#the romans

[cleowho]

“You mean it's a surprise?”

The Romans - season 02 - 1965

#doctor who #classic doctor who #first doctor #the romans #vicki #maureen o'brien #barbara wright #jacqueline hill #ian chesterton #william russell

[fang-venkas]

Coriolanus Snow was named after a famous roman general who hated the small folk and eventually got betrayed by his allies& said Coriolanus had a mother named Volumnia, who was the mastermind behind his success and controlled every single aspect of his life& kept him away from the love of his life.

& honestly I just think that’s a fact that more people should be aware of!

#coriolanus snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #the hunger games #thg #lucy gray baird #snowbaird #dr volumnia gaul #the romans

[idkaguyorsomething]

The first few seasons were wild. Couldn’t fit all the good stuff in here, but here’s some of the highlights. ¡Please reblog and explain your pick in the tags!

#doctor who #classic who #first doctor #ian chesterton #barbara wright #susan foreman #vicki pallister #steven taylor #ben jackson #polly wright #an unearthly child #the romans #the edge of destruction #the dalek invasion of earth #the chase #the rescue #the war machines #the myth makers #the daleks master plan #the feast of steven

[dailyclassicwho]

Isn't it strange...? To think that people will read about that in books for thousands and thousands of years and here I am sitting here actually watching it. It's a pity they got it all wrong.

DOCTOR WHO STORIES 012. THE ROMANS

#doctor who #classic who #first doctor era #the romans #first doctor #vicki pallister #ian chesterton #firstdoctoredit #dwedit #classicwhoedit #dw stories #gifs #mine

[deadbeatescape]

ohh im going to cry

#doctor who #classic who #the romans #ian #ian chesterton #barbara #barbara wright #dw #liveposting from the house of usher

[unwillingadventurer]

Adorable

#ian chesterton #barbara wright #classic who #the romans

[kcdahippie]

The crew does look fabulous in their Rome garb though I must say

#kc and the quest to watch dr who #the romans #vicki pallister #barbara wright #ian chesterton #the first doctor

[demigodofhoolemere]

The First Doctor

November 23, 1963 — October 29, 1966

William Hartnell

January 8, 1908 — April 23, 1975

#classic who #first doctor #william hartnell #screencaps #an unearthly child #the daleks #the aztecs #the reign of terror #the romans #the time meddler #the daleks' master plan #the celestial toymaker #the tenth planet #dwbday

[doctorwhogirlie]

Doctor Who - The Romans

#The Romans #ian chesterton #barbara wright #vicki pallister #doctor who #doctor who girlie #classic who #classic doctor who

[notyoujamie]

It’s Chesterton!

#dwedit #doctorwhoedit #cwedit #doctor who #classic who #my gif #** #*dw #first doctor #ian chesterton #the daleks #edge of destruction #marco polo #the romans #parallelcw

[cleowho]

“And as you play...”

The Romans - season 02 - 1965

#doctor who #classic doctor who #first doctor #william hartnell #the romans #tavius #michael peake #vicki #maureen o'brien

[davros42]

Rewatching Classic Doctor Who, some episodes I haven't seen in years, some of the animated reconstructions I haven't seen at all.

The Romans AKA Serial M

David Whitaker, Doctor Who's first script editor (vaguely equivalent to the modern 'show runner' in some respects but also not really in others), was sick of historicals. And to be fair, Marco Polo and The Reign of Terror (and the Tribe of Gum) were, despite their lavish production value, the weakest stories of Season 1. In my opinion, anyway. Verity Lambert convinced him and writer Dennis Spooner to take a more light hearted tone with this one and, with some influence from Carry On Cleo (and maybe a nod toward sword-and-sandal epics like Spartacus), turned in a lovely, breezy pastiche of Roman times. It gets called a 'comedy' fairly often but there's really only a few heavily slapstick moments in between the human trafficking, murder, assassination plots, arson, and sexual harassment. Ok, the sexual harassment is also a slapstick 'comedy' moment. It was the 60's.

To recap: The TARDIS lands and promptly falls off a cliff.

One month later, the TARDIS crew is squatting in a Roman villa while the owner is off campaigning in Gaul. Ian and Barbara are enjoying lounging around post-coitally, blissed out on wine, flirting constantly. Vicki, however, is restless and wants to see history. The Doctor departs with her to visit Rome, leaving Barbara to mommy domme Ian into a new hairstyle.

