The Crusade

“The Crusade” is not one of my favourite first Doctor serials. The fact that half of the episodes are missing from the BBC archives does the story no favours, but my problem with David Whitaker’s story is that it is no more than a series of very unfortunate events. Granted, “The Crusade” is a series of well-written and well-acted unfortunate events, but as is the problem with so many Hartnell stories there is nothing more to the plot than the Doctor and his companions trying to escape Palestine in one piece. Comparing his story to “The Aztecs,” for example, really highlights its shortcomings. Although that serial is also based around the premise of the Doctor and his companions trying to get back to the TARDIS alive, it is a much more intriguing story as it explores Barbara actively trying to change history – something that by this point in her travels, she knows she cannot do.

That said, I think that the production standards of “The Crusade” are higher than in any of the earlier Hartnell historicals. There isn’t a cloth background in sight; the costumes and make-up jobs are superb and even the scenes set outside (in the desert and the woods, for example) are very convincing for a 1965 studio-bound TV show. Moreover, “The Crusade” should be watched if only for Julian Glover’s brilliant portrayal of King Richard the Lionheart. Glover manages to imbue the ruthless crusader with a surprisingly sympathetic side, depicting him as a tortured soul who always does what he believes to be right. Even when we, the audience, disagree with what he is doing – be it waging war on a foreign land or aggressively arranging his sister’s marriage – thanks to Glover’s performance we can still identify with the King’s point of view. Incidentally, Jean Marsh (who would return to the show in 1989’s “Battlefield”) also gives a spirited performance as Lionheart’s sister, Joanna, and I would be doing Walter Randall a great injustice if I did not mention his absolutely malevolent El Akir – possibly the most evil human character ever to appear in Doctor Who. His scarred face masks an even more hideous interior, and in spite of Doctor Who’s family audience, the implications of his deplorable actions (kidnapping, rape etc.) give his character a very real, very nasty side that many (particularly early) Doctor Who villains lack.

Watching “The Lion” and “The Wheel of Fortune” on the “Lost In Time” DVD and also telesnap reconstructions of “The Knight of Jaffa” and “The War-Lords” I think I have managed to get a very good feel for this story, and sadly I think the negative elements outweigh the positive. It’s slightly too depressing to watch Barbara be taken prisoner, escape, be hunted and then finally end up wrapped up the affairs of the Haroun family that El Akir has torn apart. The Doctor’s cringeworthy ‘feud’ with the Earl of Leicester is both tedious and painful to watch, and how on Earth Maureen O’Brien’s Vicki can credibly pass for a boy is beyond me! In fact, of the TARDIS crew I think that Ian is the only character who has a decent outing – he ends up not only saving the day but also being knighted!