Doctor Who: The Highlanders (1966 – 1967)

Last of the historical efforts, this is kiddie-level 1745/Kidnapped, starting out with the usual misrepresentation of the Jacobite Uprising as an Anglo-Scots conflict but then getting away from thorny matters to get involved in other business. The baddies aren't English oppressors but a few bad apples using the uprising as an excuse to appropriate captured rebels for transportation as slaves.

We come along after the massacre of Culloden and spend more time running around larkishly in pirate-style adventuring. Troughton's Doctor - who uses 'Dr von Wer' as an alias, prompting an English lout to quiz 'Doctor 'Oo?' and be told 'that's right' - was still new to the role and gets an acting/comedy workout with multiple disguises (including dame-like drag) and funny voices. How shows a streak of deviousness in playing sides against each other, though the script doesn't cope with the fact that his knowledge of how it will all play out might make his interventions futile or (a la the Meddling Monk) dangerous to the continuum.

Frazer Hines joins the regular cast, but interestingly the serial plays him as a minor character with more of a build-up given to other possible regulars, twittish English officer Algernon ffinch (Michael Elwyn) or feisty rebel girl Kirsty (Hannah Gordon). In fact, Gordon might have made an effective substitute for the entire supporting cast for the rest of Troughton's run if she weren't obviously en route to bigger stuff.
KIM NEWMAN

First published in this form here.

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