The Doctor and Vicki discover the corpse of a lyre player and The Doctor steals his identity and gets swept off to court of Nero, as one does. Ian and Barbara suffer a home invasion, during which Barbara smashes a vase over Ian's head and gets them both trafficked into slavery. Ian gets sent a galley crew and Barbara gets sold into Nero's court. Vicki and The Doctor just miss seeing Barbara get sold into slavery as they arrive in Rome, setting up the most amusing running gag of the serial. Ian gets shipwrecked and escapes. The Doctor, meanwhile, has to keep flattering Nero to keep from having to admit that he can't actually play the lyre. It becomes clear that the person that The Doctor is impersonating has some kind of mysterious task or mission. Nero, of course, has taken a shine to Barbara (who wouldn't?) and has decided to chase her around the palace like fucking Benny Hill. Vicki befriends the court poisoner and accidentally saves Barbara from poisoning by Nero's jealous wife by almost poisoning Nero instead. The Doctor gives her the standard lecture about changing history and then saves Nero's life. The poisoner takes the fall for Barbara's survival. The Doctor pretends to play music that only the most refined can hear (an idea he once loaned to Hans Christian Anderson) to once again get out of playing the lyre. However, Nero is preparing to kill him out of jealousy.

But first, sports. Ian and his friend have gotten themselves recaptured and sent to gladiator school. And they have been chosen to fight to the death in front of Nero. And Barbara, but that's not important right now. Ian loses but his friend doesn't kill him and attacks Nero instead. They escape. But Nero sets a trap for Ian with Barbara as bait. The Doctor (and Vicki) are informed that Nero plans to kill The Doctor but when The Doctor accidentally sets Nero's schematics for a new Rome on fire... well... Inspiration strikes. Nero goes off to burn down Rome and in the chaos Ian and Barbara reunite and escape. Vicki tells The Doctor off for changing history by inspiring the Fire of Rome.. but that wasn't really a change if it always happened anyway? Ian and Barbara return to the villa, get changed, and pass out. The Doctor and Vicki return and The Doctor chastises them for idleness and won't hear a word of explanation as he decides it is time to depart.

The story hits the gas pedal and doesn't let up. The two parallel plots are well structured and well paced. If they slowed down at all, the whole thing would fall apart under it's own weight. All the essential Roman elements are present.. weird food, galley slaves, statues, saunas, centurions, mad emperors, gladiators. The history is.. ok? By AD 64 (when the story was set) Nero was known for his strange behavior, being susceptible to flattery, and violent temperament. His wife Poppaea Sabina was apparently a bit of schemer, and may have been the sort to poison a slave girl. Anyway, no one really knows how or why the Fire of Rome started. Most of the history we have of Nero was written by people who may have been biased. Even more biased than most historians, I mean. Anyway, it's a fun little Cliff Notes version of history that works a lot better than the longer, more slowly paced dramatic historicals that preceded it. No coincidence that the shorter, more action oriented The Aztecs is easily the best historical so far, with The Romans close behind.

Next up: The Web Planet (but not the Web of Fear)

#doctor who #classic doctor who #first doctor #ian chesterton #barbara wright #william hartnell #jacqueline hill #william russell #doctor who rewatch #vicki pallister #maureen o'brien #the romans #Serial M

[headcanonsandmore]

"A Well-Earned Rest"

Summary: Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton have finally gotten back to safety after the events of "The Romans". However, it seems their time spent apart from each other has helped them both evaluate their feelings for each other…

~~~~~~~~ Read on AO3

~~~~~~~~~

Barbara Wright finished brushing her hair, and left her room.

It was a sunny day, as most of the days in Italy had been so far, and the sunshine gave the air a slightly hazy feel, as if it were the soft edge of a dream. Barbara smiled as the warm wind delicately brushed against her skin.

A few hours had passed since Ian and her had arrived back at the villa. Both of them had headed to their separate rooms to get changed and take some well-earned rest. During the journey back to the villa from Rome, they had mostly concerned themselves with staying as inconspicuous as possible. They hadn’t wanted to draw attention, after all.

Now that they were back, they simply wanted to relax a little and wait for the Doctor and Vicki to return from Rome.

Barbara had walked off to her room, leaving Ian sleeping peacefully in the inner courtyard of the villa. She hadn’t been gone long; just enough time to give her hair a quick brush and stretch her legs a little. Sure enough, Ian was still dozing where she had left him.

Barbara didn’t immediately sit down next to him, though. Instead, she stood for a few moments, watching her friend with a soft smile.

