The TARDIS crew arrive in Palestine at the time of the Crusades and find themselves caught between the courts of King Richard and Saladin.
Episodes 1 and 3 are available on BBC iPlayer:
Reconstructions of the second and fourth episodes are available on the Bluray edition:
The entire serial’s soundtrack is also available on CD or on some streaming sites:
Give your rating out of 10 below:
The little introduction and recaps of the missing episodes that William Russell did in character as Sir Ian Chesterton, Knight of Jaffa are just so great. I can’t watch this story without watching those clips 
This is one I definitely haven’t watched yet, partially because ones with missing episodes tend to be the ones I saved for last.
(In fact, my copy seems to be missing some but not all of the William Russel bits in the video above, so I downloaded it, and I think I have some video splicing to do…)
I liked this a lot and I think that if it was not missing it would be ranked a lot higher on people’s lists.
The Crusade is one of those stories that seems to get overlooked, yet is a wonderful slice of classic Sixties DW. A pure historical written by the magnificent David Whitaker and including in its cast the likes of Julian Glover, Jean Marsh and Bernard Kay. It’s a story full of politics on both sides, with neither Christians nor Saracens portrayed as good or evil and both sides featuring characters on either side of the moral divide. Glover’s Richard I is portrayed in extremely dubious shades, whilst Saladin is portrayed as honest, intelligent and honourable (though still ruthless). The true villain of the piece, El Akir, is thoroughly despicable and so evidently feared as well as despised.
It’s a superb serial and one that I always enjoy greatly!
It’s a real gem. Some of the dialogue is Shakespearean and the drama is beautifully delivered. The story is very grown up in nature and makes few concessions to the younger audience. If the two missing episodes ever turn up, I’m sure it would easily rank as high as The Aztecs and vie for the top historical title. I love it.
As I’ve said before, The Crusade is a big favourite of mine. It is not entirely flawless, but it’s a fascinating historical adventure that works surprisingly well despite its two missing episodes. Here are a few highlights from my upcoming review:
Overall, this is a weak 9 for me, strong enough to be a favourite but not quite perfect due to some plotting and pacing issues in the middle episodes.
This, to me, is the greatest story of the Hartnell era. The Doctor and Vicki’s dynamic is at its cutest, while Ian and Barbara are having a dreadful time, with Barbara in particular shining in her efforts to escape. I also love the scene where El Akir is egging on Saladin to give Barbara some terrible fate, amd Barbara is able to keep brave and turn the tables on him.
I love a true historical, and here the historical characters get to shine. There is a huge elephant in the room that might make it a more difficult watch for some people, but while I don’t think it makes the casting okay, I believe it was with no malicious intent. Especially as David Whitaker - one of Doctor Who’s finest writers - provides a balanced look rather than just making England look good. Saladin, while sinister and calculating, is also calm and reasonable, while King Richard spends a chunk of the story sulking and throwing tantrums.
Both of their actors are brilliant, and Jean Marsh is a great guest star too. I wish a little more could’ve been done with her and Richard, but they went as far as 1960s sensibilities would allow.
As sad as the incomplete status of 60s Who is, I feel we’re incredibly happy to have the episodes of The Crusade that we do, and the restoration work done for the blu-ray is like magic, especially the first episode given how damaged it was. I hope we one day get to see the rest of the story as it was originally made, or just one more part, but I’ll always feel happy with what we’ve got, and be glad that these are the only two missing episodes of one of Doctor Who’s best ever seasons.
I prefer to watch the recons to get the full story, but I always play the introduction segment first, and it pierces right through my heart every single time. I suspect that now that William Russell has gone, next time I watch it it’s going to absolutely ruin me.
I gave this one 3.5/5 (7/10). While that means I enjoyed it, I can’t for the life of me remember much about this story.
Maybe that is my review. Fun while watching, but ultimately forgettable.
