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| Marco Polo | |
| Series: | Doctor Who - TV Stories |
| Season Number: | Season 1 |
| Story Number: | 4 |
| Doctor: | First Doctor |
| Companions: | Susan Foreman Barbara Wright Ian Chesterton |
| Enemy: | Tegana |
| Setting: | 1289 |
| Writer: | John Lucarotti |
| Director: | Waris Hussein (episode 1-3, 5-7) John Crockett (episode 4) |
| Producer: | Verity Lambert |
| Broadcast: | 22nd February - 4th April 1964 |
| Format: | 7 25-minute episodes |
| Prod. Code: | D |
| Previous Story: | The Edge of Destruction |
| Following Story: | The Keys of Marinus |
Marco Polo was the fourth story of Season 1 of Doctor Who. It is generally considered to be the first true historical story over An Unearthly Child, whose depictions of prehistoric cave dwellers was somewhat stylized and speculative. Unfortunately, it is also the earliest of the stories from the 1960s of which no film or video copies are known to exist.
Contents |
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 past the fantastic Cave of Five Hundred Eyes 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.
Polo welcomes the Doctor and his companions to his company and introduces some of his fellow travellers including Tegana, a Mongol warlord. Tegana is an emissary of peace from the Khan Noghai who has been at war with Kublai Khan. A young Chinese woman named Ping-Cho is also travelling with Polo so that she may meet her 75-year old groom in her arranged marriage. Ping-Cho forms a strong friendship with Susan.
The Mongols fear the Doctor is an evil sorceror who is powerless while outside of the Tardis and so Marco Polo forbids him from entering it until their party has made a stop in a town at the edge of the desert.
When the caravan stops at the way station in Lop, Marco Polo tells the Doctor that he is requisitioning his "flying caravan" as a prize for the Emperor to attempt to buy his way out of his service. Marco takes the TARDIS key from the Doctor to ensure the safety of his prize.
Meanwhile, the lord Tegana purchases a poison to use on the caravan's water supply as it ventures on into the Gobi Desert.
Marco Polo insists the caravan presses on to the next stop, but the water rations get fewer and fewer as the days pass by and eventually Tegana is dispatched to find a fabled oasis. The Mongol finds the oasis easily, but does not return with water to the caravan as promised.
The caravan moves on to the next way-station at Tun-Huang where stocks are replenished and they meet an incredulous Tegana, who rejoins their caravan. Ping-Cho makes their stay pleasant with the tale of Ala-eddin (Aladdin) and the Hashshashin (or assassins).
Tegana slips away during the performance and makes his way to the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes, where he is told by the Mongol agents Malik and Acomat that Noghai is assembling an army and marching toward Karakorum. Tegana tells Acomat, a bandit, to attack the caravan soon and kill Marco Polo and the others. Their plans, however, have been partially overheard by Barbara, who followed Tegana to the cave, though she does not realise the extent of Tegana's involvement. She is found and then kept prisoner by Malik while Tegana returns to the caravan, feigning surprise when her disappearance is discovered.
The Doctor deduces that Barbara may be at the cave and heads there accompanied by Susan and Ping-Cho. Susan cries out in fear when she see a pair of 'painted' eyes, moving!
When the party returns to the caravan, Tegana tries another tactic and attempts to make Marco suspicious by telling him that Susan has an unhealthy hold over Ping-Cho, and that the Doctor has somehow made a second key to gain entry to the TARDIS. Other suspicions are aroused when Barbara admits how she ended up at the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes, but Tegana flatly denies ever having been there. Marco stamps his authority on the caravan by separating Ping-Cho and Susan, making both of them ever more suspicious of Tegana. At the next way station Tegana's plans are further bolstered when he proves to Marco that the Doctor has a second key to the TARDIS, forcing the old man to hand it over, and driving ever deepening enmity into the travelling party.
The caravan now catches sight of the Great Wall of China and the journey heads South to Lan-Chow along the banks of the Yellow River. At the next town of Sinju Tegana meets with the evil Acomat and tells him to attack the caravan two nights later as they journey through the bamboo forest. The guards on the caravan are killed and Acomat waits in the jungle, looking for Tegana's signal to attack.
While attempting to escape from the caravan, Ian discovers a dead guard.
The Doctor and his companions have meanwhile worked out that Tegana is the source of many of the journey's troubles, but cannot make Marco Polo realise how dangerous he is. A new traveller now arrives at the caravan, a message rider named Ling-Tau, who has travelled from Shang-Tu (300 miles away) in just 24-hours. He bears a message commanding the caravan to speed up, and so Marco commands that once they reach the city of Cheng-Ting that the travellers should all take to horseback to speed up their journey while the TARDIS and the other belongings are brought on later. As ever, Tegana has another plot at the next way station. He meets an ally called Kuiju and bribes him to try and steal the TARDIS when the convoy is split up, and take it to Karakorum, where Noghai's troops are massing.
Ping-Cho knows where Marco has hidden the two keys to the TARDIS and gives one to Susan to help the time travellers escape. But, when Susan returns to the TARDIS after saying goodbye to Ping-Cho, she is accosted by Tegana.
The main convoy has meanwhile finally reached the summer palace of Shang-Tu. Kublai Khan presides over a rich and beautiful city. When the travellers are brought before the great Khan, the Doctor is so bruised after his horse ride he is unable to kow-tow properly. Ironically, the aged Khan sees the aches of age as a point of friendship with the Doctor. He decrees they will all leave the following day for Peking, and the Doctor will travel with him in his own carriage. But he is concerned that Tegana has not presented himself, being worried that Khan Noghai has now moved his armies from Samarkand to Karakorum.
When the imperial party reaches the capital city, the Khan engages the Doctor in a game of backgammon. The Doctor wins 35 elephants, 4000 white stallions, 25 tigers, the sacred tooth of the Buddha and the entire commerce of Burma for a year - but loses the key to the TARDIS. The Khan presses Marco for the history of the "magic caravan" and the emissary admits he was wrong to try and obtain the vehicle, but only did it to try and buy his freedom. The Khan is not impressed, and warns Marco that if he does not regain his trust somehow then he will be banished from court.
Nevertheless, events take a turn for the better for another. Ping-Cho is spared a loveless marriage when the elderly man she was due to marry passes away after drinking an elixir of life. She is content to make eyes at Ling Tau, with whom she has formed an attachment.
When Ling Tau's party arrives at the palace, Marco Polo begins to have serious doubts about the actions and motivations of Tegana. He confides in the Doctor and his friends and together they work to unmask Tegana before it is too late, as they now deduce Tegana has come to Peking to kill the Khan.
Tegana slays the Khan's guards and is moving in for the kill when the Doctor and his allies arrive and is prevented in his actions. His mission failed, Tegana takes his own life. In the ensuing melee, Marco Polo gives the Doctor and his party the key to the TARDIS and bids them escape. The "magic caravan" fades away before the eyes of the Khan and his courtiers. As a final act, the Khan forgives Marco Polo and agrees he can return to Venice.
This story was published by Target Books as Doctor Who - Marco Polo by John Lucarotti, ISBN 0-426-19967-7, in April of 1985. It was number 94 in the series of 156 Doctor Who novels published by Target.
| Season 1 |
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| An Unearthly Child • The Daleks • The Edge of Destruction • Marco Polo • The Keys of Marinus • The Aztecs • The Sensorites • The Reign of Terror |
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