Horse of Destruction (The Myth Makers Episode 4)

The one where the Doctor loses a companion, gains another and nurses a third...

I find it really poor when Doctor Who introduces a new companion immediately after the previous one has left. It just feels too neat and convenient to be real. The 1970s were the worst culprit, introducing Jo just after Liz left, and Sarah Jane just after Jo left, and Romana just after Leela left. At least in the Hartnell era (and the 1980s, to be fair) there were often overlaps with the characters so that it happened more organically. Steven shared screen time with Ian and Barbara, Dodo with Ben and Polly, and in Horse of Destruction, we're introduced to Katarina before Vicki has left.

It's still a bit convenient though, and it would have been so much better if Donald Cotton had written Katarina into The Myth Makers before episode 4. As a handmaiden of Cassandra, there's plenty of opportunity to have her hanging around, and she could've been given more of a reason to be there rather than the slightly forced presence here.

Death of a Spy (The Myth Makers Episode 3)

The one where the Doctor is almost catapulted into the sky...

"HOW DAAAAARE YOOOOOOUUU?" Ah, it's our old friend Cassandra, High Priestess of Troy and one of the most vicious and acid-tongued women ever to appear in Doctor Who! I love her! Every time she appears, Frances White snatches your attention and doesn't let go, whether that's through the wonderfully spiteful lines Donald Cotton gives her, or the deliciously raucous performance. Not being able to see Cassandra in The Myth Makers is the greatest tragedy of this serial's loss.

After struggling to adjust to the comedic levels of Cotton's writing in episodes 1 and 2, I actually really enjoyed Death of a Spy. Previous episodes have had a tendency to be silly rather than funny, but here the writing is wittier and more artful. I love the exchange between Cassandra and her brother, the witless Paris, when he insists it is he who is in command, and she replies: "Of everything except your senses!" Later, King Priam expresses a form of admiration for Paris when he stands up to his sister, saying: "It's quite refreshing. It seems there's a man lurking behind that flaccid facade after all." Oo-er! All very Talbot Rothwell!

Small Prophet, Quick Return (The Myth Makers Episode 2)

The one where both Steven and Vicki are given aliases...

So it seems the TARDIS has been taken into the city of Troy by Paris, son of King Priam... and with Vicki still inside. What a wonderful parallel to the Trojan Horse myth which will no doubt play a greater part in proceedings as this serial develops!

Donald Cotton writes the Trojans much more comically than the Greeks. Whereas the likes of Menelaus and Agamemnon had their witty barbs and quickfire ripostes in episode 1, the people of Troy are portrayed much more broadly, particularly Paris, played like an English toff by Barrie Ingham. I'll get this out of the way now: I really don't like Ingham's portrayal of Paris (or, indeed, Cotton's). Paris is portrayed as a coward, a reluctant warrior, a bumbling civil servant type modelled on the standard fare of Terry-Thomas or Frankie Howerd. Indeed, this Paris wouldn't be out of place played by Jim Dale or Kenneth Williams in a Carry On caper (Carry On Agamemnon?).

Temple of Secrets (The Myth Makers Episode 1)

The one where the Doctor is mistaken for the god Zeus...

One of my favourite reads of recent years is Madeline Miller's Orange Prize-winning novel The Song of Achilles, which tells the story of the Trojan War through the experiences of young prince Patroclus, who becomes the lover of Achilles, "best of all the Greeks". So when, just seconds into Temple of Secrets, Hector mentions the late Patroclus as he vies with Achilles on the plains of Troy, I was pleasantly surprised. Sadly, Patroclus does not feature in The Myth Makers, and I'm sure that if he did, there would be no mention of romance between them!

I love how the TARDIS materialises during Achilles and Hector's sword fight, arriving in the middle of their duel and instantly becoming a focus for trouble. The Doctor intends to find out where they have landed by simply stepping outside to ask these bloodthirsty warriors, which, as Steven points out, may not be the wisest course of action. However, in a somewhat self-aware moment, the Doctor says that they appear to be talking more than fighting, which is certainly apparent on the surviving soundtrack!