Doctor Who/The Romans

The Romans
012
Airdate	January 16, 1965
Production Number	M
Written by	Dennis Spooner
Directed by	Christopher Barry
← 011 The Rescue	013 → The Web Planet
Doctor Who — Season Two

The Romans is the fourth serial of the second season of Doctor Who, and the twelfth serial overall.

Guest Stars: Derek Sydney (Sevcheria), Nick Evans (Didius), Bart Allison (Maximus Petullian), Barry Jackson (Ascaris), Peter Diamond (Delos), Michael Peake (Tavius), Derek Francis (Nero), Brian Proudfoot (Tigilinus), Anne Tirard (Locusta), Kay Patrick (Poppea), Edward Kelsey (Slave Buyer), John Caesar (2nd Man in Market)

Plot Overview

The Slave Traders

The Doctor, Ian, Barabra, and Vicki have decided to go on holiday in ancient Rome, staying in a vacant home a few days north of the capital. Vicki reminds them that she was promised adventure, but all she has gotten so far is days and days of peace and tranquility.

To address Vicki's concerns, Barbara takes her to the market to go shopping. A merchant woman overhears them discussing the proper pronunciation of their home: London or "Londinium". After they leave, unknown to them, an unscrupulous man, Sevcheria, inquires about them. In exchange for money, the merchant tells Sevcheria where they are staying.

The Doctor and Vicki set off for Rome alone, leaving Barbara and Ian to look after the house while they are gone. Beside the road at the base of a statue they find a dead man with white hair, similar in appearance to the Doctor. Curious, the Doctor picks up the dead man's lyre and examines it.

As he is doing so a Roman centurian approaches, mistaking the Doctor for the musician that he is supposed to escort to Rome for an audience with Emperor Nero. Never the one to pass on such an opportunity, the Doctor pretends that he is in fact the musician, Maximus Petullian, despite the fact that there is very clearly some kind of intrigue afoot.

Back at the house, Ian and Barbara have drank perhaps a bit too much wine. When Sevcheria and his thugs arrive, Ian and Barbara are no match at all. They are quickly taken prisoner. They will be marched to Rome, and once there auctioned as slaves!

All Roads Lead to Rome

At an inn on the way to Rome, the Doctor endures an assassination attempt with what can only be called delight! He gleefully toys with the assassin (a man with no tongue), until finally Vicki arrives and chases the man out the window with a vase, ruining the Doctor's fun.

Ian has been made an oarsman aboard a slave ship. Meanwhile in Rome, Barbara is being held in a prison cell. Tavius, a kindly but somber man, visits Barbara outside of her cell. He plans to buy her.

When auction time comes, Tavius makes a surprise bid of ten thousand for Barbara. She is to be a servant in the palace (an attendant to Poppea, the Empress). Barbara's vow to escape elicits a reminder from Tavius that escaped slaves are executed.

When a storm tosses the ship about, Ian and the other slaves overpower the galley master. Oars unmanned, the ship crashes, killing most aboard. Only the dedicated action of Didius saves Ian's life. They have washed ashore somewhere near Rome. Ian and Didius travel into Rome itself, but are quickly captured and sent to be trained as gladiators.

When the Doctor finally meets Nero, Vicki is ecstatic. After a brief introduction, Nero asks Maximus (the Doctor) to play a song for him. Since the Doctor can't actually play the lyre, he asks Nero to play first—to provide an example. He then praises Nero's style and grace and suggests that the lyre be enshrined in his temple. Nero agrees. With no lyre, the Doctor cannot play. Problem solved.

The intrigue is only begining however. The Doctor and Vicki find the centurian, who accompanied them to Rome, behind a curtain ... dead!

Conspiracy

Tavius hisses to get Maximus's attention. He tells Maximus (the Doctor) that he has gotten rid of the centurian's body. He goes on to hint that Maximus has some role to play in some kind of conspiracy. Meanwhile Vicki meets the palace's official poisoner, Locusta. They talk amiably for a while.

Tavius introduces Barbara to Poppea. The Empress warns her not to become involved with Nero. She will not tolerate another woman. When Barbara does meet Nero, he chases her through the palace, eventually cornering her and pulling her onto a bed just as Poppea enters. The Empress is not amused. She resolves to speak with the Locusta. She will have Barbara poisoned.

