Time and Relative by Kim Newman, illustrated by Bryan Talbot

Telos Novella #1
Time and Relative
Written by Kim Newman
Illustrated by Bryan Talbot
Published: 23rd November 2001
Read: 19th-20th September 2016

What's It All About

It's March 1963 and the United Kingdom is in the grip of a months-long winter that has brought the country to its very knees. As ordinary people struggle daily to live out their lives, the British government blame the Soviet Union for the terrible conditions gripping the country.

Through a series of diary entries written by Susan Foreman herself, we see how the community of the Coal Hill area of London deals with "The Cold". Told from the first person perspective, Susan observes how her teachers and friends from Coal Hill School, as well as a few characters from the local community, react when the mundane but inconvenient, turns horrifically deadly. Within a single scene, we can go from a good-natured snowball fight to a deadly attack by a snowman which sees a child impaled through the leg by a massive icicle.

The struggle becomes worse for the people of Coal Hill as "the Cold" continues to grow stronger and take on a life of its own. The cute but deadly snowmen, soon take the form of terrifying Cold Knights that stalk the land and kill people in a horrific manner.

Susan believes that her grandfather can save them all from "the Cold", but he has been indoctrinated not to meddle in the affairs of other species. Besides which, when "the Cold" has a prior claim to the planet Earth, he needs convincing whether humanity deserves the right to exist.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Although we've had a few visits to 1963 over the course of our journey, only two stories have been really steeped in the history and feel of that time, this and Hunters of Earth. However, while Hunters focused on the kitsch and nostalgia of the era with very few negative aspects, this story presents a more truthful warts-and-all perspective which the Doctor and Susan have been living in for the "last five months".

The whole backstory behind the story focuses on the Cold War between the East and West with both sides blaming each over for the terrible winter which has wreaked havoc over the Northern Hemisphere. The fact that the USSR was proved to be responsible from unearthing "the Cold" through their Novobirisk Project in Siberia, a plan to engineer climate change, just goes to show how bad things were in the early 1960's. After all, we are only a few months removed from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The hardcover for Time and Relative.

One other key aspect of the 1960s that is examined is the casual racism that was rife across the United Kingdom at the time. Through Susan's babysitting of Malcolm and her interactions with his mother, both from Trinidad, we see the everyday insults and disdain people of colour were greeted with. Naturally, this aspect is pushed to extremes at the height of the story when Malcolm is attacked by the vicar's wife who believes that people like him and brought this terrible situation on them.

If the background of 1960s political events and racism wasn't enough, we also have issues of parental abuse and post-traumatic stress syndrome to deal with. These two weighty subjects are examined though Susan's two school friends, John and Gillian (no relation from Dr Who's grandchildren from the TV Comic strips). Gillian's story seems the most harrowing of all, with many mentions to what she has to endure at home from her father, although it is never outright stated, it is fairly obvious she is suffering some form of abuse from her alcoholic father. In a similar way, John also comes in from abuse from his father, Colonel Brent, who is determined that the fourteen-year-old should follow him into the military and put his own thoughts and desires aside.

Give everything that I've written so far, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was quite a bleak story, yet it isn't. Through the perspective of Susan's diary entries we not only witness the terrible deaths and tragedy that is caused by "the Cold", and indeed it can be quite graphic at times, but the good in humanity is also recorded. Deadly Cold Knight attacks are juxtaposed with stories of Susan and Gillian "aging up" and trying to get into the local pubs and clubs or the horrors of having double Geography on a Friday.

Susan and her grandfather.

Despite his absence for much of the story, the Doctor's presence is felt throughout this story in the faith and love that Susan has him in, and the belief that he'll be able to fix everything. Again, it is that hope and faith that lifts the story up, and indeed goes a long way to resolving the story. It is not only Susan's faith in him that causes the Time Lord to help save humanity, going against years of indoctrination, the hope that humanity can become better as seen in young Malcolm. Together, the young boy from Trinidad and the Time Lord from Gallifrey are able to weaken "the Cold"'s grip on the Earth, long enough for the Doctor to reduce it to the size of a snowflake and take it to Pluto so that it can live and grow unencumbered.

Summing Up

Considering the story was written by Kim Newman, a writer not unfamiliar with the horror genre, it was no surprise that this story veered towards gory on a couple of occasions, but perhaps no more so that the series was during the Hinchcliffe-Holmes era. In summary, I must agree with Justin Richards in the afterword of this novella, when he goes on to state that Time and Relative is the quintessential Doctor Who story. The fantastical and the mundane are brought together in perfect harmony and top it all off with a few monsters and a couple of laughs.

9/10

Continuity Corner

• Susan claims they arrived in 1963 London "five months earlier", despite it only being late March. She simply goes on to criticise how "hidebound" humanity is by chronological systems.
• At this point in time, Susan is said to be fourteen-years-old (she is said to be fifteen in An Unearthly Child).
• Both Susan and the Doctor have developed a specific form of amnesia which blocks out many of the details of their homeworld and their people. The Doctor seems worse affected, but whenever Susan dwells on it, she develops a terrible headache.
• Despite the amnesia, Susan does recollect some details when she puts it into the context of her everyday life at Coal Hill School. Constantly reiterated is the fear of the "Truant Officer", a sinisterly bearded individual, that they fear is tracking them across time and space.
• Susan has been keenly absorbing many aspects of human culture, including cinema and sampling the night-life. She likes Peter O'Toole, John Lennon and Patrick McGoohan. She loves Lawrence of Arabia, The Beatles, and Danger Man, but doesn't like Albert Finney.
• Sneaking into the cinema to see X-certificate film, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Susan and her friend Gillian saw Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright in the audience.
• Susan has a Saturday job, looking after a six-year-old boy named Malcolm, while his mother works at the local newsagents.
• In order to get "the Cold" to Pluto in the Far Future in the TARDIS, the Doctor had to make five landings before landing on Pluto, and an additional twelve landings to make it back to Totter's Lane at the exact point he left.

A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer

12 Doctors, 12 Stories
"A Big Hand for the Doctor"
Written by Eoin Colfer
Published: 23rd January 2013
Read: 20th September 2016

12 Doctors, 12 Stories - "A Big Hand for the Doctor"

What's It All About
Our second entry in "Book Week" is 2013's "A Big Hand for the Doctor" by Eoin Colfer.

The adventure begins in London at the turn of the 20th century with the Doctor meeting an old acquaintance from Gallifrey, a Xing surgeon named Aldridge. We quickly learn that the Doctor lost his left hand after engaging in a sword fight with the captain of a Soul Pirate vessel. As is usual when you take something in for repair, the Time Lord has to settle with a dodgy replacement while his new arm is repaired and has to remain in London for the next few days.

On his way back to Hyde Park, where the TARDIS is parked, he gets a message from Susan informing him that they've detected the Soul Pirate ship at large in this time zone and were looking to harvest a particular group of children. Naturally, she has chosen to disobey her grandfather and gone off to try and rescue the children, leaving the Doctor no choice to pursue.

On arrival, the Doctor finds the Soul Pirate vessel hovering over a townhouse near Hyde Park and is collecting the children, including Susan, from the house using an anti-gravity beam. As the beam is the only way to get within the Soul Pirate vessel, the Doctor manages to get within the beam, after engaging one of the Soul Pirates' less blessed pirates in a rooftop fight. Once aboard the vessel, the Time Lord plays dead until he is able to size up the vessel, at which point he finds the children and reprograms the anti-gravity beam to safely carry them back to the surface, as well as setting an additional blast that destroys the Soul Pirate vessel.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

At the time of release, to say that I was looking forward to having a brand new First Doctor story to read is a bit of an understatement, but I was disappointed that both of the two First Doctor anniversary stories (Hunters of Earth) are set before An Unearthly Child, therefore depriving a whole new audience of the opportunities of getting to know Ian and Barbara and how they bring out the best in our crotchety Time Lord.

The story starts rather well, with the setting in the late Victorian era quickly evoking a nostalgic feel for proceedings. The addition of the Xing surgeon Aldridge was a welcome addition as he provides that very rare link to the Doctor's past on Gallifrey and shares a couple of anecdotes that gives us a fresh perspective on him. Aldridge also provides an amusing reaction to the Time Lords themselves: apparently shutting up business on their planet as they got to up themselves.

Moving on to the protagonists, the Soul Pirates and the premise that these space pirates created powerful illusions in order to draw human children aboard their ship so that they can either eat them or use them to power their engines is suitably gruesome. Being rather a short eBook, the solution to the problem isn't exactly ground-breaking, but I like how the whole climax of the story is witnessed by J.M. Barrie and he soon sets to writing a story featuring a pirate fighting a man with a hook and children floating through the air on fairy dust. 

Summing Up

While the story was quite good, if nothing new, it just doesn't sit right with me. The basic characterization of the First Doctor is there with the grumpiness and the fact that he has no time for frivolity and rarely laughs. I just had a heard time seeing him does what his Tenth incarnation does and losing his hand in a swordfight, then going back for more! Susan is characterised well for the very few lines that she gets and even that's restricted to "oh, grandfather" moments. Hmm.

