Day Sixty-One: All Roads Lead to Rome (The Romans, Episode Two)

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start...

Day Sixty-One: All Roads Lead to Rome (The Romans, Episode Two)

Dear diary,

Some stories are easy. There's been more than a few episodes since the start of this marathon where I've had so much to say that I actively need to hold things back to talk about on another day, because there's a real danger that I'll just waffle on for ages.

This isn't one of those days.

Honestly, I really don't know what I'm going to talk about with this episode. There's nothing wrong with it, I've enjoyed it well enough, and it has all the elements that have been very strong in the series of late but it's just all a bit par for the course.

I think it must be telling when the thing that impresses me the most about a story is the fact that Ian has a bit of stubble! Yeah, yeah, I know this sounds like a minor thing, but actually, it was fairly impressive. Because of the way modern TV is made - with things shot so much out-of-sequence, and across a different period of time (modern telly Doctor Who takes about 18 days, for example, for an episode. Give-or-take.), it's often quite fun when you see a character with a bit of real stubble. It usually means that they've had to film those scenes early on in production, before they can have a good shave.

Here, though, with the production process meaning that they have to shoot one episode a week in order, we're able to see the time passing for the characters in almost real time. It's been about six days since Ian was captured, and it would have been seven for the audience watching at home. The stubble just helps to sell that idea. As I say - it's a tiny thing, but it interested me at least!

Something else that I couldn't help but muse on here is the way that the TARDIS crew seem to often end up separated so much. In The Dalek Invasion of Earth, they're all over the place, and they manage to work their way to meet up again in Bedfordshire (though Barbara tells Jenny this is a good plan because that's 'surely' what the Doctor would do), and in The Rescue, Ian suggests they return to the ship, as that's likely to be the best place to meet.

The same is true for many of the other stories (Planet of Giants sees Barbara and Ian transported to the lab, while The Reign of Terror sees them, and Susan, carted off to Paris), and it's fun to see this idea being played with here. Twice, the Doctor and Vicki nearly encounter Barbara - first in the market at the slave auction, then again at Nero's palace. It probably shouldn't be as amusing as it is, but considering how much I love the same trick being pulled with the Doctor and Donna in Partners in Crime, it's hard not to smile.

Oh, and speaking of which, it's just downright weird to see the Doctor declaring to a man 'Oh! So you want to fight, do you?' before giggling his way through the battle. Down. Right. Weird.

Next Episode: Conspiracy