara's very obvious romantic flourish.

The script very cleverly intertwines three separate plots to make a comedic whole that also explores various aspects of Roman life: the case of mistaken identity taking the Doctor to Nero’s court; Barbara and Ian sold off as slaves, with Barbara ending up as Nero’s lover and Ian eventually becoming a gladiator. It's also entertaining how the characters embark on these adventures independently, only to reunite at the end, unaware of each other's experiences, even though they nearly cross paths several times.

The Romans is one of the very best performances as the Doctor by William Hartnell. He shows his immense comedic skills here and is in full warm grandfather mode. I especially love how he constantly gets himself into trouble but then uses some quick thinking and wit to get through the situation, all the while being excited about meeting Nero and witnessing history firsthand. And he also gets to fight again, just like in The Rescue.

I enjoy the entertaining scenes with Ian and Barbra in Part 1. You can see their sparkles flying between them at their best. That “ice in the fridge” thing always makes me cackle.

Another successful aspect of The Romans is how it mixes dramatic tension coming from the various dangerous situations with comedy in how most of these situations are resolved.

The galley scene with Ian and the other slaves always felt very realistic to me, and it’s a standout sequence of the story.

The guest cast is also strong. I’ve always enjoyed Michael Peake as Tavius, but the real scene-stealer is the absolute delight that is comedy actor Derek Francis as the hilariously self-centred Emperor Nero, one of the most memorable and enjoyable takes on a historical character the show has ever done.

Then there’s the often-overlooked Anne Tirard, who plays the slightly unnerving potion lady Locusta. And Nero consistently dismisses the poor Tigilinus, who ultimately suffers a terrible fate.

Part 2's cliffhanger about Ian being afraid while looking at some obvious stock footage of a lion at a zoo always gets me.

Everything going on at Nero’s court in Part 3 is comedy gold, especially the Doctor’s lyre ruse and the creepy chase sequence between Nero and Barbara.

I also appreciate how the Doctor gradually comes to understand his role in assassinating Nero, placing him in a challenging situation.

Fortunately, there’s very little of the usual back-and-forth filler (getting captured, escaping, and getting captured again), which helps the flow of the story immensely.

The gladiator fight with Ian in front of Nero and Barra was another outstanding moment.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the story is how it suggests that the Doctor is indirectly responsible for the Great Fire of Rome (usually attributed to Nero) by accidentally setting some maps in Mero’s study aflame. We’ve come some way from the “You can’t rewrite history” days of The Aztecs (and we’ll go even further in The Time Meddler), even if the Doctor doesn’t admit his part in the event.

Rome catches fire as the TARDIS crew flees the scene, bringing the serial to a satisfying conclusion.