5/10

Continuity Corner

• On Gallifrey, a particular Time Lord known as the Interior Designer had once suggested that his people changed their names to the Temperors. Unfortunately, his contemporaries disapproved and he became known as the "Bad Temperor" for the rest of his quantum days.
• One of the Doctor's previous visits to Aldridge came after the "Inscrutable Doppelganger fiasco" which saw him part with two litres of very rare TL-positive blood so that the surgeon could work up plasma. Another encounter involved dealing with homicidal earthworms that secreted laughing gas.
• The Doctor claims that his outfit was chosen by computer so that he could blend in with the local inhabitants on Earth. Considering that the Doctor has been shown wearing the outfit since leaving Gallifrey (per "The Name of the Doctor"), presumably, this occurred before he left.
• Things that don't make the Doctor smile are chit-chat; answering questions, either in an emergency or in times of complete calm; the paintings of Gallifreyan Subjunctivists; Marmite; and Blake's 7. He does seem to like the Harry Potter series, though, as he mentions Hogwarts (c.f. "The Shakespeare Code").
• The Doctor occasionally has visions of some of his future selves. At one point he wishes he was the fit and sprightly Doctor with a dickie bow (probably referring to the Eleventh Doctor).

Frayed by Tara Samms (Stephen Cole)

Telos Novella #11
Frayed
Written by Tara Samms (Stephen Cole)
Published: 20th November 2003

Frayed

I didn't quite know what to expect when I went into Frayed, my first experience of the Telos novellas and only the second novel I've read (and finished) as part of these marathon attempts. A story set before An Unearthly Child has a lot resting on its shoulders as it can't show the Doctor as being too heroic and certainly not being interested in meddling and interfering just for the sake of doing so, he has to do it because he has no other choice, either to safeguard his own life or Susan's. So, it's with interest that I started on an adventure which featured the Doctor and Susan's first encounter with humanity. What I wasn't expecting was a "base-under-siege" type story which would have felt at home in the Troughton era or would even do well in the New Series. I'd certainly take this over the crap-tacular "The Rebel Flesh" any day. 

Having not long ago completed a "watch" of Season 5, I was a little wary of having to deal with yet another base-under-siege story. Fortunately, Frayed falls into the realms of the excellent The Ice Warriors and The Web of Fear rather than the dull The Abominable Snowmen. What helps is that the base personnel are really well characterized, yes we have a few tropes of the base commander who can't cope, the overzealous security chief who is out to get the bosses job, the quite overlooked type (in this case a librarian) who goes on to play a key role in the story, but you feel that they are real people fighting for survival and dying at the hands of the "foxes". It is rather interesting then to see the very early First Doctor having to interact with this group of primitives and be coerced to assisting them in return for their assistance in locating Susan.

In contrast to the claustrophobic hospital base, Susan's adventures turn out to be all the more bizarre as her mind becomes drawn into the dreamscape of a child who is in cryogenic sleep inside the base. While we are assaulted by a series of bizarre visions of various animal creatures such as cats, half-human creatures and what not, a rather harrowing tale is revealed of the bases zoologist who was charged with looking after the animals that were at the base to entertain children. As an animal lover I was mortified as the tale was related of how when the base came under attack, the animals were sent out into the wilderness as they were a drain on resources and how these defenceless animals were torn apart by the foxes. The zoologist being seriously injured in a vain attempt to defend his beloved cats. Even writing this, I get a lump in my throat.  It turns out that this child patient was in love with the zoologist and her latent telepathic abilities created this whole dreamscape.

The cover for Frayed.

In summing up then, Frayed is a bit of an oddity. The period details with the Doctor and Susan is correct (indeed they are actually given their names in this story and the TARDIS has a functioning chameleon circuit), yet this type of story just doesn't feel at home in the Hartnell era. This story does so well in both the dreamscape and base scenes and certainly kept me reading, but I found that the solutions to both problems were not brilliant. In fact, in writing this review, I can not recall the solution to the fox crisis besides them taking over the base and getting the humans to work for them. An uneven tale, that feels as if it's from another era, but a good read.

5/10

Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas - "Tell Me You Love Me" by Scott Matthewson

Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas
"Tell Me You Love Me"
Written by Scott Matthewson
Published: December 2007
Read: 8th August 2016

---

BUY: Amazon UK

What's It All About

Arriving in Britain at the height of the Blitz, our travellers are quickly rounded up by an air raid warden and bundled into a communal shelter as the sirens sound and the bombs begin to drop. As a counterpoint to the grim reality of life on the homefront during the Second World War, are the glimpses to the fact that it is Christmas Eve and the stalwart resolution of people to cling to the happy traditions and memories of the season, whether it's making paper decorations to festoon the shelter or banging out Christmas carols to drown out the sounds of the bombs.

The bonhomie may be enough to raise the Doctor's spirit (he even quietly joins in with the carols, when he thinks nobody is listening) and peak Susan's curiosity, for one member of the party it is all too much to take. From the perspective of the Doctor and Susan, as well as us as the audience, we view this as a quaint little Christmas story about triumphing over adversity and keeping the home fires burning. What we forget is that for Barbara (and presumably Ian) the memories of the war and all of the terrible things that occurred are part of their childhood and helped to make them the people they are. It's no wonder that thrown back into this terrible world with bombs going off all around that Barbara freaks out and flees the shelter.

A typical communal shelter in 1940's Britain.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere of war-torn London isn't the only ghost that Barbara has to contend with as she roams the streets in despair. She is found and comforted by her "father", who manages to recognise her even though she would be twenty years older. While many may fall for the illusion, Barbara calls on her previous experiences while travelling with the Doctor to stay rational, knowing that her father had died prior to this point and come to the realisation that he must be some kind of alien.

Naturally, she is correct and we learn that her "father" and two other aliens had become trapped on Earth and separated. The love that the three aliens feel for each other is what they need to sustain them and, while separated, they were forced to feed on the love of humans by posing as loved ones. While one of the aliens had posed as Barbara's father, the other two were nearby and posing as the father of Sarah Miller, a local girl, who wished for her father to come home for Christmas.

With the three aliens reunited, they depart but leave everyone with a real Christmas gift: a vision of their real loved ones. In Barbara's case it was seeing her mother and father, happy together before he died; Ian gets a glimpse of his wedding day and to a woman he knows (wonder who that could be!) and the Doctor and Susan get to glimpse something to which we unfortunately aren't privy to.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

In summary, then, this was a quality tale written by Scott Matthewson. Long time readers of this blog will realise that Barbara Wright is out-and-out my favourite character in this era of Doctor Who and anyone who can shed new light on what makes her the character she is, earns big points from me. Bonus points must also go out to evoking the starkness and reality of life in 1940s Britain as it faced down the might of the Luftwaffe. Whether it be men not making it home for Christmas, parents forced to evacuate their children to the country or just not knowing whether their house will still be standing in the morning.

The only negative I have with this story is that the aliens weren't particularly well developed. The idea of aliens thriving on the power of love is nothing new, and it would have been nice to have some kind of twist to this well-worn trope.  Besides that, good stuff.

6/10

Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas - "Tell Me You Love Me" by Scott Matthewson

Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas
"Tell Me You Love Me"
Written by Scott Matthewson
Published: December 2007
Read: 8th August 2016

---

BUY: Amazon UK

Arriving in Britain at the height of the Blitz, our travellers are quickly rounded up by an air raid warden and bundled into a communal shelter as the sirens sound and the bombs begin to drop. As a counterpoint to the grim reality of life on the homefront during the Second World War, are the glimpses to the fact that it is Christmas Eve and the stalwart resolution of people to cling to the happy traditions and memories of the season, whether it's making paper decorations to festoon the shelter or banging out Christmas carols to drown out the sounds of the bombs.
The bonhomie may be enough to raise the Doctor's spirit (he even quietly joins in with the carols, when he thinks nobody is listening) and peak Susan's curiosity, for one member of the party it is all too much to take. From the perspective of the Doctor and Susan, as well as us as the audience, we view this as a quaint little Christmas story about triumphing over adversity and keeping the home fires burning. What we forget is that for Barbara (and presumably Ian) the memories of the war and all of the terrible things that occurred are part of their childhood and helped to make them the people they are. It's no wonder that thrown back into this terrible world with bombs going off all around that Barbara freaks out and flees the shelter.

A typical communal shelter in 1940's Britain.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere of war-torn London isn't the only ghost that Barbara has to contend with as she roams the streets in despair. She is found and comforted by her "father", who manages to recognise her even though she would be twenty years older. While many may fall for the illusion, Barbara calls on her previous experiences while travelling with the Doctor to stay rational, knowing that her father had died prior to this point and come to the realisation that he must be some kind of alien.

