Doctor Who (TV Series) The Slave Traders (1965) User Reviews

Fiddling while Rome burns

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 7/10 · 6 July 2014]

Review of all 4 parts:

This 4 part historical adventure from writer Dennis Spooner is a mix of serious drama and comedy. It takes place in Roman times and brings the time travellers to the court of Emperor Nero leading up to the burning of Rome. It features murder, intrigue and humour, some of which is reminiscent of a 'Carry On' film.

This is well liked by a fair amount of viewers and the first 2 episodes are certainly solid quality but I don't find much in this story particularly exceptional and find episode 3 pretty weak.

The story is mostly a comedy but is mixed with the story's occasionally dark themes of murder, slavery and the burning of a city. I find the first two parts fine but parts 3 and 4 feel too jarring to me at times. The Doctor supposedly fooling a room full of people that he is playing an instrument and Barbara being chased around like a Benny Hill sketch in part 3 take that episode into broad farce which just isn't my taste in a Doctor Who story.

The drama is relatively unexciting at times and it is mainly just a whimsical comedy interlude but the cast carry it off as well as possible and I can accept that amongst dark stories such as The Dalek Invasion of Earth and weird sci fi drama The Web Planet a story like this is intended as a bit of fun. I just find it goes a bit too far into silliness in the last 2 parts.

Writer Spooner was also the show's new script editor. His tenure had a lot more of this type of humour which is not as much to my taste as the more sophisticated style of humour in other eras.

Some good aspects to the drama and the funnier moments of humour along with some entertaining interaction and dialogue for the main characters (including a decent performance by newcomer Maureen O'Brien as Vicki) keep standards in the first 2 parts at a good standard and provide a few good scenes towards the end.

My Ratings: Episode 1 - 7/10, Episode 2 - 7.5/10, Episode 3 - 4/10, Episode 4 - 5.5/10.

Overall average rating: 6/10.

Carry On Following That Tardis

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 9 August 2013]

Slight spoilers to all four episodes

After an accident involving the Tardis the crew find themselves in AD 64 just outside Rome and decide to make the most of their time there and relax in a Villa . However Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders . Trying to find them the Doctor is mistaken for Lyre player Maximus who is ordered to play at the court of Empereror Nero which is difficult as the Doctor can't play a note . Ian and Barbara have their own difficulties as they're sold off as slaves and are separated

This is one of those rare DOCTOR WHO stories that was universally hated by the elder statemen fans who saw it on its original broadcast in 1965 , so much so it's regarded by everyone who never saw it as being one of the worst pieces of television ever produced . That is until they saw it on UK Gold which not only surpassed all expectations but is one of the more enjoyable stories of the Hartnell era

This is the closest the early show ever got to comedy and mixes a premise of mistaken identity and the fall out that involves with straight drama . It never descends in to all out farce , though comes close on some occasions but never forgets the dilemma involving Ian who escapes being a galley slave and Barbara who is in danger of being raped by Empereror Nero . Yes you read that last bit right but it's the kind of rape confined to the CARRY ON films and Benny Hill so in the words of Whoopie Goldberg " it's not rape rape " but the innuendo involved is somewhat tasteless as in " Close your eyes and Nero will give you a big surprise " and one wonders how the show got away with this type of nudge nudge wink wink humour

The story rightly belongs to William Hartnell as The Doctor as he lets his receding hair down . Where the season one story The Aztecs saw Barbara being mistaken for a reincarnation of the God Yetaxa and played as deadly serious here the Doctor is mistaken for a lyre player Maximus and goes along with it in a subplot of relatively sophisticated black comedy . That's not to ignore the dramatic bits and yet again William Russell shines in an understated scene at the episode two cliffhanger by just giving a mere look . Indeed the entire story is good at is getting the mix between the blackly comical , dramatic and the farcical comic completely right in what is a very enjoyable story

A Jolly Old Good Holiday

[wetmars · 7/10 · 31 August 2020]

Landing in Rome, A.D. 64, the travellers take a rare holiday. While Ian and Barbara are happy to relax, the Doctor and Vicki set off to pursue adventure.

However, adventure soon finds Ian and Barbara too as they are kidnapped by slave traders, and the Doctor's imitation of Maximus Pettulian sees him taken to the court of Emperor Nero where he inadvertently plays a part in deciding the course of history...

This is what you call a "chillaxing" episode, nothing bad happens, comedic stuff, the Doctor isn't in his "grumpy old" mood, sorry for the short review. I absolutely have no idea what to write more about this episode.

7/10

The Romans

[ametaphysicalshark · 15 July 2008]

"The Romans" is an absolute delight. The reason I never seemed able to enjoy the early historicals as much as many other "Doctor Who" fans is that as a minor history buff I knew exactly what was going to happen and what purpose the characters would serve. The only great historical story prior to "The Romans" is "Marco Polo" which overcomes the predictability and lack of intriguing plot by the sheer quality of its script and characterization.

