“The Doctor discovers the French Revolution is basically one long costume party, provided you enjoy disguises, betrayals, and the constant threat of decapitation.”
Short Synopsis
The TARDIS lands in 18th-century France, right in the middle of the bloody Revolution. Barbara and Susan get tossed in prison, Ian gets roped into espionage, and the Doctor gets a hat so stylish it deserves its own spin-off.
Extended Storyline
The Doctor, slightly irritated at Ian and Barbara (as per usual), smugly insists he’s dropped them safely back in 1960s England. Ian, having spent enough time with the Doctor to know better, suggests they check. Because when an eccentric old man in a stolen time machine says, “Trust me, we’re home,” you really shouldn’t.
Naturally, they find themselves in a farmhouse in the middle of the French Revolution. Not exactly Wimbledon. While the Doctor pops upstairs for a quick snoop, Ian, Barbara, and Susan discover they’ve wandered into a political nightmare where angry Frenchmen with pointy hats and muskets don’t take kindly to nosy English tourists.
Soon, the house is surrounded by Revolutionary soldiers, who handle the situation in the usual French Revolutionary way: by shooting first, shouting “Vive la République!” second, and worrying about logic never. The soldiers also torch the farmhouse for good measure—forgetting that the Doctor is still upstairs, locked in, and presumably wondering why his companions always manage to get captured before he’s even boiled the kettle.
The companions are dragged off to Paris, where they’re told they’ll get the deluxe package: a prison cell, a kangaroo trial, and a nice little date with Madame Guillotine. The Doctor, meanwhile, is rescued by a plucky peasant boy and, before long, is put to work in a chain gang smashing rocks. (It’s hard to say what’s more terrifying: the Reign of Terror itself, or watching William Hartnell mime “hard physical labor.”)
Things only get more complicated from there. Ian befriends a dying spy who gives him a secret message for one James Stirling (spy, cloak-and-dagger enthusiast, probably has a really good trench coat). Barbara and Susan are rescued by members of the French Resistance, only for Susan to promptly get ill—which is Susan’s standard contribution to most adventures. Meanwhile, the Doctor disguises himself as a pompous Regional Officer, complete with big hat and bigger attitude, and bluffs his way through Revolutionary Paris like he’s auditioning for Les Misérables: The Sitcom.
Robespierre eventually makes an appearance, portrayed here as the human embodiment of “have you tried turning the paranoia up to eleven?” The Doctor tries to talk sense into him but, unsurprisingly, fails. By this point, everyone is betraying everyone else, Ian keeps being knocked unconscious, Barbara keeps rolling her eyes, and Susan keeps coughing pathetically in prison.
In the grand finale, the traitorous prison warden turns out to be James Stirling all along (plot twist!). Ian delivers his spy message, Napoleon shows up for a cheeky cameo, and Robespierre is overthrown just in time for our heroes to escape the madness. History is back on track, and the TARDIS team leave Paris with their heads firmly attached.
Lesson learned: When the Doctor says you’re “back home,” double-check. Otherwise, you might end up in Revolutionary France with a date at the guillotine.