She sighed, gently.

Oh, she had missed Ian very much during the time they had been separated. In many different ways.

Ways that she had already started to suspect were not simply platonic.

Oh, who was she kidding? Her feelings for Ian had not been platonic for a very long time. Come to think of it, even before they had ended up in the TARDIS, she had found herself looking forward to those fleeting moments between them each day. Smiling glances in the school corridors, a gentle nudge of the shoulder during assembles, and chuckling conversations in the staff room.

Not to mention the evenings with heavy fog and smog, when Ian would offer to drive her home.

Barbara’s heart beat slightly faster at the thought.

But maybe that was unfair of her. After all, Ian had been nothing but a gentleman the entire time she had known him. They had been through so much together and, while Ian clearly did care for her, surely it wasn’t in quite the same way that Barbara cared for him.

Surely not. Barbara would just be overthinking things otherwise.

Because… oh, sometimes she could swear that Ian’s face softened when he looked at her, in a way quite unlike the way he looked at anyone else. His eyes would become far gentler, and his mouth would curve into a smile so soft that it took Barbara’s breath away.

Ian stirred, and his eyes opened. Blearily, he looked around before his gaze settled on Barbara. His mouth stretched into a smile.

‘Everything alright?’

Barbara chuckled.

‘Yes. Did you have a nice rest?’

‘Absolutely wonderful,’ Ian grinned, as he sat up and stretched. His muscles flexed slightly under his toga. ‘Sorry, did my snoring keep you awake?’

‘Not at all,’ Barbara said, returning his grin. ‘I just needed to stretch my legs.’

Barbara could have sworn that she imagined it, but… did Ian’s eyes just flip down to her legs? Surely not.

Ian gave a cough and then cleared his throat, diverting his eyes away.

Feeling rather flustered all of a sudden, Barbara looked away briefly, taking slow breaths to try and regulate her heartbeat. What… what had just happened?

After a few moments, Barbara’s pulse seemed to relax, and she settled for sitting down to Ian.

‘Lovely weather today, isn’t it?’

Ian nodded.

‘Quite wonderful, indeed,’ he said. ‘I just hope we don’t get sunburnt. I remember getting red as a lobster on a family trip to the seaside; hurt like anything.’

Barbara let out a chuckle, and Ian seemed to smile softly to himself as he listened to her laugh.

‘I can imagine little Ian, running around in short trousers and scuffed knees.’

‘I’ll have you know I was a boy scout; the scuffed knees were a badge of honour!’

The two of them chuckled.

‘I was never much of a girl guide,’ Barbara said. ‘Everyone always said I was too bossy.’

‘Jealousy, no doubt,’ Ian replied, with a grin. ‘For what it’s worth, I think you’re wonderful when you’re being bossy.’

‘Cheek!’ Barbara laughed, swatting him on the shoulder with her hand. ‘Sometimes, you’re like an overgrown schoolboy!’

‘Only sometimes?’ Ian chortled. ‘I thought you’d been around me enough to notice that, Barbara.’

‘That’s true. We have been together rather a long time.’

‘We have, indeed,’ Ian said, with a chuckle. ‘Hopefully you haven’t gotten tired of me yet?’

Barbara chuckled.

‘Of course not,’ she said. Their eyes met, and Barbara’s heartrate increased again. For a moment, the two of them stared at each other.

‘Er… Barbara?’

‘Yes?’

‘We never really discussed what happened in Rome.’

‘O-oh, did we not?’

‘Barbara…’-Ian’s face was concerned-‘Did… did something to you in Nero’s court?’

‘Er…’

Barbara trailed off, unsure of how to explain.

‘Well, Nero seemed to like me rather a lot,’ she said, not quite meeting Ian’s eyes. ‘I… well, he kept suggesting that… er…’

Ian’s face had gone very stiff, and his jaw had set.

‘I’ll kill him,’ he said, jumping to his feet. ‘I’m going to kill that entitled monster of a-’

‘Ian, no!’ Barbara said, quickly standing up as well. ‘While he was persistent, he never managed to…’

‘That doesn’t excuse it!’ Ian exclaimed. ‘Men shouldn’t treat you like that!’

‘You don’t treat me like that!’

‘Of course I don’t! How could I? I…’

Ian’s face flushed, and he looked away. He blinked quickly.

‘I-Ian?’ Barbara said, softly. ‘What… what were you going to say?’

‘Oh, come off it, Barbara,’ Ian said, with a sad chuckle. ‘It’s not as if I’ve been subtle about it.’

