Product Description

Long, long ago on the great plains of Asia Minor, two mighty armies faced each other in mortal combat. The armies were the Greeks and the Trojans, and the prize they were fighting for was Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. To the Greeks, it seemed that the city of Troy was impregnable and only a miracle could bring them success. And then help comes to them in a most mysterious way, as a strange blue box materialises close to their camp, bringing with it the Doctor, Steven and Vicki, who soon find themselves caught up in the irreversible tide of history and legend...Stephen Thorne, who appeared in several episodes of the classic BBC TV "Doctor Who" series, reads Donald Cotton's complete and unabridged novelisation, first published by Target Books in 1985. '"BBC Audiobooks" has chosen well with its books and has taken the right approach with its readers...they benefit from new music and sound effects' - "Doctor Who Magazine".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100972 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-07
• Released on: 2008-04-07
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

Amazon.co.uk Review
While Dr. Who is often fondly remembered for its slipshod production values (disused quarries as barren planets etc.), it's worth remembering that the show featured its fair share of cracking storylines. One of Dr. Who's infamous "lost" episodes, with only the soundtrack remaining, Myth Makers allows a wonderfully inventive take on Greek myths to shine through (aided by Peter Purves' scene-setting narration), without the distraction of dodgy sets. When the TARDIS lands in ancient Greece, the original Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions get mixed up with Greek Gods and the Trojan War. Mistaken for the great god Zeus by Achilles, Agamemnon and Odysseus, the Doctor is forced is to come up with a plan to defeat the Trojans--in just two days. Meanwhile, companions Steven and Vicky have been taken prisoner by the Trojans. To prove her loyalty, Vicky must come up with a plan to defeat the Greeks in the same time. However, for the Doctor, a certain plan involving a giant wooden horse may save him, but doom the others. Mixing the staples of historical adventure with farce, bolstered with a literate, witty script makes Myth Makers hugely enjoyable, a must for fans and excellent reminder of the series' early inventiveness. --Danny Graydon

Customer Reviews

Is there a Doctor in the Horse
The prospect of spending an hour and a half with Doctor Who, especially the Hartnell black and white vintage, and not even on television, but some off-air recording of a 'junked' story, tarted up by a bit of narration, can't fill many people's hearts with excitement. So, I assume, this release is meant for the die-hard fans. The same people who dismiss this, and the writer's other contribution to the programme, The Gunfighters, as among the worst stories ever in the series, and you can imagine the stiff competition. So, who is this meant to delight? Anyone with a sense of fun and an appreciation of clever dialogue. Set during the Trojan War, the story rattles along with a casual disregard for historical, or literary, accuracy and is all the better for it. The events are restructured to fit the Doctor Who world in the same way that Shakespeare was more interested in telling a good story, than give a history lesson. Featuring a line up of stage and screen stars, notably Max Adrian as King Priam and Francis de Wolff as Agamemnon, this is still Hartnell's show. Seeming to delight in the freedom from technobabble and the historical stories usual forced gravitas, he puts in a comedy performance the right side of tongue-in-cheek and send-up, something that future Doctors could have done well to echo. The story is by no means light, especially the more down-beat final episode, and it contains a fair amount of Doctor Who 'business', namely the departure of a long-standing companion. Not being made for an audio-medium, however wordy the script, can make listening to an adaptation of this sort hard work. Although cleaned up magnificently, these amateur mono recordings are of poorer quality than would normally be expected of a professional product. Still, due praise should be given to the fan who had the foresight to record it way back in 1965. And boos and hisses to the BBC for not recognising the programmes significance. This is never going to appeal to anyone but a Who-fan or TV nostagist but it does deserve a better reputation even amongst that scene. And a wider appreciation too.

A super reading of a top Target novelisation...
Stephen Thorne gives a fantastic reading of one of the finest ever Doctor Who novelisations from Target books. Since reading it on first publication I have studied literature (including Homer) at university, and I have to say that whilst a knew Donald Cotton's book to be good as a teenager revisiting it as an adult was again a fantastic experience. Mr Thorne - now a less prolific audio book reader than was once the case - gives a spirited rendition of each character, including a suspiciously West Country-sounding Odysseus! It is such a shame that BBC Audiobooks chose to follow this gem with a feeble offering like Black Orchid. But as the Trojans in this book would doubtless tell you (were they not the stuff of myth), you can't win 'em all...

Taking the Myth ...
Well, what would you do, if someone asked you to write a science fiction serial set in the dim past? And also told you that you can't include any science fiction elements in the story!

Following the precedent laid down in the early days of Dr Who, by the historical serial 'The Romans', the writer has opted to do Dr Who as comedy. And what could be funnier than a complete reversal of the classical myths, by portraying the heroes of antiquity as a bunch of cowards.

The script sparkles with wit, much of it of a Bob Hope style: insult gags. And to the adults watching (or, in our case, listening!), it's a nice comic treatment of the story of the Wooden Horse of Troy. Heaven knows what the kids made of it at the time; but at least their parents could enjoy it.

A lot of Frankie Howerd style running around in togas, after the manner of 'Up Pompeii', and even the occasional actor from that particular comedy series popping up - in the person of a lovely old thesp, Max Adrian, as King Priam!

William Hartnell always wanted to play comedy, and he never had better scope with a script than here. He emerges from the newly arrived Tardis, onto the plain of Troy, and is promptly mistaken for both the god Zeus and for an old beggar.

The Greeks are fed up. They've been sitting on this wretched plain for 10 years, and they don't think Helen was worth it, or is even all that beautiful. So unless he can get them inside the besieged city within two days, using his godlike powers as Zeus, the Doctor's going to be executed!

How the old boy gets out of it (go on with you - you didn't really think he'd be executed, did you?) and along the way ALSO rescues his companions from the doomed city, takes four episodes to tell. And it's very well executed. No, no - not the Doc, the plot!