The Reign of Terror

The Reign of Terror completes Doctor Who's very first season. Lots of historical stories, the Daleks, and the characters of the Doctor, Ian, Susan, and Barbara all were what kept the viewing figures high. The Reign of Terror is set during the French revolution and was obviously written to teach children all about the period. However, it doesn't feel like it's an educational programme. Instead, you feel like you're watching (or in my case, listening to) a great character piece with humour, an enjoyable story with many unexpected twists and turns.

The opening episodes introduce main concept and far too many french people to remember, but instead of being confusing, the plot is still strong. The script has been injected with lots of humour, such as when the Doctor barters with the shopkeeper over clothes. It's these clothes and the authority gained with them that drive the plot forwards during dialogue-heavy episodes.

The character of the unlucky jailer also lightens the serial's tone, for without him, we wouldn't have a bit of a comical, clumsy character and the story would be extremely dark and mysterious. Dialogue and confrontations between characters are what keeps The Reign of Terror interesting, and the jailer's dialogue is 'just right' for the character.

Of course, listening to the soundtrack and reading transcripts of this serial will never be as good as watching the real thing, but I definitely think that this story is one of the ones that stands out as being well written and well-acted by all the cast members, particularly the jailer and the Doctor himself.

With the first season of this iconic show over, I can hardly wait to see what the next season has to offer!