The third of the missing stories is taken from the second season of William Hartnell's Doctor. By this time, the show was well and truly ensconced as must see TV within the Saturday afternoon schedules. The triumphant 'Dalek Invasion of Earth' had seen the departure of Susan (and also the departure of David Whitaker as script editor to be replaced by Dennis Spooner). New companion Vicki had joined the crew and we had been to the Web Planet to meet the Zarbi.
(As an historical footnote, there is one missing episode, which started off the second series, called Planet of Giants which not only has missing episodes but alas no soundtrack exists. It would appear that this truly is lost forever).
THE CRUSADEOnce again, I shall steal shamelessly from the blurb on the back of my BBC Audio CD release from 2005 to bring you up to speed with the plot...
The Doctor and his companions encounter King Richard the Lionheart in this classic remastered soundtrack adventure with linking narration by William Russell. The TARDIS materialises in the middle of a holy war between King Richard the Lionheart and the Saracen leader, Saladin, in 12th Century Palestine. As the Doctor, Vicki, Ian and Barbara explore their surroundings, they are suddenly caught up in a Saracen ambush and Barbara is kidnapped. For the time travellers, intrigue and espionage ensue as they once again become involved in living history. A newly-knighted Sir Ian of Jaffa makes haste to find and rescue Barbara, whilst the Doctor finds it difficult to stay out of trouble in the court of the King...This classic adventure, only two episodes of which survive in the BBC film archive, stars William Hartnell as the Doctor, William Russell as Ian, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara, and Maureen O Brien as Vicki. Amongst the guest cast are Julian Glover as Richard, with Jean Marsh as his sister Joanna. Sounds good eh? Well, in truth it is ok rather than brilliant. One of the hallmarks of the early years of Doctor Who is the sheer number of historical dramas (by the time we get to the Crusades we've met Marco Polo, the Aztecs, been to revolutionary France and encountered the Romans). Indeed, while Doctor Who is clearly science fiction, stories such as The Crusade are notable for an almost complete absence of science and the emphasis squarely upon action/adventure. Written by the ex-script editor, David Whitaker, The Crusades is a compact, four part adventure which is strong on action - indeed it concentrates on driving the plot forward at times at the expense of characterisation.
A quick glance at the guest stars should indicate the great strength of this story - the acting is first rate, with Julian Glover's somewhat revisionist Richard playing well against Bernard Kay's Saladin. As with all of the early adventures, the one thing that really strikes me is the strength of Ian and Barbara as characters. By this time, both Russell and Hill are extremely comfortable in their respective roles and they are strong enough to carry large chunks of the story by themselves.
All things considered, this never goes beyond being an enjoyable romp. The historical content is somewhat dubious in places and the conclusion is little more than the Doctor saying 'Hey, your shoe lace is undone' which is far from satisfying. But the plot rattles along at a nice pace and, as with all of these missing stories, it is a very pleasant way of losing yourself for 90 minutes.