The Massacre (Doctor Who)

in an unusual move, the one who is pretty much thrust into the spotlight in Peter Purves, who portrays Steven Taylor. For the Doctor leaves his company to meet with a legendary apothecary named Charles Preslin. Steven later befriends several of the Hugenots, including a young servant girl named Anne Chaplet, and embroiled in a plot to massacre all the French Protestants. To make matters worse, one of the people involved in the horrific plot is the Abbot of Amboise who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Doctor. Since neither the Doctor nor the Abbot are seen together at the same time, it increases and deepens the mystery as to whether the Abbot is the Doctor in disguise or if the Abbot is simply the Doctor's physical double.

William Hartnell did an extraordinary job as the Abbot, showing a calm, almost cold demeanor, with a very confident air of authority and restrained maliciousness, quite different to his portrayel of the Doctor.

Peter Purves became the star of this piece, and proved himself to be quite able to carry this adventure without being second fiddle to William Hartnell. his lack of understanding of the historical situations occurring around him, allow us the chance to experience these events as Steven perceives them, from a very fresh perspective. his anger towards the Doctor near the end for allowing Anne to possibly die in the ensuing chaos is definitely worth noting, for he is in his right to be angry and upset, but only because he lacks a certain level of understanding the Doctor's reasons. And the brief monologue given by the Doctor in the TARDIS console room when he is left alone for a few moments, is so moving as we get a real glimpse of the Doctor's vulnerable emotional side, and an understanding of his loneliness.

excellent acting, excellent story.


A great story that could have been better   March 18, 2002
John S. Drew (Brewster, NY United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I'm reviewing this work based on its technical merit rather than its content. As a fan of Doctor Who, having this piece of missing history is worth it, regardless of whether it is poor or not. The problem with this production is that the narrations, provided by Peter Perves (sp?) are short and rather nondescriptive. In listening, you are sometimes left a little confused as to who is who in the story. Some more detailed explainations are in order here.


Massacred by Doctor Who's Latest Adventure   March 9, 2002
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The historical story "The Massacre" (or sometimes mistakenly referred to as "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve") is a true classic in every sense of the word. Markedly different from the submitted version of John Lucarotti's story, this version sees Steven Taylor, the Doctor's sometimes impatient, but always heroic astronaut companion, as the star of the show. And Peter Purves shines through indeed. Proving he was a worthy companion.

From the moment he is left on his own in Paris, while the Doctor goes off to indulge his scientific curiosity, Steven gets caught up in the intrigue between the Huguenots (the French Protestants) and the Catholic Queen Mother. Fortunately for us (the viewer/listener), Steven hasn't a clue about the history of the world in 1572, which moves the story along very well as we learn through his eyes how the Hugeunots are treated by the then current regime.

In this version Steven catches a glimpse of the Abbot of Amboise, who looks amazingliy like the Doctor himself. The Abbot is played, of course, by William Hartnell as, I can only assume, to give the lead actor something to do in this adventure as the companion takes centre stage. The part of the Abbot is limited at best. And, Hartnell's performance suggests a boredom by the actor.

Despite this, we are treated to an incredibly in-depth depiction of the events of the time, where the guest cast, as well as our would-be star Steven Taylor, only serve, as was meant by these early historicals, to entice the viewer/listener to go back to the history books and study closer this period of French History. Wonderful stuff! And, Peter Purves shines through, keeping this adventure interesting from start to finish. Whether you are listening to these CDs or reading John Lucarotti's very different novelization, you'll still be entertained. Wonderful stuff, and definitely the (often overlooked) shining star of Doctor Who's Third Season.


Radio with pictures?   September 22, 2001
Mykol (BALTIMORE, MARYLAND United States)
This amazing story was written around the time when television in the UK was basically radio with pictures. This is now why the story works so well as an audio. This was my first BBC Radio Collection cd and the surprise shock of the Abbot of Amboise looking exactly like the Doctor isn't missed. The author, John Lucarotti was upset that this element was added to his story and rewritten while he was on holiday, which makes one wonder how such a superb story could be any better.


Visual impact missed in this release   June 10, 2001
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The BBC, in the days before home video, decided that some of its programs were no longer required in its archives. In a somewhat unsystematic purging, many classics were consigned to the flames, including several Doctor Who stories. Fortunately, some fans of the series had made their own audio recordings, and these (following a thorough re-mastering by the BBC) are being released.

'The Massacre' is one of these releases. This story is a historical, set in Paris in 1572. The entire tone of the story is dark, with doom hanging over the proceedings as the story moves towards the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day.

The Doctor and his companion, Steven Taylor, are separated in the first episode and Steven becomes the main character in the story. This is fairly unusual as, since, apart from the first few stories, it is the Doctor and not his companions who are firmly placed on centre stage. This situation leads to a twist: another character, the Abbot of Amboise, looks exactly like the Doctor. Steven is believes he is the Doctor in disguise, but the people around Steven regard his as a villain. Who is correct?

This makes 'The Massacre' an odd choice to release on CD. The first appearance of the Abbot is a non-vocal one, so unlike the television watchers at the time of its release, we only know this thanks to the linking narration (provided by Peter Purves, who plays Steven). Given the very different approach that William Hartnell takes for the Doctor and the Abbot, the lack of visuals to emphasise this detracts from the story.

For people not used to Doctor Who's early historical stories, this one is perhaps a little grim. However, as a story showing the power of events and their capacity to crush whoever gets in their way, it is excellent. This is a story where the Doctor is not the superhuman that some later stories portray him as.