Doctor Who: The Aztecs
Doctor Who: The Aztecs – Written by John Lucarotti & Read by William Russell – 4xCD / Download (AudioGo www.audiogo.com/uk)
As you’re probably more than aware by now, I’m a sucker for the early historical adventures that helped establish Doctor Who, and The Aztecs has always been, as far as I’m concerned, one of the strongest early stories in the series history. The Tardis crew, at the mercy of the Doctor’s errant time and space machine (‘The Aztecs’ was part of the first series of Who, and as such Ian and Barbara are still amazed by the Tardis and the situation that they’ve found themselves in), materialise in a tomb in a an Aztec city during the fifteenth century, and upon emerging from their landing place, Barbara is mistaken for the god who was reputedly buried in the tomb, and the Doctor, Ian and Susan for her servants, and as such are worshipped and treated as the deities they’ve been mistaken for. In an effort to use her newly gifted ‘godhood’ for good, Barbara determines to try and change Aztec society for the “better”, and by doing so hopes to extend the civilisations life by ensuring that it’s better prepared for the arrival of Cortez and his Conquistadors, and arrival which ultimately doomed the Aztecs. However, when tradition and morality are deeply engrained, there are always those in power who fear change, and Barbara soon finds herself in a political and power struggle with the head priest, a struggle in which Susan, Ian and The Doctor are the pawns, and the longer the fight continues, the more Barbara comes to realise (as The Doctor has already told her), that it’s a struggle she cannot win, and reluctantly agrees with her travelling companions that escaping Aztec society is their best, and only option. But having angered the High Priest and having questioned his beliefs and faith, escaping turns out to be more difficult than they anticipated, as the High Priest seeks to turn the tables on those who dared question him. ‘The Aztecs’ is a tightly plotted well written tale that poses questions about morality and whether or not time travel, and travellers have the right to, or should ever be allowed to change history, or whether history should be allowed to run its course regardless of the consequences, both dilemma’s for which there is no easy answer, only cold, hard and difficult truths. Doctor Who at it’s finest… Tim Mass Movement