Barbara’s heart leapt into her mouth.

‘W-what?’ she stammered. ‘You… do you…’

‘Of course I do!’ Ian exclaimed, with a nervous laugh. ‘Barbara, I’ve been in love with you for… well, rather a long time.’

Barbara could feel the blood rushing in her ears. It wasn’t possible! Surely, she wasn’t that lucky.

‘O-oh,’ she said, very quietly. ‘I… I see.’

‘Yes, and I never said anything about it because I knew you don’t care for me in the same way,’ Ian said, with a soft smile. ‘I’ve accepted that, so please don’t feel pity. You’re my friend, after all, and… well, I’m happy just to know-’

Ian stopped talking because, at that moment, Barbara had leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Ian startled, but did not pull away. Slowly, he leaned into the kiss.

Barbara felt her eyes sparkle with tears, and she clung to Ian, finding comfort as he gently wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for several moments… or was it several days? Barbara wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she should have done this a long time ago.

Eventually, though, their lips did part.

‘I take it that’s a “I love you too”?’

‘Oh, shush!’ Barbara chuckled, swatting him softly on the arm. ‘Of course it is!’

Ian’s smile was wider and brighter than she had ever seen before. It was almost like staring into the sun.

He wrapped one arm around Barbara’s shoulders, and she leaned into his side, smiling as they settled down onto the seats again. The two of them found themselves dozing off in each other’s arms.

Yes, Barbara thought, maybe she was this lucky after all.

~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, everyone; I hope you enjoyed reading my first attempt at an Ian/Barbara fic! I do have more planned in the future alongside my usual Tegan/Nyssa stuff, so stay tuned!

#doctor who fanfiction #ian/barbara #barbara/ian #barbara wright #ian chesterton #ian x barbara #barbara x ian #doctor who #the romans #barbarian

[prunpplee]

Ok so this question has been floating around and the answers I'm getting are downright perplexing. Y'all are actually out there thinking about a bygone empire every week if not more????

#please this is incredible to me #my brother says he thinks about it every day??? #why??? #tumblr polls #the roman empire #roman empire #the romans #wtf #why???????

[thethirdromana]

Rewatching the Romans

It's so hard to know how to write about this one!

I mean, it's fun. It's silly. Barbara and Ian definitely had sex for the first time in that villa, and their flirting is charming. There's a lot of good comedy, but it doesn't try to shy away from how brutal the Roman world was.

But I have to admit that I really struggle with the way that for two solid episodes, one of the key 'jokes' is that Nero is running around after Barbara, with - we have to assume - the intent to rape her.

I think that passed me by when I first watched this, circa 2007, because it's all done in a nudge-nudge wink-wink Carry On style. But that's the threat, underneath all of it. And it's so tricky, because the options are:

Make it a joke, as the series does

Take the threat seriously (not exactly appropriate for a family show)

Pretend that this wasn't something slaves were subjected to

None of those options are good! I don't know if I can fault the choice made here; after all, Nero's wife also wants to murder her and that's played for laughs too. But it made me uncomfortable, all the same.

OK, my other thoughts:

Everyone looks great in Roman clothes. I love how much dressing up the cast do in this era (and looking forward to the modern show returning to that approach in the upcoming series).

The joke about the Doctor getting Ian's name wrong is delightful.

As is Barbara complaining about Vicki expecting her to be a seamstress. Though I wish she hadn't also clearly been the one doing all the cooking and housework as well.

I suppose there's only so much you can wish for the 60s not to have been the 60s.

Hartnell getting to do a bit of comedy acting is great, especially the concert scene, and I really liked how much he seemed to be enjoying himself.

But honestly most of my affection for this story is because it is THE Ian and Barbara shipping story.

And in terms of what's coming up, my husband doesn't know what happens in the Chase and I am not ready.

#doctor who #classic doctor who #dennis spooner #william hartnell #the romans #romana rewatches doctor who

[the-paradigm-web]

Doors of the Pantheon....

The oldest door in Rome. Cast in bronze for emperor Hadrian's rebuilding, they date from about 115 AD. Each door is solid bronze seven and a half feet wide & twenty-five feet high, yet so well balanced they can be pushed or pulled open easily by one person.

#roman pantheon #Rome #the Romans #hadrian #lingerie #stockings #couple #lips #film #art #photography #culture #iconography #beauty #vintage #black and white #60s style #the paradigm web #painting #abstraction #nude figure