ORIGINAL BROADCAST: 27/03/1965
Forty-five years ago today, the first Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki were fighting for their lives when the TARDIS materialised in twelfth century Israel, in the middle of a Saracen ambush. This story starred William Hartnell as the Doctor, and featured Julian Glover as the historical character King Richard I.
Copies of all four episodes were believed to have been lost, when BBC Enterprises scrapped many classic episodes in the 1970s to create more space. The BBC Film Library retained a copy of ‘The Wheel of Fortune’ that it had accidentally acquired, but a copy of ‘The Lion’ had been removed from the library by 1972.
In 1999, a film copy of ‘The Lion’ was discovered by Neil Lambess and Paul Scoones, in amongst a collection of junked episodes in New Zealand, after the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation had purchased the story in the 1960s, but had not transmitted it. The other two missing episodes from this story are the only episodes missing from the second season of Doctor Who.
This story has been noted for its non-stereotypical treatment of the two opposing leaders. Saladin is portrayed as calculating but compassionate, while King Richard I is portrayed as volatile and childish. This story was not sold to middle-eastern countries due to the crusades being a sensitive matter of the time.
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