Time & Riverside II: Doctor Who: The Crusade Review Plus Q&A

Riverside Studios in West London between 1964 and 1968 was an integral part of the production of  Doctor Who. Episodes including the 1st Doctor regeneration spanned from the William Hartnell era story Dalek Invasion of Earth to the Patrick Troughton story The Wheel in Space. As a part of the 60th anniversary year for Doctor Who Riverside Studios are screening, in collaboration with the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, Riverside-filmed episodes every other month.

Recently they presented in association with the DWAS a screening from the classic second season of the two existing episodes of The Crusade’, in which the TARDIS materialises in 12th century Palestine at the time of the Third Crusade. At the screening were actor Julian Glover and fellow actresses in the serial Cleo Sylvestre MBE and Maureen Lane. 

Reviewing The Crusade episodes 

As a young fan in the early 1980’s I was aware reading Doctor Who Magazine that black and white episodes were missing from the archives for the Hartnell and Pat Troughton tenures. For me though with little opportunity to view episodes (before the VHS releases), they were then just story titles in a magazine. I concentrated on looking forward to a new Doctor called Peter Davison. Episode 1 of The Crusade “The Lion” was thankfully discovered in the ownership of film collector Bruce Grenville in New Zealand in January 1999 and Episode 3 “The Wheel of Fortune” was retained by the BBC Film and Videotape library.

The story of the recovery of episode one is highlighted on a fantastic Doctor Who The Missing Episodes podcast on Spotify and Youtube https://youtu.be/Nh7fe3vpI5E hosted by two enthusiasts Tim and Paul. Both existing episodes star William Hartnell as the First Doctor and co-star Julian Glover as Richard the Lionheart.

The Crusade feels to me sometimes overlooked because it is quite a character-led story but written by one of my favourite 1960s writers David Whittaker he is definitely in charge of this gem. Episode 1 does have damage with scratches to the film but seeing the story on the big screen with an audience was a treat. Whittaker uses a deft hand with elegant dialogue to explore the moral ambiguities in trying to create peace terms between two opposing religious sides. But mixed in the serious business of war there’s also humour from Hartnell and Maureen O Brien as Vicki.

Ian gets to play sword fighting hero rescuing Barbara which pleases any fans who want action. I can’t get over how beautiful Jaqueline Hill looks on film. The camera quietly loves her as she gives Barbara some lovely dramatic moments of being in captivity and then escaping. As an adult I can also fully appreciate the beguiling performances from Jean Marsh and Julian Glover as bickering siblings Joanna and Richard. It breaks my heart a bit that episode 2: “The Knight of Jaffa” and episode 4: “The Warlords” are missing.  

Actresses Cleo Sylvestre MBE and Maureen Lane interview

Cleo Sylvestre played a concubine in the palace of Saladin in The Crusade ( a role which was uncredited) Cleo has had has an extensive career in film, stage and television for over 60 years and had memories of the Riverside Studios. I thought it was quite poignant that Cleo apologised to the audience at one point because she had had a stroke and sometimes forgot certain words and also thanked Maureen Lane for helping her.

Cleo remembered how the studios had big cables snaking everywhere and explained the layout “in the old days” was very different. Her particular memories of the production were being in awe of another actor called Tutte Lemkow who played Ibrahim during her episode and also the panic in the make-up room as they were unused to making up black skin. Another actor she was in awe of was Laurence Oliver who she met whilst at the National Theatre but couldn’t talk to him at all. 

Asked about her ambition Cleo explained she had wanted to be an actor from a child doing plays from under a kitchen table. Having trained she was a regular in soap Crossroads from 1970-1972. Russell T Davies has written an ITV drama called Nolly which was shown recently and Cleo confirmed that Noele Gordon was a fantastic actress well able to cope with live television. Cleo was also in the film Till Death Us Do Part (1965) but recounted a story about the apartheid set in South Africa, her scenes were by the censor so she doesn’t appear in the South African version of the film.

Cleo also had a short-lived success in music. One of the most interesting stories she recalled being telephoned by Mick Jagger and being asked to release a single with the Rolling Stones. So in 1964, she recorded a single with the band,  To Know Him Is to Love Him and they were her backing band. It did well but there was a falling out between her and the music company. She disagreed with their request, as part of her image, to be rude to production staff whilst on a tv music show called Ready, Steady Go and from that she wasn’t asked back again to record with the band again.

Cleo Sylvestre was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2023 King’s New Year’s Honours List for services to Drama and to Charity. She will be collecting her honour on the 13th June.

Maureen Lane has played several uncredited roles in Doctor Who, a Lady in Waiting in King Richard’s court in The Crusade, a Brassy Bar girl in The Gunfighters, and a prisoner in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. She is probably best known for being the Majorettes Leader in The Macra Terror.

Maureen started as a dancer but worked extensively touring in Italy also acting in BBC dramas such as Z Cars, filmed at Riverside Studios, but was also in a lot of comedies including the Les Dawson Show, Are You Being Served. Both Maureen and Cleo were in Till Death us do Part and as Maureen explained she and Cleo have known each other for many years growing up in the same council estate in Euston.

