Serial D, in seven parts:
- The Roof of the World - 2/22/64, 9.4m viewers
- The Singing Sands - 2/29/64, 9.4m
- Five Hundred Eyes - 3/7/64, 9.4m
- The Wall of Lies - 3/14/64, 9.9m
- Rider From Shang-Tu - 3/21/64, 9.4m
- Mighty Kublai Khan - 3/28/64, 8.4m
- Assassin at Peking - 4/4/64, 10.4m
Sound Bytes:
"It's a major feat to produce a serial as ambitious as this in Lime Grove's tiny Studio D, and the attention to detail in the script and setting is impressive." - Mark Campbell, The Pocket Essential Doctor Who (Pocket Essentials, 2000)
"For me, Bill [Hartnell] hit his stride in Marco Polo. He was a dedicated, diligent actor and in the previous serials I formed the impression that he was seeking the Doctor's identity. He was Doctor Who, the star of the series, but the first story, set in the Stone Age, was a 'shake-down' for all the regulars; in the second, Terry Nation's Daleks stole the show and in the third the action was limited to the TARDIS. But in Marco Polo Bill found his direction and crystallised his performance with the authority and stature he brought to it for the next three years." - John Lucarotti, from The Doctor Who File by Peter Haining (W.H. Allen, 1986)
"Marco Polo must surely rate as one of the finest Doctor Who stories ever transmitted." - review from The Handbook: The First Doctor by Howe, Stammers and Walker (Virgin, 1994)
Comments:
Some fans call Marco Polo the best Doctor Who serial ever made. I'm tempted to agree with them, but there's just one tiny problem that gives me pause -- Marco Polo doesn't exist anymore.
As you probably know, if you're reading this site, shortsighted folks at the BBC erased many early Doctor Who serials in the days before the home video market, figuring that they were no longer of use. Unfortunately, Marco Polo is the earliest serial to have been destroyed in that purge.
Though copies of some "lost" Doctor Who stories have been discovered over the years, Marco Polo appears for the moment to be utterly extinct. However, the complete serial exists in audio form, so you can listen to it like a radio play. Lucarotti also wrote a novelisation, which is excellent. If you read the book, listen to the audio, and take a glance at the surviving production stills (which are rather attractive), you will likely come to the conclusion that Marco Polo was...awesome. In all probability.
One particular highlight of the story is the creative and compelling characterization of Marco himself. Though he is depicted as a nice enough guy in some ways, he is also fundamentally selfish -- he actually steals the Doctor's TARDIS with the intention of using it to bribe Kublai Khan for his freedom. The Doctor's repeated clashes with Marco over the fate of the TARDIS are heated and a lot fun.
Kublai Khan is also good. In the early episodes, before he is seen on screen, he comes across as a mysterious and virtually all-powerful ruler. But, when he finally shows up towards the end, he's portrayed as a funny little old man. His interplay with the Doctor is priceless, particularly when they play backgammon to determine which of them will ultimately control the TARDIS. (Amusingly, the Doctor loses the time machine but wins a year's worth of commerce from Burma.)
I do have a few reservations about this serial, though. It features quite a few Caucasian actors who try to "pass" as Asians. This was a pretty common practice years ago -- even big-time productions like Dr. No and Kung Fu featured Caucasians playing Asians -- but, to an audience with modern sensibilities, it's downright awkward.
My other potential gripe is that the villain, Tegana, basically gets away with murder for the whole story, and it takes much too long for Marco and company to catch on to the fact that he's evil.
But these are relatively minor points. Since Lucarotti was a great writer, and Hussein was a great director, I'll stick my neck out here and say that Marco Polo was also...great?
Grade: A
Next Serial: The Keys of Marinus