Marco Polo.

The Target novelisation.

 Marco Polo is unfortunately the first of many early Dr. Who stories which no longer exist thanks to the BBC erasing them to resuse the tapes. Though we can always hope one day a copy is found. For these episodes there are three options out there if you want to experience the story in some form. The Target novelisation, the original audio tracks (all of which still survive); or a fan made video recreation using production stills from the episode alongside the audio. Initially for Marco Polo I went with the Target novelisation also written by the serial's writer John Lucarotti. It's a really good read that follows the episode faithfully. Because I decided to start this blog after I was already pretty deep into watching the First Doctor's run (The Ark); instead of reading the book again I chose to go with the recreation by Loose Cannon Studio for my second "viewing" of Marco Polo.

When we last left the TARDIS crew they had just discovered a rather large footprint in the snow. Picking up from there the TARDIS is broken (again). This time a power circuit has blown out affecting the lights, the water dispenser; and most importantly the heat. On top of a snow covered mountain if the ship isn't fixed soon our travellers will freeze to death. They don't have the time to however because soon a man dressed in furs is seen to be watching them. He is a scout for the Mongol warlord Tegana who himself arrives on the scene with his men whom he orders to kill the TARDIS crew; claiming that they are evil spirits. Lucky for them (and us) he isn't the leader of this little expedition. A Venetian named Marco Polo is.

Like the Indiana Jones movies, this serial
is framed by map sequences that showcase
just where our travellers are.

In the Doctor's first adventure (that we saw) the crew was brought into the distant past of 100,000 B.C. In the second we were brought to the far future and introduced to the alien Daleks and Thals. Now in this third outing we're brought to the less distant year of 1289 in Cenrtal Asia on the Plain of Pamir. Like 100,000 B.C. the story of Marco Polo is essientally a power struggle; only this one has nothing to do with the TARDIS crew themselves but instead the people they encounter here; namely the villainous Tegana and the heroic but conflicted hero Marco Polo.

Marco Polo
played brilliantly by
Mark Eden.

Marco Polo takes our travellers in, providing them with shelter from the cold. The Doctor himself is suffering from mountain sickness (and later heat sickness and later still arthritis) and is in no condition to fend for himself. Polo soon has an ulterior motive however. He has been in the service of Kublai Khan, the Emperor of China for years and is homesick for Venice. The problem being that Khan has found him too useful and doesn't want to let him go. To help with this Marco soon devises a plan to present the TARDIS; which Ian has foolishly told him is a flying caravan; to Kublai Khan as a gift in the hopes of gaining his own release.



The ever villainous Tegana
played by
Derren Nesbitt

The warlord Tegana is travelling with Marco Polo under his protection. He is an emissary of Khan Noghai who Kublai Khan is at war with; on a mission of peace. From the outset it is made clear to us that Tegana is the villain of the story. He is ruthless, sly and cunning; and will kill without a moment's notice with no need of provocation. He soon has a plan for the TARDIS as well. He wishes to use it with Khan Noghai to destroy Kublai Khan and take over China (probably for himself). Tegana is important to the history of Dr. Who because he is the show's first real villain. The Daleks were an alien race with no real standout leader and while Kal and Za both wanted fire for various reasons neither could be said to be truly evil. Tegana however will stop at nothing to get what he wants and will gladly kill all our heroes afterward just for fun.

Stuck in the middle of this of course are our time travellers who are cut off from their one chance at salvation in this dangerous and alien world; the TARDIS. The Doctor is continually frustrated and melancholy over the fact that such lesser creatures as Polo and Tegana could so easily claim his ship and keep him from it. He tries desperately to get inside of it to fix it only to be thwarted at every turn. Ian Chesterton is the advocate of the crew throughout trying to plead with Marco's nobler side to no avail. While Polo knows that taking these stranger's ship is wrong; he also sees it as his only source of salvation. Barbara aides him in this but seems at times just as lost as The Doctor. She uses most of her resources to undermine Marco's trust in Tegana. A tenuous trust at best already.

