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{{Infobox TV|
{{title dab away}}
story name= Marco Polo |
{{real world}}
image=[[Image:marco_title.jpg|250px]] |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
series=[[Doctor Who]] - [[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
number= 4 |
|novelisation          = Marco Polo (novelisation)
doctor=[[First Doctor]] |
|image                 = MarcoPolo.jpg
companions= [[Susan Foreman]]<br/>[[Barbara Wright]]<br/>[[Ian Chesterton]] |
|season number          = Season 1 (Doctor Who 1963)
enemy= [[Tegana]] |
|season serial number  = 4
year= [[1289]] |
|story number           = 4
writer= [[John Lucarotti ]] |
|genre                  = Historical
director= [[Waris Hussein]] (episode 1-3, 5-7)<br/> [[John Crockett]] (episode 4) |
|adapted into          = Marco Polo (home video)
producer= [[Verity Lambert]] |
|doctor                 = First Doctor
broadcast date= [[22nd February]] - [[4th April]] [[1964]] |
|companions             = [[Susan Foreman|Susan]], [[Ian Chesterton|Ian]], [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]]
format= 7 25-minute episodes|
|featuring              = Marco Polo{{!}}Marco Polo
production code= [[List of production codes|D]] |
|enemy                 = [[Tegana]]
previous story= [[The Edge of Destruction]] |
|setting                = [[China|Cathay]], [[1289]]
next story= [[The Keys of Marinus]]}}
|writer                 = John Lucarotti  
'''Marco Polo''' was the fourth story of [[Season 1]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It is generally considered to be the first true historical story over "[[An Unearthly Child]]," whose depictions of cave dwellers was somewhat stylized and speculative. Unfortunately, it is also the earliest of the stories from the [[1960s]] of which no film or video copies are known to exist.
|director               = [[Waris Hussein]], [[John Crockett]]
|producer               = [[Verity Lambert]]
|broadcast date         = 22 February - 4 April 1964
|network                = BBC tv
|format                 = 7x25-minute episodes
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|D]]
|series                = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|prev                  = The Edge of Destruction (TV story)
|next                   = The Keys of Marinus (TV story)
|epcount                = 7
|thwr                  = 6
|thwr2                  = 46
|thwr3                  = 103
|featuring2=Kublai Khan{{!}}Kublai Khan
}}{{dab page|Marco Polo (disambiguation)}}
'''''Marco Polo''''' was the fourth serial of [[season 1 (Doctor Who 1963)|season one]] of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]''.


==Synopsis==
This was the first occasion in which a famous person from history appeared on the series. It also saw [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] act as a plot piece rather than something the travellers must return to once they have finished their adventuring.
The [[TARDIS]] lands in [[Central Asia]] in [[1289]], where the [[First Doctor]] and his companions fall in with [[Marco Polo]] as his caravan makes its way along the fabled [[Silk Road]] from the [[Pamir]] Plateau, across the treacherous [[Gobi Desert]] and over the [[Himalayas]] to end up in [[Peking]] at the height of its imperial power.  


Along the way they face many dangers, from natural hazards to assassination attempts from a [[Mongol]] warlord. The Doctor strikes up a friendship with [[Kublai Khan]] in his summer palace, before eventually departing again in the [[TARDIS]], which has been carried with them across thousands of miles.
''Marco Polo'' showed a mixed-ethnic group rather than a stereotypical collection of one race. Reference is made to real-world narcotics when [[Ping-Cho]] relates a fairytale that features [[hashish]]. Such references do not reappear until ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''.


==Plot==
Almost uniquely for the 1963 series, this story has a narrator. [[Mark Eden]] reads aloud while the map of the travellers' journey is shown. Since then, there have been few, if any televised stories that feature a character providing linking narration between sequences, with the debatable exceptions of [[Rassilon (The End of Time)|Rassilon]] in 2010's ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', [[Clara Oswald]] in 2013's ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'' and [[Tasha Lem]] in ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]''.
===The Roof of the World (1)===


[[Image:marco101.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Tegana]] plans to poison [[Marco Polo]]]]The TARDIS crew have arrived in the snowy wastes of the [[Gobi Desert]], and the ship is damaged and unable to produce light, heat or water. The [[First Doctor|Doctor]], [[Ian Chesterton|Ian]], [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]] and [[Susan Foreman|Susan]] face the prospect of freezing to death as night approaches and the temperatures plummet. Fortunately they spot a caravan in the distance. It is managed by [[Marco Polo]], an Italian in [[China]] as an emissary of [[Kublai Khan]].  
''Marco Polo'' is perhaps most notable as the earliest and longest ''Doctor Who'' story which is completely [[missing episode|missing]]. Its first episode, "The Roof of the World", is the earliest-broadcast episode to be missing. As of the present day, no episodes exist in the BBC archive.


Polo welcomes the Doctor and his companions to his company and introduces some of his fellow travellers including [[Tegana]] a Mongol warlord. Tegana is an emissary of peace from the [[Khan Noghai]] who has been at war with [[Kublai Khan]]. A young Chinese woman named [[Ping-Cho]] is  also travelling with Polo so that she may meet her 75-year old groom in her arranged marriage. Ping-Cho forms a strong friendship  with Susan.  
== Synopsis ==
Arriving in [[Asia|Central Asia]] in [[1289]], the [[First Doctor|Doctor]] and his companions join the caravan of the famous Venetian explorer [[Marco Polo]] as it makes its way from the snowy heights of the Pamir Plateau, across the treacherous [[Gobi Desert]] and through the heart of imperial [[Cathay]].


Marco Polo is fascinated by the TARDIS and tells the Doctor that he is requisitioning the “magic caravan” as a prize for the Emperor to attempt to buy his way out of his service. Marco takes the [[TARDIS Key]] from the Doctor to ensure the safety of his prize.
Having witnessed many incredible sights and survived a variety of dangers, they arrive at the mighty [[Kublai Khan]]'s Summer Palace in Shang-tu, where the Doctor strikes up an extraordinary friendship with the now-aged ruler.


When the caravan stops at the way station in [[Lop]] the lord [[Tegana]] reveals his true colours when he purchases a [[poison]] to use to despoil the caravan’s water supply as it ventures on into the Gobi Desert.  
They move on at last to the even more sumptuous Imperial Palace in [[Peking]], where the travellers save the Khan from an assassination attempt by the [[Mongol]] warlord [[Tegana]] — supposedly on a peace mission — before departing once more in [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]].


===The Singing Sands (2)===
== Plot ==
=== The Roof of the World (1) ===
:''Not to be confused with the [[The Roof of the World (audio story)|Big Finish adventure of the same name]].''
The TARDIS crew have arrived in the snowy wastes of the [[Plain of Pamir]]. [[The TARDIS|The ship]] is damaged and unable to provide light, heat or [[water]]. The [[First Doctor]], [[Ian Chesterton|Ian]], [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]] and [[Susan Foreman|Susan]] face the prospect of freezing to death as night approaches and the temperature plummets.


[[Image:marco102.jpg|left|150px|thumb|[[Tegana]] taunts [[Marco Polo]] with water ]]A vicious sandstorm, during which Ping-Cho and Susan are briefly lost, prevents Tegana implementing his plan. Instead he slices open the gourds during the night and ensures the bandits are blamed.  
Ian and Barbara go out onto the tundra to look for fuel, but Barbara sees a figure in the snow and they hurry back. Meanwhile, the Doctor has discovered what is wrong with the TARDIS but is interrupted by Ian and Barbara's return. The creature follows them back and appears at the TARDIS door. The foursome chase after it but are soon surrounded by [[Mongol]] soldiers on the verge of killing them for being evil spirits. A Western man, who turns out to be [[Marco Polo]], interrupts them.


Marco Polo insists the caravan presses on to the next stop, but the water rations get fewer and fewer as the days pass by and eventually Tegana is dispatched to find a fabled oasis. The [[Mongol]] finds the oasis easily, but does not return with water to the caravan as promised.
[[File:marco101.jpg|left|thumb|[[Tegana]] plans to poison [[Marco Polo]].]]
Polo welcomes the Doctor, who is suffering from altitude sickness, and his companions to his company. He introduces some of his fellow travellers, including [[Tegana]], a Mongol warlord. Tegana is a peace emissary from the [[Khan Noghai]], who has been at war with [[Kublai Khan]]. A young Chinese woman named [[Ping-Cho]] is also travelling with Polo so she may meet her seventy-five-year-old groom in her [[arranged marriage]]. Ping-Cho forms a strong friendship with Susan.


The Mongols fear the Doctor is an evil sorcerer who is powerless outside the TARDIS, so Marco Polo forbids him from entering it until their party has stopped in a town at the edge of the desert. Here, Polo says, the Doctor may fix his vessel.


When the caravan stops at the way station in [[Lop]], Marco Polo tells the Doctor he is requisitioning his "flying caravan" as a prize for the Emperor to attempt to buy his way out of his service.


Meanwhile, the lord Tegana is given a [[poison]] for the caravan's water supply by a [[Man at Lop|man]]. Tegana tells the man he shall use it on the caravan's water supply when they cross the Gobi desert. He then tells the man to follow them out, and on the third night, he shall walk back to him and they will ride back to Lop, wait for two days and go back to the caravan. He then says they shall take the "thing of magic" that will bring Kublai Khan to his knees.


=== The Singing Sands (2) ===
[[File:marco102.jpg|right|thumb|[[Tegana]] taunts [[Marco Polo]] with water.]]
The travellers make their way across the Gobi Desert. The Doctor, in a show of petulance, refuses to come out of his tent when they settle for the night, distressing Susan. One night when Ian and Marco Polo are playing [[chess]], Susan vents her frustration that they are stuck on Earth rather than exploring the stars. This spirit for exploring provokes Ping-Cho and Susan to follow Tegana as he walks off into the night. A vicious [[sandstorm]], during which Ping-Cho and Susan are briefly lost, prevents Tegana from poisoning the gourds. Instead, he slices them open in the night, knowing full well that bandits will get the blame.


