The Doctor accidentally becomes a Greek god and has to build the actual Trojan Horse. No pressure.
When the TARDIS arrives on the plains of Asia Minor not far from the besieged city of Troy, the Doctor is hailed by Achilles as the mighty god Zeus and taken to the Greek camp. He meets Agamemnon and Odysseus. Forced to admit he is a mere mortal — albeit a traveller in space and time — he is given two days to devise a scheme to capture Troy. Steven and Vicki, meanwhile, have been taken prisoner by the Trojans. Vicki, believed to possess supernatural powers, is given two days to banish the Greeks to prove she is not a spy.
Writing
Donald Cotton's witty dialogue mocks epic heroes gloriously.
Acting
Max Adrian's Priam steals every scene with theatrical gravitas.
Director
Michael Leeston-Smith
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This serial exists only as audio recordings and telesnaps—BBC wiped the original tapes in the 1970s. The 2023 animated reconstruction finally brought it back to life.
Writer Donald Cotton was a classicist who'd fought at Troy—well, Gallipoli—and his script slyly mocks the Homeric heroism he'd witnessed collapse into mud and futility.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
GB
