Richard the Lionheart in “The Crusade”

I would have taken little notice of Richard’s statue, had my interest in him not previously been awakened by the Doctor Who story “The Crusade.”  In this four-part serial featuring the first Doctor, played by William Hartnell, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki leave the Tardis to find a group of Saracens attacking Richard and his hunting party.  The heroes prevent a knight of Richard’s from dying, but amid the fight, the Saracens, led by El Akir, kidnap Barbara and carry her to Saladin, the head of the Muslim forces.

At Richard’s compound in Jaffa, Ian longs to ransom Barbara.  At first Richard refuses to allow this, lost in his mourning for those who died in the attack.  But a suggestion of the Doctor’s gives him an idea.  He is weary of the fighting, and wishes for a peaceful resolution that will allow him to end his crusade with dignity.  He sends Ian off with soldiers and a secret offer for peace through the marriage of his sister Joanna to Saladin’s brother, Saphadin.


The Doctor sides with Richard against knights who insist that they must reclaim Jerusalem from the Muslims.  These knights tell Joanna of her brother’s secret scheme to marry her off, but point to the Doctor as the informant.  When Richard cools down, he realizes that the Doctor, as a man of peace, would not have betrayed his confidence.  He would like to punish the knights for this outrage, but he cannot.  As Joanna has refused to marry Saphadin, Richard needs their good will, as he must now press on toward Jerusalem. 


Meanwhile, Barbara has made El Akir look foolish before Saladin.  To salve his dignity, El Akir has abducted her from Saladin’s camp, intent upon torturing her.  While Ian races after her, the Doctor and Vicki, warned by Richard of his knights’ plotting against them, flee his fortress, hoping to make it back to the Tardis with their lives.


As in the preceding story, historians have portrayed Richard as a complex man.  They stress that he was a man of god and a fearless warrior; they praise him as a great castle architect and a military leader.  He even forgave the man who shot him, once he realized the arrow-wound was terminal.  Yet in his forty-one years, Richard only lived in England for six months, and spoke no English.  He banned all women and Jews from his coronation at Westminster Abbey.  He flogged the Jewish leaders who insisted upon offering him presents, which prompted a massacre of the Jews living in London.  Richard disliked the city, declaring that it was “cold and always raining,” and decided to leave on a crusade.  In order to raise his army, he raided the country’s coffers, issued a hefty tax, and sold off official positions, rights and land.  He famously declared, “I would have sold London if I could have found a buyer.” 


At first, I was mystified to find Richard so memorialized (above all others) in front of the seat of English government.  But then I remembered King David, who had many similar faults.  Like the Biblical writers, the Victorians who erected this statue chose to memorialize Richard for qualities traditionally attributed to the human heart: in this case, his courage and generosity.  So perhaps I should follow their example and remember this English king and crusader for these key, praise-worthy qualities.


Perhaps, at the end of the day, that’s the best way to remember anyone.

Sadly, many of the early episodes of Doctor Who no longer exist.  Episodes One and Three of this four-part serial have been recovered, and are available, along with other orphaned episodes, on “William Hartnell: Lost in Time.”  This DVD also includes the audio track from episodes two and four. 


If, after enjoying what remains of “The Crusade,” you find yourself hungry for more, you may wish to check out the telesnap reconstruction of this story, in which the audio track from Episodes Two and Four has been married with existing still photographs from the production.  Also included are interviews with Julian Glover, the actor who portrayed Richard.  In these he shares his memories of working on “The Crusade,” and reminisces about playing refers to his roles in two of George Lucas’ famous franchises: as General Veers in “The Empire Strikes Back,” and as Walter Donovan in the ironically-named “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”  You can find this worthy effort at www.recons.com.