Marco Polo insists the caravan press on to the next stop, but the water rations grow lower as the days pass. Finally, Tegana is dispatched to find a fabled [[oasis]].


===Five Hundred Eyes (3)===
The Mongol finds the oasis easily and drinks from it. "Here's water, Marco Polo", he cries, letting his cup of water pour onto the sand. "Come for it!"


[[Image:marco103.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Ian Chesterton|Ian]] explains condensation to [[Marco Polo]]]]With the water supply now completely exhausted, the situation becomes ever more desperate. The travellers only survive the arid conditions when the Doctor and Susan are able to collect water from the TARDIS which formed as condensation on the walls during the night.  
=== Five Hundred Eyes (3) ===
[[File:marco103.jpg|left|thumb|[[Ian Chesterton|Ian]] explains condensation to [[Marco Polo]].]]
With the water supply completely exhausted, the situation grows desperate. The travellers only survive the arid conditions when the Doctor and Susan collect water which [[Condensation|condensed]] on the TARDIS walls in the night.


The caravan moves on to the next way-station at [[Tun-Huang]] where stocks are replenished and they meet an incredulous Tegana, who rejoins their caravan. Ping-Cho makes their stay pleasant with the tale of Ala-eddin (Aladdin) and the Hashshashin (or assassins).  
The caravan moves on to the next way-station at [[Tun-Huang]], where stocks are replenished and they meet an incredulous Tegana, who rejoins their caravan. Ping-Cho makes their stay pleasant with the tale of [[Ala-eddin]] (Aladdin) and the [[Hashashin]] (or assassins).


Tegana slips away during the performance and makes his way to the [[Cave of Five Hundred Eyes]], where he is told by the Mongol agents [[Malik]] and [[Acomat]] that Noghai is assembling an army and marching toward [[Karakorum]]. Tegana tells [[Acomat]], a bandit, to attack the caravan soon and kill Marco Polo and the others. Their plans, however, have been partially overheard by Barbara, who followed Tegana to the cave, though she does not realise the extent of [[Tegana]]'s involvement. She is found and then kept prisoner by Malik while Tegana returns to the caravan, feigning surprise when her disappearance is discovered.  
Tegana slips away during the performance and makes his way to the [[Cave of Five Hundred Eyes]], where he is told by the Mongol agents [[Malik]] and [[Acomat]] that Noghai is assembling an army and marching toward [[Karakorum]]. Tegana tells Acomat, a bandit, to attack the caravan soon and kill Marco Polo and the others. Their plans, however, have been partially overheard by Barbara, who followed Tegana to the cave, though she does not realise the extent of Tegana's involvement. She is discovered and held prisoner by Acomat and Malik while Tegana returns to the caravan, feigning surprise when her disappearance is discovered.


The Doctor deduces that Barbara may be at the cave and heads there accompanied by Susan and Ping-Cho. Susan cries out in fear when she see a pair of 'painted' eyes, moving!
The Doctor [[deduce]]s that Barbara may be at the cave, gets the direction from a man named [[Chenchu]] and heads there, accompanied by Susan and Ping-Cho.


===The Wall of Lies (4)===
The Doctor, Susan and Ping-Cho find the cave and enter. Ping-Cho finds Barbara's handkerchief and they all start to shout for Barbara.


[[Image:marco104.jpg|left|150px|thumb|The [[TARDIS]] travels to [[Peking]]]]Marco, Ian and Tegana arrive at the cave. Anxious that his plans will be exposed, when the search party find Barbara and Malik, Tegana kills his ally to cover his tracks.  
In the secret room, a Mongol holds a knife to Barbara's throat.


When the party returns to the caravan, Tegana tries another tactic and attempts to make Marco suspicious by telling him that Susan has an unhealthy hold over Ping-Cho, and that the Doctor has somehow made a second key to gain entry to the TARDIS. Other suspicions are aroused when Barbara admits how she ended up at the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes, but Tegana flatly denies ever having been there. Marco stamps his authority on the caravan by separating Ping-Cho and Susan, making both of them ever more suspicious of Tegana. At the next way station Tegana’s plans are further bolstered when he proves to Marco that the Doctor has a second key to the TARDIS, forcing the old man to hand it over, and driving ever deepening enmity into the travelling party.
Suddenly, Susan cries out, pointing to the wall where there is a pair of "painted" eyes moving.


The caravan now catches sight of the [[Great Wall of China]] and the journey heads South to [[Lan-Chow]] along the banks of the [[Yellow River]]. At the next town of [[Sinju]] Tegana meets with the evil [[Acomat]] and tells him to attack the caravan two nights later as they journey through the [[bamboo forest]]. The guards on the caravan are killed and Acomat waits in the jungle, looking for Tegana’s signal to attack.
=== The Wall of Lies (4) ===
[[File:marco104.jpg|right|thumb|The TARDIS travels to [[Beijing|Peking]].]]
Marco, Ian and Tegana arrive at the cave after being tipped off by Chenchu. Barbara is rescued after Ian discovers the secret room.


While attempting to escape from the caravan, Ian discovers a dead guard.
When the party returns to the caravan, Tegana tries another tactic. He tries to make Marco suspicious by telling him that Susan has an unhealthy hold over Ping-Cho and the Doctor has a second [[TARDIS key|key]] to the TARDIS. This is countered when Barbara states that she was only in danger as she followed Tegana to the cave, but Tegana flatly denies ever having been there before. Marco stamps his authority on the caravan by separating Ping-Cho and Susan, making them even more suspicious of Tegana. At the next way-station, Tegana's plans are bolstered when he proves to Marco that the Doctor has a second key to the TARDIS by getting Polo to witness the Doctor leaving the ship. Polo seizes the key and tries to go in, but the Doctor warns him that the ship will be destroyed if an unauthorised person enters it. He is taken away and held under guard.


===Rider from Shang-Tu (5)===
The caravan now catches sight of the [[Great Wall of Cathay]]. The route turns south to [[Lan-Chow]] along the banks of the [[Yellow River]]. At the next town, [[Sinju]], Tegana meets with [[Acomat]] and tells him to attack the caravan two nights later as they journey through the [[bamboo forest]]. Everyone is to be killed. Acomat goes to wait in the jungle for Tegana's signal to attack.


[[Image:marco105.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Tegana]] threatens [[Susan Foreman|Susan]]]]Unwilling to leave Polo and his party to their fate, Ian frightens the attacking bandits off by throwing bamboo in to the fire which explodes noisily. [[Acomat]] is slain by Tegana to protect the truth – while the other bandits flee in fear. In thanks for their help defeating the bandit attack, Marco Polo allows Susan and Ping-Cho to share company once more.
To escape from Polo, Ian cuts through the tent and avoids the guard. His plan is to knock the guard out and allow the others to escape; however, when he reaches the front of the tent, he discovers the guard is already dead.


The Doctor and his companions have meanwhile worked out that Tegana is the source of many of the journey’s troubles, but cannot make Marco Polo realise how dangerous he is. A new traveller now arrives at the caravan, a message rider named [[Ling-Tau]], who has travelled from [[Shang-Tu]] (300 miles away) in just 24-hours. He bears a message commanding the caravan to speed up, and so Marco commands that once they reach the city of [[Cheng-Ting]] that the travellers should all take to horseback to speed up their journey while the TARDIS and the other belongings are brought on later. As ever, Tegana has another plot at the next way station. He meets an ally called [[Kuiju]] and bribes him to try and steal the TARDIS when the convoy is split up, and take it to [[Karkorum]], where Noghai's troops are massing.
=== Rider from Shang-Tu (5) ===
[[File:marco105.jpg|left|thumb|[[Tegana]] threatens [[Susan Foreman|Susan]].]]
Unwilling to leave Polo and his party to their fate, Ian alerts them to the oncoming danger. He wakes Polo, who wakes Tegana, and they begin to arm themselves. Ian decides it would be best to frighten off the attacking bandits by throwing bamboo into the fire to explode noisily. When the bandits attack, [[Acomat]] is slain by Tegana as he is on the point of exposing him. The other bandits flee in fear. In thanks for their help defeating the bandit attack, Marco Polo allows Susan and Ping-Cho to share company once more and permits the others to walk freely again.


Ping-Cho knows where Marco has hidden the two keys to the TARDIS and gives one to Susan to help the time travellers escape. But, when Susan returns to the TARDIS after saying goodbye to Ping-Cho, she is accosted by Tegana.
The Doctor and his companions have worked out that Tegana is the source of many of the journey's troubles, but cannot make Marco Polo realise how dangerous he is. A new traveller arrives at the caravan, a message rider named [[Ling-Tau]]. He has travelled from [[Shang-Tu]], which is three hundred miles away in just twenty-four hours, changing horses every three miles. He bears a message commanding the caravan to speed up, so Marco orders that once they reach the city of [[Cheng-Ting]], the travellers shall all take to horseback while the TARDIS and the other belongings are brought on later. As ever, Tegana has another plot at the next way station. He meets an ally called [[Kuiju]] and bribes him to try to steal the TARDIS while the convoy is split up and take it to [[Karakorum]], where Noghai's troops are massing.


===Might Kublai Khan (6)===
Ping-Cho knows where Marco has hidden the two keys to the TARDIS and gives one to Susan to help the time travellers escape. Later that night, the Doctor and his companions sneak out to return to the TARDIS and escape, but Susan returns to say goodbye to Ping-Cho. As she returns, she begins to enter the TARDIS, but she is grabbed by Tegana. She screams.


