The Romans

Directed by

Pure Historical, Dodgy Parking, Celebrity Historical, Mistaken Identity, Rewriting History

Runtime

100 minutes

Time Travel

Past

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

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

Directed by

UK Viewers

13 million

Appreciation Index

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

Directed by

UK Viewers

11.5 million

Appreciation Index

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

Directed by

UK Viewers

10 million

Appreciation Index

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

Directed by

UK Viewers

12 million

Appreciation Index

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

First Doctor

William Hartnell

Ian Chesterton

William Russell

How to watch The Romans:

Watch on iPlayer

Blu-Ray

The Collection – Season 2

DVD

The Rescue & The Romans

VHS

The Rescue & The Romans (VHS)

Reviews
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14 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

Really enjoy it!
I’d love to see our regulars just having a good time at the beginning. How it pens out is absolutely lovely. Hartnells Doctor having to pretend he is a musician is genius. As a huge fan of the first Doctor, it's always nice seeing this Doctor just enjoying himself and being the chaotic little gremlin that he is! (I refuse to believe in the “Grumpy old man” Idea!!)
Anyways I really love it. Season 2 in many ways is a huge improvement over an already great first Season. Vicki is such a lovely addition to our Tardis Team here. Hartnells Doctor acting like he is playing that instrument is truly delightful, and the comedy (for the most part) works really well.

Review last edited on 26-12-24

“Oh something else I forgot to tell you. I think I’ve poisoned Nero.”

The Romans des problèmes. On peut carrément lui reprocher son cynisme et un sens de l’humour problématique. On peut aussi lui reprocher sa négligence et sa légèreté.

Et pourtant il a aussi un charme fou.

Le Docteur et Vicki se baladent en effet dans la Rome antique et ils affrontent carrément Néron. Mais surtout, ils rient de son pouvoir aussi atroce et dangereux que foncièrement ridicule !

C’est donc l’histoire de deux filous face au pire régime possible, pendant que Ian et Barbara survivent désespérément dans un Empire qui anéantit les faibles.

Et du coup c’est presque une autre histoire sur les joies de la résistance et de la solidarité alors que le monde est fou.

Review last edited on 11-11-24

One thing The Romans does really well is character work. The main cast are fantastic, and even the side characters get their moments. It's also just really good fun to watch

Review last edited on 25-10-24

"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!"

Enjoyed this more this time around. A really fun and silly pure historical, focussed more on the comedic aspect than anything else. Its tone does shift a little too much during the runtime but it's a well paced, and at times genuinely funny little romp.

I think Derek Francis is probably the best guest star the show has had up to this point, a really fun, over the top and campy performance as Nero. He plays off well against Hartnell perfectly. It's a shame the story neglects the new companion Vicki in her first adventure, but she still has great chemistry with the Doctor throughout.

A fun, charming and silly camp romp through Ancient Rome. It works well!

Review last edited on 20-08-24

This review contains spoilers!

I love getting to see the TARDIS team relaxing on a holiday. A holiday which very quickly (from our perspective) goes wrong.

Ian and Barbara's domesticity is fun to watch, especially the joke about the fridge.

The Doctor's lyre-playing is a highlight of the episode. Truly cannot believe that William Hartnell was such a skilled musician

I actually think this is one of Hartnell's better stories, with the Doctor getting involved in the action. You can tell by this point that he's starting to transition into a more action-hero character, whereas in An Unearthly Child, Ian takes on this role, whilst the Doctor is portrayed as being a less active character.

Historical accuracy is fair for the time it was written, and the pacing holds up well today.

Review last edited on 15-08-24