1.4: Marco Polo

In which there is, tragically, nothing to watch. Sounds great, though.

Broadcast: February 1964

Watched: May 2019

A note: If you’re reading this nonsense then I’m assuming you already know this, but just in case someone has managed to end up here without being a massive, massive nerd… There are 97 episodes of Doctor Who missing from the archive. This story, despite the presence of the fetching photograph above, consists of seven of them: not a frame of footage remains. This is a shame, because it’s great. 

Luckily, other massive, massive nerds from days gone by recorded the soundtracks of every episode of early Doctor Who for posterity, and all of them have been cleaned up and made commercially available. Some can now be watched as animated episodes, too, or (although I’ve rarely bothered with these) as “reconstructions”: soundtracks accompanied by set photographs. 

In the case of Marco Polo, I just listened to the narrated audio version available from the BBC.

1. The Roof of the World

Listening while walking so only going to make notes at the end of an episode. Which makes more sense than the thing I normally do anyway, so.

This is more like it. I don’t *think* it’s just that I find the audio easier than the film – the script for this one is a real improvement. The drama comes out of the character, not manufactured peril or capture/escape loops. Marco is a good man who has different goals from our heroes, not a cackling villain. The Susan/Ping Cho pairing is great too. I like the way the conclusion from the footprint is, “Ooh, someone who can help us!” not “MONSTER”. And the Doctor laughing when he seems to have lost the TARDIS is brilliant.

I did feel some *slight* discomfort at our heroes’ relief at seeing a European – including the two who are *literally aliens* – but otherwise, magnificent.

Although this is literally the fourth story, of four, in which the TARDIS breaks in some way. Hmmm.

Above: A more accurate visual to convey the experience of “watching” this story.

2. The Singing Sands

This one is properly great isn’t it? Really wish we could see it, so we knew how they did the sandstorms. Love the use of Marco’s journal to move the plot on. Love the way the threat comes from the elements and the weird “Oh the TARDIS water is out!” stuff turns out to be relevant. And the cliffhanger (“Here’s water, Marco Polo! Bwahaha!”) is terrific. Just wonderful.

I thought for most of its length it was Hartnell’s week off, then suddenly he shows up again at the end. Any idea why? (My pal Jim did have an idea why: Hartnell was ill the week they rehearsed and performed this, so they reduced his contribution to a minimum.)

3. Five Hundred Eyes

Again, I feel we’re missing a lot by not being able to see it. Ping Cho’s story (she literally sits down to tell the other characters the story of “Ala-eddin, the Old man of the mountains” at one point) is a nice touch. Some of the characterisation is a bit racist. 

That’s…. really all I’ve got right now.

4. The Wall of Lies

Having complained about the lack of characterisation in earlier stories, that’s all this one is, and it’s… rather dull compared to what came before. The episode is just about re-angling various relationships. Still the best story yet though.

[At this point on my walk – around the London Overground, from Whitechapel to West Brompton, as I recall – I stopped and listened to something else for a bit.]

5. Rider from Shang Tu

6. Might Kublai Khan

7. Assassin at Peking

Taking a break was good, as I got back into it afterwards. I like the way there are two stories – the journey; the quest for the Maguffin that enables them to get off that sodding journey – but that the second one is done entirely through character (e.g. Ping Cho’s stealing the key for them; then Susan’s desire to say goodbye to her friend messing up the escape plan), rather than Nation-esque authorial fiat and technobabble.

I like the joke that Kublai Khan is old and cowardly. His wife is quite funny, too. Love the backgammon and the stakes its played for (“...all the commerce from Burma for one year, sire”).

Anyway, I enjoyed that. First story I really enjoyed and that felt like it was aiming higher than it needed to.  The Daleks nearly killed the pilgrimage before I’d got going but I’m feeling quite up for it again now.

Some bonus content!

A few days later, I watched the half hour reconstruction of Marco Polo from “The Beginning” boxset. It’s fine.

But while watching that I was looking up the serial and discovered that the guy who plays Kublai Khan was born in 1899. Soo... is he the oldest person to star in Doctor Who? Are there any older people working behind the camera?

[My pal Jim suggested that the oldest person involved is probably May Warden, who plays the aged Sara Kingdom in The Destruction of Time (1966). She’s born in 1891, which, by my count, makes her 112 years older than new regular Yasmin Finney.]