[[Image:marco106.jpg|left|150px|thumb|[[Ian Chesterton|Ian]] rescues [[Ping-Cho]]]]Ian takes the blame on himself for stealing the TARDIS key. As the journey enters its final phases the travellers attempt to ingratiate themselves with Marco Polo once more by telling him the truth about the TARDIS. Marco deduces Ian did not steal the key and so determines it was Ping-Cho after all and, fearing detection, she flees the caravan. Ian finds her back at Cheng-Ting, having ridden there alone, which is just as well as while there he uncovers the fact that [[Kuiji]] has stolen the TARDIS from the second convoy. When Ian and Ping-Cho find the bandit on the road to Karkorum, they force him to admit the truth, but then Tegana arrives and threatens to kill Ping-Cho.  
=== Mighty Kublai Khan (6) ===
[[File:marco106.jpg|right|thumb|[[Ian Chesterton|Ian]] rescues [[Ping-Cho]].]]
Ian leaves the TARDIS to convince Tegana to free Susan. Tegana orders the others out of the TARDIS and frees Susan only when the Doctor returns the TARDIS key to Polo. Ian takes the blame on himself for stealing the TARDIS key to save Ping-Cho. As the journey enters its final phases, Ian tries to ingratiate himself with Marco Polo again by telling him the truth about the TARDIS. Marco does not believe that the TARDIS can move through time and says he knows Ian to be a liar as he has [[deduce]]d that Ian did not steal the key and it was Ping-Cho after all. Ping-Cho hears this and, fearing detection, she flees the caravan.


On finding her missing, Tegana and Ian offer to go looking for her. Polo says that Ian should go as when they meet Kublai Khan, Tegana should be there. Ian finds her back at Cheng-Ting, having ridden there alone, which is just as well; while there he uncovers the fact that [[Kuiju]] has stolen the TARDIS from the second convoy. Back with Polo, Susan and Barbara confront Polo. They believe Ping-Cho should not marry a man so much her senior. This provokes Polo to send Tegana after Ian to ensure he is not trying to liberate Ping-Cho and make off with the TARDIS.


Eventually, Polo's party arrives at Kublai Khan's palace. The Doctor initially shows belligerence towards Khan but they soon bond over their great ages and the maladies that ensue. Before Khan and the Doctor go off together, Khan tells Polo that soldiers are swelling around their borders, so that it would appear that Tegana's information has been incorrect; Khan awaits the great warrior's return.


When Ian and Ping-Cho find the bandit Kuiju on the road to Karakorum, they force him to admit the truth, but Tegana arrives and brandishes his sword. Ian threatens to kill Kuiju, but Tegana says he is of no importance. Tegana approaches, slicing the air with his sword. He smiles sadistically.


===Assassin at Peking (7)===
=== Assassin at Peking (7) ===
[[File:marco107.jpg|left|thumb|[[Marco Polo]] and [[Tegana]] cross swords.]]
The stand-off between Ian and Tegana is broken when Ling-Tau and a band of soldiers arrive. They kill Kuiju, but yet again Tegana talks his way out of a tight situation. The entire party agrees to ride on to the [[Imperial Palace|imperial palace]] in [[Peking]]. During the stand-off, expecting Ian and Ping-Cho to be killed, Tegana pledges his allegiance to Noghai.


[[Image:marco107.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Marco Polo]] and [[Tegana]] cross swords]]The stand-off between Ian and Tegana is broken when Ling Tau and a band of soldiers arrive. They kill Kuiju, but once more Tegana talks his way out of a tight situation and the entire party agrees to ride on to the imperial palace in [[Peking]].
Meanwhile, at the capital city, the Khan engages the Doctor in a game of [[backgammon]]. The Doctor wins thirty-five [[elephant]]s, four thousand white [[stallion]]s, twenty-five [[tiger]]s, the sacred tooth of the [[Buddha]] and the entire commerce of [[Burma]] for a year — but wagers all this on the liberation of his TARDIS and loses.


The main convoy has meanwhile finally reached the summer palace of [[Shangh-Tu]]. Kublai Khan presides over a rich and beautiful city. When the travellers are brought before the great Khan, the Doctor is so bruised after his horse ride he is unable to kow-tow properly. Ironically, the aged Khan sees the aches of age as a point of friendship with the Doctor. He decrees they will all leave the following day for Peking, and the Doctor will travel with him in his own carriage. But he is concerned that Tegana has not presented himself, being worried that Khan Noghai has now moved his armies from Samarkand to Karkorum.  
When Tegana returns to court, he convinces Khan that Polo has been defying the laws of the land by not confiscating the TARDIS and slaying the Doctor and his companions when they tried to steal it back. The Khan presses Marco for the history of the "magic caravan". The emissary admits he was wrong to try to obtain the vehicle, but he only did it to buy his freedom. The Khan is not impressed and proclaims that the TARDIS only belongs to him because it was won fairly from the Doctor in backgammon. He scolds Marco for his selfish behaviour and warns that if he does not regain his trust, he will be banished from court. However, the Khan also states that he will be on his guard against Tegana, recognising the warlord's dangerous powers of persuasion.


When the imperial party reaches the capital city, the Khan engages the Doctor in a game of backgammon. The Doctor wins 35 elephants, 4000 white stallions, 25 tigers, the sacred tooth of the Buddha and the entire commerce of Burma for a year - but loses the key to the TARDIS. The Khan presses Marco for the history of the "magic caravan" and the emissary admits he was wrong to try and obtain the vehicle, but only did it to try and buy his freedom. The Khan is not impressed, and warns Marco that if he does not regain his trust somehow then he will be banished from court.
Ian and Ping-Cho tell Marco that Tegana stated he is working for Noghai. Although Marco now realises how duplicitous Tegana is, he knows that there is not enough proof to convince the Khan. He says it must be judged in a matter of the court.


Nevertheless, events take a turn for the better for another. Ping-Cho is spared a loveless marriage when the elderly man she was due to marry passes away after drinking a love potion. She is content to make eyes at Ling Tau, with whom she has formed an attachment.
Nevertheless, events take a turn for the better for others. Ping-Cho is spared a loveless marriage when she learns the elderly man she was to marry has passed away after drinking an elixir of life. Offered the chance to return to Samarkand, she instead chooses to remain with the Khan's court in Peking. The Khan expresses approval of her forthright and honest attitude.


When Ling Tau's party arrives at the palace, Marco Polo begins to have serious doubts about the actions and motivations of Tegana. He confides in the Doctor and his friends and together they work to unmask Tegana before it is too late, as they now deduce Tegana has come to Peking to kill the Khan.  
The Doctor and his companions go to see Ian, who is now imprisoned, and decide someone has to stop Tegana. They believe he is going to kill Khan to create an easy victory for Noghai's army. They attack their guard and break free. They meet Polo and tell him of their theory, which is confirmed when news arrives that Noghai's army is marching toward Peking. Polo immediately runs to the throne room.


Tegana slays the Khan's guards and is moving in for the kill when the Doctor and his allies arrive and is prevented in his actions. His mission failed, Tegana takes his own life. In the ensuing melee, Marco Polo gives the Doctor and his party the key to the TARDIS and bids them escape. The "magic caravan" fades away before the eyes of the Khan and his courtiers. As a final act, the Khan forgives Marco Polo and agrees he can return to [[Venice]].
Tegana has slain Khan's guards, as well as the Grand Vizier when he tried to protect the Khan and is moving in for the kill when the Doctor and his allies arrive. Tegana is stopped by a lengthy sword fight with Polo. His mission failed, Tegana takes his own life with a spear rather than be killed by Khan's men. As the bodies are removed, Marco Polo hurriedly gives the Doctor and his party the key to the TARDIS and bids them escape. The "magic caravan" fades away before the eyes of the Khan and his courtiers. Marco apologises to the Khan and explains that he had to return the TARDIS keys to the Doctor. The Khan, convinced that the Doctor would have eventually won the TARDIS back anyway, forgives Marco Polo and implies that he will be permitted to return to [[Venice]]. As Polo wonders where the Doctor and his companions are now, an image of the time travellers standing around the TARDIS console is shown superimposed against a starscape.


==Cast==
== Cast ==
* [[The Doctor]] - [[William Hartnell]]
* [[First Doctor|Dr. Who]] - [[William Hartnell]]
* [[Ian Chesterton]] - [[William Russell]]
* [[Ian Chesterton]] - [[William Russell]]
* [[Barbara Wright]] - [[Jacqueline Hill]]
* [[Barbara Wright]] - [[Jacqueline Hill]]
Line 102: Line 140:
* [[Tegana]] - [[Derren Nesbitt]]
* [[Tegana]] - [[Derren Nesbitt]]
* [[Ping-Cho]] - [[Zienia Merton]]
* [[Ping-Cho]] - [[Zienia Merton]]
* [[Kublai Khan]] - [[Martin Miller]]
* [[Kublai Khan]] - [[Martin Miller]] (Credited in episodes 6,7)
* [[Chenchu]] - [[Jimmy Gardner]]
* [[Chenchu]] - [[Jimmy Gardner]] (Credited in episodes 3,4)
* [[Man at Lop]] - [[Leslie Bates]]
* [[Man at Lop]] - [[Leslie Bates]] (Credited in episode 1)
* [[Mongol Bandit]] - [[Michael Guest]]
* [[Mongol bandit|Mongol Bandit]] - [[Michael Guest]] (Credited in episode 5)
* [[Malik]] - [[Charles Wade]]
* [[Malik]] - [[Charles Wade]] (Credited in episode 3)
* [[Acomat]] - [[Philip Voss]]
* [[Acomat]] - [[Philip Voss]] (Credited in episodes 3,4,5)
* [[Ling-Tau]] - [[Paul Carson]]
* [[Ling-Tau]] - [[Paul Carson (actor)|Paul Carson]] (Credited in episodes 5,7)
* [[Wang-Lo]] - [[Gabor Baraker]]
* [[Wang-Lo]] - [[Gabor Baraker]] (Credited in episode 5,6)
* [[Kuiju]] - [[Tutte Lemkow]]
* [[Kuiju]] - [[Tutte Lemkow]] (Credited in episodes 5,6,7)
* [[Empress (Marco Polo)|Empress]] - [[Claire Davenport]]
* [[Empress (Marco Polo)|Empress]] - [[Claire Davenport]] (Credited in Episode 7)
* [[Vizier]] - [[Peter Lawrence]]
* [[Vizier (Marco Polo)|Vizier]] - [[Peter Lawrence]] (Credited in episodes 6,7)
* [[Office Foreman]] - [[Basil Tang]]
* [[Office foreman|Office Foreman]] - [[Basil Tang]] (Credited in episode 6)
* [[Yeng]] - [[O. Ikeda]]
* [[Yeng]] - [[O. Ikeda]] (Uncredited)


==Crew==
=== Uncredited cast ===
* Mongolian Warrriors - [[John Lee (extra)|John Lee]], [[Roy Vincente]], [[Ronald Chee]], [[Carlton Ngui]], [[Clem Choy]], [[Bill Brandon]], [[Arnold Lee]]
* Atttendant on [[Ping-Cho]] - [[Zohra Sehgal]]
* Double for [[Marco Polo]]’s Hand - [[John Woodcock]]
* Chinese Lady of quality - [[Violet Leon]]
* Chinese Woman Attendant - [[Suk Hee S'Hng]]
* Chinese Villagers at [[Tun-Huang]] - [[Clem Choy]], [[Irene Ho]], [[Peggy Sirr]]
* Mongol Caravan Porters - [[Eton Fing-on]], [[Aman Tokyo]]
* Mongol Bandits in Cave - [[Gordon Bremworth]], [[Leslie Bates]], [[Roy Vincente]], [[Santos Wong]]
* Caravan Bearers - [[Henry Loy]], [[Maung Hlashwe]], [[LL Lim]], [[Boon Wan Lee]]
* Servant at [[Way Inn]] - [[Ying Win]]
* Sentry - [[Valentino Musetti]]
* Mongol Bandits in forest - [[Leslie Bates]], [[Philip Lee]], [[David Brewster]], [[Valentino Musetti]], [[Gordon Bremworth]], [[Stanley Chen]]
* Attendants at [[Wang-Lo]]'s Inn - [[Clem Choy]], [[LL Lim]], [[Aman Tokyo]]
* Travelling Merchants - [[Gordon Bremworth]], [[Stanley Chen]]
* Noblewoman - [[Kay Fong]]
* Caravan Warrior - [[David Anderson]]
* Atttendant at 2nd Way Inn - [[O. Ikeda]]
* Litter Bearers - [[John Lee (extra)|John Lee]], [[Clem Choy]]
* Travelling Gentlemen - [[Robert Chow]], [[Lloyd Lam]]
* Travelling Ladies - [[Violet Leon]], [[Peggy Sirr]]
* Noblemen at Court - [[Aman Tokyo]], [[O. Ikeda]], [[Ying Wiu]], [[Maung Hlashwe]], [[Robert Chow]], [[Lloyd Lam]]
* Palace Guards - [[John Lee (extra)|John Lee]], [[Clem Choy]], [[Philip Lee]], [[Santos Wong]], [[Ronald Chee]], [[Gordon Bremworth]], [[Carlton Ngui]]
* Court Ladies - [[Peggy Sirr]], [[Violet Leon]], [[Kay Fong]], [[Iris Loy]], [[Suk Hee S'Hng]]
* Courtiers - [[Roy Vincente]], [[Henry Loy]], [[WA Scully]], [[Eton F'Ong]]
* Spittoon Bearer to [[Kublai Khan]] - [[Henry Dillon]]
* Soldiers - [[David Anderson]]<ref>[[INFO]]: "[[The Temple of Evil]]"</ref>, [[Clem Choy]]
* Attendants to the [[Empress (Marco Polo)|Empress]] - [[Doreen Tang]], [[Suchin]] (all [[DWM 240]])
 
== Crew ==
* [[Writer]] - [[John Lucarotti]]
* [[Writer]] - [[John Lucarotti]]
* [[Director]] - [[Waris Hussein]], [[John Crockett]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Waris Hussein]], [[John Crockett]] ("The Wall of Lies" only)
* [[Producer]] - [[Verity Lambert]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Verity Lambert]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[David Whitaker]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[David Whitaker]]
* [[Designer]] - [[Barry Newbury]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Barry Newbury]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Jeremy Hare]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Catherine Childs]] (Uncredited)
* [[Associate Producer]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]]  
* [[Associate Producer]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Daphne Dare]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Daphne Dare]] (Credited in Episode 7)
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Ann Ferriggi]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[Richard Barclay]], [[Elmer Davies]] and [[John House]] (Uncredited)
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Tony Lightley]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Tristram Cary]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Brian Hodgson]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Ann Ferriggi]] (Credited in Episode 7)
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Dennis Channon]]  
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Douglas Camfield]], [[Penny Joy]] (Uncredited)
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Jack Brummitt]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Brian Hodgson]] (Uncredited)
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[John Treays]], [[Howard King]] (Uncredited)
* [[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Jack Brummitt]], [[Hugh Barker]], [[Derek Miller-Timmins]] (Uncredited)
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]] (Uncredited)
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* Sword [[Fight arranger|Fight Arranger]] - [[Derek Ware]] (Credited in Episode 7)
 
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Vision Mixer]] - [[Clive Doig]]<ref>[[DOC]]: ''[[Vision On]]''</ref>


==References==
== Worldbuilding ==
* The TARDIS contains a circuit that if damaged can deactivate the lights, water supplies, and heating. Without this circuit the external temperature can affect the inside of the TARDIS allowing condensation to form on the walls.
* Barbara is interested in [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] history.
* Barbara is interested in Buddhist history.
* Ian can ride a [[horse]] and is an experienced [[sword]] fighter.
* Ian can ride a horse and is an experienced swordfighter.
* Susan has travelled to the metal seas of [[Venus]].
* Susan has travelled to the metal seas of [[Venus]].
* The Doctor acquires a walking stick from [[Kublai Khan]] which he then uses in several subsequent stories.
* The Doctor acquires a [[walking stick]] from Kublai Khan.
 
* Ian wears an [[Ulster coat]] that the Doctor acquired from [[Gilbert and Sullivan]].
==Story Notes==
* Marco Polo purchased his chess pieces in [[Hormuz]] on his first journey to Cathay.
* This was the first true ''Doctor Who'' historical story.
* The first story to feature live animals (the Mongol horses).
* The first and only television story to feature a narrative and a map tracking the journey of the main characters.
* Many colour and black and white 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'').
* The working title for this story was "A Journey to Cathay."
* Episode 3 was made under the working title "The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes" and this name even appeared at the end of Episode 2.
* No footage of this story now exists having been lost in the purges of the [[1970s]].
* The original audio soundtrack of this episode remains and was released on CD as [[Marco Polo (Audio CD)|Marco Polo]] as part of the [[BBC Radio Collection]] in [[November]] [[2003]]. This was narrated by [[William Russell]].
* Although originally planned to be the third story in the series it was delayed by [[The Edge of Destruction]].
* Although [[Telesnaps]] of this story were made all of these were lost. However in 2004 telesnaps of episodes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 were found by [[Derek Handley]] in the private collection of [[Waris Hussein]] who directed these episodes. These telesnaps were reproduced in [[Doctor Who Magazine]].
* [[Kuiju]] the mercenary bandit is never named in the story and is only included in closing credits.
* As [[Lance Parkin]] notes in ''[[A History of the Universe]]'', some historians now question the veracity of Marco Polo's accounts, particularly his friendship with Kublai Khan.
* John Lucarotti also wrote a Canadian TV series about Marco Polo.