What was really interesting was hearing about the “blacking up” of certain actors and comedians in the 1960’s and 1970’s which is something that wouldn’t be tolerated nowadays.

Maureen has also been in many films including a comedy called The Statue ( 1971) with David Niven and Robert Vaughan and very small parts in the Bond films Octopussy and A View to a Kill. She seemed very proud to also be a stand-in for actress Shirley MacLaine who she bore a remarkable resemblance when younger.

Maureen later became an agent for actors and represented quite a few who went into soaps. Roy Barraclough and Beverley Callard were her clients who went into Coronation Street. Also, Sue Jenkins starred in Brookside as Jackie Corkhill.

Her recollection of  The Crusade was limited so Maureen expanded on her memories of some of the other stories Her appearance in The Dalek Invasion of Earth meant she recalled she was able to have some fun as she explained how she climbed inside one of the Dalek casings and was able to peddle around. Talking of The Macra Terror she explained how she was cast which was due to her skills with a baton and being in a group called the Majorettes set up by a theatre agent.

The group also appeared on Top of the Pops performing with the Dave Clark Five. Maureen recalled being at the BFI screening of The Macra Terror animation a few years ago and remembered thinking how her animation looked nothing like her!

Actor Julian Glover Interview

It’s a real joy to be at an interview with Julian Glover again when you consider that he has played two really memorable characters for Doctor Who, Of course, he has played Richard the Lionheart in The Crusade, but also the role of Scaroth in the City of Death. One of my abiding memories as a child is seeing the shock reveal at the end of Part 1where Count Scarlioni removes his face, revealing his true appearance. It is such a classic Who cliffhanger moment. Julian Glover revealed how he got on so well with Tom Baker, loved the script and the direction but was absolutely gutted to not actually get to Paris for location filming.

Regarding The Crusade Julian Glover revealed during an interview in 2021 at the British Film Institute how William Hartnell and he didn’t get on. Julian said he and Jean Marsh were targeted as Hartnell considered them “lardies” or posh people. He considered Hartnell seemed to have a “grudge” against certain types of people or a feeling that he deserved better. Julian did get on well with the rest of the cast. He very much liked working with director Douglas Camfield who directed him later in a film version of Ivanhoe as King Richard again.

Douglas felt respected actors and managed to make them give good performances even if the material wasn’t good. The actors loved him for that and Julian called him a gentleman and a lovely person.

Much like Cleo Sylvestre he had memories of the Riverside Studios and filming in the studios there. The auditorium where this event was taking place was all studio space with large cables and the actors had to be carefully orchestrated around the technical requirements of the cameras. There were breaks in between the scenes but it was very exciting as the performances were in sequence, as if in a play, usually one episode per week.

Julian Glover has been in a few franchises, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones and he recounted the humorous experience of voicing a spider for Harry Potter. He also played Grand Maester Pycelle in the HBO series Game of Thrones between 2011 to 2016. Julian has always thought it important to understand why the characters he plays are as they are so built a background for his character. He grew unhappy playing Grand Maester Pycelle after the producers cut “his best scenes” in the fifth series. When he intimated he wanted to not sign up for the next series and leave the producers asked him not to go because they had a great scene for him.

Originally they weren’t going to let him see the script so he was rather unhappy at the secrecy and told them it was ridiculous. He saw the scene eventually when a courier on a bike delivered it under a lock and key and it was his death scene. He agreed to film the scene on two conditions: that he would do it at a time suitable for him and that the producers would triple his fee for the episode. They agreed very quickly.

Julian Glover has also been the villain in a James Bond film For Your Eyes Only as Aristotle Kristatos, a former war hero turned smuggler.  Julian was in the middle of filming another film in Greece when he got the call from his agent about a Bond film and was told to fly back to London forthwith at the weekend to see Albert ( Cubby) Broccoli. He rushed back and luckily achieved the part of the villain.

The role in Doctor Who as Count Scarlioni he explained was instrumental as Cubby’s wife had seen him in the serial and suggested Julian to her husband. He didn’t know that until he was filming that the “smooth b***er”, as he described him would have secured Julian the role. However, he found the whole James Bond experience wonderful and felt extremely grateful to and for doing Doctor Who.

Julian does also have another loose connection to Doctor Who as his son, Jamie Glover, who also is an actor, played William Russell in An Adventure in Space and Time

During the day there were also opportunities for photographs with the guests and autographs.

Upcoming Events at Riverside Studios

DWAS also announced at the end of this event the next Doctor Who special screening with guests Time & Riverside III: which will be showing the two live episodes from the Patrick Troughton story The Moonbase on the 12th August. The venue is also doing Doctor Who screenings every other month.

July: Doctor Who: Classic Dalek Episode Showcase + Introduction by Matthew Sweet + Highlight Reel | Riverside Studios

August: TIME & RIVERSIDE III: Doctor Who: The Moonbase + Q&A with special guests | Riverside Studios

What do you think of The Crusade? Post your thoughts here, on the Big Blue Box Podcast Discord Server or on Twitter. Let’s talk.