The Doctor takes a steam bath with Nero, who has arranged a banquet that evening in Maximus's honor. It looks as though he will have to play for the emperor after all.

Having overhead Poppea's and Locusta's plans to poison someone at the banquet, Vicki switches the poisoned cups. Meanwhile out at the banquet, Nero has given Barbara a ring. Drinks arrive. Barbara drinks hers first. Nothing happens. Nero is about to drink his, when the Doctor shouts a warning—Vicki told him what she had done. Nero gives the drink to his annoying, ever-present attendant, who promptly drops dead. Furious, Poppea sends Locusta to the arena (to be fed to the lions) for botching the poisoning job.

When it comes time for Maximus Petullian (the Doctor) to actually play for Nero, he takes a page from The Emperor's New Clothes. He begins by telling the audience (and Nero in particular) that:

The music is so soft, so delicate, that only those with keen, perceptive hearing will be able to distinguish this melodious charm of music.

Nero is completely taken in by this ruse; so much so that he becomes jealous of Maximus's musical ability and begins plotting ways to kill him.

Nero takes Barbara with him to the gladiator training arena. He is still cross about Maximus Petullian's performance, and he wants to see someone get hurt. Nero schedules a performance for Maximus Petullian in the arena. During his performance, the lions will be released! Ian and Didius are ordered to fight each other for Nero's amusement. Ian loses, and Nero gives the "thumbs down" gesture, saying, "cut his head off!"

Inferno

Didius does not kill Ian. Instead he turns on the guards. Barbara shouts to Ian as he and Didius fight their way past the guards to the street outside. Nero is not overly concerned when they escape. He will simply use Barbara as bait to catch them.

Back at the palace Poppea demands that Tavius remove Barbara from the palace, threatening his life if he does not do so. When Barbara returns Tavius breaks the news to her. She then confides to him that Nero is using her as bait to catch Ian.

As the Doctor and Vicki are looking over Nero's plans for rebuilding Rome, Nero returns. He tells the Doctor that he has arranged a performance for him at the arena, but the Doctor already knows all about it (and the lions).

Having stood with his hands behind his back (in the sunlight), the Doctor's spectacles accidentally set Nero's plans on fire. The Emperor is furious. Guards seize the Doctor, prepared to throw him to the lions, but as Nero watches the plans burn in his hands, he gets an idea: if the senate won't let him rebuild Rome, then he'll burn it down. Then they'll have to let him rebuild it.

To put his plan into action, Nero calls in slaves to bear torches throughout the city—to burn it down. Ian and Didius answer the call and enter the palace under the pretense of being torch bearers. Tavius finds Ian among the crowd and reunites him with Barbara. Nero orders the men to leave, to burn Rome. That's when Ian and Barbara make their escape. Tavius sees them off as they go. They both return to the house before the Doctor and Vicki get back.

Vicki and the Doctor leave the Rome freely. They watch it burn from a safe distance. Ironically when they do return, the Doctor imagines that Barbara and Ian have been at the house the entire time and suggests that Barbara should not just sit there idling her days away.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Ian and Barbara shared a harrowing adventure in this episode, and seem to have grown closer, at least slightly.

Trivia

The Show

• The TARDIS lands and "takes off" at an angle in this story.
• This adventure occurs in July of 64 AD.
• Maximus Petullian's role in the conspiracy was to have been to assassinate Nero.
• Tavius sees Ian and Barbara off as they make their escape from the palace. As he does so, he can be seen holding a cross in his hands, implying that he was a closet Christian.
• Ian takes a cup and a pitcher from the house they stayed in as a "Roman souvenir".

Allusions and References

• After Barbara rearranges Ian's hair to look more "Roman", Ian begins to quote Shakespear's play Julius Caesar: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears ..."
• To avoid playing the lyre, the Doctor borrows a page from the Hans Christian Andersen folk tale The Emperor's New Clothes. He tells his audience that only those with the keenest hearing will be able to appreciate his very special song. He proceeds to play only silence.

Memorable Moments

• In a Roman household in July of the year 64 AD ...

Ian: No ice, I'm afraid.

Barbara: There's some in the fridge.

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