===Ratings===
== Notes ==
* The Roof of the World - 9.4m viewers
* The working title for this story was ''A Journey to Cathay''.<ref>''[[Doctor Who Yearbook 1996]]''{{which}}</ref>
* The Singing Sands - 9.4m viewers
* No episodes of this seven-part story exist in the [[BBC Archives]].
* Five Hundred Eyes - 9.4m viewers
* This is the earliest ''Doctor Who'' story to be missing from the BBC Archives.
* The Wall of Lies - 9.9m viewers
* This is also the only story with no complete episodes to have two directors.
* Rider From Shang-Tu - 9.4m viewers
* In crafting his scripts, [[John Lucarotti]] drew heavily from Polo's memoirs, published in the fourteenth century as ''The Description of the World''. The route followed by Marco in the serial was inspired by his first journey to Peking, which culminated around 1275. His escort of Ping-Cho was based on a real event in 1292, in which Marco brought the young Princess {{w|Kököchin}} to Persia to wed Kublai Khan's grand-nephew {{w|Arghun}}, only to learn upon their arrival that the older man had passed away. Tegana, Acomat and Noghai were all named for Tartar rulers mentioned in Polo's memoirs.
* Mighty Kublai Khan - 8.4m viewers
* This was the second story of ''Doctor Who'' to be commissioned, discounting previous storylines that were later abandoned.
* Assassin at Peking - 10.4m viewers
* Many colour and black-and-white photographs of this story remain. Along with the soundtrack, these were used by [[Loose Cannon Productions]] to make a full colour video reconstruction of this story. (''See external links'')
* The third episode was made under the working title "The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes" and this name even appeared at the end of the previous episode, "The Singing Sands".
* This is one of three 1960s ''Doctor Who'' stories for which no moving images of the actual production or even the characters in costume survive. Though most [[missing episode|missing]] [[serial]]s have at least one surviving clip from a [[16mm]] black & white [[telerecording]] or a few frames from an [[8mm]] home movie, nothing remains of this, ''[[Mission to the Unknown (TV story)|Mission to the Unknown]]'', or ''[[The Massacre (TV story)|The Massacre]]''.
** Despite this, ''Marco Polo'' is one of the most well-documented stories ever produced in terms of photography, with many photographs existing for each episode and full sets of telesnaps existing for "The Roof of the World" to "Five Hundred Eyes" and "Rider from Shang-Tu" to "Assassin at Peking". However, no telesnaps are known to exist for "The Wall of Lies".
* Somewhat ironically, this serial was sold to more countries than any other serial of the 1960s. At least nineteen different countries purchased it.[http://unlimitedricepudding.com/MissingWhoList.html#Story]
* Although originally planned as the third story in the series, it was delayed, with its place filled by ''[[The Edge of Destruction (TV story)|The Edge of Destruction]]''.
* Although [[telesnap]]s of this story were made, none were known to exist until those for "The Roof of the World", "The Singing Sands", "Five Hundred Eyes", "Rider from Shang-Tu", "Mighty Kublai Khan" and "Assassin at Peking" were found in 2004 by [[Derek Handley]] in the private collection of [[Waris Hussein]], who directed those episodes. These telesnaps were reproduced in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''. The telesnaps for "The Wall of Lies" are still missing, however, because Waris Hussein did not direct it and thus did not have a reason to buy them. It is unknown if John Crockett possessed any telesnaps of the episode. If they were in fact taken in the first place, they were either destroyed or sit with a private collector.
* The mercenary bandit is never named in the story, and is only named [[Kuiju]] in the closing credits for "Rider from Shang-Tu" , "Mighty Kublai Khan" and "Assassin at Peking".
* This was the first story to feature live animals: the Mongol bearers' horses, and the spider monkey on Kuiju's shoulder.
* [[Carole Ann Ford]] named this as her favourite serial.
* [[William Russell]] was unhappy with six minutes of new scenes which had been added to "The Wall of Lies" the day before its recording. As a result of this complaint, the regulars were given greater script approval in future.
* Originally, it was intended that the narrators would be the Doctor, Ian and Barbara before it was decided instead that these should represent extracts from Marco Polo's diaries.
* During production, ''Doctor Who'' featured for the first time on the cover of ''[[Radio Times]]''; the debut episode of ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'' had originally been slated to receive this treatment the previous November. The black-and-white photograph featured [[William Hartnell]] with guest stars [[Mark Eden]] and [[Derren Nesbitt]]. Unfortunately, this provoked an angry response from [[William Russell]], via his agent T. Plunkett Green, who felt that the rest of the regular cast had been slighted by their omission from the cover.
* According to [[Heather Hartnell]], [[William Hartnell]]'s widow, this was her husband's favourite story. She also alleged that it was his idea to do a Marco Polo serial.
* The cast found the spider monkey difficult to work with. [[Carole Ann Ford]] recalled that "it was a nasty little thing, peeing all over the place and biting anyone who came near it".
* The serial's designer, [[Barry Newbery]], used Aurel Stein's ''Ruins of Desert Cathay'' (1912) and Nelson Ikon Wu's ''Chinese and Indian Architecture'' (1963) for research of the 13th century designs. Newbery also found that Korean architecture from 1900 was similar to that of the 13th century.
* [[John Lucarotti]] had previously worked on the 18-part radio serial ''The Three Journeys of Marco Polo.''
* While developing the storyline, [[John Lucarotti]] struggled with "The Wall of Lies", and used anecdotal material from Polo's memoirs, {{wi|The Travels of Marco Polo}}, to pad out the plot.
* Composer [[Tristram Cary]] used conventional instruments for the score, including flute, harp and percussion, and he recorded electronic voices for the second episode's sandstorm scenes.
* [[Waris Hussein]] cast [[Mark Eden]] as Marco Polo after seeing him in the {{w|Royal Shakespeare Company}}'s production of {{wi|A Penny for a Song}} in 1962.
* For the role of Ping-Cho, [[Waris Hussein]] wanted an "oriental" actress who had not appeared in the West End production of {{wi|The World of Suzie Wong (play)|The World of Suzie Wong}} or the film {{wi|55 Days at Peking}} (1963), due to the prominence of those productions. [[Zienia Merton]] auditioned at Hussein's home, and was offered the role.
* [[Zienia Merton]], who was born in [[Burma]], is the first non-caucasian actor with a speaking role in the show's history.
* When [[William Hartnell]] became ill, quick rewrites were performed on "The Singing Sands" to eliminate the Doctor from most scenes; Hartnell only had one line of dialogue in the episode. A scene of him and Susan at the beginning of the episode was re-written for Barbara.
* For the sandstorm in "The Singing Sands", a wind machine was used, with other footage superimposed on top; [[Waris Hussein]] was unhappy with the effectiveness of the effect, later stating that "it looked like everyone's aerials had blown over". [[Zienia Merton]] recalled the wind machine blowing sawdust into her eyes, rendering her unable to see for the rest of the scene.
* During camera rehearsals for "Assassin at Peking", [[Mark Eden]]'s right hand was accidentally lacerated by a dagger used by [[Derren Nesbitt]].
* [[William Russell]] was unhappy with sudden rewrites minimising his role in the serial, and his agent wrote to BBC's head of serials [[Donald Wilson]]; Wilson replied to Russell's agent, assuring that he would "be watching very carefully" to ensure the scripts "use [Russell's] talents to the maximum".
* The serial gained the attention of two sources for further development: in June 1964, Young World Publications showed interest in adapting the serial for the Super Mag comic series, but were turned down as the comic rights had been sold to [[TV Comic]]; and in July 1964, {{w|The Walt Disney Company}} approached the BBC for the film rights, though no developments were made.
* In the mid-to-late 1990s, a television station in West Africa contacted the BBC, offering to return the 'complete' first and second seasons of the 1960s era. The BBC staffer on the phone, for whatever reason, said no, and the reels were presumably destroyed soon afterwards. ''Marco Polo'' was possibly included in this batch.
** However, according to the website BroaDWcast (which goes into detail about broadcast dates and what countries ''Doctor Who'' stories were sold to), this story, ''[[The Reign of Terror (TV story)|The Reign of Terror]]'' and ''[[The Crusade (TV story)|The Crusade]]'' (all serials from the first two seasons that still contain missing episodes) might not even have been included in the set, which would explain why the staffer ordered they be destroyed instead of returned to the BBC, since they would not require additional copies of existing episodes. It will never be known which side of the case is true unless evidence of their destruction or their return to the archives is seen.
* Recording of "The Assassin at Peking" was delayed when the fire marshal voiced concerns about the positioning of some extraneous equipment in [[Lime Grove Studios|Studio D]]. This situation further exacerbated the production team's frustrations with the antiquated Lime Grove facility. Associate producer [[Mervyn Pinfield]] wrote to [[Donald Wilson]] to complain that the studio's cramped conditions were being made worse by its apparent use as a storage facility.
* [[Mark Eden]], [[Derren Nesbitt]] and Martin Miller would later appear in ''[[The Prisoner (series)|The Prisoner]]'' episode "[https://prisoner.fandom.com/wiki/It's_Your_Funeral_(1967_episode) It's Your Funeral]".


===Myths===
=== Ratings ===
* [[William Hartnell]] was on holiday during filming of [[The Singing Sands]]. (''This was not the case although he did only have one line of dialogue'').
* "The Roof of the World" - 9.4 million viewers
* "The Singing Sands" - 9.4 million viewers
* "Five Hundred Eyes" - 9.4 million viewers
* "The Wall of Lies" - 9.9 million viewers
* "Rider From Shang-Tu" - 9.4 million viewers
* "Mighty Kublai Khan" - 8.4 million viewers
* "Assassin at Peking" - 10.4 million viewers


===Location Filming===
=== Myths ===
The story was filmed at both [[Ealing]] and [[Lime Grove Studio D]].
* [[William Hartnell]] was on holiday during the filming of "The Singing Sands". (''This was not the case, although he had fallen ill, and only had one line of dialogue''.)
* There have been rumours that a viewer in Australia had 8mm film recordings of all seven episodes, which he filmed off the television screen during transmission using an 8mm home movie camera, but these had been destroyed in a house fire. (''As revealed in the Finding Galaxy Four documentary on the official'' ''Galaxy Four release, all 8mm clips exist on one shared reel made by one yet-to-be-identified Australian fan, so it is unlikely Marco Polo was ever recorded.'')
* This was among the stories recovered in 2013 and the announcement of its recovery was to be made on ''[[Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty]]''. ''(This was proven false and no announcement of missing episode recoveries were made on the programme)''


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
=== Filming locations ===
* At the end of episode 2 the caption claimed that episode 3 would be called [[The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes]].
* [[Ealing Television Film Studios]]
* In episode 7 [[Kublai Khan]] refers to [[backgammon]] as a card game.
* [[Lime Grove Studios|Lime Grove Studios (Studio D)]]
* No explanation is provided for why Marco's father [[Niccolo Polo|Niccolo]] and uncle [[Maffeo Polo|Maffeo]] are not present during this journey.
* The name [[Peking]] is an anachronism and the city should properly have been referred to as Khan-balik.
* [[William Hartnell]] appears to have a strange fit of laughter in episode 1 laughing for a full minute about the trouble that the travellers have found themselves in.
* The [[TARDIS]] contains a circuit that if damaged can deactivate the lights, water supplies, and heating. Without this circuit the external temperature can affect the inside of the TARDIS allowing condensation to form on the walls. (''why would a ship such as the TARDIS have one circuit which could cause this much damage if it became defective'').


