The Aztecs (Doctor Who)

Writer John Lucarotti was commissioned to write The Aztecs by script editor David Whitaker on 25 February 1964,[4] while another of his stories—the show's fourth serial, Marco Polo—was in production. Having lived in Mexico, Lucarotti was fascinated by the Aztec civilisation.[5] He described them as "a highly civilised and cultured race", and was particularly fascinated by their obsession with human sacrifice.[4] Lucarotti wrote the scripts aboard his boat in Majorca,[4] delivering the completed scripts on 18 March 1964.[6] John Crockett was assigned to direct the serial due to his knowledge of history, having previously worked on the fourth episode of Marco Polo.[7] Designer Barry Newbery found the serial difficult for research, due to the limited information on the Aztecs at the time. Researching using books provided by the BBC, he designed the tomb door based on the "comic book" style of Aztec design. He had also watched a documentary about Aztec archaeology on ITV, and was concerned that a larger studio would be required for production.[8] Costume designer Daphne Dare used artistic license with her costumes in the serial, since male Aztecs usually only wore brief loincloths and cloaks, while women were often topless.[9]

Keith Pyott was chosen for the role of Autloc, the High Priest of the Aztecs, while Ian Cullen and Margot Van der Burgh played Ixta and Cameca, respectively.[9] Cullen recalled that William Hartnell "wasn't the friendliest person, but he was trying to remember all those lines".[10] John Ringham, an old colleague of Crockett, was chosen to play Tlotoxl; for the character, Crockett told Ringham to "make all the children in the country hate you".[9] Crockett's secretary June McMullen suggested Walter Randall for the role of Tonila, having met him at a party. Producer Verity Lambert required Randall to shave his face for the role.[9] Martial arts expert David Anderson, who had previously appeared in Marco Polo, was cast as the Captain of the Guard. Anderson also arranged the fight between Ian and Ixta for the second episode, and acted as William Russell's stunt double in the final episode.[11] Lucarotti used Aztec-sounding names for the characters; for example, the character Ixta was derived from the Aztec city Ixtapalapa.[7]

Carole Ann Ford took a two-week holiday during filming; she appeared in pre-filmed inserts for the second and third episodes.[12] These were filmed on 13 April 1964, during production of the previous serial. Silent model and background shots were filmed at Ealing Studios on 14 April.[13] Rehearsals for the first episode ran from 27 to 30 April, and recording took place on 1 May in Lime Grove Studio D.[10] The second and third episodes were recorded on 8 and 15 May, respectively, at the BBC Television Centre.[14] Upon discovering that some of the scenery had been broken up since the recording of the first episode, Crockett quickly rearranged parts from other sets, as well as some plants, to build the set.[15] The final episode was filmed on 22 May in Lime Grove Studio D.[14]

The first episode was broadcast on BBC1 on 23 May 1964, and was watched by 7.4 million viewers, maintaining audience figures from the final two episodes of The Keys of Marinus.[16] The second and fourth episodes maintained these figures, while the third episode saw a rise to 7.9 million viewers;[17] the third episode became the first episode of the show to place in the top 20 of the BBC's audience measurement charts.[16][lower-alpha 1] The serial's Appreciation Index dropped slightly across the four episodes: the first two episodes received 62, while the third and fourth received 57 and 58, respectively.[17]

The Aztecs received positive reviews. After the broadcast of the first episode, Television Today's Bill Edmunds praised the villainous nature of the characters Tlotoxl and Ixta, but felt that Barbara should have "a chance to look beautiful instead of worried". Edmunds also praised Newbery's design work, noting distinct accuracy in the sets.[16] Following the second episode, Bob Leeson of the Daily Worker felt that the serial had "charm", applauding the "painstaking attempts for historical accuracy" and noting a "much tighter plot" than previous serials.[1] The third episode was the subject of a BBC Audience Research Report in July 1964, in which a panel of 225 viewers deemed a "falling-off of interest" in the show; many viewers preferred the show's "earlier space-time encounters".[18]

Retrospective reviews of the serial were also positive. In 1986, Tim Munro of Star Begotten considered the serial "one of the shining jewels of the Hartnell era" and of the entire classic series to date,[19] praising Lucarotti's writing and characters, especially of the Doctor, considering the story one of his best.[20] In The Discontinuity Guide (1995), Paul Cornell, Martin Day, and Keith Topping described the serial as a "lyrical piece of BBC costume drama and a gem to cherish".[21] In The Television Companion (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker felt that, while it lacks the epic nature of Marco Polo, The Aztecs is a "fascinating and compelling depiction of the Aztec civilisation", praising Lucarotti's characterisation.[22] In A Critical History of Doctor Who (1999), John Kenneth Muir called The Aztecs "perhaps the best-written of Doctor Who's first-year serials", and Lucarotti's script as "among the best written and best executed stories" of the classic series; he praised the characterisation, tension, and philosophical nature of the script, as well as the central role of Barbara and the performances of Hill, Russell, and Ringham.[3]

In 2008, Radio Times reviewer Mark Braxton called The Aztecs one of the best Doctor Who adventures, highlighting Barbara's dilemma about changing history, the art direction, and the "sense of impending tragedy"; he noted minor issues, such as the backdrops and unconvincing fight scenes.[23] In 2011, Christopher Bahn of The A.V. Club described The Aztecs as "a classical tragedy infused with just enough hope toward the end to keep it from being unbearably bleak" and discussed the inability of changing history and the Doctor's only romantic entanglement in the classic series, which he called "sweet and funny".[24] In 2013, Ian Berriman of SFX described the serial as "Jacqueline Hill's finest hour", but felt that "the show is stolen by John Ringham as Tlotoxl". Though mostly positive, Berriman felt that some of the education content was forced and "it's a shame that much of the dialogue is so fustily formal".[2] Ian Jane of DVDTalk praised Hill's portrayal of Barbara, though questioned the character's motivations.[25] Digital Spy's Morgan Jeffrey named it the tenth best Doctor Who story, praising the script, performances and emotional impact of the serial. Jeffrey summarised the serial as "quite simply 100 minutes of sensational drama – it's William Hartnell's finest hour on Doctor Who and one of the show's very best offerings".[26]

The Aztecs

Author	John Lucarotti
Cover artist	Nick Spender
Series	Doctor Who book: Target novelisations
Release number	88
Publisher	Target Books
Publication date	21 June 1984
ISBN	0-426-19588-4

A novelisation of this serial, written by John Lucarotti, was published by Target Books on 21 June 1984, with artwork by Nick Spender; for the paperback reissue by Virgin Books in September 1992, the cover was designed by Andrew Skilleter. An audiobook reading of the novelisation, narrated by William Russell, was published by AudioGO in August 2012.[27]

The serial was released on VHS on 2 November 1992, reusing the art by Skilleter, and on DVD in October 2002.[27] A special edition DVD was released in March 2013,[27] featuring additional special features, including audio commentary, interviews with the original cast and the surviving third episode of Galaxy 4 ("Airlock") complete with an abridged 40-minute reconstruction of the other three missing episodes.[28] The serial was also included as part of The Doctors Revisited 1–4, alongside a documentary on the First Doctor.[25] An action figure of Tlotoxl was released by Harlequin Miniatures in 1999.[27]