GALLERY
CAST
Regular Cast
William Hartnell (Dr Who), Jacqueline Hill (Barbara), William Russell (Ian), Maureen O Brien (Vicki)
Guest Cast
John Flint (William des Preaux), Walter Randall (El Akir), Julian Glover (Richard the Lionheart), David Anderson (Reynier de Marun), Bruce Wightman (William de Tornebu), Reg Pritchard (Ben Daheer), Tony Caunter (Thatcher), Roger Avon (Saphadin), Bernard Kay (Saladin), DerekWare (Saracen Warrior), Valentino Musetti (Saracen Warrior), Chris Konyils (Saracen Warrior), Ramond Novak (Saracen Warrior), Anthony Colby (Saracen Warrior), Jean Marsh (Joanna)
CREW
| Written by | David Whittaker |
| Directed by | Douglas Camfield |
| Produced by | Verity Lambert |
RATINGS
| 1 | “The Lion” | 24:56 | 27 March 1965 | 10.5m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | “The Knight of Jaffa” | 23: 28 | 3 April 1965 | 8.5m |
| 3 | “The Wheel of Fortune” | 24:51 | 10 April 1965 | 9.0m |
| 4 | “The Warlords” | 23:40 | 17 April 1965 | 9.5m |
SYPNOSIS
The TARDIS arrives in 12th century Palestine where a holy war is in progress between the forces of King Richard the Lionheart and the Saracen ruler Saladin. Barbara is abducted in a Saracen ambush and the Doctor, Ian and Vicki make their way to King Richard’s palace in the city of Jaffa.
PLOT
THE LION (1)
The TARDIS materialises in 12th century Jaffa in the same forest King Richard the Lionheart and his associates are inhabiting. As they talk about sport and tactics, they are beset by Saracens. A skirmish ensues which soon spills into where The Doctor and his companions are. Ian is forced to take up arms and fight off one of the Saracens with the help of the Doctor, but in the melee, Barbara is seized by the heathens and taken hostage. The travellers stumble across William de Tornebu, who has been wounded in the skirmish and look after him, protecting him from the Saracen onslaught. They call for Barbara, but though she can hear them she has been bound and gagged and is taken away. Meanwhile, in another part of the wood, another companion of the king, William des Preaux, is surrounded by Saracens. He tells them that he is Richard as he knows they have orders to return the king to the leader of the Saracens, Saladin. By this time The Doctor has deduced where they are and what time period they are in just before Ian discovers that Barbara is no longer with them. He goes to look for her but to no avail. The Doctor, Ian, and Vicki agree to take the wounded de Tornebu back to Richard’s court. In order to fit in they have to find new clothes so The Doctor and Vicki decide to go look for them While Ian looks after de Tornebu and Richard’s belt.
Barbara awakes to find herself released and in the camp of the Saracens. She is greeted by des Preaux, who informs her of the trick he is pulling with regards to him being Richard and decides that in order to also protect Barbara it would be expedient for her to pretend to be Joanna, Richard’s sister. At this point El Akir, a senior member of the Saracen army interrupts the two prisoners and insults them, much to the anger of Des Preaux, who knows that Saladin demands the utmost respect for his prisoners. El Akir informs the prisoners that they are to be presented to Saphadin, Saladin’s brother.
The Doctor and Vicki have sneaked into the centre of Jaffa in order to acquire some more befitting clothes. They take advantage of a transaction between the shopkeeper and a Saracen soldier who has stolen some clothes from the English forces to steal the clothes themselves.
El Akir presents Barbara and des Preaux to Saphadin, who responds angrily, seeing straight through the falsehood of the two prisoners’ supposed identities. They are interrupted by Saladin. El Akir, eager to shift the blame from his case of mistaken identities, begins to suggest the prisoners could be used for entertainment purposes, stating that Barbara could be forced to walk over hot coals. Saladin asks Barbara whether she would find this acceptable, to which she responds in the negative. A shamed El Akir is told to allow the two prisoners all liberties in the camp except liberty itself.
The Doctor has brought de Tornebu to the court of King Richard, who is angry at the loss of life due to the Saracen siege and therefore treats the TARDIS crew very curtly. Ian, anxious to rescue Barbara, asks for the king’s help in rescuing her, but Richard, angry that Saladin enforces underhanded methods of warfare as well as the fact that his brother John seems to be willing to trade with Saladin, says that he refuses any contact with Saladin from here on in and therefore will not extend any help in the return of Barbara.
The Doctor, Vicki and Ian take de Tornebu to King Richard’s court and return his belt too. Richard thanks the three for their good deeds and in return Ian asks for an escort to lead him to Saladin and propose a trade for the return of Barbara but the King angrily disagrees and says he would never make a trade with Saladin as he mercilessly killed his friends.
THE KNIGHT OF JAFFA (2)
De Tornebu and the Doctor are able to convince the King to change his mind by playing up the embarrassment Saladin will feel when it’s revealed he has not actually captured the King. Richard is amused and asks The Doctor to join his court. They are interrupted when the King’s sister Joanna enters the court and is concerned about her brother. The Doctor, Vicki and Ian bow before her as the King introduces and commemorates them for their courage. The Doctor, Ian and Vicki bow to the King and exit the court. Richard and Joanna later discuss war and peace.
El Akir plots to gain his revenge on Barbara, and Genoese merchant Luigi Ferrigo willingly inserts himself into the situation, hoping to profit financially. He pretends to help Barbara escape, but in fact, delivers her into El Akir’s hands. El Akir rides away with her to Lydda.
