The Savages is the ninth serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Ian Stuart Black and directed by Christopher Barry, it was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 28 May to 18 June 1966. In the serial, the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travelling companions, Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane), arrive on a distant planet where they discover the Elders maintain their idyllic society by draining the life source of the primitive savages.
Black approached the programme's production office to pitch a story, having watched the programme with his children for years. He wanted the serial to appeal to the audience's reasoning, rather than resorting to violence and action. Raymond Jones composed the 27-minute score for the serial. The Savages marked the final appearance of Purves as Steven, as the production team found the character inflexible and difficult to write. Filming took place at Riverside Studios from May to June 1966.
The Savages received an average of 4.9 million viewers across the four episodes, the programme's lowest figures since its debut. Reviews were mixed, with praise for the concept, performances, and score. Scholars highlighted the story's anti-colonialist and pro-democratic themes. Its videotapes and film prints were wiped by the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s, and it remains missing; the only extant material includes telesnaps, short film segments, and a complete off-air recording. The story was novelised by Black, and the off-air recording was released as an audiobook. An animated reconstruction was released in March 2025.
Plot
The TARDIS materialises on a distant planet in the far future. The First Doctor and his travelling companions, Steven and Dodo, find the planet inhabited by both an advanced, idyllic civilisation known as the Elders, and bands of roaming savages. The Elders welcome the Doctor, revealing they have admired his exploits from afar and predicted his arrival. Their leader, Jano, showers the Doctor and his companions with compliments and gifts. However, the Doctor becomes suspicious of the Elders' seemingly perfect civilisation, and Dodo finds their secret: they are only able to maintain their energy by draining the life force of the helpless savages. The Doctor, appalled, tries to stop the Elders and persuade them of their immorality.
At Jano's orders, the Doctor is forced into the transfer device and his life force is channelled into Jano, who desires his intelligence. The plan backfires Jano is imbued him with the Doctor's mannerisms, outlook, and morality, causing a personality crisis. Dodo and Steven meanwhile venture outside the city and make contact with the savage leaders, Chal and Tor. The savages are the remnants of a once highly skilled and artistic race, but over the centuries the energy transfer process stymied their creativity and ability. Chal hides the two fugitives in a deep cave system, pursued by a guard, Exorse, whom Steven overpowers. They return to the city to find a weak but determined Doctor, and help him escape the city.
The time travellers help the savages fight back against the Elder guards. The Doctor realises the Elders must be forced, not persuaded, to change their ways. His mixed personality convinces Jano to help the savages; he tries to convince the other Elders to treat the savages as equals, while Exorse also realises the error of his ways. Jano and Exorse begin the destruction of the technology underpinning the society, soon joined by the Doctor, Steven, and Dodo. The technology's destruction means the end of the oppression, and Jano and Chal begin discussing how a new society can be built together. The Doctor surprises Steven by convincing him to remain behind as a mediator. When both sides agree to accept Steven's decision, he decides to stay. The Doctor and a heartbroken Dodo bid their friend goodbye before departing in the TARDIS.
Production
Conception and writing
While working on the BBC2 series Ransom for a Pretty Girl in late 1965, Ian Stuart Black approached the neighbouring Doctor Who production office, where he asked producer John Wiles and story editor Donald Tosh if he could pitch a story; he had watched the programme with his children since its first serial, and he wanted them to watch something he had written. Wanting to appeal to the audience's reasoning, rather than including violence and action, Black conceived a story in which humans' energies were absorbed to power an artistic civilisation. Tosh and Wiles approved, and Black was contracted for a four-part story in December 1965. He delivered his proposed storyline on 13 January 1966, paid () per episode.
The production team encountered difficulties with the preceding serial, The Gunfighters, and considered replacing it with Black's scripts; the difficulties were later resolved, and Black's story kept its original placement. Wiles called Black's synopsis "very exciting". Tosh and Wiles departed the series in January, replaced by Gerry Davis and Innes Lloyd, respectively. Davis commissioned Black to write Doctor Who and the White Savages on 19 January, under the production code AA. The four scripts were due weekly from 21 February, though they were all delivered early: the first on 26 January, and the remaining three on 8, 10, and 23 February. Christopher Barry was assigned as director of the serial, now renamed The Savages; Barry, who had previously directed The Daleks (1963–1964) for the programme's first season and the combined The Rescue and The Romans (both 1965) for the second, was invited to return by Lloyd, an old friend. Barry found the script uninteresting and the programme generally stale.
Stuart Walker was assigned the serial's designer—his only work for Doctor Who. For exterior scenes, most of the studio floor was covered in forestry; a wall of honeycomb rock was based on rock formations in south-west France. Daphne Dare and Sonia Markham continued their usual roles in charge of costume and make-up, respectively. Nanina's fur costume was previously used in the film One Million Years B.C. (1966). The actors portraying Elders wore make-up to appear shinier and darker, reflecting their restored "life force". Senta's laboratory was considered the set's centrepiece, with several working props including a cabinet that pumped dry ice and a dark tank filled with bubbling liquid. Raymond Jones, who worked with Barry on The Romans, composed the serial's music; the 27-minute score, including a string quartet and percussion player conducted by Jones, was recorded in early May 1966, and supplemented in the first two episodes by stock music from the Radiophonic Workshop.
Casting and characters
thumb|upright|The Savages marked [[Peter Purves's (pictured in 2010) final appearance as Steven Taylor.|alt=Peter Purves]]
Barry was seen as a competent director, and most actors appreciated his professionalism and patience. He had developed a positive rapport with lead actor William Hartnell following his previous work on the programme, having respected his earlier film career. Black similarly had no problems with Hartnell. According to many, the actor had begun deliberately acting older than his age to ensure his requests were followed. For scenes wherein Jano adopts the Doctor's persona, Hartnell assisted Frederick Jaeger to imitate some of his own mannerisms. The Savages was Peter Purves's last appearance as Steven. Purves and Hartnell were sad to end their working relationship; the former had learned much from their time together, and the latter had failed to bond with Purves's successors, Michael Craze and Anneke Wills, while filming the next serial. Though Davis enjoyed working with Purves, he and Lloyd felt Steven lacked depth and flexibility.
Lloyd told Purves about Steven's departure after filming the second episode of The Ark on 25 February, the day after his contract had been renewed until the end of The Savages. Purves was surprised by the news, feeling a cast change had not been indicated to him beforehand.