Review for all 4 parts:
The Crusade is a four part pure historical adventure starting with The Lion. It is set in 12th Century Palestine, involving King Richard I ('The Lionheart) on crusade and would stand alongside any top BBC period drama of the 60s or 70s such as "I, Claudius". It is pure class with a super cast including Julian Glover (later of Bond villain and Game of Thrones fame) and Jean Marsh that would grace any Shakespearean stage production. The writer David Whitaker is one of Doctor Who's very best and here the script is beautifully written, intelligent and poetic. The director Douglas Camfield is also one of the series best and he is on top form here as are the regular cast.
The story reaches a peak at Episode 3 which must be one of the finest episodes of the first Doctor's era. The other episodes are also top drawer historical drama with exceptional scripts for the era. The second and fourth episodes can only be seen as reconstructions with still photographs as the videos were stupidly wiped. Part 4 is not quite as strong plot-wise but maintains top standards in other respects. Other than that the only criticism I can see is that it doesn't have the scifi interest or excitement of stories with aliens and space adventures.
For me this is sheer class and an unmissable story because time travel is as much of a key part of Doctor Who as alien threats and space travel.
My ratings: Episodes 1 & 2 - 9.5/10, Episode 3 - 10/10, Episode 4 - 9/10.
Overall average rating: 9.5/10.
The Crusade is a four part pure historical adventure starting with The Lion. It is set in 12th Century Palestine, involving King Richard I ('The Lionheart) on crusade and would stand alongside any top BBC period drama of the 60s or 70s such as "I, Claudius". It is pure class with a super cast including Julian Glover (later of Bond villain and Game of Thrones fame) and Jean Marsh that would grace any Shakespearean stage production. The writer David Whitaker is one of Doctor Who's very best and here the script is beautifully written, intelligent and poetic. The director Douglas Camfield is also one of the series best and he is on top form here as are the regular cast.
The story reaches a peak at Episode 3 which must be one of the finest episodes of the first Doctor's era. The other episodes are also top drawer historical drama with exceptional scripts for the era. The second and fourth episodes can only be seen as reconstructions with still photographs as the videos were stupidly wiped. Part 4 is not quite as strong plot-wise but maintains top standards in other respects. Other than that the only criticism I can see is that it doesn't have the scifi interest or excitement of stories with aliens and space adventures.
For me this is sheer class and an unmissable story because time travel is as much of a key part of Doctor Who as alien threats and space travel.
My ratings: Episodes 1 & 2 - 9.5/10, Episode 3 - 10/10, Episode 4 - 9/10.
Overall average rating: 9.5/10.