Joanna befriends The Doctor and “Victor” (The Doctor decides to disguise Vicki for her safety). But the two travellers soon find themselves accused of theft by the Chamberlain and by the shopkeeper from whom they did indeed steal clothes. However, the man who originally stole the clothes and delivered them to the shopkeeper is revealed to be under the chamberlain’s command, and the Doctor is cleared of any crime.
Ian is knighted and sent to Saladin’s court to both request the release of des Preaux and Barbara and to offer the hand of the real Lady Joanna in marriage to Saphadin.
Ferrigo is allowed an audience with the Sultan and his brother but in the presence of des Preaux admits to helping kidnap Barbara. He is shot and killed by an arrow While trying to escape. Barbara, meanwhile, has escaped from El Akir and flees through the streets of Lydda when a hand clamps over her mouth…
THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE (3)
Barbara is taken in by Haroun ed-Din. He is sympathetic because El Akir killed his wife and son and kidnapped his daughter. The truth about Vicki is revealed to Joanna, but The Doctor and Vicki are able to placate her and Vicki is offered her protection.
Haroun leaves his remaining daughter Safiya with Barbara as he scouts around, but is knocked out by El Akir’s patrolling men. They search Haroun’s house, and while protecting Safiya, Barbara attempts to escape but she’s recaptured and returned to El Akir. Ian, on the way from Saladin’s court to Jaffa, is attacked by bandits and knocked out.
King Richard announces his plans to his assembled nobles, including the blood-thirsty Earl of Leicester. The earl is appalled, and he and the Doctor argue eloquently about the plans. The king’s mind is made up, but the earl becomes suspicious of the Doctor.
The Sultan tentatively agrees to the King’s plan, to the pleasure of his brother, but is suspicious and plans to be ready for any duplicity.
When Joanna learns of her brother’s marriage plans for her, The Doctor is politically caught between the two royals. She is infuriated and tells her brother she will never consent. The King turns on The Doctor, believing him to have exposed his plan prematurely, and orders them out of his sight.
Barbara is brought to El Akir where he taunts her with threats of torture, saying that the only pleasure she has left is death — which will be a long way away.
THE WARLORDS (4)
El Akir offers his guards gold to do whatever they like to Barbara. Barbara knocks the gold on the floor, and whilst the guards scramble to pick it up Barbara makes her exit. El Akir and the guards follow her and are met by only El Akir’s harem, who tell him they haven’t seen Barbara. Once El Akir is out of sight they tell Barbara to come out from her hiding place. They inform Barbara they all hate El Akir and would love to see her escape. Barbara befriends Haroun’s daughter and informs her that her father and sister are safe and well.
When Ian awakes, he finds himself tied by his hands and feet in the middle of the desert by a thief named Ibrahim. Ibrahim tells Ian that unless he pays him a ransom he will leave him to burn to death in the desert. When Ian says he has no money Ibrahim smothers honey on his face and chest and goes to wait in the shade until the threat of the oncoming horde of ants makes Ian reveal where his money is hidden.
Back in the fortress of Richard, Leicester is accusing The Doctor and Vicki of treason for their deceit towards Richard. The king enters and tells Leicester to prepare the troops for battle. Richard apologises to The Doctor and Vicki for being cross at them previously, stating he now knows it was Leicester who poisoned the mind of Joanna rather than them. He says that he cannot banish Leicester as he holds too much sway with the soldiers. The Doctor and Vicki decide that now is the best time to go to the TARDIS and wait for the others. Vicki is sad to hear that Richard’s plans will ultimately end in defeat, but The Doctor tells her history must take its proper course. Meanwhile, Leicester speaks to one of his advisors and speculates that The Doctor and Vicki must be traitors, and even speculates that they may be devils or witches. The advisor is told to keep a watch on the pair of them.
Back in the desert, Ian has devised a plan to escape from Ibrahim. He tells him that the money is in his boot. When Ibrahim loosens the binds on one of his feet Ian kicks Ibrahim to the ground and frees himself. He makes Ibrahim take him to Lydda under pain of death.
Unbeknownst to Barbara and the rest of the harem one of their number has betrayed them to El Akir, who takes them by surprise in order to discover Barbara. Just as Barbara is about to be slain for her treachery, Haroun enters and kills El Akir, and he is followed by Ian, who helps the women escape. Ian pays off Ibrahim with El Akir’s money and leaves for Jaffa on his horses.
As The Doctor and Vicki slink away to the TARDIS, they are discovered by Leicester and his soldiers. Leicester sees this as an admission of their guilt and vows to kill them for treason. However, he is interrupted by the return of Ian, who states that he is Sir Ian of Jaffa and has a higher claim on The Doctor’s head — stating that he killed a number of his troops. Leicester bows to this greater claim and the travellers escape together in the TARDIS. The TARDIS’s departure is witnessed by Leicester and his men, who are left believing that the brave Sir Ian has been spirited away by sorcerers — and vow never to tell what they have seen.
Meanwhile, The Doctor and his companions have not been travelling long when an unexplained power failure results in the interior lights starting to dim ominously. The crew suddenly freeze into immobility, and only the control console remains functioning and illuminated, with its light playing across the faces of the frozen figures before it…
NOTES
* Episode 2 (“The Knight of Jaffa”) was made under the working title “Damsel in Distress”
* Episode 3 (“The Wheel of Fortune”) was made under the working title “Changing Fortunes”
* Episode 4 (“The Warlords”) was made under the working title “The Knight of Jaffa”