Naturally, she is correct and we learn that her "father" and two other aliens had become trapped on Earth and separated. The love that the three aliens feel for each other is what they need to sustain them and, while separated, they were forced to feed on the love of humans by posing as loved ones. While one of the aliens had posed as Barbara's father, the other two were nearby and posing as the father of Sarah Miller, a local girl, who wished for her father to come home for Christmas.

With the three aliens reunited, they depart but leave everyone with a real Christmas gift: a vision of their real loved ones. In Barbara's case it was seeing her mother and father, happy together before he died; Ian gets a glimpse of his wedding day and to a woman he knows (wonder who that could be!) and the Doctor and Susan get to glimpse something to which we unfortunately aren't privy to.

In summary, then, this was a quality tale written by Scott Matthewson. Long time readers of this blog will realise that Barbara Wright is out-and-out my favourite character in this era of Doctor Who and anyone who can shed new light on what makes her the character she is, earns big points from me. Bonus points must also go out to evoking the starkness and reality of life in 1940s Britain as it faced down the might of the Luftwaffe. Whether it be men not making it home for Christmas, parents forced to evacuate their children to the country or just not knowing whether their house will still be standing in the morning.

The only negative I have with this story is that the aliens weren't particularly well developed. The idea of aliens thriving on the power of love is nothing new, and it would have been nice to have some kind of twist to this well-worn trope.  Besides that, good stuff.

6/10

The Keys of Marinus by Terry Nation, directed by John Gorrie

Serial 'E'
The Keys of Marinus
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by John Gorrie
First Aired: 11th April to 16th May 1964

Episode 1: "The Sea of Death"

Terry Nation returns for his second story in our marathon and, surprisingly, it doesn't feature the Daleks in any capacity. It's not really that surprising given that both The Daleks and The Keys of Marinus were written before the first episode had even aired, but it is odd from a modern perspective.

After all, if Doctor Who had been launched today then you know that the Daleks would be the recurring villains throughout the first season. With The Keys of Marinus, we're given a rare chance to see what else Nation has up his sleeve before Dalekmania begins and his destiny is forever forged.

Following up on the creation of the Daleks with another villain to terrify the kids and fascinate the adults was never going to be an easy challenge. What we end up with was the Voord. When originally thinking about the direction of this episodes review, I was going to defend Nation, placing the blame for the appearance and actions of the Voord on the costume department and the director. However, thinking about it, the faults with this week's villains must be at the script level.

Susan is menaced by a Voord.

Not that the Voord are given much to work with in this particular episode anyway, as they are consigned to skulking about in corners and attacking people at random. It isn't until we finally meet Arbitan, a lonely and tragic figure whose sole purpose is to guard the Great Consciousness of Marinus that we finally learn that the Voord, led by Yartek, intend to find the Keys of Marinus, take over the great machine and rule the entire planet.

Scary stuff indeed, yet Arbitan forces the Doctor and his companions to begin a quest to find the four Keys of Marinus so that he can reset the machine and use the Consciousness to control the minds of the people of Marinus and bring an era of peace. Laudable goals perhaps, but how does that make him any different to Yartek and the Voord. It's good to think that the only reason the Doctor condescends to assist is because Arbitan erects a force field around the TARDIS and prevents them leaving. This presents a bit of a plot-hole, because if Arbitan can project a force-field to stop the travellers escaping, why can't he erect a force-field around his pyramid and keep the Voord out?

Arbitan explains the Consciousness of Marinus.

It'll be interesting to have a story where we have a completely new location each week. Our first step on Marinus is strange and mysterious on paper with it's acid seas, pools, and bizarre pyramids, but unfortunately the budget must have all been blown on Marco Polo, as the realization falls somewhat short throughout. Either with cardboard cutout Voord falling to their deaths, shaky wooden walls, badly choreographed fight scenes, and unforgivably visible stage hands and boom mikes on several occasions. Those of you that have read my reviews from the beginning will know that I often tend to be forgiving of these things, but for me to bring it up with this episode is an indicator of how bad it was.

There are some positives to be taken away from this episode however. Despite the lacking effects throughout the episode, the opening shot of Arbitan's island and the materialization of the TARDIS (the first time we've seen this) were superbly done. The arrival of the Voord submarines are borderline, but despite some claims, I couldn't see the strings pulling them. The regulars have firmly settled into their roles know and have established a good rapport, suggesting that a real family is starting to form. The Doctor admonishing Ian for not having any boots on when he'd just lent them to Susan was a particular highlight.

4/10

Episode 2: "The Velvet Web"

The previous episode ending on the startling cliffhanger of the Doctor, Ian and Susan discovering Barbara's travel dial abandoned outside a building with a hint of blood on it! Quite how Barbara could have got herself in trouble when she had only activated her travel dial about 30 seconds after the others left me sceptical.

Barbara's later explanation that she simply scratched herself while trying to remove the dial during transit is plausible enough. However, the further stretch in credibility comes from the fact that in those 30 seconds she was able to ingratiate herself with Altos and the inhabitants of Morphotron, get changed and sprawl out on a chaise-lounge.

Altos.

The case could be argued that the travel dials could allow the wearers to traverse time, as well as space, but no mention was made of this fact when Arbitan provided the travellers with the dials. Perhaps Barbara has gained some time controlling abilities during her travels with the Doctor. Hell, perhaps this could explain the revelation in the Sarah Jane Adventures story Death of the Doctor that neither Ian nor Barbara had aged since the Sixties.

The idea of aliens using hypnosis or an advanced form of brainwashing via technology to convert others into mindless slaves isn't a new one in the realms of science fiction, and certainly becomes a staple in Doctor Who. However, John Gorrie has succeeded in creating quite a haunting atmosphere to the piece and the juxtaposition of the beautiful and elegant backgrounds, furnishings and clothing witnessed by the Doctor, Susan and Ian is nicely contrasted with Barbara's vision of decayed backgrounds, furnishings and people in rags. Indeed, the best example of this is when Altos shows the Doctor and Ian their ultra-modern and well-equipped laboratory that was "wish", and we're treated to a view of a broom cupboard and the Doctor examining a cracked mug and proclaiming it as a scientific instrument.

The guest characters, Altos and Sabetha, certainly bring up the creepiness stakes in this episode. Altos's soft-spoken RP voice makes for the perfect host for the opening segment of the episode, but there was an edge there. An edge which was perfectly exposed when he realises that the brainwashing machine has failed on Barbara. The shot of him leaning close to her, his unblinking eyes staring straight at her and saying "what's the matter?". Creepy as heck.

Barbara tries to wake up Sabetha.

Sabetha, who turns out to be Arbitan's daughter, is a slave that is on the run from her masters for failing to ensure that Barbara's brainwashing worked. While not having much bearing on the run of the episode, her haunting performance of downtrodden slave with a hint of an internal struggle is enough to make her memorable. Which is fortunate when you can consider that both she and Altos later join the travellers on their quest.

The conclusion of the episode is just as creepy and well-realized as the rest of the episode. Barbara, having been caught by a completely brainwashed Ian, finally confronts the architects of this whole drama: some brains with eyes living in jars. Considering this was made in the mid-1960's, they aren't actually that bad realized, with the soundscape and the effects on the actors voices helping to sell it. The only let down with them being that once Barbara has gone full-on action hero and smashed the place to pieces, the eye-stalk of one of the brains just flops down and it does rob from their effectiveness.

Ian and Barbara face the brains behind the operation.

And so with the city of Morphotron saved from its masters, the former slaves are running amok and tearing the place up. Our travellers, along with Altos and Sabetha, decide to depart for the next location. Unfortunately, the Doctor won't be joining us as he has chosen to look for the fourth key. So, tomorrow we'll have Hartnell in Spain and Susan have the screaming ab-dabs. Could be interesting.

6/10

Episode 3: "The Screaming Jungle"

"The Screaming Jungle" has a lot of preconceptions to overcome following that cliffhanger. The blow that we wouldn't have the Doctor in this episode was quickly followed by Susan have yet another screaming and whining fit in the middle of a jungle.

"The Screaming Susan"

However, by the end of this episode, I feel a little bad for judging Susan. I sometimes forget that Time Lords have telepathic abilities and that she was simply picking up on something that our regulars, Ian and Barbara, as well as our new friends, Sabetha and Altos, can't register.

Her agitated state could even be a good explanation for her overreaction to become snared on a vine. Although, Barbara going at the vine with her shoe gives a strong hint of a parent trying to ward off an imaginary monster from under the bed so that a frightened child could go to sleep. Once again, it feels as if Susan is being written as an eight-year-old, rather than the fifteen-year-old she is meant to be.

Surprisingly, Susan, Altos and Sabetha are quickly dispensed with and the episode moves to focus on Ian and Barbara. With Barbara discovering a false Key of Marinus and having been kidnapped by a molesting statue, Ian sets off to rescue his colleague and nearly gets his head taken off for his trouble. Thankfully, Barbara has been able to maintain her faculties and warn her friend in time, but they are in an entire room full of booby traps.

The molesting statue.