Very true. Sadly, though this is of its time and is an issue for other stories, it’s such a shame because it’s simply not necessary. All I will say is that the characters are written intelligently and come across (with the singular exception of dastardly El Akir) as no more wicked nor more virtuous regardless of ethnicity. Casting and blackface aside, it’s a remarkably balanced script from Whitaker and wouldn’t take much to adapt for a modern audience (removing or adapting the comical stereotype of Ben Daheer would also be necessary). All the more remarkable considering that the script dates back to 1965.
I have read everyone’s enthusiasm for this story and find I cannot disagree with many of the excellent bits highlighted, especially the Richard/Joanna argument and Barbara’s horrific dilemma.
But…
It just doesn’t work for me. This, like Marco Polo, is a story I want to like but after quite a few rewatches, I still don’t get much enjoyment from. My review goes into more detail and acknowledges nearly everything positive people have said but hopefully goes a small way to explain my frustrations with the story.
I do also mention the blackface - which for some reason old me seems to think is actually only Bernard Kay’s Saladin. It’s obviously the other Arabic characters too but I do think it’s most obvious on him.
It is easy for us to sit here and judge the past and say they should have known better - and yes indeed they should, but the cultural landscape was how it was and those generations coming after us will look back on our cultural landscape and judge it just as harshly as we judge the 60s. (I’m probably bumbling around here - Toby Hadoke puts this much better).
I’m reading the novelization of this right now - firstly, Whitaker is a superb writer, you can tell that as the first ever story editor he really knew these characters and he has their voices down pat. It’s also just my favorite type of historical - OG TARDIS Team getting into Situations in the Past? Getting along with historical characters? Fightin’ round the world! Tremendous.
I read your review and gave it a like. Even if we disagree on the rating, you perfectly pointed out the biggest strengths and weaknesses this story has, and I found your review considered and well-argued. It goes to show how we value different things in these stories and how different fans can acknowledge the same strengths and weaknesses in a Doctor Who story yet still rate them differently.
Thanks - I always feel a bit bad being down on what I can see, objectively, are ‘good’ stories.
Good point, and thanks for highlighting it. It was a dreadful practice that persisted within the industry until well into the eighties. While it was widespread, it wasn’t universal, so I think it is important to call it out, even if it was fairly standard practice at the time.
I think it’s admirable that you’ve given it several rewatches. I don’t think I’m as persistent with something I don’t enjoy. It sounds like you’ve been very fair with it, and you really need to watch a nice three parter from season 24 that was filmed on location in Wales as a reward!
I am the eternal optimist when it comes to stories I don’t like. At the end of the day, they are still Doctor Who and I always enjoy watching stories I don’t think I like that much because I always find something to enjoy, however small. More often than not, though, I can come away from a story I didn’t think I liked much, having found I actually enjoyed it a lot. A lot of fandom seems to forget that how we are feeling, where we are in life, etc, can really affect how we react to a story.
For example, I remember being pretty nonplussed by The Next Doctor when it was first broadcast. It was okay but nothing that particularly floated my boat. I rewatched it a few years later, by which time I’d had a child and the whole bit with Jackson Lake’s son at the climax suddenly hit very differently.
With Deep Breath, I did not like it on first watch at all. I adored Matt Smith and I really struggled with Capaldi (indeed for most of that first series) and the tone of the story was just too melancholic and, I felt, empty.
Again, I rewatched it a few years later and couldn’t work out what I had disliked - it was tense, exciting and brilliant. But this time I wasn’t watching it with the shock of adjusting to a new Doctor so that barrier had been removed.
I will return to The Crusade one day and I know I’ll find stuff to enjoy and it may even get a bump in my ratings. But today is not that day 
It’s true. We respond very differently to stories depending on mood and our current situation. I think we also have a tendency to view current stories in a different way to those of a former era. Sometimes it helps for there to be a little distance to be able to view a story on its merits, rather than as a piece of what the show is about to become and therefore how that might impact ratings and the response of other fans etc. It pays to revisit things, and it often pays to go back to stories that you previously disliked.
I would give you my opinion but I seem to have selective amnesia specifically surrounding this story.
I have watched it, but you couldn’t pay me to tell you what happens.
