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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2657 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-23
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 168 minutes

DVD Description
The TARDIS gains a new crew member then travels back in time to Nero’s Rome in these two classic adventures starring William Hartnell.

The Rescue
Arriving on the planet Dido in the late 25th Century, the time travellers come upon a crashed spaceship from Earth. Its two occupants are living in fear of a creature called Koquillion, but everything is not as it seems…

The Romans
The time travellers are enjoying a rare holiday, staying at a villa not far from Rome in the year 64 AD. The Doctor soon becomes restless and sets off to visit the city. Having been mistaken for the famous lyre player and asked to perform at the Emperor Nero's Court, the Doctor has to devise ever more elaborate schemes to avoid revealing that he cannot actually play the instrument.

DVD Special Features include:
• Commentaries with cast and crew
• The making of The Rescue and The Romans
• Radio Times Billings • Photo Gallery
• Coming Soon Trailer • Production Information Subtitles

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Customer Reviews

Hello Vicki Welcome To Rome.
Season 2.
Now then what have we here, well in my opinion we have two neglected little gems, that's what. Two stories from the always ignored (In fan polls.) Hartnell era.
These two stories are from Season two, a season which had the highest "overall" viewing figures in the shows history.
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The Rescue.(Two Episodes.)
A succinct and competently written two parter, who's sole purpose is to introduce the Granddaughter replacement Vicki.
And by doing so quickly rebalances the demographics of the group after the departure of Susan.
It's main plotline hinges on a murder mystery with Sci-fi overtones, which the Doctor solves, with the help of some prior knowledge of the indigenous civilisation he'd gained from a previous visit.
Originally planned as the first story of the second season it was put back into third place because of extra work required on, "The Dalek Invasion of Earth".
Ep.1~ The Powerful Enemy.(2/1/65)
Ep.2~ Desperate Measures.(9/1/65)
Overall opinion:~a pleasing little diversion from some of Season two's more facetious offerings.
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The Romans.(Four Episodes.)
Forgetting about the historical inaccuracies in some of the main characters. This story was unique for many years afterwards, as been deliberately done in a farcical fashion.(Input by the great Dennis Spooner.)
The Tardis crew via many convoluted reasons end up in Rome, but neither party (Vicky and the Doctor)(Barbara and Ian.) is aware of the others presence. The Doctor is mistaken for lyre player Maximus Pettulian, and finds himself embroiled in intrigue and murder in Nero's court.
Many of the situations are terribly contrived, but some are amusing.
- The Doctor using the, "Emperors New Clothes" syndrome to fool the snobs in Nero's court, whilst pretending to play the Lyre.
(He can't play a note.)
- The Doctor gives Nero an Idea to rebuild Rome.(Involving fire.)
On a religious note one of the characters turns out to be one of Rome's early Christians.
Anyone who's seen, "Spartacus", "Ben Hur" and "Carry on Cleo" will see at least one scene inspired from those classic films.
Ep.1~ The Slave Traders.(16/1/65)
Ep.2~ All Roads Lead to Rome.(23/1/65)
Ep.3~ Conspiracy.(30/1/65)
Ep.4~ Inferno.(6/2/65)
Overall opinion:~It was nice to actually see The Doctor meeting a historical figure for once, instead of just name dropping, like he does a lot during the Pertwee years.
This story shows Nero not fiddling while Rome burns, instead he "Lyred", much more believable.
(The fiddle hadn't been invented.)
The Romans is still even now an amusing treat, don't let the fact it's in Black and White put you off.
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Trivia~ According to research Nero died in his thirties. A lot younger then the middle aged Derek Francis, who plays him here.

Wonderful bit of Sixties television.
*The Rescue*

Quite a nice little tale. The sets and direction are outstanding - there are some snappy angles and many clever inlay shots - and the performances are fine. The Rescue is essentially a vehicle for Vicki's introduction though it manages to entertain in other ways, as the whole cast are on top notch form and the Didoan civilisation is intriguing. Maureen O'Brien is a breath of fresh air, her acting abilities light years ahead of Carole Ann Ford's irritating performance as Susan.

*The Romans*
Very amusing. Hartnell is well suited to light comedy and this is full of it. The script sparkles with wit and black humour, and counterpoints this with some quite heavy scenes particularly Ian's dramatic interlude aboard the slave ship. The whole cast are marvellous. One of the very best Hartnells.

Recommended.

Exciting adventures from the 1960s re-issued with care
Two good stories from the time of the earliest Doctor, William Hartnell. They come from an age of black and white television and when issued on VHS a few years ago they suffered from having been converted from video to film and back again. Now, new processes and a lot of hard work has meant that these stories can be enjoyed in crystal clear picture and sound quality, perhaps even better than when they were first shown.

The Rescue is two twenty-five minute episodes, which makes it the length of one of today's modern Doctor Whos. The story was designed to introduce the companion Vicki, played by distinguished actress and writer Maureen O'Brien, at the start of her career. Even though it's short, the story is exciting and has a strong cast, being focussed on the four regulars and Bennett, played by film star Ray Barrett.

The Romans is a really great story, its four episodes giving an epic adventure on a grand scale. There is a lot of humour in these episodes, but because the actors play it straight, you never get the feeling they are sending it up. The set design for ancient Rome is beautiful, the costumes are perfect, and the acting and direction is superb. It really is very impressive what the BBC could achieve on such a small budget.

The DVD extras are pretty good with a profile of Romans script writer Dennis Spooner, who wrote for every classic television series in the 1960s, a documentary about Romans and Nero, and a bit from Blue Peter about Romans. There is also a rather weak documentary about Doctor Who girls, but that doesn't detract from the rest. The commentaries are well-judged, bearing in mind that some of the participants are in their eighties, Doctor Who fan journalists have been brought in to moderate and prompt memories, and this works very well.

These would be a wonderful purchase for anyone wanting to see what Doctor Who was like in the 1960s, and allow you to enjoy the magic of thr first Doctor.