I have only been moved to write this review because of the misinformed ideas that suggest that gay Romans did not exist and that the conversation between bill and some legionaries was totally anachronistic (which it was but not in ways suggested). As a story, this lacked the interest and even sophistication of 'Survival' own Munro's first story for Doctor Who and the last in the classic TV series.
Survivor was a fascinating exploration of masculinity and femininity , particularly the idea of conceptualising and admitting a famine, a primal anger. This was juxtaposed with male aggression in the form a youth group. I watched Survival being filmed on location and reported on the making of the story so have a person investment in the story in a way I don't have for many Sylvester McCoy outings.
Sadly, it was a time when, for me, Doctor Who was being made far too much on the cheap and location filming with video cameras didn't help anything look convincing. The story editing was also disjointed to the point that even by today's brief episodes looked sketchy and ultimately incoherent.
Returning to the recent adventure, Munro's script was enjoyable in a kind of kids' TV romp. However, critics finding the albeit contrived conversation about sexuality don not seem to have researched homosexuality in ancient Rome.
The fact is that homosexual relations were a norm. However, they were morally regulated - and not in ways we would approve of today. Mainly homosexual acts were between dominant adult males and young slave boys (12 to 20).
The Romans also linked sex with violent conflict. Conquered armies and communities were fair game, and rape was common.
In fact the most unlikely bit of Munro's script was that a soldier was executed. The death sentence was rare for free born Romans.
Survivor was a fascinating exploration of masculinity and femininity , particularly the idea of conceptualising and admitting a famine, a primal anger. This was juxtaposed with male aggression in the form a youth group. I watched Survival being filmed on location and reported on the making of the story so have a person investment in the story in a way I don't have for many Sylvester McCoy outings.
Sadly, it was a time when, for me, Doctor Who was being made far too much on the cheap and location filming with video cameras didn't help anything look convincing. The story editing was also disjointed to the point that even by today's brief episodes looked sketchy and ultimately incoherent.
Returning to the recent adventure, Munro's script was enjoyable in a kind of kids' TV romp. However, critics finding the albeit contrived conversation about sexuality don not seem to have researched homosexuality in ancient Rome.
The fact is that homosexual relations were a norm. However, they were morally regulated - and not in ways we would approve of today. Mainly homosexual acts were between dominant adult males and young slave boys (12 to 20).
The Romans also linked sex with violent conflict. Conquered armies and communities were fair game, and rape was common.
In fact the most unlikely bit of Munro's script was that a soldier was executed. The death sentence was rare for free born Romans.