The Crusade

"The Crusades", "The Crusaders", "Doctor Who and the Richard the Lionheart"

"The One with the Salad In Jaffa" (USA), "Western Aggression" (Iran), "Nothing to do with Tom needing assistance" (Tom Cruise Gazette)

Doctor Who visits the Holy Land and tangles with some blacked up thespians.

*** - it's ok if you like stories set in the Holy Land and featuring old men tangling with blacked up thespians. It's pretty much ideal actually.

"Is this the bit of history where the Beatles defeat the Daleks who've invaded London?" (Vicki was proving a tricky part to script even in her early stories)

"There is something new in your pants, yet something older than the sky itself"

This story was recorded on location at BBC Television Centre (London)

The policy of “blacking up” was very much in vogue at the BBC in the 1960s. Indeed, surviving clips show that Panorama was often presented by blacked up presenters. The final straw came during the 1970 General Election when at least one Dimbleby appeared with a stained face and the BBC decided the trend had run its course.

Contemporary documentation show that “The Lion” is the only episode to retain its original title. Originally they were “The Lion”, “The Twix”, “The Crunchie” and “The Toffee Crisp”.

Julian Glover would go on to have a glittering acting career and would appear in “City of Death”, Jean Marsh went on to a successful career as a writer and performer and would return in “Battlefield” while Maureen O’Brien… didn’t.

Terry Jones based most of his acclaimed documentary on the period on the Titan Script Book of this story.

William “Russell” Enoch has a terrible cold during production and one poor sound man suffered temporary hearing loss after a particularly violent sneeze into a microphone.

One sneeze propelled Enoch three feet backwards and he knocked part of the set over. This is why, in one scene, Saladin’s palace has an upside down wall.

Si Hunt

"I once had the bad fortune to be viewing a "Doctor Who" internet message community and amidst the tedious drivel I spotted someone making reference to the manner of release for Story P. His incorrect opinion was that releasing it in a boxed set with Story Q was a terrible move as he had no interest in Story Q and resented paying what was, for his class, a sizable sum for just two video cassette tape episodes. "Don't be pathetically stupid" I said once I'd obtained his telephone number from an open minded contact in the communications industry, "Boxed sets are things of beauty and should be cherished whatever the contents. If I had my way, all of "Doctor Who" would be sold in arbitrary boxed sets. Each one would come with a free knick-knack such as a postcard or novelty metal item. They are a dream come true for the serious collector and part-time entrepreneur. I for one would purchase a flagon of Ian Devine's bathwater if it came with a numbered limited edition sticker and he could prove to me that demand for them was high. The prole saw the error of his ways and rang off without saying anything. I must've been on good form as he ended the call before I'd finished explaining everything."

Where are they now? Number 94 - Saladin

Cour-de-Leon or Queer-de-Leon?