Watching Donald Cotton’s “The Gunfighters” is simply put, a test of endurance. How many times can you stand listening to the same refrain, over and over again? Across the four episodes of this story, Tristram Cary’s "Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" bookends almost every scene in the whole damn story! If you do as I foolishly did, and sit down to watch all four episodes in one sitting, I swear by the end of it you will feel your grip on sanity sliding. At least back in 1966 when it first aired, the assault on the eardrums was spread out over a month!

It is hard to believe that the same season that spawned the intergalactic blockbuster, “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” futuristic stories like “Galaxy 4” and “The Ark” and even mind-bending serials like “The Celestial Toymaker” could farm out something like this – a tongue in cheek pastiche Western, telling of events culminating in the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona back in 1881. If nothing else, it proves the flexibility of the series’ format! To be fair, it’s not all bad. Well… in terms of the story it is absolute pants, but it is good for a laugh and at the end of the day, that’s exactly what Cotton was aiming for when he wrote it.

“The Gunfighters” sees Steven and Dodo dress up as cowboys, put on Yankee accents and even take to singing in saloons! Even the Doctor dons a Stetson! Remarkably, even Dodo isn’t as annoying as usual – in fact, with retrospect, this is probably her least offensive outing; for once her inherent stupidity and feeble-mindedness fits in well with the comic theme. She even looks a bit better than usual with her hair extensions! 

The plot itself revolves around the Doctor being mistaken for Doc Holliday, and that’s about it really! The shoot out in episode four (which is the last episode to have an individual episode title until “Rose” 39 years later!) looks quite good on screen, there’s a busty singer thrown into the mix to help things along, and William Hartnell gives one hell of a performance considering what he had to work with. In all honesty though, unless you’re a hardcore completist you should probably write this one off. There are worse Doctor Who serials out there, but you’ll struggle to find one with a weaker plot and you certainly won’t find one with as annoying a jingle!

I have to confess here that there’s little I like more in Doctor Who than a nice, intriguing ‘pseudo-historical’. (Does that expression ever get used outside of Doctor Who writing, I wonder?). It stands to reason really – the two worlds the show almost exclusively explores are those of science fiction and historical adventure, so it makes sense that any story that combines these two strongest elements of the programme should benefit from the result.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the story is its simple premise, as set-up beautifully by writer Dennis Spooner in the opening episode. It seems as if the TARDIS has landed in a fairly ordinary Saxon England, but there is something not quite right going on, something very strange happening that the audience and the TARDIS crew cannot quite put their fingers on. I admire the way – as with so many of the series’ most successful episode ones – that we are given little hints as to what is happening, such as the knowledgeable Monk and the wristwatch, before we are really given any of the answers or an adequate explanation. It’s a tantalising mystery.

It’s also a nice change that the Doctor actually manages to find some natives who neither want to kill nor imprison him on sight for once. Edith is a very pleasant character who seems to want nothing more than distribute food and drink to all and sundry as if she is on some kind of permanent harvest festival kick, but it’s a very pleasant change to have historical characters who are warm, friendly and likeable rather than simply being portrayed as ignorant savages or mistrustful miseries.

Sadly of course this historical setting is somewhat spoiled when, halfway through episode two, the most ridiculous group of Vikings in the history of the moving image wander into the story. Perhaps it’s the names – isn’t Sven Swedish, for a start? Were there Swedish Vikings? But I suspect it’s actually the ludicrous hat their leader wears that really robbed them of any credibility for me – all in all when they first land they look as if they’ve wandered in from a Monty Python sketch. Spam, anybody?

If nothing else, the appearance of silly Viking hats does at least give the Doctor the opportunity to utter the priceless “A space helmet for a cow?” line in the first episode. William Hartnell is on absolutely sparkling form throughout The Time Meddler, whether getting merry on mead with Edith, trading puns and insults with the Monk or getting irritable with his companions. It’s an infectious performance, not quite the grumpy old man of his very earliest appearances, but still having a very serious edge to his light-heartedness that makes sure we never underestimate him as a character.

