The Crusade

The TARDIS lands in the middle of the Third Crusade, where the Doctor and his companions find themselves embroiled in struggles on all levels of society. Saladin and Richard I are considering peace. The emir El Akir yearns for Saladin’s favour, but his pride and wrath threaten those underneath him.

This is another excellent historical, excellently directed by Douglas Camfield and with some brilliant performances, Julian Glover is excellent as Richard and Jean Marsh exudes fire and regality as Joanna. Their interplay is a joy to behold. Walter Randall, in a performance of great control, makes El Akir a memorable villain and George Little is excellent as his nemesis Haroun.

The story almost seems to want to be a Shakespearean history. A good deal of the dialogue is in iambic pentameter and the story is more concerned with politics and court intrigue than actual crusading. This results in some absolutely wonderful dialogue, but Whitaker doesn’t have the luxury of writing a five act play with lengthy soliloquies and characterisation suffers slightly. In addition, a sense of realism is lost when actors speak in metre. This affects the character of Saladin the most, which is probably why Bernard Kay seems a bit stifled in the role.

I am also not sure whether the plot quite manages to mesh together. The critical figure is El Akir- his loss of face before Saladin causes his vendetta against Barbara. Haroun is out for vengeance against El Akir. The trouble is that Haroun is introduced too late in the story for his victory to be as cathartic as it could be- there should have been a real feeling of ‘chickens coming home to roost’ when El Akir died.

Again, the regulars are excellent, with Vicki’s impish charm winning over all and Ian finally becoming a literal knight in shining armour. Barbara again shows her real courage and resourcefulness- her defiance of El Akir in front of Saladin is wonderful. The Doctor, meanwhile, shoplifts at a bazaar, wins a swordfight, advises the King and basically pulls out a plum with every digit he sticks his thumb into, with Hartnell delivering in spades.

Again, we have the question of white actors made up to be non-white characters. As in Marco Polo and The Aztecs, this is done sensitively on the most part (although Tutte Lemkow seems to have wandered in from It Ain’t Half Hot Mum!) and both sides are treated with respect (although Richard was a far less likeable figure in real life).

This does not detract from the fact that I was totally enthralled by the story- about as resoundingly successful as a qualified success can be!

NEXT: The Space Museum