Ping-Cho played
by
Zienia Merton

Susan Foreman meanwhile befriends a young Chinese girl named Ping-Cho who is also under Polo's protection. Cho is on her way to become the bride of a member of Kublai Kahn's court in an arranged marriage. A man of importance old enough to be her grandfather. Susan balks at the idea of this. Their friendship throughout this story is touching and you really get a sense that under her bubbly persona Suan is really a lonely young woman and here with Ping-Cho she meets what may be her first real friend her age. She states that while being held prisoner with her is "the happiest time of her life." Kind of sad really.

The story itself is filled with various twists and turns as the time travellers attempt to get the TARDIS back whilst the warlord Tegana plots to steal it for his own ends. He isn't above killing the crew or Marco Polo himself. Upon the crew's arrival to the Plain of Pamir Tegana orders their deaths but is stopped by Marco who is in command on the journey. And that's where alot of the tension in this story comes from.

Go ahead Polo.
Show him your pimp hand.

Tegana is a very Shakespearean villain. He lies in wait, he plots and manipulates; and most importantly he is adroit in keeping himself just on the edge of being revealed as a traitor. It's obvious Marco Polo never really trusts him but at the same time as a messenger from Khan Noblai on a peace mission, Polo has been given the job to protect him and would need concrete evidence to take up any action against him.

In the second episode of the serial "The Singing Sands" a curious Susan and Ping-Cho follow Tegana out into the Gobi Desert. The girls begin talking about Susan's travels to other worlds including the metal seas of Venus. One strange thing Susan mentions is that she's "never seen a moonlit night." Odd because we've already seen he in one. A vicious sandstorm soon hits and the music in this scene is incredibly eerie; apparently made up of shrill laughter. We get a real surprise when Tegana actually saves them, likely to keep in Marco's trust. He later slices the party's water gourds and blames bandits for the act. Ian and Marco enact a desperate plan to reach an oasis before disaster strikes and when they cannot go on any further it is that snake Tegana who offers to trek out to the oasis alone. While they await his return, relying on him as their only salvation; the episode ends with Tegana at the oasis callously pouring water into the sand and stating triumphantly "Here's water Marco! Come for it!"

 


"Here's water Marco!
Come for it!"



Luckily for our travellers The Doctor was too weary to travel from heat stroke and allowed to stay inside the TARDIS along with Susan; because we soon get a lesson about: Condensation! While Tegana was busy being a prick, the rest of the party spent a cool night in the desert. It remained warm in the TARDIS however and in the morning there was drinkable water dripping from the inside of its walls saving the day. This ends up pissing off Marco Polo who claims The Doctor was holding out on him, so he demands that The Doctor hand over the TARDIS key (which we soon learn is a fake). Ian tries to explain, but it's no use. They then travel to the oasis where Tegana gives a bullshit story about how he couldn't get to it because bandits were camped out by it all night. Barbara thinks his story is a lie and asks if there were bandits there on such a cold night; then where are the remnants of their fire? That Ms. Wright sure is a smart cookie.

The crew listens to Ping-Cho's
tale of Aladdin.

Thanks to the marvels of condensation Tegana's plans are thwarted and they arrive at the waystation at Tun-Huang where Ping-Cho entertains everyone (except the audience at home) with the story of Aladdin which runs on a bit too long. On the verge of dying from boredom Tegana slips away to the Cave of a Hundred Eyes, a reputed old haunt of Aladdin's gang. There unaware that Barbara has followed him; he meets with agents of Nohai Khan. She is soon captured by the assassins. Luckily Ian and Marco notice Barbara's absence because after Tegana leaves her captors begin to play dice with the winner earning the right to kill her!

While Ian and Marco are off searching for Barbara, The Doctor gets a hunch (he read the script) that Ms. Wright went off to the Cave of a Hundred Eyes and takes Susan and Ping-Cho with him. Inside the cave they find Barbara's handkerchief and Susan screams when she thinks she sees the eyes of one of the painted faces move. This shriek brings out the villainous Tegana who says there's no reason for their friend to be in the cave. He boisterously yells to the "evil spirits" of the cave in an attempt to warn his associates. Soon Marco and Ian arrive on the scene as well after receiving a tip and the secret passage where Barbara is being held is discovered. Only one of the assassins is still with her and to ensure his silence Tegana slays him. The Mongolian army has a great retirement package.