Perhaps it’s having Peter Butterworth to play against that inspired Hartnell to hit such a rich vein of acting form in this story, as there is no doubt that as the Monk Butterworth makes one of the strongest guest appearances in the whole of the show’s history. A comic performance, of course, but one with a nasty edge to it – he thinks nothing of sending the two Vikings in the last episode the wrong way so that they fall into the hands of the pursuing Saxons, and seems to regard the idea of single-handedly massacring hundreds if not thousands of Vikings in their invasion fleet in a similarly pragmatic manner.

For all its comedy, the Monk’s intentions are one reminder that the story has a darker side to it in places. There is the very strong implication that Edith was raped by the Vikings when she is attacked by their raiding party, something that was apparently made even more explicit by footage censored from this episode by foreign broadcasters and still missing from the existing returned prints. The entrapment of the Monk at the end of the story, left stranded in eleventh century England, is quite a bleak conclusion – despite everything that he has planned to do and everything he may have already done in his time meddling career, you cannot help but feel a little sorry for someone used to so many advantages and such a superior level of life and technology to be left alone in such an age. This would be all the more powerful if we did not know in retrospect that the Monk went on to escape, but taking the story in isolation it is certainly a memorable finale to proceedings.

And what of the Monk himself? Again in retrospect some of his impact can be lost, because it’s hard to imagine a time when the watching audience, or at least the fans, didn’t know that there were many others of the Doctor’s people in the universe with similar TARDISes. He becomes intriguing right from the first time we see him, when his reaction to the Doctor, Steven and Vicki’s talk of time travel is not quite what we would expect from someone of the period, and as the mystery around him slowly unravels it builds towards the stunning revelation at the end of episode three. Sadly even I cannot imagine what this must have been like for the audience watching in 1965, and it’s also become something of a cliché to say it, but still… “The Monk’s got a TARDIS!”

Now that’s a cliffhanger!

The other noteworthy factor about The Time Meddler is that it marks Peter Purves’ first full story as Steven, and Steven’s first trip through time and space with the Doctor. He is also impressive – in fact I think I’ll just say the whole cast are good, bar the Vikings – and instantly strikes up a rapport with his co-stars Hartnell and O’Brien. Very much a go-getting, derring-do kind of hero figure but with guile and intelligence as well, he’s not overly macho and has an endearing curiosity about everything around him, at least after his initial scepticism about the TARDIS and its properties wears off in any case.

Steven’s entry into the TARDIS forms a significant prologue to the story proper, which begins with a charming little scene of the Doctor and Vicki missing the recently homebound Ian and Barbara. Hartnell pulls off a melancholic kind of Doctor, that he didn’t often get a chance to portray, very well in this little piece, but he’s soon back to his energetic self once he has a new companion to dazzle and impress. 

In a way Steven’s introduction to the TARDIS makes the first episode of this story similar to a condensed version of An Unearthly Child, as he disbelieves the dimensions and time travel capabilities of the ship and so forth. Except of course this time the audience sees the situation from the other way around – rather than being in Ian and Barbara’s shoes coming from the outside in, we’re already with the Doctor and Vicki, part of the secret ourselves, welcoming the newcomer into our midst. There’s even more of a reflection of the series’ very first story when we get to see the Saxons for the first time, including an argument about who should be ‘Headsman’ between two rather dishevelled men with beards.

Douglas Camfield’s direction of the story is to be admired for its competence at both the technical and artistic aspects of telling the story – it never feels too badly as if we’re confined to a small studio in London, and the clever use of stock footage even manages to make the idea of the beach and approaching Vikings seem quite convincing. Although in the latter case he is of course probably helped by the telerecording process making all the footage appear more equal in quality.

In summary then, The Time Meddler is an utterly charming and absorbing story, in which a hugely enjoyable script coupled with good direction and endearing performances combine to create one of the very best of the First Doctor’s adventures.

It is a pity about those Vikings, though…

'The Time Meddler' is extremely underrated. It is well-written, well-acted and well-directed, but more than this, it ends season two in style, with what must at the time have been something of a shock revelation for the viewer... 

Firstly, 'The Time Meddler' looks great, thanks to the superb direction of Douglas Camfield and excellent sets and costumes – the use of stock location footage blends in with the studio footage remarkably well, and adds an air of realism to the story. The monastery in particular looks very good, as do the woods around the Saxon village. The costumes too look fairly authentic. Secondly, the plot, whilst meandering along at a fairly sedate pace, never feels padded or slow, in part thanks to the witty script. As in Dennis Spooner's previous scripts, the humour is mixed with grim and gritty realism, in this case the rape of Edith by the Vikings and the Vikings' subsequent death at the hands of the Saxons, but unlike in 'The Reign of Terror', these brutal aspects are kept to a minimum, which is perhaps wise as they do not sit well with the light-hearted tone of the rest of the story. The Saxons and Vikings do not get much to do, but fill their roles adequately enough, especially the afore-mentioned Edith who comes across as very likeable. The actors playing the Vikings through themselves into their sparse roles too, and manage to compensate for looking like Swedish porn stars with cheesy names (Sven and Ulf!). 

The main guest character however, is of course the Monk. Peter Butterworth is perfect in the role, and makes the character immediately memorable. But then of course, as the first member of the Doctor's own people to appear in the series apart from Susan, he would stick in the mind anyway. He's a great character, taking obvious glee in his interference, but refreshingly never seeming really evil. Even when he admits that his plan involves blowing up the Viking fleet, he seems troubled by the fact, which makes a change from the black-and-white villainy of the Daleks in the previous story. Indeed, it is interesting that he claims to have the best motivations for his time meddling, telling the Doctor, Steven and Vicki that he wants to improve things. The Monk is a delight from the start, and steals the show in episode two, whether he's making preparations for the arrival of the Vikings, or dealing with Steven and Vicki with an expression of wide-eyed (and totally fake) innocence as they try to find the Doctor. But it is the scenes between Hartnell and the Butterworth that really make 'The Time Meddler' great, as they engage in a battle of wits in episodes three and four. As in 'The Romans', Spooner aims for comedy, but the comedy this time is less slapstick based than in that earlier story. Here, the humour arises from the Monk, whether it is his rather endearing journal entries as read by Vicki, or his interaction with the Doctor. The Doctor alternates between indignation, smugness and glee as he confronts and ultimately strands the Monk, and it is a further reminder of the unusual nature of this story and its villain, that he actually bothers to leave a note for the Monk at the end. Perhaps he genuinely believes that the Monk has the potential to recognise the folly of his actions, or perhaps he just can't resist gloating…

Steven and Vicki get a fair amount of screen-time, even though in plot-terms they do little more than run around looking for the Doctor and reveal to the audience things that the Doctor already knows. Steven's character gets to shine here in his first full story; he's more cynical than Ian, refusing to believe that the TARDIS is a time machine even when he is forced to admit that it is bigger inside than out, and can travel through space. He also seems more hotheaded, attacking the Saxons unprovoked in search of answers, despite Vicki's attempts to stop him. I like the way in which he gradually comes to respect the Doctor, initially gently mocking the old man about the TARDIS exterior and his inability to steer his craft, but slowly changing his assessment of the old man as the story progresses. Since much of this time is spent with Vicki, it is clear that it is her faith in the Doctor which rubs off on Steven and by the time they leave 1066, he seems keen to be traveling in the TARDIS – the fact that none of the current TARDIS crew want to return home makes quite a difference to the feel of the show. Vicki continues to show her independent streak, happily bossing Steven around as they explore separately from the Doctor. Steven seems happy to humour her in this, immediately creating a friendly atmosphere between the two. With the Doctor telling them at the end that they are both very welcome passengers, this ends the season on a high, as the new crew goes off into the unknown together, with their faces superimposed on a starry backdrop for added effect as the end credits roll. 

It is not this new status quo aboard the TARDIS however, which so changes the emphasis of the series at the end of season two. It is of course, the cliffhanger to episode three, as Vicki announces in stunned disbelief "It's a TARDIS! The Monk's got a TARDIS!" When originally broadcast, this must have been something of a shock as for the first time we see that the Doctor's ship is not unique. Neither for that matter is he, since at least one other member of his race is out there in time and space. More importantly however, we learn that the Monk is "a time meddler", and that he has already changed history on at least two previous occasions. This is a huge development, since in the past the Doctor has claimed that this cannot be done, most notably during 'The Aztecs'. We now learn that in fact it can be done, but that the Doctor considers it to be hugely irresponsible (interestingly, no dangers of altering history are actually discussed at this point) and will not allow it. This adds a new dimension to the idea of future historical stories. These revelations make 'The Time Meddler' stand out in Doctor Who's history, and the high production standards give the story added bonus. It is a fine end to the season. 

Overall, season two maintains the high quality established by season one, whilst starting to stretch the format of the series through a miniscules story ('Planet of Giants'), the series' first alien invasion of Earth complete with hugely impressive location filming ('The Dalek Invasion of Earth'), a comedy ('The Romans'), a flawed but ambitious attempt to create a really alien world ('The Web Planet'), and surrealism ('The Space Museum' episode one), amongst others. As with season one, we're lucky that so much has survived, with only two episodes from 'The Crusade' missing from this season. Unfortunately, the next season has fared far less well, forcing to me to turn to my trusty CD player.

I will admit it now, I am one of those young scallywags who has never really been a fan of early Doctor Who – for me, the 1970s was the zenith of the series. However, I have still endeavoured to see all of the episodes of the series that still remain, and as such, I recently viewed 1965s ‘The Time Meddler’ in one sitting. You heard me, I loved it. It was one of the best Hartnell serials, and it is a damn shame that the BBC took so long to release it on video.

The plot itself seems so familiar now, a mysterious figure changing established Earth history for some reason or another. However, I wonder how many television series had dealt with this concept in 1965. Obviously, this concept was used again later in the series, and to somewhat monotonous extent in both the Virgin and BBC novels, but at the time here we have what is constantly referred to as another of those stories full of ‘firsts’. The first pseudo-historical, the first serial to feature another renegade Time Lord, the first to have no ‘Next Episode’ at the end.

Where this story really excels is in its pseudo-historical nature. The set-up is really over three episodes until we learn of the Monk’s true nature in what must be one of the series best-ever cliffhangers. Imagine after two years of watching the series to suddenly learn that there are other TARDISes out there, and this strange monk was in possession of one. Maybe he knew the Doctor, maybe they were of the same race. The Monk’s use of anachronistic objects (seemingly only collected from periods in history prior to 1965, with the exception of his ‘atomic cannon’ which looks suspiciously like a modified WWI-era Vickers machine gun) is a clever way to raise audience interest, in both the nature of Monk and whether or not this really is 1066. 

The other aspect of this story is, of course, the setting and its inherent characters. OK, so the BBC could always do historicals. But only late 19th century ones. As far as the Saxon village was concerned, I thought it was only one hut, until one of the locals referred to it as the ‘village’. The Viking invasion was, of course, really only a scout party, so the complete lack of any horde of invaders is understandable. The monastery was extremely well crafted, although the sets were a bit similar, meaning that it was hard to follow exactly where characters in the building were, relative to each other. In general though, the setting is secondary to the Monk and his interplay with the Doctor.

The Monk was a superb character, and it is a shame his only other contribution to the series has been largely lost. As a character he seems to reside between the Doctor and the Master – compelled to interfere, but not for his own gain – he simply wants to make history ‘better’. His interplay with the Doctor is fascinating, and it remains unclear whether they have met before or whether they simply size each other up relatively quickly. It is interesting to note that the Doctor seems to refer to the Monk as ‘a Time Meddler’ as if this is an established type of time-travelling miscreant. Indeed, the Doctor seems almost guilty of this when his ramblings about upcoming events are overheard by the Saxon Edith. The Monk is a brilliant creation, and it is a shame he has only been explored as a revenge-crazed meddler in the ‘Alternate History’ arc of the New Adventures. A stand-alone novel concerning one of his previous meddlings would be a fascinating read. 