A room full of booby traps wouldn't normally be a trouble for our resourceful school teachers, but they both quickly fall foul of them: Ian stupidly pulling at a pick axe that was attached to something by a chain and Barbara being intrigued by the sudden opening of a creeky door, mooching inside, getting caught in a net and setting off a spike trap!

Their salvation is brought about by a strange old man called Darrius, holder of one of the Keys of Marinus, who set the booby traps to prevent anyone from stealing it. Bizarrely, he informs the travellers that Arbitan would have told anyone he sent about how to avoid the traps, but I don't recall that in the mission briefing during "The Sea of Death". Before we can get any answers from Darrius, he is strangled by a vine and only lives long enough to give a cryptic clue to the teachers about the location of the key.

After some trial and error searching, Barbara manages to locate the key so that they can depart, but not before Ian solves the mystery of why the jungle appears to be quickly overcoming Darrius house and why Susan was affected. It appears that Darrius was a scientist who, presumably bored one day, decided to examine and accelerate the tempo of destruction for the jungle. As you do.

Darrius faces certain death...

In summary then, this was a poor episode in almost all key areas: the story itself is a good example of padding what with false keys and a pointless final riddle; the idea of killer plant-life is definitely unoriginal and will be repeated ad nausea in many, many stories throughout this marathon. The acting fell down in several places too, especially with Edmund Warrick as Darrius. He definitely needed another go at being menaced by the vine, as that was one of the most unconvincing performances I've seen so far.

One area I do have to praise the story on is the set design. The jungle was really well realised, the idol was well done (although the arms let it down slightly) and Darrius' home and laboratory were absolutely gorgeous and atmospheric. It's just a shame we didn't get to see it again.

3/10

Episode 4: "The Snows of Terror"

We've encountered fair few monsters and villains during our journey through Doctor Who so far. They've ranged from the usual grunts working to fulfil someone else's plan, those acting out of fear of the unknown or the usual lunatics. From Quadrigger Stoyn (The Beginning) to the brains of Morphotron ("The Velvet Web"), they've all had a purpose and to some extent, we can identify to why they're acting the way they are.

That is until we meet Vasor, a trapper living in the mountains. Despite the initially unchallenged belief that he single-handedly carried Ian and Barbara down from off of the mountain before they could die from exposure, that air of ruthlessness and cruelty is readily apparent. Even when he is rubbing Barbara's hands to warm them up and stave off frostbite, you get the feeling that he is sizing her up in the same way that a wolf sizes up its prey.

Vasor's cottage.

The discovery that Vasor had previously encountered Susan, Altos and Sabetha as well as taken their possessions in "trade" for food and furs are enough to rouse the suspicious of the two school teachers, yet Ian seems oblivious to the threat that the trapper poses to Barbara. He willingly leaves her alone with Vasor after trading his travel dial for furs and "supplies" as he goes off in search of the others.

Of course once Ian finds Altos tied up on the mountain and discovers that Vasor put raw meat into his bag in order to attract wolves, the science teacher realizes just how foolish he's been and races back, with Altos, to rescue Barbara just as he's about to perform some horrible and despicable act on her. Unfortunately, all of this isn't the first time that Ian is foolish in this episode.

Using Vasor to guide them deep into the mountains where he abandoned Susan and Sabetha, the travellers are all reunited among great hugs, even though they've had to cross a rickety rope bridge to do so. Feeling left out, Ian decides to join the others rather than keeping an eye on the trapper. In typical fashion, Vasor seizes the opportunity and cuts the rope bridge so it falls into the crevasse, stranding the travellers.

Vasor sizes up Barbara over a meal.

As luck would have it, the travellers are just a short walk away from a chamber containing the next Key of Marinus. This time, a bit more ingenuity has been used as the key is trapped in a block of ice surrounded by copper piping and four rather scary knights, similarly frozen, guarding it. The solution to the problem is rather simple, though, as Barbara just turns on a tap and hot water from a volcanic spring slowly melts the ice. Unfortunately, it also thaws out the knights.

Whereas in today's Doctor Who we have a kind of monster choreographer who works with the actors and teaches them how to move, it's fairly evident that this wasn't the case in 1964! The actors are meant to be portraying four knights in heavy armour that have just been woken up from years of being chryogenically frozen. Yet they show no example of this, moving as if they were wearing jeans and t-shirts. Even when one of the knights fall into the crevasse stupidly, the others just catch up, stand at the edge of gaze around stupidly, wandering what has befallen their comrade.

"The Knights that Say 'meh'"

The "knights that say meh" do have one redeeming feature though and that is the way they stab Vasor in the back as he is once again menacing one of the female members of the group, in this case, Susan. A fitting end for a truly reprehensible character.

In summary then, "The Snows of Terror" is a bit of an odd mish-mash. On the one hand, we have a really creepy villain in Vasor that would be right at home in a post-watershed crime drama. On the other hand, we have some campy knights running around like some crappy Monty Python sketch. With that in mind, I can only give this episode...

5/10

Episode 5: "Sentence of Death"

An unconscious Ian.

Having fled from the frozen mountainous regions of Marinus, our travellers now find themselves in the city of Millennius on their quest to retrieve the fourth and final Key of Marinus. Even better, the travel dial appears to have led them directly to it, as Ian is quickly able to find the key in a display cabinet.

A dead body is also lying in the room, yet Ian seems to be more interested in recovering the key. Unfortunately, for the school teacher, the murderer is also in the room and sees fit to knock Ian unconscious, put his finger prints all over the presumed murder weapon and steals the key for good measure. Tarran, the Millennial police officer, or guardian, assigned to investigate the murder is adamant that Ian is guilty of the murder and, unfortunately under Millennial law, he is guilty until proven innocent.

The trial begins.

Chesterton needs a miracle and thankfully it arrives in the form of the Doctor. After two episodes sunning himself in Spain, Hartnell returns and he's in the best form we've ever seen him in. The warmth and good humour that we've occasionally glimpsed in the previous episodes is brought to the fore, with the duplicitous characteristics gone. He is quick to take up Ian's case and goes as far to reassure the younger man and ask him to trust him. From that point on, he's a ball of energy, dishing out the job of studying the laws to Altos and Sabetha, getting Barbara and Susan to act as his investigators and bloodhounds, and staging quite an energetic reconstruction of the murder.

However, the Doctor really comes into his element when he's serving as the defense during Ian's trial. With charm and humility he is able to use his ignorance of advanced Millennial law to post-pone the trial for a couple of days so he can gather evidence. During the second session, his suspicions about the murderer, the location of the missing key, and a little subterfuge with Sabetha is enough to get the culprit to reveal himself: Aidan, the relief guard. Unfortunately, there isn't enough evidence to exonerate Ian of being involved and he is still sentenced to death.

A deceased Aidan and his "distraught" wife, Kala.

Things seem pretty dire for Ian Chesterton, but things aren't looking too good for Susan either. Just after all the hysterics surrounding Aidan's reveal and then his "suicide" in the courtroom, Barbara is called away to take a call: Susan has been kidnapped and if Barbara ever wants to see her alive again, she has to reveal the location of the key!

6/10

Episode 6: "The Keys of Marinus"

The end of the last episode ended on one of the most intense cliffhangers that we've seen on Doctor Who to date. After all, with Ian about to be executed for a murder he didn't commit and Susan kidnapped, presumably by the real murderers, to silence the others, you can't get more intense. Unfortunately, the resolution to this excellent cliffhanger is a little rushed. Throughout this rewatch it truly amazes me that the writers had six or seven episodes to play with, yet manage to pad out the middle episodes with nonsense and then rush the ending. Terry Nation was guilty of this with The Daleks and John Lucarotti was equally as guilty with Marco Polo.

Gripes about the rushed ending aside though, there is still plenty to like in the first half of the episode. The revelation that it was Aidan's wife Kala, along with the prosecutor, who had committed Eprin's murder, Aidan's murder and the kidnap and attempted murder of Susan came as a bit of a surprise. This is Doctor Who's first cold-hearted bitch! How quick she was to weep over her murdered husband in yesterday's episode, play the distressed widow for the benefit of Barbara, Altos and Sabetha and then sneer and taunt Susan when they left. Marvellous.

Yartek's "cunning" disguise.

Once the true murderers were revealed and the Doctor was able to prove he knew where the key was, it was back to Arbitan's island for a final "confrontation" with the Voord and their leader, Yartek. Despite Yartek's best attempt to dress as Arbitan (seriously how do you fit a hood over your headpiece) and Ian is able to rumble him. Rather than risk a violent confrontation, he hands over the fake key the acquired from the jungle and the Consciousness of Marinus is blown sky high. Taking the Voord with it.

At least we end on a happy note as Altos and Sabetha have given in to their feelings for each other and fall helplessly in love. As they leave via travel dial to start a new life in Millennius, I cannot help but wish them well. Despite not contributing much to the overall story, they've been pleasant to have around and went some way to filling the Hartnell void that we had in the third and fourth episodes.

