A Bluffer’s Guide to Doctor Who: The Crusade
These few, these happy few: these archives of buggered.
How woulds’t thee describe The Crusade in six words?
Pseudo-Shakespearean Cold War play becomes problematic.
This is… the one with Richard the Lionheart
Episodes: 64–67 out of 862
First broadcast: 27 March — 17 April, 1965
What Happens?
The TARDIS lands in 12th Century, Palestine, during the Third Crusade. In a forest just outside Jaffa, the time-travellers interrupt a Saracen attempt to kidnap King Richard I. However, Barbara is kidnapped.
Barbara meets Saladin, leader of the Saracens, based in Jerusalem. El Akir, her kidnapper, is humiliated by her and intends to torture her. Barbara keeps escaping his grasps until she ends up having to hide in his harem.
The time-travellers become part of King Richard’s court in Jaffa. Ian is knighted and travels to meet Saladin and bring Barbara back. On the way, he must outwits bandits and face El Akir. When El Akir is slain, Ian and Barbara are reunited.
The Doctor and Vicki get embroiled in palace intrigue trying to maintain a positive relationship with the temperamental Richard, keep secrets from the Princess Joanna, and try to evade the suspicious and war-hungry Leicester. Eventually, they have to run away, pursued by Leicester, meeting Ian and Barbara in the forest and the four of them escape in the TARDIS.
Why was this made?
Writer David Whitaker — who had only recently resigned as Story Editor of Doctor Who and had just written The Rescue — was commissioned by Story Editor Dennis Spooner to write a historical story. Whitaker was motivated by two events from the Third Crusade which appeared in his story: the attempted kidnapping of King Richard with one of his companions pretending to be the King, and King Richard’s plan to marry Joanna to Saphadin.
Producer Verity Lambert was impressed with director Douglas Camfield’s work on Planet of Giants so he was used again for this story.
Things to Say / Observations:
- Whitaker’s script begins with a scene of the world (Saracens planning an ambush, Richard and his knights falconing) before the TARDIS lands. First time this happens: Establish the world and then collide it with ‘Doctor Who’ (building on from what Whitaker started with ‘The Rescue’)
- Music for fight scenes! :D (So, why do they keep hiring Richard Martin for their “big” stories who doesn’t do that?)
- Very Shakespearean: The flowery dialogue, Vicki disguising herself as a boy, characters being foils (Richard/Leister, Richard/Saladin, Leister/Saphadin, Saladin/Saphadin). Wish it went further: couplets at the end of scenes, the Doctor being “Lear’s Fool”.
- El Akir’s harem is unfortunate. It’s doing all the Middle East tropes. But it means that Doctor Who has this collection of rape victims that don’t get scenes of them healing. El Akir (the rapist) is too easily defeated, and by a guest star. Wouldn’t it have been great if Ian’s rescue attempt fails, and it’s Barbara who helps the concubines come to terms with their situation and they lead the overthrow of El Akir? (But then again, that’s very modern.)
- Vicki’s insecurity and the Doctor reassuring her is a touching moment between the two that couldn’t happen with Susan. Our TARDIS team are still very emotionally connected to each other. Shame that the Doctor’s and Vicki’s court intrigue storyline doesn’t develop. Which is the problem overall with the final episode.
Between You and Me:
Not having Joanna, Saladin or Saphadin in Ep 4 adds to the steam running out. Leister has to suspect the Doctor of sorcery for no real reason. With the guest star killing the only real villain, the ending just fades away. It’s Whitaker trying to write a Spooner script while still in a Lucarotti mindset. But I can see Spooner looking at this Ep 4 script and thinking “This needs something extra.” He thinks to add more Shakespeare ideas and finds himself considering fairies in the wood, or King Richard meeting witches. “Next time,” he thinks, “we should do that. Except, it won’t be fairies or witches. No, it’ll be aliens…”
Further / Recommended Reading: