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Poll: Rate & Review The Romans

Poll
Question: Rate the story
5/5 - Absolutely amazing - 4 (30.8%)
4/5 - Really Good - 7 (53.8%)
3/5 - Not bad, not great - 2 (15.4%)
2/5 - Not impressed - 0 (0%)
1/5 - Shockingly bad - 0 (0%)
Total Voters: 13

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Author Topic: Poll: Rate & Review The Romans  (Read 611 times)
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The Doc
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« on: July 09, 2011, 11:23:17 pm »


The four time travellers are enjoying a rare holiday, staying at a villa not far from Rome in the year A.D. 64. The Doctor soon becomes restless and sets off to visit the city, taking Vicki with him. In their absence, Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders.

Having been mistaken for the famous lyre player Maximus Pettulian and asked to perform at the Emperor Nero's court, the Doctor has to devise ever more elaborate schemes to avoid revealing that in fact he cannot actually play the instrument.

Ian meanwhile becomes a galley slave, while Barbara is sold to Nero's slave buyer Tavius at an auction in Rome.


The Romans was the fourth story in season two of Doctor Who. It was the first story to have its main plot portrayed as a comedial one. This serial used the same production team as The Rescue and so both were shot in one block of filming.

This story saw the first use of stock footage for a cliffhanger; in this case, a lion. Part three, Conspiracy, was broadcast on the same day as Winston Churchill's funeral, explaining its dip in viewing figures.

David Whitaker was, by this time, seeing stories with historical figures as a liability. Despite this, The Romans was intended as the third of three historical tales, following the Spanish Armada and the American Civil War. It appears to have been Verity Lambert was convinced him to script this story as a comedy.

This was also the first time a major actor requested to be on Doctor Who. In this case, Derek Francis was given the role of Nero.

The next story will be posted on July 16th
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« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2011, 11:44:33 pm »

Oh, I LOVE this!! We have been lucky with these so far. Which probably means we will get The Dominators, Paradise Towers and The Twin Dilemma all in a row Tongue
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« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2011, 09:59:13 am »

Cool. I'll pop it on my to-do list for this week  Wink
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« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2011, 12:20:29 pm »

I have given this story a four. I think its one of the stronger First Doctor stories and it was great to see them play with the formula a bit and try some comedy. I think 'romp' is probably the best way to describe this one. Its a great historical and has a little bit of a pantomime feel to it. The guy playing Nero is great and his scenes with Barbara in particular are great fun. The sets and costumes were brilliant and Barbara looked beautiful. Stories like this are a strong a case as any that a return to historicals could really work.
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« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2011, 04:06:48 pm »

Cool, I look forward to this one. Will watch asap Cheesy
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« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2011, 10:41:41 pm »

I really enjoyed this story. I think by this time, the different companions had each found their own roles within the show. I loved Hartnell's Doctor and he was really hitting his stride. I also agree that Nero was a star turn Smiley A four from me also Smiley
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« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2011, 11:59:56 am »

I gave this a four.  It's great fun and generally well done, but a few historical weaknesses.
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« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2011, 12:14:59 pm »

This one gets a four from me. It's an enjoyable story with lots to like, but I think some of the humour became a bit too slapstick at times and the humour didn't always work. It was enough to give it a three imo, but I left it at a four because I think they should be commended on trying something new rather than always following the old tried and tested formula
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« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2011, 04:07:45 pm »

Oh cool I've never seen this one so I am looking forward to it Cheesy
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TIA 10/10 | DOTM 10/10 | COTBS 8/10 | TDW 10/10 | TRF 9/10 | TAP 10/10 | AGMGTW 10/10 | LKH 8/10 | NT 4/10 | TGWW 10/10
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« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2011, 09:26:00 pm »

A full and fantastic five from me. I loved it from beginning to end. Lots and lots of good points, but I shall go off to the other threads to discuss them Cheesy
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« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2011, 09:36:42 pm »

I love things with historical settings so this would have had to be pretty bad for me not to like it. The costumes are gorgeous, as are the sets. On the whole it is amusing - though sometimes, as Aneurin says, the humour misses a bit - I wonder if this is due to the passage of time. The story though is good & quite well paced. I wouldn't mind there being more straight historicals like this one. Going with a 4.
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« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2011, 09:43:38 pm »

Had you seen this one before, PRG?
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« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2011, 09:45:12 pm »

No this was the first time for me. I'd only really seen a handful of classics before we started this.
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« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2011, 09:50:35 pm »

Oh right. I was just being nosey more than anything else Smiley

I think you are right about the humour. It was probably more of its time and so doesn't feel so funny to us. When it worked though it was really good
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« Reply #14 on: July 11, 2011, 09:58:19 pm »

That's fine. My plan was to watch a lot this year, but then life got in the way. Happily this Infinite Quest is helping me out now  Smiley

Yeah when it worked it was very funny. I loved that a lot of it came from the Doctor too. Shows how far he develops from An Unearthly Child.
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« Reply #15 on: July 11, 2011, 10:12:30 pm »

Oh yea, definately. There is a lot of development with him which is great
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« Reply #16 on: July 11, 2011, 10:58:31 pm »

This one get's a five from me. It's one of my all time favourite First Doctor stories. I won't go on about everything that's right with it, because I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Really, really enjoy it every time.
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« Reply #17 on: July 12, 2011, 10:15:42 pm »

I gave this a 5 out of 5. This for me is as close to perfect a First Doctor story as there is and I love it from start to finish
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« Reply #18 on: July 14, 2011, 11:46:41 am »

I went with a three for this, though in hindsight I wish I had given it a four. I love the story, I really do, but some of the humour misses for me. I am also not overly keen on the guy playing Nero. I think the character is wonderful, but the guy playing him got a bit too 'Carry On' with his performance. Everyone else stayed on the right side of funny, but for me he hammed it up a little too much. Other than all that though I love the story, and I do wish I had hit 4 instead of three Sad
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« Reply #19 on: July 14, 2011, 05:41:37 pm »

I liked Nero. I think he should have probably been played by someone younger, but I think having the older actor made it easier to play off the Doctor. His performace was ok though I thought
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