All in all, a classic serial, with all of the elements of a Hartnell-era story and a new twist to Doctor Who mythology thrown in to boot. Thoroughly recommended.

So here we have another Doctor Who story that I had never seen, and in this case, unlike ‘The Time Meddler’, I was not particularly optimistic about this story. In the end, I feel that the fact that it took so long for ‘The Gunfighters’ to be released on video is the main reason that it has such a poor reputation.

I actually rather enjoyed it. There, I said it. All things considered, it wasn’t a bad little comedy-historical. The characters were, in general, not too badly done, although some of the acting was rather wooden, and I will be a happy man if I never see Jackie Lane attempting to mime the piano again. Hartnell’s portrayal of the Doctor was interesting – at first he seems to be blundering along, unaware of the real danger, and especially of the danger his companions are in. However, somewhere in the middle he becomes rather more like his normal, serious self, as events unfold around him. This was interesting, and perhaps reflected Hartnell’s approach to the decreasing comedic element as the story progressed. 

In general, the story itself was simple, if incredibly historically inaccurate, and the sets were quite impressive, given the limited size of the studio, and the interiors are sparse but give a feel of the Wild West. It is in the sets, and some of the better-acted supporting characters that this story really becomes tolerable. It is with that horrendously all-permeating song that it becomes a bit tiresome. Not that it is a bad song, well it’s not brilliant, but it just tends to get in the way of the drama and tends to soften the impact of things such as the bartender’s senseless death. 

However, in spite of all that I have complained about, in the end ‘The Gunfighters’ does exactly what it sets out to – give the viewers a fun look at the Wild West and in particular the Earps and the Clantons. It’s only when it takes itself too seriously, like in recreating the infamous gunfight that it falls down. All in all, well worth a look, if only to remove some of the stigma associated with this supposedly awful story.

The Myth Makers' is something of an overlooked story, due to its absence from the archives and its tendency to be overshadowed by the more serious historicals. Hopefully, the release of the soundtrack on CD is increasing its status, for 'The Myth Makers' is very funny.

It is difficult to discuss the production values of a story that is entirely missing, without even any clips (as far as I know) surviving. Nevertheless, the photographic evidence suggests that the sets and costumes are easily up to the same standards as 'The Romans' and 'The Crusade'. The orchestral incidental score is effective too, evoking a suitable sand-and-sandals epic feel. What are really impressive however about this serial are the acting and the script, which are so good that the story makes the transition to audio fairly easy, with only the second half of episode four seriously missing the visuals. The regulars are on their usual fine form, with Peter Purves proving himself to be fairly adept at comedy. The scene in which, as Diomede, he fights and surrenders to Paris, whom he then proceeds to flatter into believing that he is regarded as a legendary warrior by the Greeks, is highly entertaining and you can almost hear Steven's look of innocence. His relationship with the Doctor has by now settled into one of mutual respect, as he confidently informs Vicki that the Doctor will succeed in helping the Greeks into Troy – he clearly doesn't doubt this for one minute. Likewise, the Doctor obviously trusts him to rescue Vicki from Troy before the Greeks attack. Hartnell is again on fine form, paired up for most of the story with the brutal Odysseus who he is forced to help on pain of death. His slightly pompous impersonation of Zeus is priceless, even more so his attempt to maintain dignity when admitting to Odysseus that he is not the father of the Gods. His best bits are undoubtedly those involving his coercion to finding a way into Troy for the Greeks – note the smooth reversal of his attitude to his suggestion of catapulting Greek soldiers over the walls on giant darts once Odysseus suggests that he try it out himself first. His eventual reluctant decision to use a large wooden horse is inevitable, but made amusing by his earlier dismissive attitude to what he describes as an invention of Homer. His first scene outside the TARDIS is also highly amusing, as Achilles notes to the Doctor's indignation that Zeus has chosen to manifest himself as an old beggar. Finally, Vicki copes with the perils of Troy with her usual wide-eyed optimism, endearing herself to Paris, Priam and of course Troilus, despite the hostile intent of the shrill Cassandra. Her leaving scene doesn't work that well on audio, but seems well handled. At first impression, the Doctor's willingness to abandon his teenage companion in a relatively primitive city that is being invaded by the Greeks because she has a crush on someone seems questionable, but she asserts herself well when explaining her decision, reminding us that she has become increasingly independent since 'The Rescue', especially from 'The Space Museum' onwards – if she can survive as a stowaway on a Dalek time machine, she can probably cope with most things. The Doctor makes it clear that he will miss her, but seems to find this departure less traumatic than the departure of Susan (understandably) and Ian and Barbara – perhaps he's growing accustomed to a changing TARDIS crew. Katarina, Vicki's replacement, has obviously been crow-barred into the story at the last minute, and thus gets little time to establish her character. That said the idea of a companion to whom the TARDIS is far more incomprehensible than to a pair of 1960s teachers is potentially interesting. But more on that next time…

