The Highlanders (TV story)

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The Highlanders was the fourth story of Season 4 of Doctor Who. The story was the last of the 'pure historical' genre of Doctor Who television stories which had been a regular feature of the show since its inception. It also marked the first appearance of Frazer Hines as companion Jamie McCrimmon.

Synopsis

The time travellers arrive in Scotland just after battle of Culloden. The Doctor gains the trust of a small band of fleeing Highlanders by offering to tend their wounded Laird, Colin McLaren; but while Polly and the Laird's daughter, Kirsty, are away fetching water, he and the others are all captured by Redcoat troops under the command of Lieutenant Algernon Ffinch.

Grey, a crooked solicitor who sells prisoners for transportation to slavery in the West Indies, then secures the group into his custody. Polly and Kirsty blackmail Ffinch into helping, and the Doctor eventually wins the day by smuggling arms to the Highlanders, who are being held on board a stolen ship, the Annabelle.

Grey and the ship's unscrupulous captain, Trask, are overpowered and the vessel returned to its rightful owner, MacKay, who agrees to take the Scots to safety in France.

The Doctor, Polly and Ben return to the TARDIS, where they are joined on their travels by the young piper Jamie McCrimmon.

Plot

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Cast

Crew

References

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Story notes

  • This story had the working title of Culloden.
  • The next "pure historical" serial, Black Orchid, would not be broadcast until 1982. Though Black Orchid is sometimes referred to as an historical serial, but while it takes place in the 1920s, actual historical events do not play into the plot of the latter story.

Ratings

  • Episode 1 - 6.7 million viewers
  • Episode 2 - 6.8 million viewers
  • Episode 3 - 7.4 million viewers
  • Episode 4 - 7.3 million viewers

Myths

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Filming locations

Production errors

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.

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Continuity

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Timeline

Home video and audio releases

DVD release

No complete episodes from this story survive. Existing "censor" clips from Episode 1 were released on the Lost in Time boxset.

Audio release

Novelisation and its audiobook

Main article: The Highlanders (novelisation)

See also

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External links

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