Yartek

The Keys of Marinus has truly been a welcome change of format to the series. We've been spoiled with a new location every week, but unlike Marco Polo where we had deserts, jungles and various way stations, we've had truly alien locations each episode: from strange islands surrounded by acid, to overgrown jungles to snow-capped mountains and advanced cities. To cap it all, we've had a new set of characters to deal with in each episode. All this helps to keep things fresh and interesting, which truly helps with a six-part beast like this.

Looking at the downsides of this story, I cannot help but reiterate the problems that I had with the production and the acting during the first and third episodes in particular. We even had a Voord trip over during episode 6, but I'll gloss over that one as it made me laugh. I'm not the sort of person to bemoan the special effects of a series made over fifty years ago, you can't compare it to the CGI extravaganza's we get today, but I know that Doctor Who was made better than this at the time. Hell, you only have to go back seven weeks.

4/10

The Keys of Marinus average score = 4.67

"Who Discovered America?" by John Lucarotti

Doctor Who Magazine #184
"Who Discovered America?"
Written by John Lucarotti
Illustrated by Paul Vyse
Published: 20th February 1992

What's It All About

John Lucarotti returns to Doctor Who with "Who Discovered America?", originally published in February 1992 inside Doctor Who Magazine. Although I'm unsure if this is a completely new tale written by the writer at the time or, like "Rennigan's Record", written during the Sixties but not released until the Nineties.

Regardless, this is the second Lucarotti story we've seen in this marathon. When the writer has been responsible for Marco Polo, The Aztecs and The Massacre it's not much of a surprise to learn that this is going to be a historical story. Although I was surprised upon reading up about him, that Lucarotti actually wrote the first draft of The Ark in Space!

On with the story and the TARDIS has broken down once again, much to the annoyance of the Doctor and his companions. Instead of a "malfunctioning" fluid link or a blown circuit, we have a plutonium leak. Fortunately, the TARDIS has just happened to land in Greenland during the 11th century, just as the Viking Leif Ericson (aka Eric the Red) is about to depart into the unknown and discover Newfoundland, which just happens to be the one place that the Doctor can find a new source of plutonium from.

Bounding out of the TARDIS, the Doctor manages to browbeat Ericson into taking his long boat out past the "end of the world", but taking aboard the four travellers for the week long journey. Once they arrive in Newfoundland, the Doctor is easily able to obtain some plutonium but is caught in a bit of a bind when Ericson insists the travellers remain behind to stake the Viking claim. Using his knowledge of tides, however, he is able to convince Ericson and the Vikings that he can part the seas and prevent them from leaving. Naturally, the terrified warriors agree to take the travellers back to Greenland and the TARDIS.

The Doctor and his companions face another adventure...

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A four-page story by John Lucarotti is a real treat for me. He wrote some of my favourite Doctor Who stories, so having him back for one more is fantastic. As can be expected in such a short story, the story and plot might be a little thin, but the characters feel as well-rounded and real as those he created for Marco Polo. Eric the Red is portrayed as a bit of a coward (indeed a Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz as Susan sees it), who is easily cowed and swayed by the Doctor into undertaking the endeavour in the first place!

Indeed, the Doctor is at his very best in this story. Initially blustering and insulting to Ian when the TARDIS breaks down, but suddenly turning on the charm when confronting Ericson, where the Time Lord is happy to procrastinate until the Viking's arms grow tired from holding a sword above his head. At that moment he has Ericson on the back foot at least until they reach Newfoundland when the Viking grows in confidence. Even then, the Doctor is able to outwit the warrior and manage to achieve the outcome he desires.

Even the companions get a few moments, with Ian's toying with the Doctor a little as well as his knowledge of Newfoundland coming into play. In a call back to Marco Polo, it is Barbara who first becomes suspicious of Ericson's intentions once they reach Newfoundland. Susan isn't as well served, although she does make the comparison to Ericson and the Cowardly Lion as well as initiating a good old sing song during the long boat's trip to the Americas.

In summary then, a cracker of a story that manages to pay homage to the historicals in the era that this story is set. Perhaps not so surprising when Lucarotti was the man the wrote most of them. A rare treat.

6/10

Short Trips: Time Signature - "The Ruins of Time" by Phillip Purcer-Hallard

Short Trips: Time Signature
"The Ruins of Time"
Written by Phillip Purser-Hallard
Published: 1st September 2006

Short Trips: Time Signature has a special place in my heart. Along with Short Trips: Dalek Empire and a trio of Doctor Who: The Audio Scripts books, this was my first exposure to the work of Big Finish Productions. A bizarre form to discover the releases of a company that works predominantly in audio, but we'll roll with it.

Truth be told it was probably Christmas 2006 and I was in that first flush of fandom where everything is wonderful and you don't notice those small imperfections. David Tennant was the Doctor and the only Doctor. So, naturally, that Christmas my father decided to buy me anything Doctor Who related he could get his hands on. Unfortunately, it was Classic Who.

Long-time readers may recall that my first experiences with Classic Who weren't the best. An old college friend tried to get me to watch the show in 2002/3 when it was being shown on UK Gold on weekend mornings. I can't remember which exactly which story, but it was a rather dull Pertwee. Probably The Mutants as I still despise that story! The next experience was buying The Dalek Invasion of Earth when I was in the grip of Dalekmania following the broadcast of "Bad Wolf" / "The Parting of the Ways" in the Summer of 2005. Needless to say, that was a bit of a culture shock.

A new world... a new adventure...

Due to the enticing cover and my love of all things timey-wimey, I naturally commenced my reading with Short Trips: Time Signature. It may seem like a bad choice, but the story opens with a story featuring the Third Doctor (from that rather dull repeat) and Sarah Jane Smith who had only recently re-appeared in "School Reunion", so I felt I knew enough for it to carry me through. Which it did and, even better, the next story featured the First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara who I'd seen in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Nearly ten years later, it is time to return to "The Ruins of Time"...

Essentially "The Ruins of Time" is a post-apocalyptic vampire story. The people of Torcaldia were caught in a terrible cataclysm which began at a concert hall in the capital city. From that day, time has been draining away from the entire planet and its population are slowly running out of time and turning into statues. However, some desperate Torcaldians have developed the ability to drain time from other beings (and objects, but it's not as satisfying!) and prolong their own lives. Naturally, those averse to the law have formed into raiding parties and use these special Torcaldians to feed off everyone else.

When two Gallifreyans arrive on the planet it doesn't take long for the raiders to discover them, make off with them and learn about the abundance of time energy stored within them. Indeed, they've found the ultimate prize. It does, however, play a part in their eventual downfall as, even after draining the Doctor dry, the Time Lord still has centuries of time energy left to him and is not turned into a timeless statue as the rest.

The perfect feast.

Away from the slightly different twist on the vampire tale, Phillip Purser-Hallard has succeeded in recreating the style, feel and structure of a typical Hartnell story complete with episode titles after a section and little cliffhangers. Indeed, the television story that it evoked for me the most was The Daleks. In "The Twilight City", the TARDIS lands on the Torcaldian planet and the travellers wander around a seemingly dead world taking in the sites before stumbling into the Torcaldian, Verdirioi.

Through Verdirioi we learn much about Torcaldian culture as well as physiology as we see Ian and Barbara come to terms with the fact that the Torcaldians are hermaphrodites. I must admit, that most of the laughs in this story are to be had with the two schoolteachers trying to guess which sex the various Torcaldians are, and finding themselves completely flummoxed.

Continuing the comparison to The Daleks, Ian and Barbara then have to join forces with the Torcaldians in rescuing the Doctor and Susan from the bandits, which involves a lengthy expedition to another city and a bit of a trek through the wilderness, although not through a lake of mutations and a mountain of boredom.

The denouement to the story offers something slightly different, with Susan convincing the bandits time-drainer, Tranell, to turn against the Bandit leader, Balthar, and drain time from him instead of her. Thus freeing the remaining citizens of Cantosi from the threat of the bandits. However, the main problem facing the people of Torcaldia remains unsolved: the Doctor is rather cagey about what has occurred, and indeed, systematically refuses to follow Susan's suggestion of leaving a piece of the TARDIS behind so that Veridiroi might survive indefinitely. Fortunately, Susan secretly defies her grandfather and leaves behind a game board and pieces that she brought with her from Gallifrey.

In summary then, "The Ruins of Time" is an interesting beast. It's faithful to its roots in that it recreates the feel of a typical Hartnell sci-fi story, yet puts in a couple of twists and an overarching mystery that won't be solved until future stories. Phillip Purser-Hallard has done a wonderful job of creating a new alien world, an interesting alien civilisation and more importantly, some great and memorable characters.