With "The Romans" Dennis Spooner takes a more novel approach to the "Doctor Who" historical and makes the story the first true "Doctor Who" comedy. Of course, much of the comedy would now be considered dark, cruel, and even hopelessly politically incorrect (the most comedic episode of the story is based around attempted poisoning and attempted rape or at least sexual harassment). I don't think the story is THAT dark, certainly much of the comedy would have seemed black even in 1965, but it's all done with such a panto vibe that it's hard to take it seriously on any level, at least the more obvious flat-out jokes- there's a few ones that'll slip by you if you aren't paying attention that were clearly aware of how serious the situations actually were. The script is just generally superb, with all the characters, gags, and dialogue working wonderfully well in the story. "The Romans" works especially well for me now that it's not a bootleg audio cassette my father bought when I was five because I can pick up on the pastiche and satire elements in "The Romans". In many ways it is the first historical to really do something daring and interesting with the material as opposed to simply excel at something good but obvious ("Marco Polo").

'Directed by Christopher Barry' is basically a statement regarding the quality of direction in the story. "The Romans" is excellently directed, and if you give Barry any credit at all for Derek Francis' utterly hilarious take on Nero we can call his work 'superlative'. Derek Francis may steal the show, but Maureen O'Brien makes quite an impact in her first real adventure with the Doctor. I always found it a bit aggravating when people dismiss Vicki as Susan 2.0 as despite the similarities I found the dynamic between Vicki and the Doctor very different than the dynamic between Susan and the Doctor. Vicki is also just more fun to watch as she exudes glee and thrill at her suddenly adventurous lifestyle. The rest of the regulars also get a chance to shine, with William Russell, Jacqueline Hill, and Hartnell all clearly having fun with the material, especially Hartnell who can't have imagined he'd be getting to do a fight scene at his age.

"The Romans" is perhaps my favorite "Doctor Who" historical. It is really just an absolutely wonderful story that never stops being thoroughly entertaining.

Episode 1: 8/10, Episode 2: 9/10, Episode 3: 10/10, Episode 4: 9/10.

Average: 9/10

A very well produced episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 29 October 2019]

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki enjoy a well earned holiday in Ancient Rome.

The historicals were still in favour during these early years, and it works very well. I love the setting, I like the story, and I've always found it a fascinating period in history, what I was less keen on was the perhaps moments of silliness, I'm all for humour, and some is good, at times it was a bit silly.

It's a beautiful looking episode, I particularly like the sets and the fabulous costumes, it's a very slick, visually appealing episode.

An interesting story. 7/10

The Slave Traders

[guswhovian · 10/10 · 14 July 2020]

Holidaying in a villa near ancient Rome, a restless Doctor and Vicki decide to travel to Rome where he is mistaken for a murdered lyre player while Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders.

The three "comedy historical's" from Hartnell's tenure have never been well liked by fans. However, The Romans is sure a lot of fun, and "The Slave Traders" is an excellent opening episode.

The TARDIS crew have been in Italy for a month by the time the episode starts, which is unusual for the show. It was nice that when you first see Ian, he looks unconscious, but he's really just grabbing some grapes!

The four regulars are on top form. There's some lovely comedic scenes, and Hartnell and William Russell are particularly wonderful. Hartnell's double take when Barbara tells the Doctor that they've just had ant's eggs for lunch is priceless.

Raymond Cusick's set design is excellent as well, with the set for the market in particular being excellent. Raymond Jones' music is very good as well.

Playing It for Laughs

[JamesHitchcock · 5/10 · 30 October 2023]

Like a number of other serials from the early days of Doctor Who, "The Romans" was set during the Earth's past rather than in outer space. During this period the programme was regarded as having a mission to educate children about both science and history; it is significant that the Doctor's companion Ian is a science teacher and Barbara a history teacher. The historical content, however, was not always accurate. In something like "The Reign of Terror", which aimed to take a serious look at the French Revolution, the inaccuracies were presumably inadvertent, but with "The Romans" the programme-makers don't seem to have been taking the period seriously at all.

The First Doctor and his companions Ian, Barbara and Vicki arrive in Rome during the reign of the Emperor Nero. They find accommodation in a luxurious but unoccupied Roman villa while its owner Flavius Guiscard is campaigning in Gaul, but Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders and sold into slavery. Ian becomes first a galley slave then a gladiator, while Barbara ends up as a maid to Nero's wife Poppaea Sabina. In the meantime, the Doctor is mistaken for a famous lyre player named Maximus Pettulian and invited to play for Nero. (The Doctor's other companion, the newly introduced Vicki, does not have a lot to do).

