The Gunfighters

The Doctor has a toothache and, when the TARDIS lands, he sets off to find a dentist. Unfortunately, they have landed in Tombstone, and the Clantons and the Earps are moving in for their final confrontation at the OK Corral.

Donald Cotton’s first script for the programme was the comedic The Myth Makers which was practically a pastiche of the legend of Troy. The Gunfighters dials back the tomfoolery a notch, with no sitcom characters or excruciating puns, but, strangely enough, manages to be even funnier than Cotton’s last effort. The regulars relish the chance to play with the archetypes of the Western, and special mention must be made of Purves. With his double-taking, inability to swivel a gun and his swaggering along, he is utterly hilarious. Hartnell, of course, is no stranger to comedy and the Doctor’s sheer bewilderment at being handed guns left, right and centre is great. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Steven gives the Doctor a gun when he is incarcerated. Now that her accent has settled to one south of Watford, Jackie Lane is endearing, especially in the scene where she has to hold up Doc Holliday.

The music consists of a song called "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" sung by Lynda Baron, which is both appropriate to the setting and very funny in places- when Charlie the barman is killed, Baron starts singing ‘So it’s curtains for Charlie…’

This story was considered a disaster when broadcast and tends to be hated by fans of a certain age, and objectively, it’s hard to see why. It’s well acted, with John Alderson making a fine Wyatt Earp and Anthony Jacobs zestfully bringing Doc Holliday to life. Laurence Payne makes Johnny Ringo genuinely seem like the baddie in a Western and the introduction of the character in the episode named after him makes the shift in tone in the final episode seem natural. Whereas the Clantons seem brutish and callous, the first death in the story is Ringo shooting a man in the back. The sets by Barry Newbery are excellent as usual and there is some very effective direction from Rex Tucker- the climactic gunfight is shot and cut like one from an actual Western, with some quickfire editing and nice tracking shots. True, some of the American accents are a bit dodgy, but I, for one, can easily forgive this. There are a few production goofs, but no more than in any other historical- no-one mentions that some of the backdrops in The Aztecs look fake. The skill of everyone behind the scenes is evident in every department, even the caption writers- the cliffhanger for "A Holiday for the Doctor" has the very funny scene where Steven has to sing, with Dodo accompanying him. The caption appears: ‘NEXT EPISODE: DON’T SHOOT THE PIANIST!’

This story accomplishes everything it sets out to do and is thoroughly entertaining throughout.

Next: The Savages

The Myth Makers

Doctor Who travels to the time of the Trojan War in Donald Cotton’s first story for the programme. It is usually labelled as being a historical, yet is based on a myth. The events, if they did happen, were probably very different to what was recorded in the Iliad by Homer (who himself may not have existed!) However, this is neither a faithful depiction of the myth, nor an attempt to portray what may have actually happened. The tone is set from the start. Achilles and Hector are having their legendary duel to the death, but it is clear that this is not the Achilles of legend and that it is, in fact, Hector who is the greater warrior. It is only the materialisation of the TARDIS that enables Achilles to kill Hector. The fight is set to a trombone-led score, an instrument that is inherently funny (I have the greatest respect for trombonists, by the way).

Some of the characters are purely comedic. Paris is played as being a cowardly upper-class twit, a combination of Percy from Blackadder and Bertie Wooster. Menelaus is Agamemnon’s thick brother who needs the concept of the Trojan Horse explained to him several times. The supporting cast put in fantastic comedic performances. Barrie Ingham is hilarious as Paris and Max Adrian is great as the world-weary Priam. Odysseus is portrayed as being far more fierce than is usual, although it is clear that he is still, by far, the cleverest of the Greeks.

The script is out and out comedy, with some lines worthy of Up Pompeii!:- Cassandra: ‘Woe to the House of Priam! Woe to the Trojans! Paris: ‘I think it’s a bit late to say “Whoah” to the horse!’ However, the last episode depicts the sacking of Troy which is, thankfully, not treated comedically, although it does clash a bit with the humour of the rest of the story.

Hartnell is his usual brilliant self in this story, accepting his initial role as Zeus on earth, and then trying to think up any plan of entry that doesn’t involve a large wooden horse. Purves continues to impress as the wry Steven- there is some great interplay between Steven and Vicki. This is Vicki’s last story and I am sorry to see her go. Maureen O’Brien brought a real sense of innocent delight to the role and was a joy to watch. Her romance with Troilus is well done- for once, both characters fancy one another from the start, rather than the gradual falling in love that is usual.

This is the first instance of the Doctor actually being the direct cause of a historical event (although it’s more writing than re-writing history) and I love the fact that the Doctor refuses to believe in the historicity of the horse and then actually inspiring its creation. It is touches such as this that stop the first three episodes being merely pastiches. We are told that the Trojans worshipped the ‘Great Horse’ which is why they fell for the Trojan Horse.

This is a hilarious and sometimes poignant look at one of the most famous stories in history.

Next: The Daleks' Master Plan