87.25%

Its hard to believe that there was once a time when 1960s Doctor Who stories where inaccesible to all but the privileged few. During the 1980s, the novelisations began to focus on all periods of the series, especially those early shows. I have always had an interest in the Aztecs, possibly I had seen some documentary about them, and so I had an interest in knowing more about the Doctor Who story about these people.

I bought the novelisation in late 1984 and was impressed by the story. It was to be another 8 years before I finally saw it when it was finally released on VHS in late 1992.

It was well worth the wait. To put it simply, this is my favourite 1st Doctor adventure. The dialogue crackles, the story moves along at a wonderful pace, the performances from regular and guest actors alike shine - even John Ringham's Richard the 3rd approach to his portrayal of Tlotoxl. Hartnell gets some great lines which he delivers with utter conviction. One line in particular hints at events in the Doctor's past when he warns Barbara not to intefere in history "Believe me, I know!".

I would recommend this as an example of Doctor Who at its best - one to show those who perhaps only think of the series as being about the Daleks and the Cybermen.