The Reign of Terror

Information

Writer: Dennis Spooner
Director: Henric Hirsch (episodes 1,2,4-6), John Gorrie (episode 3) (uncredited)
Script Editor: David Whitaker
Producer: Verity Lambert, Mervyn Pinfield (associate producer)
Executive Producer(s): None

Originally Broadcast: 8th August - 12th September 1964
Episodes: 6
Duration: 25 mins each episode
Production Code: H
Series: 1
Story Number: 8
Enemy: Maximilien Robespierre
Setting: 1794

Synopsis

The TARDIS materialises not far from Paris in 1794 - one of the bloodiest years following the French Revolution of 1789. The travellers become involved with an escape chain rescuing prisoners from the guillotine and get caught up in the machinations of an English undercover spy, James Stirling - alias Lemaitre, governor of the Conciergerie Prison.
The Doctor - posing as a Regional Officer of the Provinces - is twice brought before the great tyrant, Robespierre himself, and has to talk himself out of trouble. Ian and Barbara, meanwhile, have a close encounter with a future ruler of France, Napoleon Bonaparte.
As events reach their climax, Robespierre is overthrown - shot in the jaw and dragged off to the prison - and the Doctor and his friends slip quietly away.

Cast

The Doctor - William Hartnell

Ian Chesterton - William Russell

Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill

Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford

Small Boy - 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

Story Notes

• The first Doctor Who story to feature on-location filming.
  
• Episodes 1, 2, 3 and 6 exist in 16mm telerecordings.
  
• Episode 6 was returned by a private collector in May 1982.
  
• Prints of all 4 existing episodes were recovered from a Cypriot television station in 1985. These included a superior print of episode 2.
  
• 12 clips from episodes 4 and 5 exist in the form of 8mm home movie reel.
  
• Episode 2 used the working title Guests of the Guillotine.
  
• This story was a replacement for a 6 part story by David Whitaker which would have been set at the time of the Spanish Armada.
  
• William Russell originally suggested the idea of a story set during The French Revolution.
  
• Director Henric Hirsch suffered from exhaustion during the making of this serial and was unable to direct episode three. John Gorrie (who had previously directed The Keys of Marinus) stepped in temporarily. Some sources have credited Verity Lambert as director for this episode, as no director is credited onscreen (which at the time normally implied that the producer also directed the programme), but she has firmly denied this.
  
• William Russell was on holiday during the filming of episodes 2 and 3 and appeared only in pre-taped film sequences.
  
• Edward Brayshaw, later to feature as the War Chief in 1969's The War Games has a role as Léon Colbert, a counter-espionage agent allied with the Revolutionary government.
  
• In a number of 1970s listing guides the story was called The French Revolution. This appears to derive from a promotional article in the BBC listings magazine Radio Times entitled "Dr Who and the French Revolution".
  
• Many photographs of this story remain. Along with the soundtrack these were used by Loose Cannon Productions to make a reconstruction of this story. (see external links). An earlier reconstruction of this story was made by Michael Palmer, although this is no longer in circulation.
  
• It was originally intended that Verity Lambert and David Whitaker would be responsible for finding a replacement show to run during the season break however this did not prove necessary and the slot was filled with repeats of The Valiant Varneys.
  
• This was the first historical in which the Doctor was seen to wear period attire. The First Doctor would continue to do so in most of his stories set in Earth's past. The tradition was initially continued by the Second Doctor in The Highlanders, but as pure historicals faded from Doctor Who, the Doctor generally abandoned this notion.
  

Preceded by: The Sensorites - Followed by: Planet of the Giants