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Doctor Who retro review: The Fires of Pompeii

By James Aggas

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Continuing our look back at Series Four, we review the first appearance of future Doctor Peter Capaldi, in The Fires of Pompeii exactly ten years on!

The Fires of Pompeii is an interesting episode. While it features the “monster of the week” with the Pyrovile, it still has a strong focus on the historical setting.

It’s also a challenging one, too. The Tenth Doctor and Donna aren’t just simply having fun in history in this episode. They’re not meeting any famous historical figures like Charles Dickens or Queen Victoria. Instead, they’re forced to confront a truly terrible day in history, as Mount Vesuvius erupts over Pompeii.

Considering this is Donna’s first trip as a companion in the TARDIS, this is unsurprisingly difficult for her to deal with. Even more difficult for her to accept is how quickly the Doctor wants to get away, rather than help people. She wants to save everyone and do something, but the Doctor remains firm that Pompeii’s fate can’t be changed.

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The fact that Donna continues to challenge the Doctor is a key reason why she was such a brilliant companion. Particularly the reason why she’s challenging him. She’s not complaining about landing in the wrong place, or trying to show off how clever she is.

Donna simply wants to save lives, no matter how impossible. The fact that she does convince the Doctor to save just one family is a moment that highlights just how special she was.

Which brings us to…

Peter Capaldi

It’s certainly interesting looking back on Peter Capaldi’s role as Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii, exactly ten years on. It’s not just the fact that we’re re-watching this episode mere months after his final one as the Twelfth Doctor. But it’s also interesting to see how much smaller this role is. More importantly: how different his performance is.

Back when he was initially announced as the Twelfth Doctor in 2013, the main complaint from fans was that he had appeared in the show before. There was worry that this wouldn’t be addressed. Especially as he had already appeared in another role in the same universe already, as Mr. Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth.

But fans needn’t have worried. It isn’t simply the fact that the Doctor wearing the same face as Caecilius was addressed in The Girl Who Died. It’s also Capaldi’s versatility as an actor. When he played the Twelfth Doctor, it was in a completely different way to how he played Caecilius or Mr. Frobisher. Once audiences got to see him as the Doctor, the fact that he was in the show before as anyone else became very, very easy to forget.

Caecilius and his family

Caecilius is just an ordinary family man in Pompeii. He’s not someone focused on the bigger picture or has difficulty with human beings. He’s just trying hard to take care of his family and gain respect, where possible. Caecilius might be living in ancient history, but at the same time, the character is a very relatable one.

Which is exactly what makes Caecilius – and indeed, the rest of his family – so important to this episode. They’re an ordinary family who are forced to face a terrible disaster. It’s through their eyes, as much as the Tenth Doctor’s and Donna’s, that we experience the tragedy of Pompeii.

Overall, The Fires of Pompeii is a strong episode for the series, especially in terms of drama. While the science-fiction element with the Pyrovile is okay, the episode is by far at its best when it focuses on the historical aspect.

Next: Ravenous 1 review (Eighth Doctor audio)

What do you think of The Fires of Pompeii? Is it one of your favourites? What do you make of Peter Capaldi’s first appearance in Doctor Who? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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