The guest cast is uniformly superb, with the ruthless and belligerent but intelligent Odysseus stealing the show. He is a fantastic character, getting the better of the undoubtedly smarter Doctor simply by threatening violence, which is clearly qualified to dispense. Hearing the Doctor seething as he struggles to maintain dignity is highly entertaining; having stood up to the Animus and the Daleks, he's constantly forced to concede in the face of an unsophisticated brute. I'm not condoning violence by any means, but it is quite funny to see the Doctor forced to design the Trojan horse. The Greeks are all immediately recognizable as individual characters, from the indignant and over-important Achilles, to the apathetic Menelaus. The Trojans too are well portrayed, with the wise Priam, the cowardly Paris, and the deliberately over-the-top and screeching Cassandra. The bickering between these three royals is hilarious, especially Paris's disparaging attitude towards his bloodthirsty sister. This really is the strength of 'The Myth Makers' – the dialogue is superb. Whilst 'The Crusade' went for a Shakespearean feel, 'The Myth Makers' imitates this style but send it up. The characters utter pompous and self-aggrandizing announcements, which are always followed by a deflating remark. This is most obvious when we first meet Agamemnon and Menelaus – as the Greek king tries to rouse his brother's spirit by asking him whether he wants Helen back, he is clearly put out to receive the blunt answer "no". Likewise, Achilles's self-important claims of meeting Zeus are met with down-to-Earth cynicism from Odysseus. The best examples though, occur between Cassandra and Paris – the former talks almost exclusively in aggressive portents of doom, only to have the piss taken out of her every time by her brother. As she proclaims "woe to Troy" with suitably Shakespearean grandeur, Paris responds "It's too late to say woah to the horse" - a very silly pun, but a perfect example of not only the obvious humour of the script, but the way in which it mocks the classics in true Life of Brian style. And it is entirely concerned with the classics – whereas its historical predecessors where based, however inaccurately in some cases, around actual historical events, 'The Myth Makers' draws upon The Iliad, The Aeneid, and Troilus and Cressida, for inspiration. The Greeks shown here are not the valiant and noble warriors of Hollywood epics, they are the drunken, murderous rabble of Homer's poems. The climax, like the battles in The Iliad, is brutal, and once the Greeks emerge from the horse, the comedy stops – the Trojans are slaughtered. The description of Priam and his family lying dead in their palace is chilling, given that only minutes before we heard them exchanging witty lines. Steven's wound makes for a somber ending, as the Doctor has no choice but to try and find help wherever the TARDIS lands next. His final scene with Odysseus is in keeping with this change in mood – after being at the Greek's mercy throughout to great comic effect, he finally takes a stand and denies him access to the TARDIS, and so determined and forceful is he that even Odysseus is left wondering if he were Zeus after all. Whilst gritty historical realism might have been slightly uncomfortable juxtaposed with comedy in 'The Reign of Terror', 'The Romans', and 'The Time Meddler', the decision to switch from comedy to gritty realism at the end of 'The Myth Makers' is hugely effective. 

On the whole, 'The Myth Makers' is another successful attempt to do comedy in Doctor Who and another great historical. The change in tone at the end is also well done and leads perfectly into the relentless drama that is to follow...