==Continuity==
=== Production errors ===
* It is later revealed in ''[[NA]]:'' [[Birthright]] that after the Doctor departed, the court of Kublai Khan was visited by [[Jared Khan]] who wished to acquire the [[TARDIS]] for the [[Charrl]].
{{discontinuity}}
''to be added''


==DVD, Video, Audio and Other Releases==
== Continuity ==
* Fan produced photo video reconstructions have been made of this story by [[A Change of Identity]] and [[Loose Cannon Productions]].  
* After the Doctor departed, the court of Kublai Khan was visited by [[Jared Khan]], who wished to acquire the TARDIS for the [[Charrl]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Birthright (novel)|Birthright]]'')
: The reconstruction of this story by Loose Cannon Production includes the following features:
* The [[Fourth Doctor]] later mentions that he has not been to China in four hundred years. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'')
:: A celebrity introduction by [[Mark Eden]].
* Shortly after [[regenerating]], the [[Second Doctor]] mentions to his companions [[Ben Jackson]] and [[Polly Wright]] that he had once visited China and that Marco Polo was a "friend." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Power of the Daleks (TV story)|The Power of the Daleks]]'')
:: An interview with Mark Eden.
* The Doctor, Ian and Barbara later returned to [[China]] in [[1865]] in the company of [[Vicki Pallister]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Eleventh Tiger (novel)|The Eleventh Tiger]]'')
:: A historical documentary detailing the real Marco Polo narrated by Mark Eden.
* Despite the Doctor's claims to the contrary in this story, the Doctor and Susan had previously met Kublai's grandfather [[Genghis Khan]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Time and Relative (novel)|Time and Relative]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[An Earthly Child (audio story)|An Earthly Child]]'')
:: A documentary about the making of "Marco Polo."
* The Doctor and Susan had previously visited Peking during the [[Boxer Rebellion]] in the late [[19th century|19th]] or early [[20th century]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Flames of Cadiz (audio story)|The Flames of Cadiz]]'')
* In an [[alternate timeline]], Marco Polo discovered another "magical, flying box". When the [[Eleventh Doctor]] was erased from history, Polo discovered the [[Pandorica]] and brought it to the Vatican. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'')
* The Doctor later told his companions [[Steven Taylor]] and [[Sara Kingdom]] and the crew of the [[time travel]] test vessel ''[[Hank Morgan IV]]'' about his encounter with Kublai Khan. Although he insisted that it was a serious story, they found it very amusing. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Anachronauts (audio story)|The Anachronauts]]'')
* The same circuit that caused this adventure broke when the [[Sixth Doctor]] and [[Peri Brown]] landed in [[Kazakhstan]] in [[1963]], causing the Doctor to mention spending several months travelling across China. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[1963: The Space Race (audio story)|1963: The Space Race]]'')


[[Image:MarcoPolobbcaudio40.jpg|75px|right|Cover for the 2003 CD release]]
== Home video and audio releases ==
*The remastered soundtrack for this story was released on CD by the BBC in [[November]] [[2003]], ISBN 0-563-53508-3. It consisted of three discs.
=== DVD releases ===
* [[2 entertain|2|entertain]] produced [[Marco Polo (home video)|a thirty minute reconstruction]] with [[telesnap]]s as a bonus feature on ''[[The Beginning (DVD box set)|The Beginning]]'' DVD, specifically on the individual DVD of ''[[The Edge of Destruction (TV story)|The Edge of Destruction]]''.


==Target Novelisations==
=== Audio releases ===
[[Image:Marcopolo novel.jpg|75px|right|Cover for the Target novelisation]]
* This story's soundtrack was released on CD by the [[BBC Radio Collection]], with linking narration by [[William Russell]], in [[November (releases)|November]] [[2003 (releases)|2003]].
This story was published by [[Target Books]] as ''Doctor Who - Marco Polo'' by [[John Lucarotti]], ISBN 0-426-19967-7, in [[April]] of [[1985]]. It was number 94 in the series of 156 ''Doctor Who'' novels published by Target.
* The story was re-released in 2010 as part of the boxset ''[[Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One]]''.
* The story was released again on Vinyl by Demon Records, also with the William Russell narration, on [[11 September (releases)|11 September]] [[2020 (releases)|2020]].


==See Also==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
* [[The Crusade (TV story)|The Crusade]]
MarcoPolobbcaudio40.jpg|2003 CD release
* [[The Scarlet Empress]]
Doctor Who Marco Polo 2010 CD cover.jpg|2010 cover
Marco Polo original audio soundtrack cover (2022 logo).jpg|2023 cover
Missing Eps coll1 cover.jpg|''The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One''
The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One 2019 cover.jpg|''The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One'' 2019 re-release
Marco Polo Vinyl.jpg|Vinyl Record release
</gallery>


== External links ==
== External links ==
===Episode guide entries===
* {{bbcepguideclassic|marcopolo/|Marco Polo}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/marcopolo/ BBC Episode Guide Page for '''Marco Polo''']
* {{radiotimes|2008-10-03/marco-polo|Marco Polo}}
* [http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/d.html A Brief History of Time (Travel) entry for '''Marco Polo''']
{{dwcast}}
* [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=d Outpost Gallifrey entry for '''Marco Polo''']
{{dwrefguide|who_d.htm|Marco Polo}}
 
* {{briefhistory|serials/d.html|Marco Polo}}
===Sypnoses and transcripts===
* [http://www.eofftv.com/episodes/d/doctor_who/1st_doctor/marco_polo_main.htm Encyclopaedia of Fantastic Film and Television entry for '''Marco Polo''']
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_d.htm Story synopsis for '''Marco Polo''' at the Doctor Who Reference Guide]
* [http://homepages.bw.edu/~jcurtis/Scripts/Polo/intro.html '''Marco Polo''' transcript''']
 
===Production information===
* [http://www.eofftv.com/episodes/d/doctor_who/1st_doctor/marco_polo_main.htm Encylopedia of Fantastic Film and Television entry for '''Marco Polo''']
 
===Other===
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/polo/polo.htm Special feature on '''Marco Polo''' at Doctor Who Reference Guide, with detailed synopses, script excerpts, photos and sound clips]
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/polo/polo.htm Special feature on '''Marco Polo''' at Doctor Who Reference Guide, with detailed synopses, script excerpts, photos and sound clips]
* [http://www.recons.com/recons/lc17.htm Reconstruction Website entry for '''Marco Polo''']
* [http://www.mentalis.force9.co.uk/DWID/WH/Stories/D.htm Doctor Who in Detail '''Marco Polo''']


{{Wikipedia|Marco_Polo_(Doctor_Who)}}
== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}


[[Category:First Doctor episodes]]
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:1964 television stories]]
[[Category:1964 television stories]]
[[Category:Historical stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Asia]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 13th century]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1289]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1289]]
[[Category:Stories with missing episodes]]
[[Category:Stories set in China]]
[[Category:Season 1 stories]]
[[Category:Seven part serials]]
[[Category:Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2019]]
[[Category:Completely missing serials]]
[[cs:Marco Polo (TV příběh)]]
[[cy:Marco Polo (stori deledu)]]
[[de:004 - Marco Polo]]
[[es:Marco Polo (serial)]]
[[fr:Marco Polo (TV)]]
[[he:מרקו פולו (סיפור טלוויזיה)]]
[[pt:Marco Polo (arco)]]
[[ru:Марко Поло (ТВ история)]]

Latest revision as of 00:38, 22 October 2024

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You may wish to consult Marco Polo (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

Marco Polo was the fourth serial of season one of Doctor Who.

This was the first occasion in which a famous person from history appeared on the series. It also saw the TARDIS act as a plot piece rather than something the travellers must return to once they have finished their adventuring.

Marco Polo showed a mixed-ethnic group rather than a stereotypical collection of one race. Reference is made to real-world narcotics when Ping-Cho relates a fairytale that features hashish. Such references do not reappear until The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

Almost uniquely for the 1963 series, this story has a narrator. Mark Eden reads aloud while the map of the travellers' journey is shown. Since then, there have been few, if any televised stories that feature a character providing linking narration between sequences, with the debatable exceptions of Rassilon in 2010's The End of Time, Clara Oswald in 2013's The Name of the Doctor and Tasha Lem in The Time of the Doctor.

Marco Polo is perhaps most notable as the earliest and longest Doctor Who story which is completely missing. Its first episode, "The Roof of the World", is the earliest-broadcast episode to be missing. As of the present day, no episodes exist in the BBC archive.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Arriving in Central Asia in 1289, the Doctor and his companions join the caravan of the famous Venetian explorer Marco Polo as it makes its way from the snowy heights of the Pamir Plateau, across the treacherous Gobi Desert and through the heart of imperial Cathay.

Having witnessed many incredible sights and survived a variety of dangers, they arrive at the mighty Kublai Khan's Summer Palace in Shang-tu, where the Doctor strikes up an extraordinary friendship with the now-aged ruler.

They move on at last to the even more sumptuous Imperial Palace in Peking, where the travellers save the Khan from an assassination attempt by the Mongol warlord Tegana — supposedly on a peace mission — before departing once more in the TARDIS.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Roof of the World (1)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Not to be confused with the Big Finish adventure of the same name.

The TARDIS crew have arrived in the snowy wastes of the Plain of Pamir. The ship is damaged and unable to provide light, heat or water. The First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan face the prospect of freezing to death as night approaches and the temperature plummets.

Ian and Barbara go out onto the tundra to look for fuel, but Barbara sees a figure in the snow and they hurry back. Meanwhile, the Doctor has discovered what is wrong with the TARDIS but is interrupted by Ian and Barbara's return. The creature follows them back and appears at the TARDIS door. The foursome chase after it but are soon surrounded by Mongol soldiers on the verge of killing them for being evil spirits. A Western man, who turns out to be Marco Polo, interrupts them.

Tegana plans to poison Marco Polo.

Polo welcomes the Doctor, who is suffering from altitude sickness, and his companions to his company. He introduces some of his fellow travellers, including Tegana, a Mongol warlord. Tegana is a peace emissary from the Khan Noghai, who has been at war with Kublai Khan. A young Chinese woman named Ping-Cho is also travelling with Polo so she may meet her seventy-five-year-old groom in her arranged marriage. Ping-Cho forms a strong friendship with Susan.

The Mongols fear the Doctor is an evil sorcerer who is powerless outside the TARDIS, so Marco Polo forbids him from entering it until their party has stopped in a town at the edge of the desert. Here, Polo says, the Doctor may fix his vessel.

