The Myth Makers

After assuming the position of story editor in April 1965, Donald Tosh wanted Doctor Who to expand creatively, such as experimenting with horror and humour elements within historical stories.[3] Tosh was soon joined by new producer John Wiles, and they immediately developed a positive working relationship, wanting the show to move away from "childish" science fantasy and towards more historical stories and adult science-fiction, the latter inspired by authors Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov.[4] As the first three stories of his tenure—The Time Meddler, Galaxy 4, and "Mission to the Unknown"—had been commissioned by his predecessor Dennis Spooner, The Myth Makers was the first serial for which Tosh assumed full control. He contacted Donald Cotton—whom he had known since the latter was a student at Guildhall School of Music and Drama—and invited him to submit a story idea for Doctor Who.[3] Cotton was initially hesitant as it was an unusual field for him, but agreed if he could select the subject matter (the Trojan Horse) and some of the crew (which included his colleagues from BBC Third Programme), requests with which Tosh and Wiles were satisfied. Cotton had written several pieces about Greek mythology for Third Programme, prompting the similar subject matter for Doctor Who. Tosh remained wary of Cotton's ability, as he knew of the writer's inexperience with television drama; prior to a script commission, Tosh requested a storyline in late April 1965.[5]

Cotton used several resources to research historical facts, including The Cambridge Ancient History, A History of Greece to 322 B.C. by N. G. L. Hammond, The Origins of Greek Civilization by Chester Starr, and A Companion to Greek Studies by Leonard Whibley; he noted several inconsistencies between the texts and that several of the Greek names in them (and in Homer's Iliad) were corrupted variations of their true Greek form.[6] Cotton wrote that the Trojan Horse was "almost certainly completely myth" but found it compelling to include within the script with the Doctor's involvement.[7] Tosh officially commissioned the first two episodes of the serial—then titled Doctor Who and the Mythmakers—on 13 May, with a target delivery date of 4 June;[8] the last two episodes were commissioned on 11 June, with the serial now titled The Myth-Makers.[9] Tosh described the story as "high comedy"—a term used later in publicity material—and was excited for its humour and sophistication.[4] Documentation in mid-July listed the serial as Dr Who & the Trojans.[9] The episode titles changed over time, especially as the BBC vetoed Cotton's use of puns in the titles:[9] the first episode was originally "Deus ex Machina",[7] and the fourth was once called "Is There a Doctor in the Horse?" before Wiles apparently demanded it be changed.[9][10] Cotton recalled that the third episode's title, "Death of a Spy", was forced on him after the script had been written, requiring him to introduce the character Cyclops.[lower-alpha 2]

Derek Martinus—who had directed the two previous serials, Galaxy 4 and "Mission to the Unknown"—was discussed as a possible director of The Myth Makers in June 1965,[4] though the role was ultimately assigned to BBC staff director Michael Leeston-Smith.[11] It was his only work for the show, though Wiles later wrote to him in hopes that they would collaborate again.[12] Upon visiting the British Museum to research Trojan architecture, designer John Wood found their building style simplistic, generally carved from large stone pieces. Costume supervisor Daphne Dare was deputised by Tony Pearce for the first episode, while Elizabeth Blattner replaced regular make-up designer Sonia Markham for the first two episodes.[11] Cotton brought composer Humphrey Searle from Third Programme to write music for the serial;[5] he conducted a group of eight musicians from the Sinfonia of London—who had previously produced music for Cotton's Greek trilogy on Third Programme—to provide about 14 minutes of music cues, significantly consisting of guitar and horns.[11]

The Myth Makers marked the final appearance of Maureen O'Brien as Vicki.

On 21 May 1965, Maureen O'Brien and Peter Purves were contracted in their roles until the end of The Myth Makers.[4] During the production break after the filming of Galaxy 4 and "Mission to the Unknown", Wiles had decided to renew Purves's contract for a further 20 episodes,[11][13] while not renewing O'Brien's, having witnessed arguments regarding her dialogue in rehearsals for Galaxy 4.[11] O'Brien and Purves were informed of Wiles's decision on 3 September. O'Brien was shocked, as she had returned from holiday expecting to maintain her regular role; however, she was ultimately glad to move on, as she had disliked the role and the scripts.[13] Vicki's departure required rewriting, as well as an introduction of a new character to replace Vicki, who had already been written into the script for the next serial, The Daleks' Master Plan.[11] On 9 September, Adrienne Hill was contracted to play Katarina in five episodes, beginning with the final part of The Myth Makers; she was cast by the production team of The Daleks' Master Plan.[13] By the time Hill recorded The Myth Makers, the decision had already been taken not to continue with the character and she had pre-filmed Katarina's death for The Daleks' Master Plan.[14]

