Stories Television First Doctor Classic Who S3 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The Myth Makers 1 image Overview Episodes Characters Reviews 9 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 1 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, October 16, 1965 Production Code U Written by Donald Cotton Directed by Michael Leeston-Smith Runtime 100 minutes Story Type Companion Exit, New Companion Introduction Time Travel Past Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Pure Historical, War, Celebrity Historical, Mistaken Identity, Lost the TARDIS Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth, Troy Synopsis When the TARDIS arrives on the plains of Asia Minor not far from the besieged city of Troy, the Doctor is hailed by Achilles as the mighty god Zeus and taken to the Greek camp. He meets Agamemnon and Odysseus. Forced to admit he is a mere mortal — albeit a traveller in space and time — he is given two days to devise a scheme to capture Troy. Steven and Vicki, meanwhile, have been taken prisoner by the Trojans. Vicki, believed to possess supernatural powers, is given two days to banish the Greeks to prove she is not a spy. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved 4 Episodes Temple of Secrets Missing First aired Saturday, October 16, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Donald Cotton Directed by Michael Leeston-Smith UK Viewers 8.3 million Appreciation Index 48 Synopsis The TARDIS lands in the middle of the Trojan War, where the Doctor is mistaken for the god Zeus. Small Prophet, Quick Return Missing First aired Saturday, October 23, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Donald Cotton Directed by Michael Leeston-Smith UK Viewers 8.1 million Appreciation Index 51 Synopsis While Odysseus forces the Doctor to find a way to win the war, Steven decides to get himself taken prisoner in order to enter Troy and find Vicki and the TARDIS. Death of a Spy Missing First aired Saturday, October 30, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Donald Cotton Directed by Michael Leeston-Smith UK Viewers 8.7 million Appreciation Index 49 Synopsis With Steven and Vicki being held prisoner by the Trojans, the Doctor's only hope of seeing them again is to suggest the idea of the Trojan Horse. Horse of Destruction Missing First aired Saturday, November 6, 1965 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Donald Cotton Directed by Michael Leeston-Smith UK Viewers 8.3 million Appreciation Index 52 Synopsis The Doctor waits inside the Trojan Horse for a chance to reach his companions but Steven's assumed identity as a Greek soldier and Vicki's growing feelings for Troilus endanger their escape. Show All Episodes Characters First Doctor William Hartnell Vicki Pallister Maureen O'Brien Steven Taylor Peter Purves Katarina Adrienne Hill First Appearance Achilles First Appearance Agamemnon First Appearance Odysseus First Appearance Paris First Appearance Priam First Appearance Troilus First Appearance Show All Characters (10) Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Newest First Oldest First Most Likes Highest Rating Lowest Rating Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 9 reviews 4 December 2024 · 25 words Review by greenLetterT Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! I mean. It was fine? I don't especially care for historicals, I'm a bit of a biased source. Vicki's exit was stupid and weakly written Like Liked 1 3 December 2024 · 1309 words Review by MrColdStream Spoilers 2 This review contains spoilers! 📝6/10 Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: Farewell, Cressida! MY SCATTERED AND TOTALLY IRRELEVANT NOTES: The Myth Makers is where, arguably, Season 3 of Doctor Who kicks off into high gear. Enter the Dark Ages, both literally and figuratively: the stories turn darker and less kid-friendly, and most of them are entirely or mostly missing (such as this very story). So there'll be quite a lot of reviews based on reconstructions for a while now, unfortunately. The serial features one of my all-time favourite openings to a Doctor Who story. It throws you straight into the action through the battle between Achilles and Hector, effectively setting up the historical period in the process. What follows is the Doctor suddenly entering and pretending to be Zeus—it is both hilarious and memorable at the same time! I like the Dennis Spooner-esque approach to a historical here: there's a slight comical quality to it, and it ends with the Doctor very directly meddling with historical events, causing the entire Trojan Horse legend most of us are familiar with. It's a lesser take on The Romans, but it’s one I’m generally fine with. Donald Cotton writes fantastically thick dialogue, which seems to go on and on in a string of lengthy and repetitive scenes that sadly aren’t very exciting to watch with only a few telesnaps here and there. The dialogue is both theatrical and very poetic, almost like it had been brought over from the pages of the Iliad. I genuinely love the dialogue and hate it because I rarely manage to focus enough to truly follow what the characters are saying. This is a very dialogue-driven story with theatrical conversation pieces that don't translate very well to