Written by John Lucarotti.
Directed by Waris Hussein.
Transmitted originally: 22 February 1964 to 4 April 1964.
Episode 1: The Roof of the World
Episode 2: The Singing Sands
Episode 3: Five Hundred Eyes
Episode 4: The Wall of Lies
Episode 5: Rider from Shang-tu
Episode 6: Mighty Kublai Khan
Episode 7: Assassin at Peking
THE STORY
Arriving in Central Asia in 1289, the Doctor and his companions join the caravan of the famous Venetian explorer Marco Polo as it makes its way form the snowy heights of the Pamir Plateau, across the dangerous Gobi Desert and through the heart of imperial Cathay. having witnessed many incredible sites and survived a variety of dangers, they eventually arrive at the mighty Kublai Khan's Summer Palace in Shang-tu, where the Doctor strikes up a friendship with the elderly ruler. They move on to the imperial palace in Peking, where the travellers manage to save the Khan from an assassination attempt by the Mongol warlord Tegana who was supposedly on a peace mission. The Doctor and friends then depart in the TARDIS.
CAST:
The Doctor (William Hartnell), Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), Marco Polo (Mark Eden), Tegana (Derren Nesbitt), Ping-Cho (Zienia Merton), Man at Lop (Leslie Bates), Chenchu (Jimmy Gardner), Malik (Charles Wade), Acomat (Phillip Voss), Mongol Bandit (Michael Guest), Ling-Tau (Paul Carson), Wang-Lo (Gabor Baraker), Kuiju (Tutte Lemkow), Vizier (Peter Lawrence), Kublai Khan (Martin Miller), Office Foreman (Basil Tang), Empress (Claire Davenport).
FACTS:
The progress of the journey is shown with an animated map, accompanied by voiceover diary entries by Marco Polo
William Hartnell has only one line of dialogue in 'The Singing Sands'
The Doctor acquires a wooden walking stick from Kublai Khna which then appears in a number of later stories.
OTHER FORMATS:
The First Doctor Novelisations
Back to the First Doctor Programme Guide
