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Doctor Who retro review: The Romans (First Doctor story)

By James Aggas

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After watching and listening to the Doctor’s earlier adventures in Pompeii last week, we look at the Doctor’s first visit to Rome itself, in the classic First Doctor adventure, The Romans.

When reviewing The Fires of Pompeii on its tenth anniversary last week, it was hard to miss a nice little reference to First Doctor serial, The Romans. Specifically, when the Tenth Doctor states:

"Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with me. Well, a little bit."

When watching that earlier adventure, however, you realize just how significant his involvement was. And of course, how well it holds up.

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The Romans begins with the very unusual situation of the TARDIS crew taking a well-earned holiday. They’ve been living in the Roman Empire for some time, and enjoying a break from adventure, for once.

Of course, when The Romans begins, it’s not long before that situation changes. Still, it’s nice to know that sometimes, the TARDIS crew get a rest in between stories. Especially during the era of the First Doctor, when virtually every story directly lead into the next.

Fans of Ian and Barbara will definitely love this one. In the few scenes they have together, they’re absolutely adorable. There are wonderful scenes of playful humor between the two. In fact, it’s not hard to see them as an old married couple already. Despite the fact that, officially, at least, they never were a couple on the TV series during their era.

(Having said that, every interpretation in expanded media agrees that, yes, they got married to each other afterwards. Even spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures confirmed it on-screen in Death of the Doctor. And again, with the amount of chemistry and affection the two share in The Romans, it’s really not hard to see why.)

Slaves of Rome

However, it’s not long before both of them get captured and put into slavery while the Doctor and Vicki are away. While Ian and Barbara are together at first, they inevitably get separated. Barbara is sold to Tavius, a man who’s very close to the Emperor Nero.

This is easily the darkest element of The Romans, especially Ian’s story. Ian is forced to work, almost to the point of complete exhaustion. He lives in terrible conditions, and at one point, is forced to fight in a gladiator tournament. He really goes through hell in this story. And all the time, he aims to rescue Barbara.

Barbara, meanwhile, has to deal with the Emperor Nero. It’s surprising, but it’s through Nero that The Romans has a great deal of comedy. He is portrayed as incredibly vain and with a huge ego. The idea that someone could be better than him at anything offends him greatly.

Enter the Doctor.

More comedy is given through the First Doctor and Vicki’s storyline. While Ian and Barbara had to lives as slaves, the Doctor and Vicki at least had a relatively easy time. Mistaken for a musician, it’s not long before the Doctor finds himself in Nero’s court, and forced to play an instrument he barely knows. How he gets out of playing it is a brilliant scene to watch.

There are also many scenes of pure farce throughout The Romans. When Barbara arrives in Nero’s court at the same time as the Doctor, you’d expect the Doctor to rescue her. But in fact, the Doctor has no clue that she is there. In fact, the whole situation is played more for laughs than for drama, as the Doctor keeps missing her throughout the story.

Court of intrigue

However, along with the dark drama and light humor in The Romans, there’s also plenty of intrigue, too. The Doctor finds himself at the center of a plot, although he has no idea what it is.

Central to this plot is the man who bought Barbara, Tavius. He’s possibly one of the most interesting characters to watch in this story. Throughout The Romans, you’re never quite sure what his agenda is, or what he’s working towards. It’s only during the final scene that you get a sense of why he acts the way he does.

Next: The Helliax Rift review (Fifth Doctor/UNIT audio)

The Romans still holds up as a really solid Doctor Who story. While some of the humor may be dated in some areas, it’s still funny to watch at times. It’s also great how this humor is balanced by both dark drama and intriguing characters. Plus, there’s a pretty awesome gladiator fight, too. Overall, a strongly recommended watch.

(And the Doctor definitely had more than “a little bit” to do with the fire.)

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