audio. There are also plenty of scenes with long pieces of dialogue about essentially nothing (such as the one early in Part 2 with three characters chatting about the nature of the TARDIS). This is the single biggest drawback that makes The Myth Makers somewhat of a chore to sit through in one sitting. To be fair, there isn't a whole lot going on here. It's mostly a story filled with conversation for three episodes, as the plot doesn't build up to any climax or conclusion of sorts, and the main characters mostly bide their time talking and not taking any action. This is, in many ways, a step back towards the writing style of Season 1. Those familiar with the Iliad and the myth of the Trojan Horse won't find much new or exciting here; the plot is very predictable early on and doesn’t really play around with its ideas all that much. Part 4 is the strongest of the lot, but it’s not spectacular by any means. Part 4 takes an unexpected turn for the darker, as the famous Trojan Horse event gets underway with all its chaos, murder, and destruction. This is one of those single missing episodes I would pay anything for to be able to watch in full. It openly and boldly pictures the death and chaos of the siege of Troy and is a testament to the darker and more serious tone of this season. And isn't it pretty horrifying to think that the Doctor essentially caused the slaughter, since he provided the plans for the horse...? Then there’s also the pretty dramatic duel between Achilles and Troilus. The tail end of Part 4, with Vicki's final scene with Troilus, is heartwarming and happy, and it's followed by one of the more stressful endings to any Doctor Who story, with Steven mortally wounded inside the TARDIS. William Hartnell was reportedly difficult to work with during this serial for several reasons, and while that doesn't shine through in his performance, the Doctor comes across as a bit more grumpy and stubborn again, which actually feels like a breath of fresh air and suits the intended tone of the serial well. This is Vicki's final story (much to the surprise of everyone, not least Maureen O'Brien herself, who found out she was to be written out after returning from her holiday to film her final episode), and Cotton does nothing with her for the majority of the story and doesn't build up to her exit, thus making it all seem very rushed and cold. If Susan's romance in The Dalek Invasion of Earth felt sudden, this one is no better. It is weird, by the way, how Vicki's story here feels similar to that of Susan's in The Aztecs (1964). Despite not being a huge fan of how Vicki is written out at the end of this story, I have to admit that her scenes with Troilus are very lovely, and the way she sends him away to avoid him being slaughtered in Troy is heartwarming. Steven isn't up to much, and I'm kind of bummed he's essentially an Ian copy in this story, which is really not how he is usually depicted by other writers. We get the best onscreen chemistry between O'Brien and Peter Purves since The Time Meddler (1965), and it's a pity this companion pairing wasn't allowed to develop across more stories. This is yet another historical story with an altogether great guest cast, playing famous historical figures. Francis de Wolff, returning to the show after playing creepy "ladies' man" Vasor in The Keys of Marinus (1964), is the perfect fit to play the gruff Agamemnon. Another returning actor is Ivor Salter, who completely makes up for his unimpressive turn in The Space Museum (1965) by being the loud and abrasive villain Odysseus. Despite a fine performance from Salter, I don't find Odysseus very interesting or actively perilous for our TARDIS travellers (the Doctor notwithstanding). Frances White offers a wonderfully grungy and scheming performance as Cassandra, while Max Adrian's Priam proves to be a likeable father figure for Vicki and the viewer. With another historical adventure lost to time, we are left with only snippets of the impressive costume design and set decoration seen in these four episodes. It truly looks great, but it's impossible to form a coherent picture due to the lack of existing material. From the sound of it, The Myth Makers features some cool fight scenes that we just have to imagine now. The music during these scenes is fantastic, though. I'm very happy the soundtrack of this story survives because it is fantastically bonkers and energetic, and there's some kind of a mythical quality to it as well. The incidental music is another one-time contribution, this time from Humphrey Searle. The Myth Makers is one of the slower historicals, and I feel it would flow much better had it existed (or would it ever be animated). The biggest weakness is the three episodes of mostly unessential plotting before the eventful final episode. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS: Small Prophet, Quick Return must be one of the better episode titles in all of Doctor Who. There's something beautifully poetic about it. Horse of Destruction, meanwhile, isn't as much a classic. Katarina is ushered into the story from nowhere during Part 4 as the new (short-lived, quite literally; see the next story!) companion, and my first and only thought is: what the heck were they thinking? What a pity that the third appearance from Tutte Lemkow on the show (following Marco Polo, 1964, and The Crusade, 1965) ends up being lost as well—his performance and character here seem the juiciest yet. Like Liked 2 11 November 2024 · 140 words Review by Dogtor Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! “Well, between you and me, I don’t honestly enjoy killing at all” C’est une transition vraiment intelligente. Cotton fait ici de la guerre de Troie une farce, avec des héros qui ne sont que des crétins lâches coincés dans une guerre vaine et pourtant absolument atroce. Mais le départ de Vicki marque en plus une étape décisive mais au fond assez triste dans l’histoire de la série. En fait, là où le script est fort c’est qu’il passe d’une comédie avec des dirigeants inutiles et des guerriers idiots à un vrai bain de sang. Le dernier acte est terrifiant, mais en plus c’est comme si Vicki s’enfuyait de cette version de la série où la joie n’a plus du tout sa place. Like Liked 1 28 August 2024 · 144 words Review by TheDHolford 2 “I think they’re doing more talking than they are fighting!” Watched Loose Cannon Reconstruction. An enjoyable story, despite the very lacklustre companion exit not working at all, and the introduction to the new companion coming out of nowhere in the closing moments. It’s a strange choice that doesn’t work for either character really. Other than that though, the actual Greek vs Trojan story is actually really fun and enjoyable. Seeing the famous story played out on screen with the Doctor having accidental heavy involvement is great. There’s some great side characters and performances from the entire cast, and the story moves at a decent pacing too. It’s a shame that this story is all missing, as it seems like it would be really fun to watch properly! Still, really enjoyed this! Like Liked 2 27 June 2024 · 84 words Review by Trench16 Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! The Myth Makers: 8.9 - This episode was another really fun story. I thought the whole plot was just a fun romp and Steven as well as Vicki were both really good. The trojan horse was simply great and the Doctor being fed up with the greeks bs was hilarious. I thought Paris was also a good character and his arc throughout the story was nice. Steven pretending to be a Greek was also great and the fights, although they are missing, were really good. Like Liked 1 Show All Reviews (9) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating256 members 3.26 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating362 votes 3.45 / 5 The Time Scales AVG. Rating123 votes 3.70 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 495 Favourited 22 Reviewed 9 Saved 0 Skipped 1 Owned 3 Related Stories The Companion Chronicles S1 • Episode 1 Frostfire Rating: 3.30 Story Skipped Audio Book Reviews(4) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: The Companion Chronicles Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved The Early Adventures S6 • Episode 2 Daughter of the Gods Rating: 4.51 Story Skipped Audio Book Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: The Early Adventures Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Big Finish Short Trips Apocrypha Bipedium Rating: 4.28 Story Skipped Short Story More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Big Finish Short Trips Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved DWM Brief Encounters An Unfufilled Dream Rating: ??? Story Skipped Short Story More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Brief Encounters (Doctor Who Magazine) Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other adaptations of this story: We define an adaptation as a recreation of a similar story but on a different medium or with different characters. Target Collection Doctor Who: The Myth Makers Rating: 3.91 Story Skipped Book Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Target Collection Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other variations of this story We define a variation as another way of experiencing the exact same story - like a reconstruction or an omnibus edition. BBC Audio Soundtracks The Myth Makers (BBC Audio Soundtrack) Rating: 3.00 Story Skipped Soundtrack Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: BBC Audio Soundtracks Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite KATARINA: Diomede, Cressida has sent me. STEVEN: Who are you? KATARINA: I've come to take you to your temple. Oh, come, quickly. STEVEN: I can't. KATARINA: Lean on me. (Katarina helps the weakened Steven back towards the TARDIS.) — The Myth Makers Transcript Needs checking Episode One - Temple of Secrets [Plain outside Troy] (On the plain outside the ancient city of Troy, two men are fighting.) HECTOR: Achilles!ACHILLES: Over here, stable keeper. Barbarian horse worshipper!HECTOR: Out of breath so soon, my light-foot princeling? Your friend Petrocolus fled me further, and made better sport!ACHILLES: Murderer! Petrocolus was a boy.HECTOR: A boy? Well he died like a dog, whimpering after his master Achilles! How! Let me send you to him where he waits in Hades. Let me throw the dog a bone or two! (Achilles lunges at Hector, who easily parries the thrust. They circle round each other warily.) Show Full Transcript Open in new window