The Doctor and his companions encountered Kublai Khan at his summer palace of Shang-Tu - the inspiration for the fabled Xanadu. They were in the company of Venetian explorer Marco Polo. He had seized the TARDIS in order to present it as a gift to the Khan. Kublai Khan was concerned about the threats being posed by the rival warlord Noghai, and an emissary from him - Tegana - was travelling with Polo. Supposedly there to discuss peace terms, he was actually intent on assassinating the Chinese ruler. The Doctor found the Khan to be an old man full of the aches and pains of his age, which he himself shared. Everyone relocated to the Imperial capital at Peking. The Doctor attempted to win control of the TARDIS back by playing backgammon with Kublai Khan, but after a winning streak lost everything.
Tegana's assassination attempt failed when he was stopped by Polo, killing himself rather than face capture. Polo finally relented and let the Doctor and his companions gain entry to the TARDIS, but Kublai Khan was not unduly upset. In fact, he informed the traveller that he could soon return to his home.
Played by: Martin Miller. Appearances: Marco Polo (1964).
- You'll find lots about Kublai Khan in my "Episodes" posts covering this story, so I shan't repeat myself - other than the trivia that Miller, Mark Eden (Polo) and Darren Nesbit (Tegana) all appeared together in the same episode of The Prisoner ("It's Your Funeral").
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