Back at the caravan Tegana tries to undermine Polo's trust in the strangers telling him that "Only a fool trusts his enemies. They'll set us at each other's throats." Pot meet kettle Mr. Tegana. Unfortunately when Barbara soon tells Marco about how she was only at the cave because she followed Tegana there incriminating him; Polo starts to believe the Warlord's lies. He separates Ping-Cho from Susan because the duo have become too close and isolates the time travellers from the rest of the camp. Looking to improve her friend's situation Ping-Cho tells Marco that she can prove Tegana lied about being in the cave previously; because he somehow knew about the secret passageway. This only angers Marco however who believes Cho's allegiance to him has been compromised. To cement their fate thanks to Tegana's plotting, Marco catches The Doctor leaving the TARDIS and Polo confiscates the real key before confining the entire group to their tent.



Desperate now the captives form a plan to escape. Sneaking out of the tent Ian intends to overpower the guard and take Marco Polo hostage to force him into letting them leave in the TARDIS. He is in for a surprise however because the guard is already dead. He rushes off to warn Marco and along with Tegana and The Doctor they search the camp for bandits swords in hand. (interesting to see Hartnell with one) Surmising they will soon attack the camp Ian attempts to scare them off by throwing bamboo onto a fire; hoping that when it explodes the noise will run them off. This takes too long however and the bandits attack the camp. They are more of Tegana's men and just as their leader is about to blow his cover; Tegana again kills him. Finally the bamboo explodes and the remaining bandits run off. Though in typical Hartnell fashion he gives no credit to Chesterton for his exploding bamboo trick; claiming that instead it was because "Their leader was killed. That's why they broke up and ran." Ingrate.

The messenger Ling-Tau
played by
Paul Carson.

Afterwards Ian admits to Polo he only saw the dead guard because he was trying to escape; but because he was honest about it and saved his life he grants them their "freedom" to move about the caravan again. The messenger Ling-Tau soon arrives and tells Marco Polo that Kublai Khan wishes for him to speed things up. To this end they travel to the city of Shang-Tu on horseback with their belongings (including the TARDIS) to be sent after them. Ever plotting Tegana uses another of his contacts Kuiji to go off and steal the "Warlord's Tomb" (aka the TARDIS) for him. Before the crew is seperated from their ship Ping-Cho confides in Susan that she knows where Marco keeps the TARDIS key hidden, though she has promised him she won't tell them where it is. Susan respects this and says she won't ask; but Cho takes it upon herself to steal the key for her friends. Thrilled to finally be leaving The Doctor, Ian; and Barbara board the TARDIS late that night only to find that Susan isn't with them. She has gone off to keep her promise to Ping-Cho and say goodbye. And of course she ends up captured by Tegana. D'oh!

Smooth move Susan.

Unable to leave because of Susan, The Doctor is forced to once again hand over the TARDIS key to Polo. Ian Chesterton takes the blame for stealing the key not wanting to cause trouble for Ping-Cho. He then tries to reason with Marco by coming clean about their origins and tell him that the reason they can't get home in anything other than the TARDIS is because they're from another time and that their caravan is really a time machine. Macro however doesn't believe him because he thinks Ian is a liar. He knows he lied about stealing the key and that it was really Ping-Cho. He tells Ian though that "If I did Ian. I'd give you the key." To Mark Eden's credit he makes you believe he really would have.

Ping-Cho has overheard this conversation and has run off. Ian volunteers to go find her much to the chagrin of Tegana who claims Chesterton is just using this as an excuse to run off and steal the TARDIS. True to his word however (isn't he always?), Ian finds Ping-Cho who has had her money stolen by Tegana's contact Kuiji. She confides in Ian that she didn't just run away because of the key, but also because "she can't marry a man old enough to be my grandfather." She pleads with Ian not to take her back but he must keep his promise to Polo. He soon learns however that Kuiji is taking the TARDIS in the wrong direction! Meanwhile back at the camp Tegana has convinced Marco to let him go in search of Ian and Ping-Cho playing on Polo's mistrust of the stranger's yet again.

