The Romans DVD NTSC Region 1 DVD PAL Region 2 VHS Video NTSC A NTSC B PAL

(Doctor Who Story No. 12, starring William Hartnell) written by Dennis Spooner directed by Christopher Barry produced by Verity Lambert music by Raymond Jones 4 episodes @ 25 minutes each: The Slave Traders All Roads Lead to Rome Conspiracy Inferno Story: After a month of decadent lounging in an abandoned Roman Empire mansion, the Doctor and Vicki decide to enter Rome itself in hopes of meeting Emperor Nero. While they become embroiled in a web of courtly mischief, Ian and Barbara find themselves in a more deadly predicament.... Will the two parties be able to find each other and help each other out in the ensuing comedy of errors?

DVD Extras include:

• Audio commentary by actors William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Barry Jackson (Ascaris), Nick Evans (Didius),
  director Christopher Barry, designer Raymond Cusick (episode 4 only), and moderator Toby Hadoke.
• Reality/Fantasy making-of featurette (34 min.) with Russell, Jackson, Barry, Cusick, Kay Patrick (Poppaea), and future writer James Moran.
• Featurette on writer Dennis Spooner (18 min.)
• "Roma Parva" featurette (2.5 min.) demonstrating camera blocking and planning using a model of the studio set
• Featurette on 1960's Doctor Who girls (18 min.) with Carole Ann Ford (Susan), Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom), Anneke Wills (Polly),
  Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield), Honor Blackman (Professor Laskey), plus William Russell, Chris Barry, Peter Purves (Steven),
  Frazer Hines (Jamie), and future script editor Donald Tosh.
• Pop-up Production Note Subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Blue Peter Roman Banquet (7 min.)
• bundled with the previous story: "The Rescue"

Christopher Barry remains in the director's chair, and turns out four more of the season's best episode offerings. Yet another Dennis Spooner script weighs in heavily on the humorous side, and why not? It makes great entertainment. Inspired by "Carry On Cleo", was it? Well I happen to like "Carry On Cleo" a lot (it even features a Jon Pertwee cameo), and this story is definitely very different from "Cleo" and original.

Like many fans, I don't typically look forward to the purely historical stories, yet in the show's first two years these seem to be better done in the dramatic sense than their futuristic science fiction counter-parts. This is certainly the case with "The Romans".

Contrary to the novelization's practical abandonment of the Doctor's time-space vehicle, the TARDIS is handled very satisfactorily in this story, and some new insight is gained into its abilities and vulnerabilities - a planet's gravity can affect both the exterior AND THE INTERIOR of the TARDIS. Remember that when "The Curse of Peladon" (story no. 61), "Castrovalva" (story no. 117) and especially "Frontios" (story no. 133) have their turn.

The main characters become involved in the story for all the right reasons, and in a very humorous and unusual way as well. They move into an abandoned house and live the Roman lifestyle for a month before the story really gets underway - a nice method of giving us a few scenes of friendly, humorous banter between the four main characters which not only does an excellent job of introducing them to any casual viewer, but also gives them time and space to relax between adventures and allow them to age at the same rate as the audience. (A lot of stories stretch two days of adventure over six or seven weeks of transmission, and then thrust the main characters immediately into their next two day adventure, which often makes me wonder when the Doctor had time to gain several hundred years of age throughout the show's history.)

Finally, the Doctor and Vicki's curiosity overflows, and they set off to visit Rome. "This will be your first exploration...." the Doctor tells Vicki excitedly. Good! This is what the show is all about. Where "Planet of Giants" (story no. 9) has the four characters explore as practically one character, all with interchangeable lines, "The Romans" clearly defines four separate characters with a very enjoyable and humorous interaction.

The Doctor and Vicki set themselves a goal for this time-space location: they want to meet Nero. Excellent way to arouse the audience's curiosity and anticipation for the rest of the story as well. Ian and Barbara's involvement is less original, relying on the older capture/escape/rescue routines, but it is all particularly well done this time around, with humorous twists aplenty, so entertainment value is still high.

Raymond Jones turns in an exceptional score containing a separate well-done track for each of a palette of different moods, but it is a pity that there was only one for suspenseful creeping about, as this one gets a tad overused near the beginning of the story.

The cliffhangers are okay in this story, but nothing too spectacular or memorable.

So, you think the first Doctor is a helpless old man, do you? Always in need of Ian Chesterton, Steven Taylor, or Ben Jackson to do his physical fighting for him, eh? Not so, as episode two amply proves the Doctor can still hold his own at this point in his first incarnation, and enjoy himself at it to boot. The directing during this action is very believable as well - indicating a lot of pre-planning and an on-the-mark execution. "The Romans" thus begins to show us a Doctor with heroic traits, embroiling himself in the thick of things, and being able to handle it for once as well. Ian, for all his greater dexterity and physical strength, cannot perform as believably in his fight as a gladiator later on in the story. You'll never hit your opponent if you continually aim for his sword. Thumbs down, according to Nero. The Doctor is your man of action in this one, and it's about time.

Once in Nero's court, the Doctor continues to have plenty to do, using all his wits to support his false identity and sort out the court intrigue and mysteries - the continued humour making this enjoyable all the while.

The story has a climactic event for its conclusion, and for all the Doctor's pretense of non-interference, Vicki argues that he was instrumental in creating it and won't be swayed from her position. The Doctor is secretly swayed, however, and amused. Yes, admit it you old codger, you like interfering with the destinies of developing planets, don't you? There must be no tears, no regrets, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and bust into the heroic persona that lies dormant in your two hearts. Another lesson from humanity sinks into the Doctor here.

Once again, the TARDIS is very well demonstrated during its departure, and the story ends on a cliffhanger note, asking sci-fi mystery questions that will be answered in the next story....

"The Romans" is a fine wine of a Doctor Who story, to be sipped slowly, savoured, and relished for the fun romp that it is.

International Titles:

Deutsch: (Die Römer)

DVD NTSC Region 1 for the North American market: in the U.S. in Canada	DVD PAL Region 2 for the U.K.	VHS Video NTSC A for North America NTSC B for North America PAL for the U.K.

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