The Romans By @The_Knights87

“When we get out of here, I’m going to comb all the slave markets, question everybody. Someone must remember her.”

During Doctor Who’s second season the production crew decided to do something different.  They decided to make a historical with a different twist.  They decided to make it funny and take advantage of William Hartnell’s comedic presence.  William Hartnell used to do a lot of comedy when he first started acting and the Romans was the perfect vessel for him to revisit his roots.  

The Romans is not your usual Doctor Who story. Besides the fact that it is pretty funny it also was one of the few stories where there were two stories going on at once.  First you have The Doctor and Vicki are en route to Rome when they come across a body. In fact it’s the body of Maximus Pettulian.  The Doctor picks up the lyre just as a centurion arrives and mistakes The Doctor as the famous lyre player.   So they are whisked to Rome and an audience with Emperor Nero. 

That’s where all the comedy starts.  As the Doctor plays Nero for a fool.  But impersonating Maximus Pettulian doesn’t come without it’s risk as assassins are still a foot to kill the Doctor now.  You see they think they failed in their attempt to kill Maximus Pettulian and well I think you can figure it out.

The second story involves Ian and Barbara getting kidnapped by slave traders Ian gets sold to one slave trader who has him rowing a boat in the Mediterranean while Barbara gets sold to Tavius who works in the court of Nero.  While a decent man he does warn Barbara that if she tries to escape she will be killed.  

This second part is truly good as it shows Ian to be the man of action.  In fact this is probably the best performance by William Russell in Doctor Who.  Ian goes through so much to try and save Barbara that you start to believe that there is something more than friendship between the two school teachers.

But the true comedic gem of this story is Emperor Nero himself. Derek Francis puts in an excellent performance as Nero.  He is funny and can turn dead serious at times that makes you wonder if Nero was truly like how they portrayed him. 

It is true that most historical Doctor Who stories are boring and dry at times but The Romans is the exception.  It is funny, and action filled and full of great moments that makes this story a must see for Doctor Who fans. Plus it is great how Nero gets the idea of how to burn Rome to the ground. The Romans is truly one of the best historical Doctor Who stories of all time and one of the best William Hartnell stories as well mainly because William Hartnell performance is as the Ninth Doctor says “Fantastic”.

The Chase- Words by @Zeiton_7 and Pictures @cheezypeas

Oh those Pepper Pots are at it again!

After the exciting events of The Space Museum The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki are off for a well earned rest. They have taken with them the Time- Space Visualiser (a device which allows the viewer to see any past event in space and time) It is through this device that they learn of The Daleks plan to follow the Tardis and exterminate The Doctor. To their further horror The Doctor realises that these events may have started to unfold. This isn't going to be the restful beach holiday they had imagined!

 In addition to The Daleks there are a number of other life forms that the Doctor encounters who are equally as disturbing.

 The first are Vicki's eyes. We, in the bar, noticed last week that her eyes are never still. Indeed, they are positively hyper and seem determined to out act the rest of her body (something which isn't very difficult) Once you notice this freak occurrence it is impossible to take anything she says or does seriously without noticing her odd eyes!

Secondly, we meet the Mire Beasts (guess where they live?) thats right in the sand! Strange looking creatures with multiple tentacles who attack any unwilling travellers and presumably eat them or tickle them to death.

Thirdly, the indigenous citizens of the planet, Aridius (sounds like a deodorant doesn't it?) The Aridians (wasn't he a runner up of The X Factor) are enslaved by The Daleks and set to work digging out the Tardis. But they are soon allied to The Doctor and aid him and his companions in their struggles.

Fourthly, The Mechanoids. At first glance these robots look like they could fall over at any moment (they probably did) But they prove to be worthy adversaries to the Daleks themselves. Watch out for the first ever Dalek vs robot foe mash up!

The Chase, of the stories title is a rip rawing ride through space and time. They visit the Empire State Building (interesting that The Daleks built the famous land mark but seem to have forgotten that here) the Mary Celeste and even the abodes of Frankenstein and Dracula. Yes, this is a story unlike any other and features a fast moving storyline and many locations. Anyone that thinks older Who episodes are slow moving and boring need to check this one out! At the end of this story Ian and Barbara say their goodbyes and once again William Hartnell's acting is both moving and memorable.

 


 So join us tomorrow and witness for yourself the fast paced story that is The Chase The Bar opens at 7pm and we press play at 7.30pm Whisky chasers will be served #DWBAR