Doctor Who: The Crusade

.

The Crusade is the sixth serial of Season 2 of the classic Doctor Who television series. It was originally broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 27 March to 17 April 1965. It was written by David Whitaker and directed by Douglas Camfield. It stars William Hartnell as the Doctor, William Russell as Ian Chesterton, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, and Maureen O’Brien as Vicki.

Set during the Third Crusade, the TARDIS lands in 12th-century Palestine where the travellers are swept into the struggle between King Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Only two episodes of the serial survive; the other two are currently missing, though their soundtracks and telesnap reconstructions exist.

Episode 1: The Lion

The TARDIS lands in a sunlit forest near Jaffa in 1191. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki hear horns and steel. An ambush erupts. Saracen soldiers led by El Akir attack a small hunting party of English knights. Ian fights to help. In the confusion, Barbara is seized and carried off on horseback. A brave knight, Sir William des Préaux, claims to be King Richard to save his ruler and is taken with her.

The Doctor and Vicki hide, then tend a wounded knight. With Ian, they escort the survivors to Jaffa. At court, they meet the real King Richard. He is grieving and angry, unsure who these strangers are. The Doctor speaks carefully and wins a hearing. Richard agrees to shelter them, but Ian demands permission to search for Barbara.

Barbara is brought to the Saracen camp. She stands before Saladin and his brother Saphadin. They are courteous but cautious. They question her, see her honesty, and decide she is valuable as a bargaining piece. El Akir eyes her with cruelty.

In Jaffa, Richard weighs war and negotiation. The Doctor studies the politics and plans. Ian prepares to ride out. On the opposite side, Barbara waits in the enemy camp, calm but watchful, as two great leaders move toward a dangerous game.

Episode 2 – The Knight of Jaffa

King Richard holds court in Jaffa. He grieves for losses yet thinks of bold plans. The Doctor speaks carefully and wins his trust. Richard decides to send terms to Saladin and to trade prisoners. He knights Ian as “Sir Ian of Jaffa” and gives him a sealed letter. Ian kneels, rises with a sword and cloak, and swears to find Barbara.

The Doctor takes Vicki into the market to buy proper clothes for court. A quick-tongued merchant tries to cheat them; the Doctor jokes, haggles hard, and leaves with fine robes for a fair price. To avoid trouble, Vicki dresses as a boy page and keeps close to him.

In the Saracen camp, Barbara is questioned by Saladin and Saphadin. They treat her with courtesy but will not let her go. El Akir watches, hungry for power. When guards move her between tents, Barbara sees a chance, slips from the escort, and runs into rocky scrub. Sir William fights to cover her escape.

At dusk, riders hunt the fields. Barbara hides in ruins and then in a small town, where she begs shelter. El Akir’s men close in. In Jaffa, Ian mounts to ride with Richard’s letter and a rescue in mind. The roads to peace and danger point the same way: toward Barbara.

Episode 3: The Wheel of Fortune

King Richard plans a bold peace. He will offer his sister Joanna in marriage to Saladin’s brother, Saphadin. The Doctor and Vicki move carefully at court, smiling and listening. Joanna arrives in Jaffa. Richard tells her the plan. She refuses at once. She will not marry for politics. Richard rages, then broods, and the court grows tense.

Ian rides with Richard’s letter toward Saladin. On a lonely road he is ambushed by desert brigands. They rob him, bind him, and drag him away, hoping for ransom. Ian waits, watches, and looks for a chance to break free.

Barbara flees the Saracen camp and finds shelter with a stern man named Haroun. He tells a hard story: El Akir murdered his family and stole his daughter, Maimuna. Haroun hunts him. Barbara chooses to help. At night they slip into Lydda to search the houses. Guards spot them. Barbara is seized and taken to El Akir’s harem.

Inside, a frightened young woman tends her. She is Maimuna. Barbara begs for a knife and a path to a door. Outside, El Akir orders that the “Frankish woman” be kept for him. In Jaffa, Richard’s plan falters. In Lydda, Haroun draws his blade. Fortune turns, and the next move will decide who lives.

Episode 4: The Warlords

In Lydda, Barbara waits in El Akir’s house under guard. The harem girl Maimuna brings her water and whispers of escape. At night, El Akir comes to claim Barbara. She fights him and runs. Haroun bursts in, blade drawn. In the struggle he kills El Akir and frees his daughter. Barbara, Haroun, and Maimuna slip into the alleys and head for the countryside before dawn.

Out on the road, Ian is still a prisoner of the desert bandit Ibrahim. Ian tricks him and forces the robber to guide him to Lydda. They reach the town, fight off pursuers, and learn Barbara has already fled. Ian releases Ibrahim with a warning and follows the trail toward Jaffa.

In Jaffa, court games turn hard. King Richard abandons the marriage plan. The Earl of Leicester suspects the Doctor and Vicki of treachery. With Tavius’s quiet help, they dodge arrest and leave the city in disguise. Richard broods on war and peace, then lets the matter drop.

By day’s end the travellers reunite outside the walls. They thank Haroun and Maimuna and promise never to forget them. The TARDIS waits in the grove. Together they depart, leaving two great armies to their uneasy truce.

Themes

As a pure historical, The Crusade stands near the top of the Hartnell era. It is measured, adult, and beautifully acted. Across its four episodes, the story trades spectacle for courtly intrigue, moral ambiguity, and peril that feels palpably human. It lacks the playful fizz of “The Romans” and the sheer audacity of The Web Planet, but for script craft and character work it sits alongside The Aztecs in the upper tier: a drama where wit, politics, and personal courage do the heavy lifting.

It also binds the season together. Coming straight after The Web Planet, it completes a three-step demonstration of range before the gear-change of The Space Museum, and it deepens threads the show has been weaving since The Aztecs. These include Barbara’s hard lessons about history, Ian’s chivalric resolve, and the Doctor’s talent for navigating dangerous courts.

The serial’s grounded stakes and ethical grey zones point forward to later, sly plays with history in The Time Meddler, while the maturing team dynamic helps set the emotional table for the big pivots soon to arrive in The Chase.

.

This is a chapter from Craig Hill’s book “Doctor Who – The First Doctor”, chronicling every episode featuring the First Doctor. It is available on Amazon.

.

To view the list of other Doctor Who serials, please click this link

Doctor Who Episode Guides for Sale on Amazon

Step aboard the TARDIS and journey across the universe with every incarnation of The Doctor in this series of unofficial Doctor Who episode companions.

This collection of twelve books explores every televised adventure of the Time Lord’s lives.

Each volume in the series delves into a different Doctor’s era, offering detailed episode guides, behind-the-scenes insights, character profiles, and story synopses.

Once you have clicked the link, choose which book you want, and then whether you want to buy the Kindle (eBook) or Paperback versions.

Previews are available before you buy.

Visit the Australian Book and Language Studio

www.abls.com.au