"Kowtow!"
Kublai Khan
played by
Martin Miller

Marco, The Doctor; and the girls meanwhile meet with Kublai Khan as the serial takes a comedic turn when we learn that the mighty and powerful Khan is in fact a feeble old man. They are instructed by the vizier to kowtow (bow) to the emperor of China and The Doctor says he cannot and bellyaches about his back; and how he'll break into pieces if he gets down that low. An old man himself Kublai Khan takes pity on The Doctor's condition and the two become fast friends passing their time playing backgammon and hiding from the Khan's overbearing wife. Marco learns that Kublai wanted him to hurry because the Khan Noghai's army has assembled nearby despite Tegana's mission of peace on their behalf.

Ian and Ping-Cho meanwhile have caught up with Kuiji who confesses that Tegana hired him to steal the TARDIS. Tegana himself soon arrives and things aren't looking good for our heroes when Ling-Tau arrives and kills a fleeing Kuiji. He then takes the surviving trio to the palace where Kublai Khan is awaiting them. Back at the palace the Khan has lost half of China to The Doctor at backgammon. They agree to one more game where The Doctor puts everything he's won so far on the line against the TARDIS. And he loses! For the first time the Khan rightfully owns the ship. Polo hears about this and the Khan laughs about how he was intending to bribe him into letting him go. He will not let Marco go home. He needs him too much.

That thorn Tegana however is still plotting and looks to have Ian and the others prosecuted for attempting to steal the TARDIS which belongs to Kublai Khan. When Marco attempts to defend the strangers, the Khan says he has betrayed him for witholding the information about the attempted theft and that Polo will have to now regain his trust. Ping-Cho manages to catch a break in that her husband to be has drank an elixir and died. So her marriage is off and when asked if she'd like to return home she decides to stay; now having eyes for the messenger Ling-Tau herself. Defeated Marco retires to a nearby hallway where he has an amazingly tense and curt exchange with the victorious Tegana. Polo admits that "I underestimated you Tegana." To which the warlord bluntly tells him "No, you overestimated yourself." It's beautifully acted and set-up. But man way to kick a guy when he's down Tegana.

The crew of the TARDIS haven't been idle. They've put two and two together, figuring out that Tegana has been delaying Marco Polo to give his master Khan Noghai more time to move into striking distance of the palace. They believe he plans to assassinate Kublai Khan to assure their victory and they rush to warn Marco. This time he believes them and storms in to save Khan just in time to see Tegana kill the royal vizier. The two men square off and Marco disarms Tegana who Kublai Khan orders must die. In a final act of defiance the warlord grabs a lance from one of the guards and kills himself.

Acting on his own Marco finally does the right thing and returns the TARDIS keys to The Doctor allowing them to enter the ship and escape after Suan makes a quick goodbye to her friend Ping-Cho. Polo then apologizes to Kublai Khan who tells him "If you hadn't, the old man would have won it at backgammon. And it is true. A flying caravan. There's something for you to tell your friends in Venice." Marco has finally gained his freedom.

Marco Polo reflects "No, my lord. They would not believe half the things that I have seen in Cathay. But what is the truth? I wonder where they are now? The past or the future?" A great line to end any episode of Dr. Who, a show where our protagonists can indeed end up anywhere or in anytime.
It's a shame Marco Polo has been lost. It may not be the serial that started it all like "An Unearthly Child" or that introduced one of its most iconic villains like "The Daleks;" but it was indeed probably one of the best written episodes with some of the most fully realized supporting characters in the show's history. Though adimittedly at the expense of excluding The Doctor himself from the story alot of the time. Hartnell can't complain however as he'll have lots to do and more than one key to obtain this time as he searches for...