A Change of Identity (The Reign of Terror Episode 3)

The one where the Doctor delves into the dressing-up box...

Wow, just look at that opening street scene! Okay, that first extra is blatantly waiting for a cue before he makes his way across the set, but the attempt to depict a bustling, city centre street is admirable, and by and large achieved. We have several passers-by, and even a coughing old hag (our friend Eleanor Darling from last week?), into which wanders the magnificent William Hartnell, who seems to blend in so well in his Edwardian attire.

And Roderick Laing's sets are gorgeously detailed and seem to go on and on. He's created a lot of depth to these streets, with alcoves and walkways and stairways, and you can tell that even more in the set photos that exist.

In the prison, the jailer's obsequious desire to please his betters results in him leaving the key to Ian's cell door in the lock, allowing Ian to acquire it by stealth (but also managing the obligatory "oops, I nearly dropped it" moment too!). Again, we get plenty of Ian this episode, despite William Russell's holiday, thanks to some clever pre-filmed inserts.

Meanwhile, Susan and Barbara are literally being carted through the streets of Paris on the way to the guillotine, but luckily for them, their horse throws a shoe and the entourage pauses, giving the waiting Jean and Jules the chance to attack the soldiers and affect Susan and Barbara's escape. It's a damn good job Jean and Jules decide to do this too, because if things were left to Susan, our heroines would be headless by now. Barbara is keen to try and escape, but Susan isn't feeling very well. Now what a surprise! "You must make an effort!" reprimands Babs. "Pull yourself together!" Sadly, Susan's feebleness scuppers Barbara's bravado in the end, and she gives up. So, thanks to Jules and Jean, the girls get away all the same.

The shoot-out is actually quite well done, directed with as much pace as the set and number of performers will allow John Gorrie to muster. It's probably the most action Doctor Who has seen for months! Oh, and the totally unnecessary but nonetheless wonderful appearance of two cackling strumpets in the square (I'm assuming uncredited extras Helene Curtis and Jill Howard) made my day!

William Hartnell's scene with shopkeeper John Barrard is sadly not as good as it could've been. There's no one thing that lets it down - great set, two great actors (Barrard in particular injecting his all), serviceable dialogue - but something doesn't quite gel, and what could've been a classic playful Hartnell moment turns out to be rather flat and run-of-the-mill. The Doctor trades his brand new coat (remember, he's only started wearing this one since he left the Sense-Sphere) for a more fitting Parisian one, but the shopkeeper demands more - the Doctor's signet ring! As of yet, this ring hasn't demonstrated any special properties beyond its decorousness, but in Seasons 2 and 3 it will be seen to harbour special abilities, so no wonder the Doctor looks reluctant to part with it at first.

Nevertheless, the Doctor's thirst for the grandest, most officious and extravagant costume in the shop outweighs his need for a ring, and he duly barters it. As an aside, it's interesting to note that, in the Virgin New Adventures, the Seventh Doctor gave this ring to Joan Redfern as a gift in the original novel version of Paul Cornell's Human Nature.

It's good to have the plot moving forward properly, with Ian escaping but the viewer discovering that Lemaitre seems to have orchestrated this in order to follow him and find out what the late Webster said to him. This revelation is tricky to swallow as it was only the jailer's ineptitude which allowed Ian to obtain the key, rather than anything in Lemaitre's powers. It does all fit together in the end though, when the Doctor visits the prison (looking utterly ridiculous, it has to be said) and the jailer amusingly tries to avoid the blame for Ian's escape by saying "he was a desperate fanatic" who "fought with the strength of ten men". We know the truth, however - that he got drunk and was seemingly cracked over the head by Lemaitre, not Ian.

Hartnell's great in his scene with Jack Cunningham, always speaking volumes with his eyes but only what's required with his words. I love the way the Doctor strides confidently into the prison, bravado replacing authority. As the Seventh Doctor said in Silver Nemesis: "Act as if you own the place. Always works!"

Susan and Barbara have fallen on their feet by being taken in by Jules (I'm already assuming his surname is Renan, the same Jules Ian is looking for), his sister Danielle and his "young friend" Jean. Jules is great to have on their side - he says he will search for the Doctor and will not rest until all four of them have been brought together again. I like Jules. He can stay.

A sentiment that Barbara may well have for Jules' friend Leon Colbert, who takes an instant and very obvious liking to her when he pops in for a visit with a flourish. Once again, Barbara has attracted the attentions of an amour, and while she doesn't appear to be too resistant to this handsome fellow's charms, she ought to be wary all the same. On past experience, it never ends well (see also: Ganatus, Vasor and the Conciergerie jailer!).

First broadcast: August 22nd, 1964

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Roderick Laing's design is wonderful, as are Daphne Dare's costumes.
The Bad: Bloody Susan "feeling ill". Again. What a liability.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

NEXT TIME: The Tyrant of France...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: A Land of Fear (episode 1); Guests of Madame Guillotine (episode 2); The Tyrant of France (episode 4); A Bargain of Necessity (episode 5); Prisoners of Conciergerie (episode 6)

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-reign-of-terror.html

The Reign of Terror is available on DVD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Reign-Terror-DVD/dp/B00AHHVQWW