Story #6 "The Aztecs"

Season

1

Writer

John Lucarotti

Book/CD

 X

Episodes

4

Director

John Crocket

Vid

 X

Story code

F

Producer

Verty Lambert

DVD

X

Episode Details

Episode

DR MM:SS

TX dd/mm/yy

RPT TX dd/mm/yy

In BBC Archive

1

23:56

23/05/1964

Y

2

24:11

30/05/1964

Y

Cast Details

Regular Cast

William Hartnell (First Doctor) , Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) , Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) , William Russell (Ian Chesterton)

Guest Cast

Keith Pyott (Autloc) / John Ringham (Tlotoxl) / Ian Cullen (Ixta) / Margot van der Burgh (Cameca) / Tom Booth (First Victim) / David Anderson (Aztec Captain) / Walter Randall (Tonila) / André Boulay (Perfect Victim)

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands in 1430, inside the Tomb of Yataxa, high-priest of the Aztecs. When the Doctor and his companions leave the Tomb the door locks behind them. They meet Autloc, high priest of knowledge and Tlotoxl, high priest of sacrifice. Autloc hails Barbara as the reincarnation of Yataxa, she is wearing the priet's bracelet, which she found in the tomb. Ian is appointed cheif of the Aztec warriors and as a result finds himself in competition with the chosen leader, Ixta, who eventually plunges to his death from a pyramid fight with Ian. Susan is made a handmaiden but she causes a rumpus when she refuses the last wish of the perfect sacrifice - marriage. The Doctor rests in luxury with the esteemed elders and, although this seems incongrus, flirts mildly with a beautiful elderly Azec lady, Cameca. This however is to learn a way into the tomb to retrieve the TARDIS. Barbara is declared a fake after she petitions against human scacrifices but the crew escape when the Doctor opens the tomb door with a old-fashioned wheel - and - pulley.

Notes

1. All episodes exist in 16mm telerecordings.
2. David Anderson (Aztec Captain) is credited as Warrior Captain in Radio Times for The Temple of Evil. As fight arranger, Anderson is billed on-screen for The Day of Darkness only, but also arranged fights on The Warriors of Death, and is credited in Radio Times for both episodes.
3. Negative film prints of all episodes were recovered from BBC Enterprises in 1978.
4. John Lucarotti spent a lot of time researching the real Aztecs before writing this story.
5. Carole Ann Ford was on holiday during the filming of episodes 2 and 3 and appeared only in pre-taped film sequences which were shot during rehearsals for episode 5 of the preceding story, The Keys of Marinus.
6. The credits at the end of episode 3 had to be re-filmed as they were not acceptable for broadcast.
7. This is one of the stories selected to be shown as part of BSB's Doctor Who Weekend in September 1990.