Doctor Who: The Romans [1965]

Date(s) of Broadcast: 16 January 1965 - 6 February 1965
Number of Episodes: 4
Average Episode Running Times: 25 mins
Format: black and white
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Producer: Verity Lambert
Associate Producer: Mervyn Pinfield

SCRIPT
Script: Dennis Spooner
Story Editor: Dennis Spooner

DIRECTION
Director: Christopher Barry

PHOTOGRAPHY
Studio Lighting: Howard King
Film Camera: Dick Bush

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Jim Latham

MUSIC
Title Music: Ron Grainer, The BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Title Music Arranger: Delia Derbyshire
Incidental Music: Raymond Jones

SOUND
Studio Sound: Richard Chubb
Special Sound: Brian Hodgson

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Sonia Markham
Costumes: Daphne Dare

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Raymond P Cusick

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: David Maloney
Assistant Floor Manager: Valerie Wilkins

STUNTS
Fight Arranger: Peter Diamond

CAST
EPISODE 1: The Slave Traders
William Hartnell [The Doctor]
William Russell [Ian Chesterton]
Jacqueline Hill [Barbara Wright]
Maureen O'Brien [Vicki]
Derek Sydney [Sevcheria]
Nicholas Evans [Didius]
Dennis Edwards [Centurion]
Margot Thomas [stall holder]
Edward Kelsey [slave buyer]
Petulion Bart Allison [Maximus Pettulian]
Barry Jackson [Ascaris]

EPISODE 2: All Roads Lead To Rome
William Hartnell [The Doctor]
William Russell [Ian Chesterton]
Jacqueline Hill [Barbara Wright]
Maureen O'Brien [Vicki]
Barry Jackson [Ascaris]
Peter Diamond [Delos]
Michael Peake [Tavius]
Dorothy Rose-Gribble [woman slave]
Gertan Klauber [galley master]
Ernest Jennings [first man in market]
John Caesar [second man in market]
Tony Lambden [court messenger]
Derek Francis [Emperor Claudius Nero]
Brian Proudfoot [Tigilinus]

EPISODE 3: Conspiracy
William Hartnell [The Doctor]
William Russell [Ian Chesterton]
Jacqueline Hill [Barbara Wright]
Maureen O'Brien [Vicki]
Peter Diamond [Delos]
Michael Peake [Tavius]
Dorothy Rose-Gribble [woman slave]
Derek Francis [Emperor Claudius Nero]
Brian Proudfoot [cup bearer (Tigilinus)]
Kay Patrick [Poppaea]
Ann Tirard [Locusta]

EPISODE 4: Inferno
William Hartnell [The Doctor]
William Russell [Ian Chesterton]
Jacqueline Hill [Barbara Wright]
Maureen O'Brien [Vicki]
Peter Diamond [Delos]
Michael Peake [Tavius]
Derek Francis [Emperor Claudius Nero]
Kay Patrick [Poppaea]

UNCREDITED PERFORMERS
Terri Dern, Sandra Harris, Tina Kennedy, Alison Leney [slaves]
Paul Andrews, James Appleby, Vez Delahunt, Pat Donohue, Tony Lee, Roy Reeves, Richard Wilding, Les Wilkinson [galley slaves]
Vez Delahunt [dead centurion]
Bill Burridge, Derek Calder, Gordon Cave, Paul Duval, Jonas Kurchi, Alan Selwyn [gladiators]
Douglas Abercrombie, Paul Blomley, Diane Chapman, Michael Essex, George Fisher, Alison Leney, James Lyon, Anne Mazell, Ronnie Mead, Sara Negus, Steve Peters [people at banquet]
Yusha Adams, Mickie Baker, David Brewster, Michael Buck, David Cannon, John Day, Paul Duval, Alan Jones, Derek Martin, Philip Moore, Aldred Morgan, Tony Poole, Bill Richards, Les Saunders, Frank Sessman [rabble]
Ronald Adams, Pat Ambrose, Gladys Bacon, Francesco Bertorelli, David Brewster, Nigel Clayton, Jack Collins, George Daly, Harry Davies, Fred Davies, John De Marco, Rosemary Devitt, John Fry, Bunty Garland, Ursula Granville, John Langley, Terry Leigh, John Little, Rilla Madden, Barbara Mansfield, Dickie Martyn, Dawn Pyke, John Sagar, John Scammell, Gillian Smith, Tom Sye, Fred Taylor, Gerry Videl, Johnny Wainwright [people in markets]
Eric Bird, Bill Burridge, Derek Calder, Pat Donohue, Paul Duval, Dennis Edwards, Fred Haggerty, James Heather, Jonas Kurchi, John Pollock Roy Reeves, John Scott Martin, Alan Selwyn, Rose Thomas, Gerry Wain [guards and soldiers]
Paul Andrews, James Appleby [courtiers]

EPISODES

1. The Slave Traders [16 January 1965]
2. All Roads Lead To Rome [23 January 1965]
3. Conspiracy [30 January 1965]
4. Inferno [6 February 1965]

The crew of the TARDIS take a holiday in a Roman villa in the year 64AD. But their holiday is cut short when Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave tarders and The Doctor winds up in the court of Emperor Nero, mistaken for the lyre player Maximus Pettulian. Ian ends up as a gladiator in the arena, Barbara is sold at a slave auction and The Doctor accidentally plants in Nero's mind the idea of razing Rome to the ground...

A rather dull historical outing notable only for it being more rather more consciouslt humorous than previous stories. Hartnell clearly revels in the chance to play in a more light hearted story and is often great fun to watch, but the implausible portrayal of Nero as an idiot and the rather meandering narrative count against it.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

1964
November
17: UK - studio filming at Ealing
18: UK - studio filming at Ealing

December
18: UK - studio filming at Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, London

1965
January
1: UK - studio filming at Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, London
8: UK - studio filming at Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, London
15: UK - studio filming at Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, London
16: UK - The Slave Traders television broadcast [on BBC1]
23: UK - All Roads Lead to Rome television broadcast [on BBC1]
30: UK - Conspiracy television broadcast [on BBC1]

February
6: UK - Inferno television broadcast [on BBC1]

BOOKS

Doctor Who Programme Guide pp.32-33
credits, synopsis [by Jean-Marc Lofficier]

Doctor Who The Discontinuity Guide pp.32-33
credits, trivia, review [by Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping]

Doctor Who: The Handbook: The First Doctor pp.88-91
credits, synopsis, review [by David J. Howe, Mark Stammers, Stephen James Walker]

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.43-47
credits, synopsis, review [by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker]

Pocket Essentials: Doctor Who pp.16-17
credits, review [by Mark Campbell]

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

aliens, arenas, gladiators, nero, romans, slavery, time travel

Last Updated: 21 April, 2008