A Bluffer’s Guide to Doctor Who: The Savages
After two racist mis-steps, the Doctor finds an empire and smashes it.
Describe The Savages in six words:
Bad-guys wanna drink the Doctor’s juice
This is… the one where Frederick Jaeger is the Doctor
Episodes: 119–122 out of 869
First broadcast: 28 May — 18 June, 1966
First overseas broadcast: c. March, 1967 in Australia
What Happens?
The TARDIS lands in the midst of a seemingly-idyllic society run by the Elders. However, the Elders prolong their health by absorbing the life-force of the savages outside the city. Jano, the leader, absorbs the Doctor’s life-force.
However, the Doctor’s conscience and morality begins to influence Jano who encourages the savages to rebel against the Elders, a rebellion aided and abetted by Steven and Dodo.
With the savages and the Elders united, Steven stays behind to lead them into a new future.
I’m New To This Story. Anything I Should Know?
- All episodes of this serial are missing. However, this one of the few William Hartnell stories to have tele-snaps, which are photographs taken by a man called John Cura who took pictures of his television while shows were being broadcast and offered the images to actors, directors, and the like so they could keep a visual record of their work.
- A few 8mm clips exist, being a home video from an anonymous Australian. These seconds come from Episode 3 and 4, and are the only moving footage of this serial to exist. All up this is 44 seconds.
- It’s the last story to feature Steven Taylor as played by Peter Purves. Steven became a companion way back in The Chase. It is also the last full story to feature Jackie Lane as Dodo. Dodo will become extinct half way through the next adventure.
- Reputation-wise, no-one really seems to remember this serial and thus no-one really has any strong opinions about it.
- This story is mainly known for being the first to use an overall story title and having its individual episodes numbered.
Any Behind-the-Scenes Gossip?
Written by Ian Stuart Black / Directed by Christopher Barry
Ian Stuart Black seems to be the first Doctor Who fan to write for the show. Thinking that a commission would impress his children, he visited the Doctor Who office. There he met outgoing producer John Wiles and outgoing script editor Donald Tosh who asked him for a treatment.
By the time he submitted it, Wiles and Tosh had left to be replaced by producer Innes Llyod and script editor Gerry Davis. They like his treatment and asked him to write a script, incorporating the departure of Steven. Unlike the sudden sacking of Maureen O’Brien in The Myth Makers, Peter Purves agreed that it was time to go.
Christopher Barry returned to direct having been absent from the program for over a year.
Observations
First time a society has heard of the Doctor and prepared for his visit.
Audience expected to be familiar enough with tropes to recognise a totalitarian society. Part of this is the ‘too-good-to-be-true’ nature of the Elders but also that going outside is forbidden.
The best Doctor Who corridors the series has done so far.
Nice moment in Ep 4 where audience knows Doctor’s plan (use Jano with pretend hostages) but Edal also suspects something (undermined by the fact Jano enters and takes control anyway despite Edal’s suspicions).
Doctor has concerns about endorsing a society (sponsorship can be problematic).
The Doctor uses the villains’ M.O. against them for the first time (influencing Jano through life-force). Story really exemplifies how much the Doctor has changed since the beginning.
The Lost Episodes: What Are We Missing?:
- Frederick Jaeger’s Doctor impersonation. It seems sensitive and not at all a caricature. But that’s only the audio. What did it look like?
- A forgotten great William Hartnell moment where he refuses to abandon an injured “savage” even as a guard threatens to fire.
- The scene where the Doctor’s life-force is drained only survives as a sinister sound effect and about three photographs. Obviously, this sequence was the set-piece of the story so it’s a shame to lose the visuals.
Between You and Me:
After letting the slaves be slaves, and dealing with Yellow Peril stereotypes, it’s good to see the Doctor back being anti-authoritarian and destroying a totalitarian society. Pleasingly, it’s Steven who gets to do a lot of the grunt work, and the Doctor gets by with empathy. (Admittedly, nothing’s perfect. From the images available it looks like the Elders have been.. um.. bronzed?)
One sad thing about this story missing in the archives is that we have lost an adventure about the Doctor’s conscience. This is a person who rights wrongs and stands up to injustice. In contrast to fandom’s perception of Hartnell as a grumpy Doctor, we have him compassionate and caring: The most direct contrast to how the Doctor was at the beginning of the show.
The story ends with the life-force draining machine being smashed and the Doctor chuckling as he watches. “It’s very satisfying,” he declares, “destroying something that’s evil!”
More than monsters in corridors, or hob-nobbing with famous historical figures, this is Doctor Who.
Recommended / Further Reading:
Firstly, here are the surviving clips:
Second, useful website for more information: