Name: Doctor Who - The Romans
Brand: BBC DVD
SKU: BBCDVD2971
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.00 (2 reviews)

Doctor Who - The Romans (Dennis Spooner)

Please find the details I have recorded for this release.

Release pictures

Front cover
Picture of BBCDVD 2971 Doctor Who - The Romans by artist Dennis Spooner from the BBC records and Tapes library

Rear cover
Picture of BBCDVD 2971 Doctor Who - The Romans by artist Dennis Spooner from the BBC records and Tapes library

BBC records label code
Label
BBC DVD label

Release details

Detail			Value
Catalogue number			BBCDVD 2971
Title			Doctor Who - The Romans
Artist(s)			Dennis Spooner
Cover condition			Near mint
Record condition			Near mint
BBC records label code			-
Item deleted?			No
Released			1965
Distributed / printed by			2 entertain
Country of origin			UK
Media type			Primary
Media genre			Dramas - Sci-fi View all other tracks listed as Dramas - Sci-fi.
Run-off codes / Shop bar codes			A0101051846-A911 16 IFPI L556 Sony DADC
My rating			*****
Guest rating			***** To vote, please select one of these buttons:
Number have			1
What type of seller was used?			Physical shop
Where can I buy this release?			You may be able to purchase this release from the following websites (others are available!)
			Amazon
			Discogs
			Ebay
			EIL
			MusicStack
			Recordsale

Front cover
All release pictures Below is all the cover (front, back, middle and inserts if applicable) and label pictures I have for this release.

Back cover

Middle of cover

Label

Side & track	Track and Artist	Length
Tracks Below is a list of tracks for this release.
A1	The slave traders	24.14
A2	All roads lead to Rome	23.14
A3	Conspiracy	26.18
A4	Inferno	23.09
A5	What has the Romans ever done for us?	33.59
A6	Roma Parva	2.33
A7	Dennis Spooner - Wanna write a television series?	17.48
A8	Blue Peter - A Roman banquet	7.15
A9	Girls girls girls - The 1960's	17.40
A10	Photo gallery	6.07
A11	Radio Times billings [PDF]
A12	Coming soon - Attack of the Cybermen	1.07
Total length of media 3:03:24.

Ratings
Reviews
Below is my review for this release and the ratings.
A good entry, I will include a full review asap!
My rating	3
Guest rating	Current average value is 5. To vote, please select one of these buttons:
Extra notes on cover, middle (gatefold sleeve) and any inserts
Starring William Hartnell (First Doctor) Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) William Russell (Ian Chesterton) Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) Derek Francis - Nero Michael Peake - Tavius Brian Proudfoot - Tigellinus Kay Patrick - Poppaea Sabina Peter Diamond - Delos Derek Sydney - Sevcheria Nicholas Evans - Didius Barry Jackson - Ascaris Anne Tirard - Locusta Dennis Edwards - Centurion Margot Thomas - Stall Holder Edward Kelsey - Slave Buyer Bart Allison - Maximus Pettulian Dorothy-Rose Gribble - Woman Slave Gertan Klauber - Galley Master Ernest Jennings, John Caesar - Men in Market Tony Lambden - Court Messenger Written by Dennis Spooner Produced by Verity Lambert Directed by Christopher Barry Synopsis Italy, 64AD. Enjoying a rare holiday with his companions, the Doctor takes Vicki to visit Rome, where he is mistaken for the musician Maximus Pettulian. He finds himself obliged to perform for Nero, or risk incurring the Emperor's wrath ... In his absence, Ian and Barbara have been kidnapped from their villa. Separated and sold into slavery, they face a bleak future. Can they make their escape and find the Doctor before Rome is consumed by fire? Background The Romans represents a brave experiment for Doctor Who, which from its inception had approached historical tales with a scholarly sobriety. Dennis Spooner tempers what would otherwise be a dark lesson in the brutality of life in imperial Rome with a liberal dose of farce. His depiction of Nero as a vain, libidinous fool contrasts sharply with the earnerst characterisation of Marco Polo and Robespierre in the previous season. Although the heavy comic elements are largely restricted to part 3, it was this, combined with certain historical inaccuracies, which drew criticism when the story was originally transmitted. Pushing viewer credulity to the limit, Spooner would also have us believe that the Doctor honed his astonishing combat skills training the Mountain Mauler of Montana. But whilst it remains difficult to accept the First Doctor engaging in a near-slapstick fight sequence and spouting a succession of bad puns, it should also be noted that this behaviour is exactly what we could expect from the Doctor's most recent incarnation ... The adverse viewer reaction to the 'silliness' of The Romans ensured that subsequent historical adventures such as The Crusade and The Massacre were played straight, but Dennis Spooner's gift was to introduce history as window-dressing rather than a strictly educational exercise in storytelling. It was an idea he was to develop in The Time Meddler, and by challenging the traditional template, Spooner set a vital precedent in Doctor Who which has been vibrantly exploited in recent stories like The Shakespeare Code and The Girl in the Fireplace.

Other versions
I have the title track on these releases:
[dvds]	BBCDVD 2698	Doctor Who - The rescue / The Romans
External links
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Further information
BBC Radio Enterprises Ltd and BBC Enterprises Ltd, predecessors of BBC Worldwide / BBC Worldwide Ltd., the BBC's commercial arm. Formed 1968 and 1979 respectively, they were a subsidiary wholly owned by the BBC and merged into BBC Worldwide in 1995. In that time, there were companies set up within or structured brands as part of the company to deal with separate parts of the business, e.g. BBC Records for recorded audio. Sometimes written as BBC Enterprise Ltd. The items shown here are from the "main" BBC Records and Tapes library covering a wide secletion of genres from themes, comedy dramas and others, depending on which format you have selected.