7/10

Marco Polo by John Lucarotti, directed by Waris Hussein

Serial 'D' - Marco Polo
Written by John Lucarotti
Directed by Waris Hussein
First Aired: 22nd February -  1964

Episode 1: "The Roof of the World"

At last we've come to the story I've been looking forward to. Marco Polo is one of my absolute favourite stories and I absolutely love everything about it, apart from it being deleted by the BBC! Which is one of the most shameful periods of Doctor Who history! How I would love to appreciate these fine performances and those wonderfully designed sets in their original format. Thank heavens for John Cura's screencaps and the wonderful Loose Cannon reconstruction which comes as close to the original as we'll ever get.

The episode follows on from "The Brink of Disaster" with Susan having discovered a giant footprint in the snow. Immediately, Ian dispels the girl's suggestion that it was made by a giant and states that it was a normal footprint and the snow had just melted around it forming a larger one. I initially sighed and wondered if Susan was being written as thick again this week, when I realized that she had probably visited worlds where giants walked.

Giant based discussion aside, the jovial Doctor at the end of the last episode soon reverts to type as he grumps and shouts about the TARDIS having broken down once again. However, this time it isn't just inconvenient, it's life threatening as well. With the heat, water and engines out of action, the travellers could soon freeze to death on "the roof of the world". The Doctor's grumping is understandable in this instance, but the rather dismissive attitude to Barbara was rather jarring considering they'd only made up and come to accept each other five minutes earlier. Still, I suppose that's irascible old Time Lords for you.

Marco Polo, Tegana and the Doctor.

Thankfully, the travellers are spared a chilly demise as they are soon discovered by a group of Mongols and come face-to-face with the villain of the piece: Tegana. Lots more on him in later episodes, but in this episode you can certainly understand his views of the travellers and their magical caravan, especially given it's 1289. Wanting to put them immediately to death is a bit harsh, but that doesn't become a reality thanks to the arrival of the true leader: Marco Polo.

Indeed, from this point on the episode really belongs to Marco Polo as the story is framed through his diary entries and so much of the rest of the episode is given over to his background, establishing a very strong and firm reason for wanting to steal away the TARDIS and present it to Mighty Kublai Khan so that he can buy his freedom to return to Venice. Yet, Marco doesn't feel like the villain, as the audience is made to understand his reasons for what he does. It's certainly a different approach to that taken with Kal or the Daleks.

One thing of note with this episode is the fact that the initial remit of the series to be educational is bleeding through strongly. Ian is definitely in schoolteacher mode as he tells Susan about the footprint and later has time to educate Marco Polo about the lower boiling point of water and thinner air at higher altitudes. Even, I was learning, and I haven't done that since the Ninth Doctor taught me how to spell "buffalo" correctly. Yet, it does feel slightly more forced here than in earlier episodes.

The Doctor and friends react to Polo's actions.

Now, I must come to my moment of the episode, and that has to be the Doctor's reaction to Marco Polo having stolen the TARDIS from him. Initially, we have the justified anger at being prevented from working on the damaged ship, but that soon gives way to a fit of hysterics as he feels completely helpless. What's even better is that in the screencaps, Barbara seems to be joining in as well! Whether this was Jacqueline Hill's reaction to Hartnell's performance, which she tried to obscure on camera, or what was actually broadcast we'll probably never know. Yet, I hope it was the intention as that highlights the bond that has been established between the pair.

Will the Doctor and his friends get the TARDIS back? Will Marco Polo make it to Venice? What is Tegana up to? We'll hopefully find out in the next episode.

Episode 2: "The Singing Sands"

The Doctor and his friends are in a bit of a pickle. With the TARDIS once again malfunctioning, they are trapped in 13th century Cathay and have fallen under the "protection" of Marco Polo, whose only goal is to keep the TARDIS and offer it to Kublai Khan to buy his way back home to Vienna.

As the episode commences it is obvious that some time has passed since the conclusion of "The Roof of the World" as Marco's caravan has begun it's journey across the Gobi Desert. Indeed, the Doctor's companions seem to have gotten over any ill-will towards Marco as Ian happily plays chess with the Venetian. The Doctor, however, is not in a forgiving mood and has been sulking in his rooms and refusing to eat. As Barbara points out though, this comes from a feeling of hopelessness, couple with his pride having been dented by being defeated by a man who he regards as a savage.

During their travels, Susan has also drawn closer to Ping-Cho, whom she shares a room with. I must admit that this relationship with Ping-Cho is what Susan's character needs... desperately. With having someone her own age to interact with we can see the intelligent and resourceful young lady she can be and not the whiny screamer that she is viewed as when she is interacting with her grandfather and her schoolteachers. What is bizarre is that she's suddenly using early Sixties buzzwords such as "fab" when we've never heard her use them before. Then again, we've all be a teenager, trying to impress our friends and acting and speaking completely differently.

Susan and Ping-Cho go for a wander.

Indeed, it is Susan and Ping-Cho that drive the main thrust of this episode, setting out into the desert together on a pleasant stroll, before they notice Tegana also out for a walk on his own and set off in pursuit. Unfortunately, the arrival of a sand storm puts the two girls in extreme peril in what has to be one of this stories most harrowing scenes. Again, it's unfortunate that this episode no longer exists, but perhaps having just the audio of the storm with all the whooshing sounds, clanging instruments and haunting voices can make you imagine far worse than what could have been realized in Studio D at Lime Grove Studios.

The terrifying sandstorm and the discovery of the missing girls certainly shakes the cozy atmosphere that has built up between Marco, Ian and Barbara. Barbara is absolutely stricken with grief and hysterics and the thought of the girls being out in the storm alone. Kudos for Jacqueline Hill in this scene, as she pitches it just right to my mind and she certainly succeeded in making me concerned for the fate of Susan and Ping-Cho. Of course, when the girls are brought back to camp by the villainous Tegana, her reaction to them was just as spot on, relieved yet angry at them both for putting her through the experience.

It is with this whole sandstorm experience, though, that we come to one of the main problems with Doctor Who in the Sixties: the need for actors to have weeks off. Apart from the final scene of the episode, William Hartnell is absent from this episode. His lack of appearance is waved off by saying that he simply slept through the storm. Sorry, but considering the racket going on, coupled with the whinnying of the frightened horses and Barbara's outburst, the Doctor must have been in a coma to miss it all. I also didn't like the fact that those who were awake decided to keep the fact that Susan had nearly died in the storm a complete secret.

The next day, the caravan continues its journey across the Gobi Desert and move ever closer to its next crisis as Tegana finally makes his move. As planned at the end of "The Roof of the World", Tegana slashes all but one of the water gourds in the hopes of driving the caravan back towards Lop and into an awaiting bandit trap. Indeed, his plan would of worked to if it wasn't for those meddling time travellers. Marco takes Ian's suggestion that they head north, a week long journey to an oasis. True, they'd be getting weaker each day as the water ration ran out, but there was less chance of being attacked by bandits.

After several days of travel however, the water ration runs out completely and they are still some distance from the oasis. The Doctor collapses from heat exhaustion and Marco reluctantly gives his permission for the Time Lord and his granddaughter to rest in the TARDIS as they continue their journey. In an interesting twist, Tegana volunteers to be a hero and ride out to the oasis and bring back water to the caravan. Obviously, he has no intention of doing so as his gloating at the oasis in the final scene shows.

"Here's water, Marco Polo. Come for it!"

What will happen in the next episode? Will the Doctor and Susan be able to repair the TARDIS? Will the caravan make it to the oasis in time? Find out next time...

Moment(s) of the Episode
I actually have two moments of the episode this time. The first is the glorious scene between Susan and Barbara outside the main tent. The Doctor has just refused to eat his dinner and Susan rushes outside all upset. After discussing why the Doctor is feeling the way he is, they both look up at the stars.

Susan: "One day we'll learn all the mysteries of the skies, and we'll stop our wandering."

Barbara: "Then you and I will say goodbye." 

Such a little, beautiful moment, and wonderfully played by Carole Ann Ford and Jacqueline Hill.

The second moment is when Marco and Tegana are alone in the tent. Marco is writing in his journal and Tegana asks him what he is doing. It is all very convivial on the surface, but you can here the lack of respect and even disdain that Tegana has for the Venetian. Then to cap it all off, Tegana shouts and brandishes his sword, yet Marco reacts quickly and meets the Mongol well. Lesson learned for Tegana perhaps.

Continuity Corner

• Susan and her grandfather once saw the Metal Seas of Venus.

Episode 3: "Five Hundred Eyes"

At the conclusion of the last episode, things were looking rather bleak for the Doctor and his friends as they faced the very real chance of dying of dehydration in the Gobi desert. Fortunately, salvation is at hand, but not from the treacherous Tegana, but condensation forming in the TARDIS as the freezing air of night is warmed by the stifling heat of day.

Indeed this is all explained to us at length as Ian enters schoolteacher mode once again. Unlike, the out of place teaching in "The Roof of the World", at least the explanation is given to preserve the travellers lives as they explain how they suddenly produce water to a apoplectic Marco. Thank goodness that they are able to convince him.

Water, water, everywhere.

