1.27: The Savages

In which Doctor Who somehow manages to do a classic Star Trek plot, three months before Star Trek even started. Oh, also Steven leaves.

Broadcast: May-June 1966

Watched: August 2019

Note: This story marks a big shift in the aesthetic of Doctor Who. Until now, every episode has had its own individual titles, enabling captions like, “Next time: The Feast of Steven” at the end of every instalment. From this point onwards, however, each story was given a title, and the episodes within it merely numbers (“part one” etc.), a situation that would persist until RTD’s 2005 relaunch, when he – mostly – reverted to the original system.

This would make later decisions about how to label novelisations or DVDs much easier, and drastically reduce the number of annoying arguments about what the ’correct’ titles for stories were. It does, however, remove one of the sources of colour from the series. After nearly three seasons and 118 episodes with individual titles, their loss feels like a bit of a shame.

The Savages, Episode 1

The Doctor recognises a planet and the hosts are expecting him. That’s new.

Also new: the string-based incidental music. It’s incredibly sinister, in a way we haven’t heard before. [Worth noting here that it’s another one we don’t have any of the video for.]

The thought occurs that this has a similar story to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. Also it’s a bit Logan’s Run too.

The Savages, Episode 2

Really neatly structured, this one – the way it gradually pulls out. So we’re suspicious, then we see they mistreat the savages, then we find out what they do and why, then it’s a police state where even the people who benefit can fall victim, then they turn on the Doctor... just feels quite well done.

Hartnell’s rage is one of those speeches you can imagine another Doctor giving: as with bits of Master Plan, or that War Machines cliffhanger I’m massively looking forward to, this is just the Doctor now, the same character we’re going to watch for the next half a century. He’s come a long way since the start of the series. (The presence of grunting people in animal skins means I keep thinking of the first story.)

I sort of like the way the exploitation is entirely symbolic too. None of the “this country was built on the labour of black bodies” overcomplicating things, they just literally suck the life out of someone.

The Savages is one of those titles with two meanings as well, isn’t it? Which at least slightly makes up for the fact they couldn’t be arsed to think of three more titles.

The Savages, Episodes 3-4

I’m not sure anyone in the history of fandom has ever described The Savages as a favourite, but it’s really good isn’t it? The plot is very Star Trek, so very 1966, but it’s definitely at the good end of Star Trek, all thoughtful allegory and so on. It’s oddly under-rated even by the standards of missing stories, but this is the second time I’ve heard it and the second time I’ve been surprised at how good it is.

Continuing the pulling-back-so-you-can-see-more structure, the third episode is largely about the savages not being savage. Not entirely sold on the revolution that it ends with, since they fundamentally only have one elder on their side and now there’s going to be a riot because they’ve just screwed up all the rich people’s lives. But it’s a sweet ending.

Steven’s departure is quite touching, after following him for 40 odd episodes. Purves made him very likeable, and I like how they show him as competent this story (which he definitely wasn’t as recently as the sodding Gunfighters), so there’s a real sense of pride when his reward is to run a planet.

Also Dodo’s sobbing... those two were absolutely definitely banging.

Anyway, since the production office couldn’t be bothered to do it themselves, here are my suggested episode titles. I am open to other suggestions.

1. The Savages

2. The Vitality Machine

3. The Valley of Caves

4. The Transfer

Just occurred to me that I’ve only got 12 Hartnell episodes left, and only four before the series starts going a bit dumb.

Ah well. I like Power, and Macra, and Faceless, and Evil. Actually what am I whining about, there’s loads of good stuff ahead.