The TARDIS lands in 1289 on the plateau of the Pamir. The time-travelers meet Marco Polo , a young Venetian emissary of Kublai Khan, who is on his way to Kublai's court in Peking, accompanied by a Tartar war lord named Tegana, a peace ambassador from the rival Mogul ruler, and a Chinese girl called Ping-Cho. Marco Polo forces the Doctor to join his caravan - he wants to present the TARDIS to Kublai Khan in the hope that he will be allowed to return to Venice. But Tegana also wants the TARDIS and attempts to steal the ship, thinking it can fly: he tries to poison the party's water supply and drills holes in their water barrels as they cross the Gobi desert, then escapes on the last horse.  Because of the intense night cold, condensation forms on the TARDIS so they can survive. The party arrives in Peking: At first the Doctor wins 35 elephants, 4,000 horses and 25 tigers; then the tide turns and he gambles away the TARDIS. But when he exposes Tegana and saves Kublai's life the TARDIS's keys are returned to him.



The Doctor: William Hartnell
Ian Chesterton: William Russell
Barbara Wright: Jacqueline Hill
Susan Foreman: Carole Ann Ford

Guest Appearances:
Marco Polo: Mark Eden
Tegana: Derren Nesbitt
Ping-Cho: Zienia Merton
The Man at Lop: Leslie Bates
Chenchu: Jimmy Gardener
Malik:  Charles Wade 
Acomat:  Philip Voss
Bandit:  Philip Crest
Ling-Tau:  Paul Carson
Wang-Lo: Gabor Baraker
Kuiju:  Tutte Lemkow
Vizier: Peter Lawerence
Kublai Khan: Martin Miller
Foreman: Basil Tang
Empress: Claire Davenport
Yeng:  O. Ikeda

Producer: Verity Lambert
Assistant Producer:Mervyn Pinfield
Script Editor: David Whitaker
Writer: John Lucarotti.
Director:  Waris Hussein (episodes 1,2,3,5,6 and 7),  John Crockett (episode 4).
Designer: Barry Newberry  
Costume: Daphne Dare
Make up: Ann Ferriggi
Music: Tristram Cary (played by Eddie Walker Ensemble)

a
Novelist as "Doctor Who - Marco Polo" (0 426 19967 7) by John Lucarotti. First published by W.H. Allen (now Virgin Publishing Ltd.) in 1984 with cover by David McAllister.  Target library number 94.
The novelization was included in "The Eighth Doctor Who Gift Set". The full set was made up of "Marco Polo", "The Mind of Evil", "The Awakening" and "The Caves of Androzani". The box featured the Andrew Skilleter artwork for "The Awakening" and " Caves" on opposite sides. It was released in 1985 (ISBN 0 426 20207 4).

aaaNot available due to loss of story

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This was the first 'historical' adventure.
Considered by many to be one of Doctor Who's all-time great stories, this story was lost in the purges of the 1970's and no footage exists today.
The story was originally planned to be the third of the season until it was delayed by "The Edge of Destruction".
This story featured the first use of live animals in Doctor Who.
The working title was"A Journey to Cathay".

All seven episodes lost. No footage exists, and no off-air telesnaps. A large body of photographs from the story's production are in still in existence.

Ealing filming. (13-17 January 1964)
Studio recording in Lime Grove D. (31 January; 7, 14, 21, 28 February; 6, 13 March 1964)

Episode 2, 3 - The caption at the end of episode 2 says "Next Episode: The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes", but the next episode is simply called "Five Hundred Eyes".
Episode ? - "Peking" is mentioned several times, but this is an anachronism - this story is set in the late 13th century, when Peking was known as "Khan-balik".