Doctor Who - The Romans Reviews

Rating		Votes
10	27%	28
9	20%	21
8	24%	25
7	17%	18
6	9%	9
5	2%	2
4	1%	1
3	0%	0
2	0%	0
1	0%	0
Average Rating 8.3
Votes 104

Synopsis

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide:
The four time travellers are enjoying a rare holiday, staying at a villa not far from Rome in the year 64 AD. The Doctor soon becomes restless and sets off to visit the city, taking Vicki with him. In their absence, Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders.

Having been mistaken for the famous lyre player Maximus Pettulian and asked to perform at the Emperor Nero's Court, the Doctor has to devise ever more elaborate schemes to avoid revealing that he cannot actually play the instrument.

Ian meanwhile becomes a galley slave, while Barbara is sold to Nero's slave buyer Tavius at an auction in Rome. Ian and a fellow slave named Delos escape from the galley when it is wrecked in a storm and make their way to Rome to try to find and rescue Barbara.

There they are recaptured and forced to fight as gladiators in the arena. Events reach their climax when, by accidentally setting light to the Emperor's plans for the rebuilding of Rome, the Doctor gives him the idea of having the city razed to the ground. Nero plays the lyre while Rome burns, and the Doctor and Vicki and a reunited Ian and Barbara make their separate ways back to the villa.

Has Prerequisite Story

1 out of 17 (5.9%) raters say this story requires a previous story.

Extended Ratings

Plot

8.0

(28)

Acting

8.6

(28)

Effects

7.9

(27)

Replay

7.9

(27)

1st Doctor

Barbara Wright

Ian Chesterton

Vicki

Didius

Nero

Poppaea

Historical

Cast

The Doctor - William Hartnell

Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill

Ian Chesterton - William Russell

Vicki - Maureen O'Brien

1st Man in Market - Ernest Jennings

2nd Man in Market - John Caesar

Ascaris - Barry Jackson

Centurian - Dennis Edwards

Court Messenger - Tony Lambden

Delos - Peter Diamond

Didius - Nicholas Evans

Galley Master - Gertan Klauber

Locusta - Ann Tirard

Maximus Pettulian - Bart Allison

Nero - Derek Francis

Poppaea - Kay Patrick

Sevcheria - Derek Sydney

Slave buyer - Edward Kelsey

Stall holder - Margot Thomas

Tavius - Michael Peake

Tigilinus - Brian Proudfoot

Woman Slave - Dorothy-Rose Gribble

Director:

Christopher Barry

Writer:

Dennis Spooner

Purchase From:

Big Finish

Reviews

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Doctor Who

Classic TV Series

The Romans

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Reviewed By: comparestoreReview Date: 9/2/18 8:36 am

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

A very funny historical taking place in Roman times while Emperor Nero is in power.

The humour works very well and is at the core of the story. I personally really enjoyed the humour as it is deliberately silly. This results in the story feeling much more fast-paced than previous ones, which I like a lot.

Doctor Who

Classic TV Series

The Romans

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Reviewed By: BrainofMorbius23Review Date: 7/11/18 12:20 pm

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Well I never !
This was not at all what I had expected. The romans is basically a typical historical of this era but spiced with humour it actually stands out! Not like a sore thumb either. I have to say for me at least that this suited the first doc just as well as the serious sides stuff. I’d place this par with the Aztecs as my favourite historical ( excluding the lost ones)

Nero is great and ridiculous.
Hope others enjoy as much as I did 9/10

The rescue leads straight into this as some hartnell stories do

Though neither are related

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8.6

(128)

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7.0

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Unsure

Reviewed By: adamelijahReview Date: 11/7/16 1:41 pm

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

A story that finds the Doctor and TARDIS crew taking a break in Rome with the Doctor and Vicki wandering into the midst of political intrigue while Ian and Barbara end up kidnapped by slavers. This adventure features some genuinely funny moments such as the Doctor fighting off an assassin singlehandedly or Barbara accidentally knocking Ian in the head during a fight, thus dooming them to slavery. The comic moments are set against the backdrop of Roman slavery and Nero's impending burning of Rome and mass murder, gives it a very dark edge. The more you enjoy dark comedy, the more you'll enjoy this story.