Synopsis:
The tailor from whom the Doctor obtained his uniform has come to the prison, claiming to have information about a traitor - and he shows the Jailer the Doctor's ring as proof...
Lemaitre accompanies the Doctor to Robespierre's office. When he attempts to criticise efforts in the South to eradicate the enemies of the Revolution, the Doctor manages to turn the discussion towards criticisms of the situation in Paris. He bluffs his way to the end of the meeting, so there is no time to go into detail about the region he is pretending to represent - but Robespierre insists he come back the next day to talk about this.
At Renan's home, Susan's illness has not improved and it is decided that she should see a physician. Leon recommends one who he says can be trusted and goes to see him.
Jules and Jean arrive back at the house with the man who had been asking questions about them. He has a sack placed over his head to prevent him seeing where he is being taken - and when it is removed Barbara is overjoyed to discover that the man is Ian. He had been searching for Jules following the instructions of his dying cell-mate Webster. When Ian mentions the name 'James Stirling' to Jules, he informs him that he has not heard of him - but there are many agents in Paris operating under false names. He suggests that Leon might know of him.
The Doctor finds that he must once again remain overnight at the prison, due to the next day's meeting with Robespierre.
Lemaitre meets with the tailor. He takes the Doctor's clothes and ring then dismisses the man, assuring him that he will deal with this personally.
The next day Leon sends a message to Jules stating that his physician can't come to his house, so Susan should be taken to him. Barbara agrees to take her herself.
They think the man suspicious, and when he leaves to fetch something they discover that he has locked them in.
Ian receives a message asking him to meet with Leon at a disused church.
The physician returns with a group of soldiers and accuses them of being escaped convicts, and the women are informed that they are to be sent back to the prison.
In the church crypt, Ian realises he has walked into a trap as a number of soldiers appear, accompanied by Leon Colbert...
Next episode: A Bargain of Necessity
Data:
Written by: Dennis Spooner
Recorded: Friday 31st July 1964 - Lime Grove Studio G
First broadcast: 5:15pm, Saturday 29th August 1964
Ratings: 6.4 million / AI 53
Designer: Roderick Laing
Director: Henric Hirsch
Additional cast: Keith Anderson (Robespierre), Ronald Pickup (Physician)
Critique:
This episode is the first of two for this story which no longer exist - and nor are there any telesnap images. Some twelve (very) brief clips exist from the two instalments in 8mm form - filmed off of a TV screen and so demonstrating strobing. When the story was released on VHS the missing material was covered by Carole Ann Ford delivering a summary of the action, recorded at the Museum of the Moving Image on London's Southbank. For the DVD release, these two episodes were presented in animated form.
The images accompanying this are from other episodes, for illustrative purposes only.
We will look at the animation under the next episode.
Henric Hirsch returned to Monday rehearsals following his collapse the previous Friday. Tensions had been brought to a climax and now everyone knew where things stood. Tim Combe continued to be supportive, Verity Lambert kept a closer watch, and William Hartnell was less demanding of the director, following his meal with Combe. Dennis Spooner helped by playing bridge with Hirsch.
Combe took over the camera planning, which he discussed over meals with Hirsch or at Chelsea FC matches. At the same time he was keeping Hartnell happy at a pub near Kew Bridge.
William Russell had arrived back from holiday to find he had missed all the excitement.
Once again, the regular cast were taken out of the last day of rehearsals for pre-filming at Ealing for Planet of Giants.
"The Tyrant of France" of the title is Maximilien Robespierre, who makes his debut here, after being a dread presence behind the scenes ever since Ian and Barbara found the travel documents in the farmhouse.
Maximilien Francois Marie Isadore de Robespierre was born in Arras, Artois, in 1758. He became a lawyer after studying at the University of Paris. When the Revolution came he was elected to the National Assembly as a Deputy, and quickly rose up the ranks of the Jacobin faction. The Assembly was superseded by the National Convention, and he became its President in 1794. He was also a leading member of the Committee of Public Safety - the powerful body which helped police the Revolution. The Convention had handed over most of its powers to this Committee.
At the time of this story, Robespierre had pushed the political opponents within his own faction too far, and they were now plotting against him. He had introduced some unpopular innovations, such as the quasi-religious "Cult of the Supreme Being", which upset the conventional religious members. He was also obsessed with corruption and was intent on weeding it out wherever he found it.
Robespierre was also frequently ill and missed meetings of the Committee, which his opponents used against him to claim he was becoming increasingly out of touch, intent on ruling by himself like the monarch they had only recently deposed.
- After only a week in its new time slot, the programme had to return to a 5:15pm start due to that evening's coverage of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
- There was a half million drop in the viewing figures, and the AI fell to a low 53 once again.
- The first three episodes of this story were returned to the BBC from a TV station in Cyprus. The missing fourth and fifth episodes had also been held there - but were destroyed by bombing during the Cypriot civil war.
- This was Ronald Pickup's first TV work. He had only just graduated from drama school, and was paid £30. His character was actually scripted as an elderly, bald man.
- The Reign of Terror was one of the stories which had scenes reconstructed for the 50th Anniversary docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time. In one scene William Hartnell (David Bradley) is seen in the Provincial Official's uniform showing the new Dr Who Annual to his co-stars. This is wildly inaccurate, as we all know that the cover featured Zarbi and Menoptra - showing it was produced long after August 1964. It didn't appear in the shops until September of the following year.
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