Main menuDennis Spooner, Doctor Who - The Romans
Release details
| Title | Doctor Who - The Romans | ||||||||
| Artist(s): | Dennis Spooner | ||||||||
| Category: | BBC - BBCDVD (Click on this button to view other releases of BBC - BBCDVD DVD's.) | ||||||||
| Label and catalogue number: |  BBC DVD - BBCDVD 2971 | ||||||||
| Format: | Disc DVD's | ||||||||
| Country: | UK  | ||||||||
| Released: | 1965 | ||||||||
| Genre: | Dramas - Sci-fi View all other tracks listed as Dramas - Sci-fi. | ||||||||
| Run-off codes: | A0101051846-A911 16 IFPI L556 Sony DADC | ||||||||
| Item deleted? | No | ||||||||
| Distributed / printed by |  2 entertain | ||||||||
| Page views: | 6249 times since 20th May, 2017, global rank is 447, rank in dvds is 41. | ||||||||
| My rating: | ***** | ||||||||
| Guest rating: | ***** | ||||||||
My copies information
| This section shows the information I have recorded for this release. | |||||||||||
| Detail | Value | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover condition | Near mint | ||||||||||
| Record condition | Near mint | ||||||||||
| BBC records label code | - | ||||||||||
| Number have | 1 | ||||||||||
| What type of seller was used | Physical shop | ||||||||||
| Where can I buy this release? | You may be able to purchase this release from the following websites (others are available!) | ||||||||||
| Amazon | |||||||||||
| Discogs | |||||||||||
| Ebay | |||||||||||
| EIL | |||||||||||
| MusicStack | |||||||||||
| Recordsale | |||||||||||
Tracks
| Below is a list of tracks for this release. | |||||||||||
| Side & track no | Track and Artist | Length | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | The slave traders | 24.14 | |||||||||
| A2 | All roads lead to Rome | 23.14 | |||||||||
| A3 | Conspiracy | 26.18 | |||||||||
| A4 | Inferno | 23.09 | |||||||||
| A5 | What has the Romans ever done for us? | 33.59 | |||||||||
| A6 | Roma Parva | 2.33 | |||||||||
| A7 | Dennis Spooner - Wanna write a television series? | 17.48 | |||||||||
| A8 | Blue Peter - A Roman banquet | 7.15 | |||||||||
| A9 | Girls girls girls - The 1960's | 17.40 | |||||||||
| A10 | Photo gallery | 6.07 | |||||||||
| A11 | Radio Times billings [PDF] | ||||||||||
| A12 | Coming soon - Attack of the Cybermen | 1.07 | |||||||||
| Total length of media 3:03:24. | |||||||||||
All release pictures
| Below is all the cover (front, back, middle and inserts if applicable) and label pictures I have for this release. | |||||||||||
| Front cover | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Back cover | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Middle of cover | |||||||||||
  | |||||||||||
| Label | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
Reviews
| Below is my review for this release and the ratings. | ||
| A good entry, I will include a full review asap! | ||
| Ratings | ||
|---|---|---|
| My rating | 3 | |
| Guest rating | Current average value is 5. To vote, please select one of these buttons: | |
Extra notes on cover, middle (gatefold sleeve) and any inserts | ||
StarringWilliam Hartnell (First Doctor) Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) William Russell (Ian Chesterton) Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) Derek Francis - Nero Michael Peake - Tavius Brian Proudfoot - Tigellinus Kay Patrick - Poppaea Sabina Peter Diamond - Delos Derek Sydney - Sevcheria Nicholas Evans - Didius Barry Jackson - Ascaris Anne Tirard - Locusta Dennis Edwards - Centurion Margot Thomas - Stall Holder Edward Kelsey - Slave Buyer Bart Allison - Maximus Pettulian Dorothy-Rose Gribble - Woman Slave Gertan Klauber - Galley Master Ernest Jennings, John Caesar - Men in Market Tony Lambden - Court Messenger Written byDennis Spooner Produced byVerity Lambert Directed byChristopher Barry SynopsisItaly, 64AD. Enjoying a rare holiday with his companions, the Doctor takes Vicki to visit Rome, where he is mistaken for the musician Maximus Pettulian. He finds himself obliged to perform for Nero, or risk incurring the Emperor's wrath ... In his absence, Ian and Barbara have been kidnapped from their villa. Separated and sold into slavery, they face a bleak future. Can they make their escape and find the Doctor before Rome is consumed by fire? BackgroundThe Romans represents a brave experiment for Doctor Who, which from its inception had approached historical tales with a scholarly sobriety. Dennis Spooner tempers what would otherwise be a dark lesson in the brutality of life in imperial Rome with a liberal dose of farce. His depiction of Nero as a vain, libidinous fool contrasts sharply with the earnerst characterisation of Marco Polo and Robespierre in the previous season. Although the heavy comic elements are largely restricted to part 3, it was this, combined with certain historical inaccuracies, which drew criticism when the story was originally transmitted. Pushing viewer credulity to the limit, Spooner would also have us believe that the Doctor honed his astonishing combat skills training the Mountain Mauler of Montana. But whilst it remains difficult to accept the First Doctor engaging in a near-slapstick fight sequence and spouting a succession of bad puns, it should also be noted that this behaviour is exactly what we could expect from the Doctor's most recent incarnation ... The adverse viewer reaction to the 'silliness' of The Romans ensured that subsequent historical adventures such as The Crusade and The Massacre were played straight, but Dennis Spooner's gift was to introduce history as window-dressing rather than a strictly educational exercise in storytelling. It was an idea he was to develop in The Time Meddler, and by challenging the traditional template, Spooner set a vital precedent in Doctor Who which has been vibrantly exploited in recent stories like The Shakespeare Code and The Girl in the Fireplace. | ||
Other versions | ||
| I have the title track on these releases: | ||
| [dvds] | BBCDVD 2698 | Doctor Who - The rescue / The Romans |
External links | ||
| Also have a look at this external site, see link button below. Note, I am not responsible for content on external sites: | ||
Further information | ||
| BBC Radio Enterprises Ltd and BBC Enterprises Ltd, predecessors of BBC Worldwide / BBC Worldwide Ltd., the BBC's commercial arm. Formed 1968 and 1979 respectively, they were a subsidiary wholly owned by the BBC and merged into BBC Worldwide in 1995. In that time, there were companies set up within or structured brands as part of the company to deal with separate parts of the business, e.g. BBC Records for recorded audio. Sometimes written as BBC Enterprise Ltd. The items shown here are from the "main" BBC Records and Tapes library covering a wide secletion of genres from themes, comedy dramas and others, depending on which format you have selected. | ||
Statistics
| Here are some statistics about this page. |
| Page views: 6249 times since 20th May, 2017, global rank is 447, rank in dvds 41. |
| This page was last updated on 19-03-2024 at 22:41:52 UK local time. |
Other releases you might be interested in
| Below are some other releases which are related to 'BBCDVD 2971 Doctor Who - The Romans' based on its genre. | ||||
Copyright
© 2002-2025 Mike Everitt.This page was last updated on: 19-03-2024 at 22:41:52 UK local time.