Roman Army in \'Doctor Who\'

[Carus Andiae]

WARNING! The following contains what some may classify as very minor spoilers for the current series of the BBC sci-fi/fantasy show 'Doctor Who' - so if you care about such things, look away now!

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It would appear that Roman soldiers are to play a significant role in the finale. Set at least partly in Britain in AD102, so far as I can tell it involves the TARDIS crew teaming up with a bunch of legionaries to locate an alien prison in order to stop the ancient evil threatening to escape and wreak havoc. Usual stuff.

After the debacles of Fun With Leather that was the Roman soldier in 'Torchwood', and the equally dubious soldiers who cropped up in 'The Fires of Pompeii', fans of the Roman Army may approach this closing story with trepidation. However, things look a little more promising:



To be sure, by no means perfect; however, random vambraces (and the left-handed draw) aside, this is a much more impressive effort. Another picture (to small to be worth reposting here) shows what look like some decent scuta, too.

[Matthew Amt]

Oh my God, it's a TROOPER HELMET! Hooraaaaay!!! I swore I would cheer if Hollywood (or whatever) ever used anything that good, so here I am fulfilling my vow. (Actually, there was one in a Capital One commercial, and I jumped up and cheered for that, too!) Geez, the armor even LOOKS like metal! Madder red tunic without ragged edges, no overall gray/brown/black coating, etc. I'm seriously impressed, this is light years ahead of anything else to date. True, those are some no-nonsense bracers, but we're still on the moral high ground, here.

The Doctor Rocks!

Matthew

[ArthuroftheBritons]

I love Rome, I love Doctor Who. Great combo for me lol:

[Graham Sumner]

Hi

Apart from the helmet it looks like the gear from the recent film 'Centurion', which is up for sale. Perhaps the BBC bought some?

Graham.

[Carus Andiae]

Five pics from 'The Pandorica Opens', of which three show legionaries. The kit is of mixed quality - there are one or two Attic helmets creeping in. However, unless my eyes deceive me, the legionary on the far left in image 3 actually has a Late Republican/Early Imperial scutum (or whatever the correct term is - the one with flat top and bottom and curved sides)!

[jkaler48]

Photos bring up an interesting question or two. Was Stonehenge a tourist attraction for Roman Military or Civilians? (As in any Roman period item found in the area)
Strange that it wasn't co-opted as a Roman temple or later a Christian Church at some point. Perhaps no one lived nearby by the Roman period.

[Carus Andiae]

As it turned out the rogue helmets were more like Intercisa than Attic, and there was a centurion with a fore-and-aft crest, but otherwise it all looked very impressive.

[Graham Sumner]

Hi

There seemed to be a mixture of gear.

the rogue helmets were more like Intercisa than Attic

They were from the series 'Ancient Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire", from a couple of years back, worn by the late Roman troops. There were also some Trooper helmets in there, possibly bits and pieces from 'Centurion' and even what looked like a bronze lorica segmentata from 'Jesus of Nazareth'! The sharp eyed might also have spotted a few bits of kit, mainly shields, from the Ermine Street Guard plus a long shot of their centurion.

Graham.

[Robert Vermaat]

the rogue helmets were more like Intercisa than Attic

They were from the series 'Ancient Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire", from a couple of years back, worn by the late Roman troops.

Still, I would not call them 'Intercisa' just because of that crest... Ouch. :x

[Lepidina]

I too was excited to see a trooper helmet and an attempt at more authentic gear. But hey, they turned out to be plastic people from Amy's imagination so I think we can excuse the errors in authenticity. :wink:

But you'd think that with all the Roman reenactors in the UK, it would be just as easy to import them in as to hire extras and put them in crappy gear.

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

What do you want then, they were replicated Romans constructed out of a mutual effort of Daleks, Cybernetics and various other species all wanting to trap our beloved Doctor !

M.VIB.M.

[Graham Sumner]

But you'd think that with all the Roman reenactors in the UK, it would be just as easy to import them in as to hire extras and put them in crappy gear.

I am not sure if things have changed within the TV industry but back in the old days BC when filming with the ESG I remember that as costumed extras we were not allowed to say anything or make a noise. A bit difficult when sacking a Celtic village. When a soldier was required to laugh a special 'extra' who was allowed to make a noise but was not allowed to speak was substituted. When the ropes of the onager needed darkening because they were causing reflection in the camera an offer to do this from the Centurio rather than wait half an hour for the technician to do this nearly gave the Director a seizure!

Still it was good to hear that the most powerful force in the Universe according to the Doctor were the 'Romans' and an earlier episode also hinted at a second Roman Empire in the future. That will make Henk very happy!

[Lepidina]

Dang. And I thought SAG was a bunch of bastages here in the States.

[Carus Andiae]

Still, I would not call them 'Intercisa' just because of that crest... Ouch. :x

To be fair, I did say were more like rather than just were!

Still, who'd have thought a gladius could punch through a heavy door and the bullet-proof armour of a Cyberman at the same time?! Legionaries with concealed guns in their wrists (even if they were actually Autons in disguise)! Didn't spot the bronze segmentata, or the ESG's centurion, though I did wonder if some of the kit was on loan.

The second Roman Empire has been mentioned before, in 2005's The End of the World:

Doctor: Step outside, it's the year 12,005, the New Roman Empire.

So I'm afraid we've got to wait a bit! Assuming the universe isn't destroyed, of course...

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Graham, that indeed is great news !!!!!!!!



M.VIB.M.