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| The Reign of Terror | |
| Doctor: | First Doctor |
| Companion(s): | Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton & Barbara Wright |
| Enemy: | Robespierre |
| Setting: | Paris, France, 1794 |
| Production | |
| Written by: | Dennis Spooner |
| Directed by | Henric Hirsch |
| Produced by: | Verity Lambert |
| Script Editor: | David Whitaker |
| Average Viewership: | 6.73million |
| Production Code: | H |
| Broadcast Date: | 8 August - 12 September 1964 |
| Format: | 6x25minute episodes |
| Chronology | |
| Doctor's Timeline | |
| Previous Story: | TBA |
| Following Story: | TBA |
| Television Stories | |
| Previous Story: | The Sensorites |
| Following Story: | Planet of Giants |
The Reign of Terror was the final story of the first series of Doctor Who. Set in the French Revolution age, this was the third story to travel into the past. Featuring the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Susan Foreman and written by Dennis Spooner, this story was only half available as the fourth and fifth episodes were lost from the BBC Archives. However, these episodes were restored by professional animation work and was released in 2013 on DVD.
Synopsis[]
The TARDIS arrives near Paris during the French Revolution, a time of great upheaval, bloodshed and terror. Soon, with the Doctor trapped inside a burning farmhouse, Ian imprisoned and Susan and Barbara on their way to the guillotine it's clear this will one of their most dangerous and exciting adventures yet...
Plot[]
A Land of Fear[]
The Doctor supposedly manages to land on Earth in Ian and Barbara's timezone. They are unsure and query his capabilities with the TARDIS. To prove his point, the Doctor tells Susan that they will be taking a little stroll.
As they exit the TARDIS, they find fields of crops, which seem perfectly normal. Then, they discover a small boy, whom Ian apprehends while the Doctor gives him a scolding for eavesdropping. The boy manages to escape. The TARDIS crew decide to follow in the boy's direction to find any residential area.
Further down the pathway, they find a farmhouse. Upon entering, they believe it to be abandoned and as they head deeper into the house, they find items of clothing from a different era. While the Doctor searches upstairs for any signs of life, Ian and Barbara deduce that it is the time of the French Revolution in late 18th Century. They soon believe the house to be an escape route for anti-revolutionists.
Upstairs the Doctor is hit on the head and knocked out.
Two men appear and question the remaining TARDIS crew. They are D'Argenson and Rouvray, anti-revolutionists who want to move on as quick as possible. Suddenly, some French revolutionists arrive as a small battle group and begin to search the house. D'Argenson becomes nervous as they reach closer, before he reveals himself and allows himself to be captured. However, Rouvray protects him, but is killed. D'Argenson is also killed.
The remaining TARDIS crew reveal themselves from their hiding and the Lieutenant decides to take them to the Guillotine. As they are taken, Barbara and Susan notice that the revolutionists are burning the house down, unaware of another soul inside.
Inside the house, the Doctor chokes heavily and falls to the ground inside a locked room. He is slowly dying of lack of air.
Characters[]
- The Doctor - William Hartnell
- Ian Chesterton - William Russell
- Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill
- Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford
- Jean-Pierre - Peter Walker
- Rouvray - Laidlaw Dalling
- D'Argenson - Neville Smith
- Sergeant - Robert Hunter
- Lieutenant - Ken Lawrence
- Soldier - James Hall
- Judge - Howard Charlton
- Jailer - Jack Cunningham
- Webster - Jeffry Wickham
- Overseer - Dallas Cavell
- Peasant - Dennis Cleary
- Lemaitre / James Stirling - James Cairncross
- Jean - Roy Herrick
- Jules Renan - Donald Morley
- Shopkeeper - John Barrard
- Danielle - Caroline Hunt
- Léon Colbert - Edward Brayshaw
- Maximilien Robespierre - Keith Anderson
- Physician - Ronald Pickup
- Soldier - Terry Bale
- Paul Barras - John Law
- Napoléon Bonaparte - Tony Wall
- Soldier - Patrick Marley
- Soldier - David Anderson
Crew[]
- Writer - Dennis Spooner
- Director - Henric Hirsch
- Producer - Verity Lambert
- Script Editor - David Whitaker
- Designer - Roderick Laing
- Assistant Floor Manager - Michael Cager
- Associate Producer - Mervyn Pinfield
- Costumes - Daphne Dare
- Film Cameraman - Peter Hamilton
- Film Editor - Caroline Shields
- Incidental Music - Stanley Myers
- Make-Up - Jill Summers, Sonia Markham
- Production Assistant - Timothy Combe
- Special Sound - Brian Hodgson
- Studio Lighting - Howard King
- Studio Sound - Chick Anthony, Ray Angel
- Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
Continuity[]
to be added