When the caravan stops at the way station in Lop, Marco Polo tells the Doctor he is requisitioning his "flying caravan" as a prize for the Emperor to attempt to buy his way out of his service.

Meanwhile, the lord Tegana is given a poison for the caravan's water supply by a man. Tegana tells the man he shall use it on the caravan's water supply when they cross the Gobi desert. He then tells the man to follow them out, and on the third night, he shall walk back to him and they will ride back to Lop, wait for two days and go back to the caravan. He then says they shall take the "thing of magic" that will bring Kublai Khan to his knees.

The Singing Sands (2)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Tegana taunts Marco Polo with water.

The travellers make their way across the Gobi Desert. The Doctor, in a show of petulance, refuses to come out of his tent when they settle for the night, distressing Susan. One night when Ian and Marco Polo are playing chess, Susan vents her frustration that they are stuck on Earth rather than exploring the stars. This spirit for exploring provokes Ping-Cho and Susan to follow Tegana as he walks off into the night. A vicious sandstorm, during which Ping-Cho and Susan are briefly lost, prevents Tegana from poisoning the gourds. Instead, he slices them open in the night, knowing full well that bandits will get the blame.

Marco Polo insists the caravan press on to the next stop, but the water rations grow lower as the days pass. Finally, Tegana is dispatched to find a fabled oasis.

The Mongol finds the oasis easily and drinks from it. "Here's water, Marco Polo", he cries, letting his cup of water pour onto the sand. "Come for it!"

Five Hundred Eyes (3)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ian explains condensation to Marco Polo.

With the water supply completely exhausted, the situation grows desperate. The travellers only survive the arid conditions when the Doctor and Susan collect water which condensed on the TARDIS walls in the night.

The caravan moves on to the next way-station at Tun-Huang, where stocks are replenished and they meet an incredulous Tegana, who rejoins their caravan. Ping-Cho makes their stay pleasant with the tale of Ala-eddin (Aladdin) and the Hashashin (or assassins).

Tegana slips away during the performance and makes his way to the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes, where he is told by the Mongol agents Malik and Acomat that Noghai is assembling an army and marching toward Karakorum. Tegana tells Acomat, a bandit, to attack the caravan soon and kill Marco Polo and the others. Their plans, however, have been partially overheard by Barbara, who followed Tegana to the cave, though she does not realise the extent of Tegana's involvement. She is discovered and held prisoner by Acomat and Malik while Tegana returns to the caravan, feigning surprise when her disappearance is discovered.

The Doctor deduces that Barbara may be at the cave, gets the direction from a man named Chenchu and heads there, accompanied by Susan and Ping-Cho.

The Doctor, Susan and Ping-Cho find the cave and enter. Ping-Cho finds Barbara's handkerchief and they all start to shout for Barbara.

In the secret room, a Mongol holds a knife to Barbara's throat.

Suddenly, Susan cries out, pointing to the wall where there is a pair of "painted" eyes moving.

The Wall of Lies (4)[[edit] | [edit source]]

The TARDIS travels to Peking.

Marco, Ian and Tegana arrive at the cave after being tipped off by Chenchu. Barbara is rescued after Ian discovers the secret room.

When the party returns to the caravan, Tegana tries another tactic. He tries to make Marco suspicious by telling him that Susan has an unhealthy hold over Ping-Cho and the Doctor has a second key to the TARDIS. This is countered when Barbara states that she was only in danger as she followed Tegana to the cave, but Tegana flatly denies ever having been there before. Marco stamps his authority on the caravan by separating Ping-Cho and Susan, making them even more suspicious of Tegana. At the next way-station, Tegana's plans are bolstered when he proves to Marco that the Doctor has a second key to the TARDIS by getting Polo to witness the Doctor leaving the ship. Polo seizes the key and tries to go in, but the Doctor warns him that the ship will be destroyed if an unauthorised person enters it. He is taken away and held under guard.

The caravan now catches sight of the Great Wall of Cathay. The route turns south to Lan-Chow along the banks of the Yellow River. At the next town, Sinju, Tegana meets with Acomat and tells him to attack the caravan two nights later as they journey through the bamboo forest. Everyone is to be killed. Acomat goes to wait in the jungle for Tegana's signal to attack.

To escape from Polo, Ian cuts through the tent and avoids the guard. His plan is to knock the guard out and allow the others to escape; however, when he reaches the front of the tent, he discovers the guard is already dead.

Rider from Shang-Tu (5)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Tegana threatens Susan.

Unwilling to leave Polo and his party to their fate, Ian alerts them to the oncoming danger. He wakes Polo, who wakes Tegana, and they begin to arm themselves. Ian decides it would be best to frighten off the attacking bandits by throwing bamboo into the fire to explode noisily. When the bandits attack, Acomat is slain by Tegana as he is on the point of exposing him. The other bandits flee in fear. In thanks for their help defeating the bandit attack, Marco Polo allows Susan and Ping-Cho to share company once more and permits the others to walk freely again.

The Doctor and his companions have worked out that Tegana is the source of many of the journey's troubles, but cannot make Marco Polo realise how dangerous he is. A new traveller arrives at the caravan, a message rider named Ling-Tau. He has travelled from Shang-Tu, which is three hundred miles away in just twenty-four hours, changing horses every three miles. He bears a message commanding the caravan to speed up, so Marco orders that once they reach the city of Cheng-Ting, the travellers shall all take to horseback while the TARDIS and the other belongings are brought on later. As ever, Tegana has another plot at the next way station. He meets an ally called Kuiju and bribes him to try to steal the TARDIS while the convoy is split up and take it to Karakorum, where Noghai's troops are massing.

Ping-Cho knows where Marco has hidden the two keys to the TARDIS and gives one to Susan to help the time travellers escape. Later that night, the Doctor and his companions sneak out to return to the TARDIS and escape, but Susan returns to say goodbye to Ping-Cho. As she returns, she begins to enter the TARDIS, but she is grabbed by Tegana. She screams.

Mighty Kublai Khan (6)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ian rescues Ping-Cho.

Ian leaves the TARDIS to convince Tegana to free Susan. Tegana orders the others out of the TARDIS and frees Susan only when the Doctor returns the TARDIS key to Polo. Ian takes the blame on himself for stealing the TARDIS key to save Ping-Cho. As the journey enters its final phases, Ian tries to ingratiate himself with Marco Polo again by telling him the truth about the TARDIS. Marco does not believe that the TARDIS can move through time and says he knows Ian to be a liar as he has deduced that Ian did not steal the key and it was Ping-Cho after all. Ping-Cho hears this and, fearing detection, she flees the caravan.

On finding her missing, Tegana and Ian offer to go looking for her. Polo says that Ian should go as when they meet Kublai Khan, Tegana should be there. Ian finds her back at Cheng-Ting, having ridden there alone, which is just as well; while there he uncovers the fact that Kuiju has stolen the TARDIS from the second convoy. Back with Polo, Susan and Barbara confront Polo. They believe Ping-Cho should not marry a man so much her senior. This provokes Polo to send Tegana after Ian to ensure he is not trying to liberate Ping-Cho and make off with the TARDIS.

Eventually, Polo's party arrives at Kublai Khan's palace. The Doctor initially shows belligerence towards Khan but they soon bond over their great ages and the maladies that ensue. Before Khan and the Doctor go off together, Khan tells Polo that soldiers are swelling around their borders, so that it would appear that Tegana's information has been incorrect; Khan awaits the great warrior's return.

When Ian and Ping-Cho find the bandit Kuiju on the road to Karakorum, they force him to admit the truth, but Tegana arrives and brandishes his sword. Ian threatens to kill Kuiju, but Tegana says he is of no importance. Tegana approaches, slicing the air with his sword. He smiles sadistically.

Assassin at Peking (7)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Marco Polo and Tegana cross swords.

The stand-off between Ian and Tegana is broken when Ling-Tau and a band of soldiers arrive. They kill Kuiju, but yet again Tegana talks his way out of a tight situation. The entire party agrees to ride on to the imperial palace in Peking. During the stand-off, expecting Ian and Ping-Cho to be killed, Tegana pledges his allegiance to Noghai.

Meanwhile, at the capital city, the Khan engages the Doctor in a game of backgammon. The Doctor wins thirty-five elephants, four thousand white stallions, twenty-five tigers, the sacred tooth of the Buddha and the entire commerce of Burma for a year — but wagers all this on the liberation of his TARDIS and loses.

When Tegana returns to court, he convinces Khan that Polo has been defying the laws of the land by not confiscating the TARDIS and slaying the Doctor and his companions when they tried to steal it back. The Khan presses Marco for the history of the "magic caravan". The emissary admits he was wrong to try to obtain the vehicle, but he only did it to buy his freedom. The Khan is not impressed and proclaims that the TARDIS only belongs to him because it was won fairly from the Doctor in backgammon. He scolds Marco for his selfish behaviour and warns that if he does not regain his trust, he will be banished from court. However, the Khan also states that he will be on his guard against Tegana, recognising the warlord's dangerous powers of persuasion.

Ian and Ping-Cho tell Marco that Tegana stated he is working for Noghai. Although Marco now realises how duplicitous Tegana is, he knows that there is not enough proof to convince the Khan. He says it must be judged in a matter of the court.

Nevertheless, events take a turn for the better for others. Ping-Cho is spared a loveless marriage when she learns the elderly man she was to marry has passed away after drinking an elixir of life. Offered the chance to return to Samarkand, she instead chooses to remain with the Khan's court in Peking. The Khan expresses approval of her forthright and honest attitude.

The Doctor and his companions go to see Ian, who is now imprisoned, and decide someone has to stop Tegana. They believe he is going to kill Khan to create an easy victory for Noghai's army. They attack their guard and break free. They meet Polo and tell him of their theory, which is confirmed when news arrives that Noghai's army is marching toward Peking. Polo immediately runs to the throne room.

