Marco Polo (Doctor Who) - Definition and Overview

Marco Polo is a 7 episode Doctor Who serial. It is the fourth story in the first season, featuring William Hartnell as The Doctor.

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands in Central Asia in 1289, where the 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.

Writer

John Lucarotti

Main cast

• The Doctor: William Hartnell
• Susan Foreman: Carole Ann Ford
• Barbara Wright: Jacqueline Hill
• Ian Chesterton: William Russell
• Marco Polo: Mark Eden
• Kublai Khan: Martin Miller
• Empress: Claire Davenport
• Tegana: Derren Nesbitt

Notes

1. This is the first "pure historical" Doctor Who story, in that there is no science fiction element to it, other than the fact that the Doctor and his companions have travelled to the past. As such, it focuses on education, sometimes to the detriment of entertainment. However, it is highly regarded among Who fans.

External Links

• Cast and Crew list, on the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/episodeguide/marcopolo/castcrew.shtml)