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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Saturday, January 16, 1965

Production Code

M

Written by

Dennis Spooner

Directed by

Christopher Barry

Runtime

100 minutes

Time Travel

Past

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth, Italy, Rome

Synopsis

Landing in Rome, A.D. 64, the travellers take a rare holiday. While Ian and Barbara are happy to relax, the Doctor and Vicki set off to pursue adventure.

However, adventure soon finds Ian and Barbara too as they are kidnapped by slave traders, and the Doctor's imitation of Maximus Pettulian sees him taken to the court of Emperor Nero where he inadvertently plays a part in deciding the course of history...

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4 Episodes

The Slave Traders

First aired

Saturday, January 16, 1965

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Dennis Spooner

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

13 million

Appreciation Index

53

Synopsis

The travellers decide to take a holiday near ancient Rome, but after a month the Doctor gets restless. He and Vicki determine to visit Rome, and while they are gone Ian and Barbara are abducted by slave traders. All roads lead to Rome, however, and the travellers find themselves at the mercy of the country's petulant emperor, Nero...


All Roads Lead to Rome

First aired

Saturday, January 23, 1965

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Dennis Spooner

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

11.5 million

Appreciation Index

51

Synopsis

While the Doctor and Vicki meet with Nero, Barbara is taken to Rome to be sold while Ian is forced to work as a galley slave.


Conspiracy

First aired

Saturday, January 30, 1965

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Dennis Spooner

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

10 million

Appreciation Index

50

Synopsis

Ian and Delos are forced to fight each other for their freedom while the Doctor has to perform for Nero's court.


Inferno

First aired

Saturday, February 6, 1965

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Dennis Spooner

Directed by

Christopher Barry

UK Viewers

12 million

Appreciation Index

50

Synopsis

Ian and Delos manage to escape from Sevcheria and Tavius agrees to help Barbara rejoin them.The Doctor's attempts to avoid being thrown to the lions inadvertently result in Nero deciding to burn down Rome.



Characters

How to watch The Romans:

Reviews

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19 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

This episode is a very difficult one for me, because it's, in equal measures, one of my favourite Hartnell episodes, but also tragically awful due to one unforgivable aspect. And if you've seen the episode, you'll probably know what it is.

Let's start with the positives: William Hartnell f*cking shines in this episode, it's easily my favourite portrayal of his. He just gets so many wonderful character moments in this, whether he's gleefully smashing a vase over an assassins head during a nice, refreshing match of "fisticuffs", or drawing inspiration from the old "emperor's new clothes" tale by playing an entire room of insecure people for complete mugs, gaslighting them into wanting to hear music that he isn't actually playing just because he said "if you can't hear this, you're all uncultured swine's." This is Hartnell at peak cheeky impishness, and any time he's on screen being his usual mischievous, giggling gremlin self, it's a joy to watch.

On top of that, I have a soft spot for just how unapologetically camp it goes in it's pursuit of being a classic 60s comedy. This is basically just Carry On Doctor, full of goofy fourth wall breaks, actors who've perfected their damn-near cartoonish shocked faces, and a lot of witty banter between the characters. Dare i say, there were more than a few moments that actually manage to get a chuckle out of me.

Now for the part that ruins it. Despite their attempts, the really weird, creepy, rapey parts that were lifted from your bog standard raunchy 60s comedy, where Nero shamelessly chases the very noticeably uncomfortable Barbara around the palace with his intentions painfully clear was NOT one of those moments. Barbara is treated so poorly in this episode, and her "character arc" is absolutely disgusting. From the moment she meets the character called Tavius, he's characterized as friendly, caring, compassionate to Barbara's plight, and the story outright states that if he wasn't the one to buy her, she'd be in an even worse position with someone else. Yes, it's a morally f*cked situation they both find themselves embroiled in, and it may be true that she'd be in a worse off state, (even though the one she finds herself in still has her being chased by a filthy little horndog, and almost poisoned by his jealous wife) but the fact that the episode expects her to "come to her senses" after rightfully telling the repugnant git to sod off, and even come to thank him for being a friendlier slave master is just horrific.

There is one element to the Nero lusts after Barbara plotline that, removed from context, i would have found really funny, and that's the schtick of The Doctor just narrowly missing The Companion again and again. I know this because Partners in Crime did it better over 40 years later, entirely because they didn't tie it to any uncomfortable, rapey storyline for that episode (Because, let's face it, if Nero had tried that sh*t with Donna Noble, she would have given the filthy c*nt a fat lip, regardless of if he was emperor.)

So, on the whole, The Romans is an episode that had a good chance of being my favourite Hartnell episode, but it's hard to understate just how much the horrifically dated rape humour drags it down from greatness. If the stuff where they play attempted sexual assault for laughs was completely removed from the episode, I would have been prepared to give it a 4-and-a-half, but, no such luck, and as such, this is the score it's stuck with, and it's only this high because of just how adorable Hartnell is, and how funny *some* of the scenes can be.


SeventhEmberXander

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the doctor just throwing hands with everyone at this point. such a silly story in the best way possible


kawaii2234

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Hilarious with a touch of bootstrap paradox-ness, utterly and totally brilliant.


TARDIS_Janitor

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Hartnell is the standout in this one. His interactions with Nero are fun and his  scenes with Victoria are nice. The rest of the plot is a bit forgettable.


Scottybguud

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This review contains spoilers!

Basically a good episode. The idea of a Doctor breaking away from his original companions and going to Rome with Vicki while said companions are getting captured and taken is a really good one. But there is one thing that ruins the whole episode, and it is the treatment of Barbara. From the beginning, we understand that she is the one who does everything in the quartet. But what is unacceptable, even unacceptable, is the scene of quasi-rape on the part of Nero who is a complete idiot, totally obsessed, even rapist. Yes, I destroy him. Barbara's treatment doesn't stop there since at the end of the episode, Ian treats her like a slave, making her work because she accidentally hit him in the face, which started this whole adventure . So I beg you, Doctor Who, tell me that there are not too many other episodes that are sexist to this point. Have a good evening.
3/10


Pandhawk

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Statistics

AVG. Rating617 members
3.99 / 5

Trakt.tv

AVG. Rating524 votes
3.67 / 5

Member Statistics

Watched

1057

Favourited

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Reviewed

19

Saved

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Skipped

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Quotes

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DOCTOR: You know, I am so constantly outwitting the opposition, I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the arts, the gentle art of fisticuffs.

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Transcript Needs checking

Episode One - The Slave Traders

(The TARDIS materialises over the edge of a small cliff and begins to wobble)

[TARDIS]

DOCTOR: There we are, safely down.
IAN: What's that movement, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Hmm?
IAN: Well, surely you can feel it?
DOCTOR: What movement?
BARBARA: Doctor! What's happening?

(they all sway from side to side)


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