With Marco's caravan now given a new supply of water, they are able to make it to the oasis and find Tegana. The Mongol warlord certainly has some explaining to do as to why he never started back with fresh water, but he concocts a cock-and-bull story about Bandits camping at the oasis overnight. It's certainly a flimsy excuse, as Barbara points out, they must have been very clean as there was no evidence of a fire being built even on a bitterly cold desert night. What's the most amazing is that Barbara seems to be the only one cottoning on to Tegana's duplicity, while Marco and the others are quick to take him at his word.

The spark being lit to Barbara's suspicions, the story quickly moves to the city of Tun-Huang where the caravan has set up for a few days before starting on the next leg of the journey. Of course, the Doctor, clever as ever has managed to make another TARDIS key and hopes to use the respite to make repairs. Naturally, things don't go to plan.

Before we get to that though, we have a bizarre little interlude as they all settle down to watch Ping-Cho tell a little story about the Hashashin, Hulagu and the Caves of Five Hundred Eyes. It's certainly well told and the music in the background complements it nicely, but it does take me out of the story every time I watch this episode. Of course, Ian once again slips into teacher mode briefly as he informs Susan that we use a form of Hashashin in the 20th century: assassin. A interesting factoid, but surely Barbara's the history teacher?!?

The Doctor and Ping-Cho.

Not that Barbara has much time to give history lessons as her spidey-sense is definitely tingling when it comes to Tegana. Rather foolishly, she follows Tegana as he leaves the city and makes his way over two miles to the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes. Suspicions are one thing, but you'd think she'd at least tell Ian, but she goes off alone and soon falls into the hands of Tegana's creepy cohorts. Interestingly, Tegana proves not to have the stomach for complete villainy as he is happy for his friends to have their way with Barbara while he returns to the city to drink tea.

Of course, it isn't long before Barbara is missed and Marco, Ian and Tegana set off in search of the young woman. Wonderfully, it isn't the heroes that we focus on, as it is Susan and Ping-Cho that deduce that Barbara has made her way to the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes and they enlist the Doctor's help in finding her. Not that the old Time Lord doesn't get distracted upon entering the cave, entranced by the wonderful carvings in the quartz, he has to be reminded by Susan that they actually came to look for Barbara.

We end the episode with Susan in hysterics once again as she spots a pair of eyes moving on a carved face on the rock. Usually, I sneer at her overreactions, but on this occasion, it absolutely works. What a wonderful cliffhanger, even if she did stumble over her worlds a little.

Moment of the Episode

The moment of the episode once again belongs to Miss Barbara Wright. Just prior to the Doctor, Susan and Ping-Cho arriving, she is trapped in the cave with a couple of Tegana's Mongol cohorts, who are playing a game with dice while they wait. No real words are exchanged in this scene, but one of the Mongols drawing his finger across his throat as he looks at the terrified Barbara is enough to tell you that they were playing for the right to kill her. Ghoulish.

Episode 4: "The Wall of Lies"

I have been remiss during my watch of Marco Polo in not highlighting Polo himself and his actions and thought processes which we gain some glimpse of through his journal extracts. In "The Roof of the World", Polo takes possession of the TARDIS with the intention of presenting it to Kublai Khan so that he can indeed buy his freedom to return to Venice. In any other story this would mark Polo would then be considered the villain of the story for the Doctor and his friends to fight against. However, that isn't the case, we the audience, and indeed the Doctor's companions (if not the Time Lord himself) feel sorry for Polo and his story of enforced servitude to the Khan.

Polo's lack of villainy is further highlighted through his journal entries in which he feels he must protect the Doctor and his friends and has a duty to see them back to Venice, even though he is responsible for their situation. Indeed, he strikes up a friendship with Ian, and is content to let Susan and Ping-Cho become the best of friends, even with the inherent risks. In short, Polo is a man of truth and honour, yet is desperate to return home. It is in this episode, that the core of Polo's being is tested.

Tegana speaks poison about the Doctor and his companions.

Moving on to the Mongol warlord Tegana and he plays an absolute blinder in this episode. Throughout this adventure, Tegana has been attempting to stop Polo's caravan from reaching Shang-Tu and his meeting with the Mighty Kublai Khan as he attempts to sue for peach as an emissary for Nogai. To say that the Doctor and his companions have been a bit of a thorn in his side is an understatement, yet it is with their help that he manages to convince Polo of their duplicity and improve his position with the Venetian.

With Polo, I really like to believe that he harbors doubts over Tegana. After all, he is an emissary for an enemy of the Khan, although obviously he is duty bound to ensure his safety and arrival at Shang-Tu. Tegana's attitude and behaviour toward Polo, whether it's pulling a sword on him in an attempt to test his reactions, a tone dripping with disdain on occasion or sneaking off into the desert and cities without permission would certainly get me thinking. Indeed, it could be said that he hardly has a friendly relationship with Tegana like he has with Ian.

The confrontation outside the TARDIS.

Perhaps then, his discovery that the Doctor and his friends have somehow made another TARDIS key, have conducted their repairs and planned to slip off in the middle of the night, speaks more of a betrayal of friendship, of trust, and especially honor. Yes, it was Tegana's poisonous words to Polo that led to the Venetian having doubts, but actually, there was truth to those words: The Doctor is the leader of their little band, but also can you truly trust those who have been wronged by you. Polo's anger is certainly understandable, yet Tegana is still very much the villain to the audience, as he makes things far harder for the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara.

Still, with a dead guard outside the time travellers tent, is the next phase of Tegana's plan about to play out?

Moment of the Episode

The Doctor: "You poor, pathetic, stupid savage!"

There's absolutely no question with this one: it has to be the big confrontation outside of the TARDIS. I truly believed that Tegana was going to be shown as a fool at his insistence that the Doctor was inside his "caravan", thinking that the Time Lord would notice what was happening on the scanner and stay put. Instead he steps out into the waiting Polo, Tegana and Ian. This whole scene is dynamite as Tegana's poison takes route in Polo and he explodes, officially making the travellers prisoners of the Khan and threatening them with a death sentence.

Episode 5: "Rider from Shang-Tu"

In the review for "The Wall of Lies" I spoke at length about the motivations and actions of both Polo and Tegana. So, it was rather nice to see that this episode followed up on yesterday's discussion and not only that, but see the Doctor and his companions also considering the same when it comes to Tegana.

From the very beginning of the episode, it is hinted at that Polo still trusts and respects Ian as he is so quick to accept that there is about to be a bandit attack. True, it would be a strange method of executing an escape plan by waking up the entire camp, when they could just quietly steal back the TARDIS keys and be on their merry way. This makes Tegana's bluster regarding the travellers intentions all the more mystifying.

It is through Ian's honesty in revealing that they are making an escape attempt, as well as all of their actions in defending the camp from the bandit attack that brings Polo to see past their former betrayal and restore all of the privileges they once had and rescind the Khan's decree so that they are now his prisoners. Once again, we are shown that Polo is a man of principle who places honor and trust above all else. After all, he simply had to implore Ping-Cho not to reveal where he had hidden the TARDIS keys, and that was enough for Ping-Cho to keep her word (although she stole them anyway, following the letter of her promise, if not the intent). It was therefore a strange experience to feel sympathetic toward Polo when the travellers once again try to abscond at the episode's conclusion. Yet, that speaks to how well the characters in this story are written.

Examining Tegana and once again one of his schemes unravels thanks to the Doctor and his companions and, ironically, it is he that brings an end to the bandit attack by killing the leader, Acomat, rather than be exposed. This is enough to tip off the Doctor that the Mongol warlord is up to mischief, although he believes that he is simply after the TARDIS. However, Ian recalls that Tegana is terrified of it and the "magic" that lies within, which is right, but he isn't aware that Tegana has already made plans to send the TARDIS to Nogai. With the story moving to it's conclusion and the travellers moving on towards Shang-Tu, it can only be a matter of time before Tegana's motives are revealed.

Ling-Tau, the rider from Shang-Tu.

Before I sign off, just a quick note to say that the educational agenda is at play in this episode, and it was actually quite interesting this time. The travellers put bamboo on the fire as it expands and creates a loud bang that will hopefully scare away the bandits. Ultimately, it had a role to play, but it was the death of Acomat that proved the final blow. More interesting was the arrival of Ling-Tau, a messenger from the Khan who had traveled 300 miles on horseback in one day. The facts he relates about changing horses every three miles, wearing bells to notify the next way station and wearing tight bands around the head and other extremities to reduce the physical impact, truly interested me. As much as I have complained at times, it's interesting to see the educational agenda in the program when it's as good as this. Sadly, something that is lost over time.

Moment(s) of the Episode

In an episode filled with bandit attacks and another intense scene outside the TARDIS, it is actually two little scenes between Susan and Ping-Cho that stand out in this episode. The first is when the two girls are watching the fish swim around in the koi pond and they are suggesting who the fish remind them of, which leads to them both talking of their desire to return to their respective homes. The second follows on from this, when Ping-Cho hands the TARDIS keys over to Susan. Two beautiful scenes.