The plot seems to have been written as a parody of Roman epics such as "Quo Vadis?", "Ben-Hur", and "Spartacus" borrowing elements of the plots of all those films. ("Carry On Cleo" from the previous year seems to have had a similar agenda, although in that case the main target was "Cleopatra"). The preceding paragraph gives some idea of the scriptwriter Dennis Spooner's cavalier approach to Roman history. In the first pace it is highly unlikely that a luxurious villa would have been left empty by its owner, even if he had to be away. He would have left his slaves and servants to take care of the place and protect it from robbers. Secondly, one became a slave either by being born into slavery, or by being taken prisoner in war, or by being sentenced to servitude as punishment for a crime, not by being kidnapped. Kidnapping a free-born citizen to force them into slavery would have been regarded as a crime. Kidnapping the guests or friends of a wealthy and powerful man in order to force them into slavery would have been regarded as a crime inviting severe punishment. And finally, neither "Flavius Guiscard" nor "Maximus Pettullian" is a possible Roman name.

I won't, however, claim any of these historical inaccuracies as goofs, as that would imply that Spooner was trying to get things right but inadvertently got them wrong. Rather than trying to educate British schoolchildren about Roman history, he was simply going for laughs. This was the first "Doctor Who" serial to be written as a comedy rather than as drama. Nero, therefore, is played by Derek Francis not so much as an evil tyrant but as a stock comic figure, a pompous, conceited and lustful buffoon. The scene where he ardently pursues Barbara, hoping to have his wicked way with her, seemed rather out of place in a programme intended to be broadcast for family viewing before the watershed. Similarly, the fact that the Doctor has been mistaken for someone else allows William Hartnell to clown about in a way not previously seen in his tenure of the part. There are, however, contain some classic thriller elements. Barbara, for example, narrowly escapes being poisoned by a jealous Poppaea, and the third episode ends with a classic cliffhanger- it appears that Ian, having lost a gladiatorial bout, is about to be killed by his victorious opponent.

The overall tone, however, is too light-hearted for the serial to work as a thriller, and it is not really funny enough to work as a comedy. There were some good belly-laughs to be had from something like "Carry On Cleo" or "Up Pompeii!" but nothing really comparable here. Four weekly parts from 16 January to 6 February 1965. At its best, "Doctor Who" is a basically serious drama with occasional moments of humour to lighten the tone. Trying to turn it into a pure comedy was not really a good idea. 5/10.

When In Rome...

[timdalton007 · 5/10 · 12 May 2020]

(Note: A review of all four episodes of The Romans.)

Now into its second season, Doctor Who should have been consolidating its place on British television, learning the lessons of its first year on air. Instead, and perhaps down to new script editor Dennis Spooner coming on board, the series was still very much in an experimental stage, continuing to play with the show's format alternating historical adventures with science fiction ones. In the former category is The Romans, written by Spooner himself, and introducing a new sub-genre for the series: the comedy historical.

Yes, you read that right.

Finding the TARDIS crew in Nero's Rome, this is a very different kettle of fish from stories like The Aztecs or even Spooner's previous serial The Reign of Terror. The Doctor and Vicki leave Ian and Barbara behind at a villa to go to Rome, where the Doctor gets mistaken for a famous lyre player invited to the emperor's court, meeting the infamous Roman himself. Ian and Barbara, meanwhile, find themselves kidnapped, sold into slavery, and eventually at the court as well, though not quite interacting with their fellow travelers. Those near-misses make for some of the funnier parts of the story, as well as Hartnell getting a chance to play a more comedic side to the Doctor. Seeing the 'fight' between the Doctor and his would-be assassin early in episode two is a delight to watch, and Hartnell himself seems to be having a whale of a time doing it. That's without forgetting Derek Francis' comic turn as the Roman Emperor, which is at times delightful to take in, particularly when the Doctor plays a "concert" in episode three.

That isn't to say there aren't darker things lurking underneath it all, of course. As mentioned earlier, Ian and Barbara get sold into slavery, with Barbara ending up as a handmaiden to Nero's wife. There are rather stark depictions of life as a Roman slave, from rowing on a galley ship to imprisonment and gladiator fighting that stand at odds with the comedic aspects of the piece. Stranger still, there's a sequence where a lecherous Nero literally chases Barbara through the halls of his palace with only one thing in mind. It's a sequence that's played for laughs but which plays less well today, perhaps. It's even odder seeing it in something ostensively aimed at a family audience in the mid-1960s, almost as odd as the scene at the end of Flesh and Stone where Amy tries to seduce the Doctor forty-five years later.

It's the mismatch between the two that makes the serial feel odd. It starts with Spooner's script but extends to the design work and Christopher Barry's direction, but this is a story that wants to be both a comedy and a historical drama. It wants to blend the tradition of British comedy with the costume dramas that the BBC has always been apt at putting on (indeed, it's no surprise how many Roman productions get cited on the DVD's making-of documentary). Perhaps there is a balance to be struck between the two but, in the winter of 1965, it clearly wasn't found.

In the end, perhaps The Romans isn't quite successful as a comedy or as a historical. Even so, it's an interesting artifact of a unique moment in Doctor Who's long history on our screens. But it isn't the least successful tale from this period, by any means.

More on that another time...