Tegana has slain Khan's guards, as well as the Grand Vizier when he tried to protect the Khan and is moving in for the kill when the Doctor and his allies arrive. Tegana is stopped by a lengthy sword fight with Polo. His mission failed, Tegana takes his own life with a spear rather than be killed by Khan's men. As the bodies are removed, Marco Polo hurriedly gives the Doctor and his party the key to the TARDIS and bids them escape. The "magic caravan" fades away before the eyes of the Khan and his courtiers. Marco apologises to the Khan and explains that he had to return the TARDIS keys to the Doctor. The Khan, convinced that the Doctor would have eventually won the TARDIS back anyway, forgives Marco Polo and implies that he will be permitted to return to Venice. As Polo wonders where the Doctor and his companions are now, an image of the time travellers standing around the TARDIS console is shown superimposed against a starscape.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The working title for this story was A Journey to Cathay.[3]
  • No episodes of this seven-part story exist in the BBC Archives.
  • This is the earliest Doctor Who story to be missing from the BBC Archives.
  • This is also the only story with no complete episodes to have two directors.
  • In crafting his scripts, John Lucarotti drew heavily from Polo's memoirs, published in the fourteenth century as The Description of the World. The route followed by Marco in the serial was inspired by his first journey to Peking, which culminated around 1275. His escort of Ping-Cho was based on a real event in 1292, in which Marco brought the young Princess Kököchin to Persia to wed Kublai Khan's grand-nephew Arghun, only to learn upon their arrival that the older man had passed away. Tegana, Acomat and Noghai were all named for Tartar rulers mentioned in Polo's memoirs.
  • This was the second story of Doctor Who to be commissioned, discounting previous storylines that were later abandoned.
  • Many colour and black-and-white photographs of this story remain. Along with the soundtrack, these were used by Loose Cannon Productions to make a full colour video reconstruction of this story. (See external links)
  • The third episode was made under the working title "The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes" and this name even appeared at the end of the previous episode, "The Singing Sands".
  • This is one of three 1960s Doctor Who stories for which no moving images of the actual production or even the characters in costume survive. Though most missing serials have at least one surviving clip from a 16mm black & white telerecording or a few frames from an 8mm home movie, nothing remains of this, Mission to the Unknown, or The Massacre.
    • Despite this, Marco Polo is one of the most well-documented stories ever produced in terms of photography, with many photographs existing for each episode and full sets of telesnaps existing for "The Roof of the World" to "Five Hundred Eyes" and "Rider from Shang-Tu" to "Assassin at Peking". However, no telesnaps are known to exist for "The Wall of Lies".
  • Somewhat ironically, this serial was sold to more countries than any other serial of the 1960s. At least nineteen different countries purchased it.[1]
  • Although originally planned as the third story in the series, it was delayed, with its place filled by The Edge of Destruction.
  • Although telesnaps of this story were made, none were known to exist until those for "The Roof of the World", "The Singing Sands", "Five Hundred Eyes", "Rider from Shang-Tu", "Mighty Kublai Khan" and "Assassin at Peking" were found in 2004 by Derek Handley in the private collection of Waris Hussein, who directed those episodes. These telesnaps were reproduced in Doctor Who Magazine. The telesnaps for "The Wall of Lies" are still missing, however, because Waris Hussein did not direct it and thus did not have a reason to buy them. It is unknown if John Crockett possessed any telesnaps of the episode. If they were in fact taken in the first place, they were either destroyed or sit with a private collector.
  • The mercenary bandit is never named in the story, and is only named Kuiju in the closing credits for "Rider from Shang-Tu" , "Mighty Kublai Khan" and "Assassin at Peking".
  • This was the first story to feature live animals: the Mongol bearers' horses, and the spider monkey on Kuiju's shoulder.
  • Carole Ann Ford named this as her favourite serial.
  • William Russell was unhappy with six minutes of new scenes which had been added to "The Wall of Lies" the day before its recording. As a result of this complaint, the regulars were given greater script approval in future.
  • Originally, it was intended that the narrators would be the Doctor, Ian and Barbara before it was decided instead that these should represent extracts from Marco Polo's diaries.
  • During production, Doctor Who featured for the first time on the cover of Radio Times; the debut episode of An Unearthly Child had originally been slated to receive this treatment the previous November. The black-and-white photograph featured William Hartnell with guest stars Mark Eden and Derren Nesbitt. Unfortunately, this provoked an angry response from William Russell, via his agent T. Plunkett Green, who felt that the rest of the regular cast had been slighted by their omission from the cover.
  • According to Heather Hartnell, William Hartnell's widow, this was her husband's favourite story. She also alleged that it was his idea to do a Marco Polo serial.
  • The cast found the spider monkey difficult to work with. Carole Ann Ford recalled that "it was a nasty little thing, peeing all over the place and biting anyone who came near it".
  • The serial's designer, Barry Newbery, used Aurel Stein's Ruins of Desert Cathay (1912) and Nelson Ikon Wu's Chinese and Indian Architecture (1963) for research of the 13th century designs. Newbery also found that Korean architecture from 1900 was similar to that of the 13th century.
  • John Lucarotti had previously worked on the 18-part radio serial The Three Journeys of Marco Polo.
  • While developing the storyline, John Lucarotti struggled with "The Wall of Lies", and used anecdotal material from Polo's memoirs, The Travels of Marco Polo, to pad out the plot.
  • Composer Tristram Cary used conventional instruments for the score, including flute, harp and percussion, and he recorded electronic voices for the second episode's sandstorm scenes.
  • Waris Hussein cast Mark Eden as Marco Polo after seeing him in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of A Penny for a Song in 1962.
  • For the role of Ping-Cho, Waris Hussein wanted an "oriental" actress who had not appeared in the West End production of The World of Suzie Wong or the film 55 Days at Peking (1963), due to the prominence of those productions. Zienia Merton auditioned at Hussein's home, and was offered the role.
  • Zienia Merton, who was born in Burma, is the first non-caucasian actor with a speaking role in the show's history.
  • When William Hartnell became ill, quick rewrites were performed on "The Singing Sands" to eliminate the Doctor from most scenes; Hartnell only had one line of dialogue in the episode. A scene of him and Susan at the beginning of the episode was re-written for Barbara.
  • For the sandstorm in "The Singing Sands", a wind machine was used, with other footage superimposed on top; Waris Hussein was unhappy with the effectiveness of the effect, later stating that "it looked like everyone's aerials had blown over". Zienia Merton recalled the wind machine blowing sawdust into her eyes, rendering her unable to see for the rest of the scene.
  • During camera rehearsals for "Assassin at Peking", Mark Eden's right hand was accidentally lacerated by a dagger used by Derren Nesbitt.
  • William Russell was unhappy with sudden rewrites minimising his role in the serial, and his agent wrote to BBC's head of serials Donald Wilson; Wilson replied to Russell's agent, assuring that he would "be watching very carefully" to ensure the scripts "use [Russell's] talents to the maximum".
  • The serial gained the attention of two sources for further development: in June 1964, Young World Publications showed interest in adapting the serial for the Super Mag comic series, but were turned down as the comic rights had been sold to TV Comic; and in July 1964, The Walt Disney Company approached the BBC for the film rights, though no developments were made.
  • In the mid-to-late 1990s, a television station in West Africa contacted the BBC, offering to return the 'complete' first and second seasons of the 1960s era. The BBC staffer on the phone, for whatever reason, said no, and the reels were presumably destroyed soon afterwards. Marco Polo was possibly included in this batch.
    • However, according to the website BroaDWcast (which goes into detail about broadcast dates and what countries Doctor Who stories were sold to), this story, The Reign of Terror and The Crusade (all serials from the first two seasons that still contain missing episodes) might not even have been included in the set, which would explain why the staffer ordered they be destroyed instead of returned to the BBC, since they would not require additional copies of existing episodes. It will never be known which side of the case is true unless evidence of their destruction or their return to the archives is seen.
  • Recording of "The Assassin at Peking" was delayed when the fire marshal voiced concerns about the positioning of some extraneous equipment in Studio D. This situation further exacerbated the production team's frustrations with the antiquated Lime Grove facility. Associate producer Mervyn Pinfield wrote to Donald Wilson to complain that the studio's cramped conditions were being made worse by its apparent use as a storage facility.
  • Mark Eden, Derren Nesbitt and Martin Miller would later appear in The Prisoner episode "It's Your Funeral".

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • "The Roof of the World" - 9.4 million viewers
  • "The Singing Sands" - 9.4 million viewers
  • "Five Hundred Eyes" - 9.4 million viewers
  • "The Wall of Lies" - 9.9 million viewers
  • "Rider From Shang-Tu" - 9.4 million viewers
  • "Mighty Kublai Khan" - 8.4 million viewers
  • "Assassin at Peking" - 10.4 million viewers

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • William Hartnell was on holiday during the filming of "The Singing Sands". (This was not the case, although he had fallen ill, and only had one line of dialogue.)
  • There have been rumours that a viewer in Australia had 8mm film recordings of all seven episodes, which he filmed off the television screen during transmission using an 8mm home movie camera, but these had been destroyed in a house fire. (As revealed in the Finding Galaxy Four documentary on the official Galaxy Four release, all 8mm clips exist on one shared reel made by one yet-to-be-identified Australian fan, so it is unlikely Marco Polo was ever recorded.)
  • This was among the stories recovered in 2013 and the announcement of its recovery was to be made on Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty. (This was proven false and no announcement of missing episode recoveries were made on the programme)

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

to be added

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video and audio releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 2003 CD release

    2003 CD release

  • 2010 cover

    2010 cover

  • 2023 cover

    2023 cover

  • The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One

    The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One

  • The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One 2019 re-release

    The Lost TV Episodes - Collection One 2019 re-release

  • Vinyl Record release

    Vinyl Record release

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ INFO: "The Temple of Evil"
  2. ↑ DOC: Vision On
  3. ↑ Doctor Who Yearbook 1996[which?]
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