The Doctor: "'I could hardly have it placed in the hanging garden, now could I?' What does he think it is? A potting shed, or something."

The third moment must be given to the Doctor's interaction with Wang-Lo at the White City way station. Asking about the whereabouts of the TARDIS, Lo remarks that he'd put it in the stables as he could hardly leave it in the hanging gardens. The Doctor's outrage and mimicry of Lo are great, but the reactions of Ian and Barbara make this moment priceless.

Episode 6: "Mighty Kublai Khan"

There has been an elephant in the room throughout this entire viewing of Marco Polo so far, not because it wasn't something that I didn't want to talk about in case I might cause some upset, but simply because I knew a point was coming in the story when it would be brought to the fore. That subject, is, of course, the upcoming arranged marriage of Ping-Cho to a somewhat older gentleman that she has never met.

Our own views on arranged marriages doesn't matter in this context, although the program assumes that the audiences views would tie in with the Doctor and his companions. Susan's condemnation seems rather out of place considering all the places that she and her grandfather had visited and all the cultures that they had encountered, but then, Ping-Cho has grown to be a rather close friend of the young Gallifreyan. Of course, Barbara is strongly opposed to the marriage, and even goes as far to speak for Ian during in the tense conversation with Polo.

Cutting through all of the issues we must focus on the young woman involved. With their arrival at Shang-Tu imminent and with the botched escape attempt by the travellers that she aided in, Ping-Cho disappears into the night with all the money that she has and travels back to Cheng Ting in the hopes of finding passage back to Samarkand. Throughout this entire story, Ping-Cho has been excellently portrayed by Zienia Merton as a gentle and fragile creature taken far from her home and everything she knew, and the thought of her trekking back to Cheng Ting alone absolutely breaks my heart.

Ping-Cho is conned out of her money by Kuiju and his evil monkey.

Her arrival in Cheng Ting isn't the end of the trauma for poor Cho either as she is conned out of her money by the eye-patch wearing Kuiju and his mischievous monkey before being admonished and man-handled by Wang-Lo. Thank the lord for the arrival of Ian, although he simply wants to return her to Shang-Tu and her arranged marriage. Until he learns that Kuiji has made off with the TARDIS that is, when the pair set off in pursuit along the road to Karakorum and straight into the path of Tegana. The warlord has also followed Cho back after convincing Polo that the travellers were only interested in the TARDIS (although the discussion about arranged marriages didn't help). As we build into the final episode, Tegana's duplicity is finally revealed as Kuiju revealed it is he who paid him to steal the TARDIS.

Away from the runaway Ping-Cho, we of course have the arrival of Polo's caravan at Shang-Tu and our meeting with the Mighty Kublai Khan. And what an absolute gem of a meeting it was! For the first time, William Hartnell was able to flex his comedic muscle on Doctor Who and I was lapping up every single minute of it. The initial exchanges with the Vizier, with the Doctor complaining that his bad back after five days of horse riding meant that he couldn't kowtow to the Khan, was funny enough but the scenes with the Khan was the absolutely pinnacle. I've included my favourite part of the exchange below.

The Doctor charms "Mighty" Kublai Khan.

Kublai Khan: "I think it is better that you ride with us [to Peking]."

The Doctor: "Oh, not another horse."

Kublai Khan: "You spoke?"

The Doctor: "I said I don't think I can get on another horse."

Kublai Khan: "Then walk!"

Fair play to the old Time Lord though, soon enough he is able to blag his way to travelling in the Khan's carriage of state and comforting the old despot by stating that age must be bore with dignity. The sly old fox.

In the next episode, we finally reach the end of our journey to Cathay. Will Tegana finally get his comeuppance? Will the travellers finally get the TARDIS back? Will Polo make it back to Vienna as Barbara once suggested? I can't wait to find out.

Moment(s) of the Episode

Polo: "... why not a caravan that flies? Birds fly. I have even seen fish that fly. You are asking me to believe that your caravan can defy the passage of the sun? Move not merely from one place to another, but from today into tomorrow, today into yesterday? No, Ian. That I cannot accept."

As much as I loved the scenes between the Doctor and Kublai Khan, my favourite scene was just a small one between Ian and Polo. With the not-so subtle prodding of Barbara, Ian once again tries to
convince the Venetian to give the TARDIS back. Ian finally reveals that they are from the future and that the ship is their only way home. Polo's description of time travel is rather poetic and a great line, but coupled with his testing of Ian's honesty when he asks how he got the key, it just makes a great scene.

Episode 7: "Assassin at Peking"

And so our journey to Cathay comes to an end. It hasn't quite been a seven-day run-through as originally intended thanks to a couple of real life issues. That feels strangely appropriate for a story that has spanned so much time for the Doctor and his companions as they've travelled from the Himalayas, across the Gobi desert, traipsed through bamboo forests and into the very heart of China itself and the seat of the Khan's power at Peking.

While the regular characters have been on quite a journey geographically, I feel that they've also been on quite an adventure emotionally as well. At the conclusion of The Edge of Destruction, all of the emotional baggage from the previous thirteen episodes had been ejected and a new team had emerged. Over the course of this adventure, the Doctor has emerged as the leader of the group but has also had some of those hard edges knocked off and discovered some well-needed humour and a sense of wonder that is quintessential for the Time Lord.

The Doctor's companions have also developed over the course of this adventure to a greater or lesser degree. Susan is finally served well in a story for the first time since "An Unearthly Child", being given this wonderful friendship with Ping-Cho where we can finally see the young Time Lady in relation to her peers rather than measure her against her authority figures. Through her conversations with Ping-Cho and earlier on with Barbara, we learn of her desire to find a place to settle down and end the eternal wandering, or perhaps even return home to Gallifrey.

The three main players.

Barbara Wright continues to go from strength-to-strength as her independent streak strongly asserts itself and she starts to move out from Ian's shadow. She was on to the villainous Tegana from the very beginning, suspicious of his reports of bandits at the oasis, following him alone to the Cave of One Hundred Eyes despite the possible consequences and being openly defiant with regard to Ping-Cho's arranged marriage to Marco Polo.

However, I feel that Ian has had the least development out of the main characters. Yes, he has served as a spokesperson for the time travellers thanks to his friendship with Polo, but he served a similar function with Ganatus and the Thals. The only new development is that he has slipped into teaching mode and is informing all and sundry about the boiling point of water, oxygen deprivation at high altitudes and the origins of the word "assassin". All very interesting, but not much of a stretch for a secondary school teacher.

Looking back at Marco Polo, it has been a long and meandering story, where the location has changed from episode-to-episode, and even in the same episode. Yet, many of the story beats of each of the individual episodes has been the same: Tegana sets a plan in motion, that plan is foiled by the TARDIS crew, Tegana speaks poison against them to Marco and the Venetian loses his temper and questions his trust in them. It has been a slow affair and yet, and yet, it is due to the performances and the fine characters that it hasn't felt boring at all. Some of the best scenes have been just a few characters chatting away.

"Assassin at Peking" feels like a very different beast from the six episodes that preceded it and suffers from the same problem as the final episode of The Daleks: so much is crammed in that some of the dangling plot threads are resolved in a single line. The biggest victim of this is Ping-Cho's story which has been built up over six episodes, yet her beloved dies off-screen on the night before the wedding and she's off the hook. A bit of a cop out. Even a goodbye scene with Susan was rushed as they just shouted their farewells to each other as the travellers dashed into the TARDIS.

The final confrontation.

Of course, the one dangling plot thread that was given time to breathe was the story of Tegana and his relationship with Polo. Tegana finally gets to make his move and assassinate the Khan, yet bungles it and ends up his killing the Vizier instead. In a nice return to the old pattern, the travellers work out what the warlord are up to and they are able to warn Polo in time to stop him. We are then treated to a sword fight which sounded mightily impressive, but the poor telesnaps couldn't do it as much justice as the existing episode would.

In the end, Tegana chooses to end his own life rather than be executed by the Khan's guards. For some reason, this makes me happy and it seems quite fitting. Tegana had been a bit of a pantomime villain at times and his plans have all fallen to nought, but God loves a trier. Thanks to his actions in saving the Khan's life, Polo is finally given permission to return home to Venice and so allows the travellers to depart in their caravan. I love a happy ending.

Moment(s) of the Episode

The Doctor and "Mighty" Kublai Khan play backgammon for the TARDIS.

The moment must of course go to the scene between the Doctor and "Mighty" Kublai Khan. After ingratiating himself with the despot in the last episode, the Time Lord is happily playing backgammon with him and even has him ordering refreshments for him. It turns out that the Doctor is rather good at backgammon, winning a variety of different animals from across the Empire as well as a year's worth of trade from Burma. So, it's only natural that the Doctor seeks to keep the Khan out of trouble with the Empress and bargains it all on gaining the TARDIS back... and loses. A fantastic scene and it's nice to see that the Doctor's sense of humor is here to stay. 

8/10