The Romans is the fourth serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The serial was first broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 16 January to 6 February 1965.
A month after the TARDIS fell off a cliff, the First Doctor (William Hartnell), Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), and Vicki (Maureen O’Brien) are relaxing in an unoccupied Roman villa.
The Doctor and Vicki leave the villa to travel to Rome. Ian and Barbara stay behind, but are soon kidnapped by slave traders and sold into slavery. Barbara is sold to a statesman in the court of Emperor Nero named Tavius (Michael Peake) as handmaiden to Nero’s wife Poppaea Sabina (Kay Patrick), whilst Ian is confined to a galley on the Mediterranean.
En route to Rome, the Doctor is mistaken for a dead lyre player named Maximus Pettulian (Brian Proudfoot), and decides to assume his identity after being attacked by an assassin. The Doctor and Vicki arrive in Rome and encounter Tavius, who implies that both he and Pettulian are a part of a conspiracy.
Ian’s galley runs into rough seas and is broken up, washing him ashore with another survivor of the galley named Delos (Peter Diamond). The pair head to Rome in search of Barbara, only to be captured and taken to be trained as gladiators.
Nero (Derek Francis) organises a banquet in the Doctor’s honour, at which he must play the lyre. Poppaea is angered by Nero’s attempts to flirt with Barbara and attempts to poison her, which fails due to Vicki having switched the poisoned goblet. The Doctor makes no noise when playing the lyre, claiming that only those with sensitive hearing can hear the music.
Nero is angered, and decides to have the Doctor fed to the lions. At the arena, Ian and Delos fight their way out, attempting to reunite with Barbara. Nero calls off his soldiers, planning to have Ian killed when he returns to rescue Barbara.
The Doctor finds the plans for Nero’s new Rome, and realises that, because the year is 64 AD, Nero is planning to destroy the city. Tavius arrives and reveals that Pettulian was meant to be an assassin all along, and warns the Doctor that Nero is planning to kill him.
The Doctor accidentally sets fire to Nero’s plans, which gives him the idea for the Great Fire of Rome; he spares the Doctor’s life. Ian and Barbara are reunited and escape back to the villa as the Doctor and Vicki watch the city burn from a nearby hill. All four leave in the TARDIS before a strange force drags the ship to an unknown location.
- Episode 1: The Slave Traders
- Episode 2: All Roads Lead to Rome
- Episode 3: Conspiracy
- Episode 4: Inferno
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To view the list of other Doctor Who serials, please click this link
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