Season 2, Episode 6 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 27 March – 17 April 1965 | Writer: David Whitaker | Director: Douglas Camfield
Cast
- William Hartnell as the Doctor
- William Russell as Ian Chesterton
- Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright
- Maureen O’Brien as Vicki
- Julian Glover as King Richard I
- Bernard Kay as Saladin
Summary
The TARDIS materialises in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade, where the group is separated after an ambush leaves Barbara a captive of the forces of Saladin while the Doctor and Vicki find themselves at the court of King Richard the Lionheart. As political intrigue swirls around a proposed marriage alliance meant to end the conflict, Ian sets out on a dangerous rescue mission to reunite the group.
Interesting Facts
- This serial is considered one of the finest historical stories of the era, noted for Julian Glover’s performance as Richard I and its unusually even-handed depiction of both Crusader and Saracen sides of the conflict.
- Two of its four episodes, “The Knight of Jaffa” and “The Warlords,” remain missing from the BBC archive.
- Writer David Whitaker drew directly on the plays of William Shakespeare and Jean Anouilh’s “Becket” for its dialogue and courtly intrigue.
- It received an animated reconstruction of its missing episodes for a later home media release.
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