1.8: The Reign of Terror

In which Doctor Who (person) hits a Frenchman with a spade, and Doctor Who (series) reaches the end of season 1.

Broadcast: August-September 1964

Watched: June 2019

Note: This is another story in which some episodes (4 and 5) do not, so far as we can tell, exist. The DVD version released in 2013 includes animated versions to accompany the original soundtrack.

1. A Land of Fear

Ian bribing the Doctor to stick around for a bit by promising him booze is hilarious. 

The first child in Doctor Who!! Love that we’re only 12km from Paris so, while this may look like the countryside, we are in fact in Parisian Ilford.

“I think we should get back to the ship while we still can,” says Ian, who has realised by now that he’s a Doctor Who companion.

The way they change into period costume for no reason is quite sweet, but also works as a way of telling us “this programme is now a historical drama”. Although the way the story seems to think the revolution and the reign of terror are synonymous is annoying.

The more hysterical of the aristos is a dead ringer for John from The Sensorites, which is odd. 

Anyway. Love that.  Genuinely lovely episode that one. And the “next episode” title card is almost Let’s Kill Hitler good.

2. Guests of Madame Guillotine

Ah, the first attempted rape in Doctor Who. Good oh. [It isn’t: a pal pointed out I’d forgotten the one from The Keys of Marinus. For a kid’s show this was quite rape-y.]

The reference to Serial A is a measure of how few times people have been held prisoner so far in Dr Who. The novelty will wear off.

A FIELD! THEY’RE FILMING ON LOCATION! Actually, this one looks noticeably glam compared to what came before. Wonder if Marco Polo was the same?

Susan is finally getting sick of being in a Doctor Who story, and Barbara is annoyed about it.

“I suppose you think you’re very clever.” “Without undue modesty – yes!” is brilliant. So is the Doctor smacking the foreman with a spade.

3. A Change of Identity

Not much to say but suspect that’s once again because I shouldn’t really watch more than two of these things back to back.

A lot of plot. The Doctor’s new outfit, the way he obtains it and the persona he takes on are all brilliant. Is the jailer the first person with a northern accent to appear in Doctor Who?

Anyway now I’m going to Finland for five days so I guess I’ll find out whether our heroes survive when I get back.

[We go to Finland. It is beautiful but expensive. I make a joke about how a full Finish breakfast includes reindeer sausage, then find myself actually eating reindeer sausage at breakfast. Five days pass.] 

4. The Tyrant of France

I know the animation is generally regarded as Not Very Good but I kind of love it. It’s atmospheric and adds to the paranoia. Plus, watching a missing episode is always great. Mind you, Ian looks nothing like Ian.

The Doctor’s taking no shit in his conversation with Robespierre is brilliant. Is this the first time he’s played a part like this?

I do like the gradual build up of paranoia in this story – the sense that nobody can be trusted and even extras can turn into enemies. Barbara being pulled in to see an interrogator who turns out to be the Doctor is sort of the inversion of that. 

And then, in the very next scene, Leon betrays them. Nice.

5. A Bargain of Necessity

The slow motion fight scene is an odd choice by the animators, since surely it wasn’t like that in the original?

The random history lesson is also very odd. Surely the audience couldn’t understand the significance of the names and dates reeled off by Robespierre?

Barbara’s fury at Jules for killing Leon in self-defence is great. So is the way the jailer is stupid but not that stupid. 

The first time I heard the audio of this one I remember feeling like the atmosphere of paranoia was such that there was half a second where you really could believe the Doctor had betrayed the others. Which you obviously can’t so what was I thinking? Maybe it’s more intense on audio 

6. Prisoners of Conciergerie 

Weird how the real twist – the identity of James Stirling – is held back rather than being the cliffhanger. “Whoever it is will be the next ruler of France!” is hilarious. So are Barbara and Ian playing dress up (Babs as tavern wench). 

The sense of standing on the edge of history while it happens to wander past you is really strong in this one – none of the history plots really link with it, it’s just, “Let’s have a quick chat with Robespierre now shall we?” and then we get on with the story again.

The closing conversation – the “our fate is in the stars!” bit – like “somewhere else the tea is getting cold" a quarter of a century later [the Doctor’s last words in the show’s original run], has an air of, “Quick, we’re going off air, find something profound to say.”

Season 1 COMPLETE.

[There is actually some debate about how the first few seasons of Doctor Who break down into seasons, because, in its earliest years, the show was a near constant presence. The next two stories, what’s more, were made as part of a single production block with the first eight: the second block begins with The Rescue, broadcast the third story of season 2, which introduces a new companion. 

But anyway, this is point that is generally accepted as marking the end of the first season, because after it the show went off air. For all of six weeks.]