Cotton brought actor Max Adrian to play King Priam.[5] Playing Odysseus and Menelaus, respectively, Ivor Salter and Jack Melford had worked with Leeston-Smith on Thorndyke in 1964. Veteran actor Francis de Wolff was cast as Agamemnon, having previously portrayed Vasor in the Doctor Who serial The Keys of Marinus (1964). Adrian and de Wolff became irritated by Hartnell's difficulties remembering lines, while Hartnell was jealous and fearful of being upstaged by the actors, a concern with which he approached Wiles.[15] Frances White was cast as Cassandra, but later asked Wiles to omit her name from the cast listings in Radio Times.[15] Barrie Ingham, who portrayed Paris, had portrayed Alydon in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks some months earlier.[16]

Early model filming for The Myth Makers took place at Frensham Ponds, close to Leeston-Smith's home. 35 mm filming took place on 27 August 1965, depicting the serial's two major fight sequences; during filming, Haywood and Kendall were grazed, and some of the latter's scenes were refilmed on 30 August. The following day, Lynn cut his hand during production, which required additional refilming.[16] For filming on 2 September, a model of Troy was filmed on location using the Schüfftan process, with a one-way mirror giving the impression of actors moving within the set;[17] Wood's team built the model in a little more than a week to make it appear "hurried".[13] Additional model shots were filmed at Ham Polo Club around 3 September. Weekly rehearsals for The Myth Makers began on 13 September at the North Kensington Community Centre.[13] By this time, Wiles had fully taken over from his predecessor, the show's original producer Verity Lambert, which, alongside O'Brien's departure, greatly upset Hartnell.[18] Further upset came from the death of Hartnell's aunt Bessie, the only person from his childhood to whom he was close; the production schedule prevented him from attending her funeral.[15] Weekly recording began on 17 September at Riverside Studio 1.[15] During camera rehearsals for the first episode, Hartnell was struck by a camera, leaving his left shoulder bruised.[10][15] The final episode was recorded on 8 October.[12] Recording for the four episodes cost a total of £10,214[lower-alpha 3] (equivalent to £210,394 in 2021).[19]

^† Episode is missing

The Myth Makers was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 16 October to 6 November 1965.[2] Continuing the trend from "Mission to the Unknown", viewership dropped significantly from Galaxy 4, but it was comparable to Planet of Giants (1964), which had aired around the same time the previous year.[20] The serial received an average of 8.35 million viewers across its four weeks.[2] The Appreciation Index for the serial was considered low, dropping below 50 for the first and third episodes.[2][20] The serial was sold extensively overseas in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including to Australia, Barbados, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, Singapore, and Zambia; it was no longer available for purchase from BBC Enterprises by 1974, and Australia returned its film prints in June 1975. The original 405-line tapes for the second, third, and fourth episodes were wiped on 17 August 1967, and the first was wiped on 31 January 1969. A complete audio recording of the serial survives, as well as some brief extracts recorded on 8 mm film from the Australian transmission.[2]

At the BBC Programme Review Board after the serial's broadcast, the general consensus (led by BBC1 controller Michael Peacock) was that it was "too brutal", and head of light entertainment Tom Sloan felt the finale was "far above the heads of child audiences";[21] in response, Sydney Newman, Doctor Who co-creator and BBC head of drama, said that concerns about the programme's violence had been addressed.[21] An Audience Research Report received mixed responses, with confusion that the storyline from "Mission to the Unknown" had not immediately continued; the performances and production were considered mediocre, though some viewers welcomed the added humour and the historical setting.[22]

In Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time (1982), Trevor Wayne described the characterisation as "generally weak and superficial", noting that Salter's performance as Odysseus was the strongest.[23] Conversely, in Flight Through Eternity (1986), Mark Wyman praised most of the performances, particularly Ingham as Paris; he also applauded Searle's score for its innovation and sophistication.[24] In The Discontinuity Guide (1995), Paul Cornell, Martin Day, and Keith Topping wrote that, despite effective performances, "the whole thing feels uneasy".[25] In The Television Companion (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker praised Wood's sets and Vicki's "poignant and well written departure scene".[26] In A Critical History of Doctor Who (1999), John Kenneth Muir noted that the serial "appears to have featured some of the same style and wit" as The Romans (1965).[27] Mark Braxton of Radio Times (2009) similarly compared it favourably to The Romans, praising Vicki's departure and the performances of White, Ingham, Lemkow, and Salter.[28] Paul Mount of Starburst (2021) lauded Cotton's "sophisticated" script and the performances of Adrian, de Wolff, and Ingham, through described the serial as "a product of its era, a stagey, talky, clumpy cod-Shakespearean drama".[29]