Romans Cutaway (short story)

Romans Cutaway was the twelfth short story in the Short Trips anthology More Short Trips. It was written by David A. McIntee. It featured the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Vicki. Cutaway partly filled the narrative gap present in the television story The Romans.
== Summary ==
Ian is dreaming of a car crash, with Barbara as the victim. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the TARDIS, which has materialised at an angle near the bottom of a ravine. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki are all right except for minor injuries.
The readings suggest they are on Earth. Ian climbs out of the TARDIS, and guides a slender tree trunk through the door of the TARDIS for the others to climb out. They need to right the TARDIS, but it will be difficult. The Doctor and Vicki go for help while Barbara and Ian try to move the TARDIS.
The Doctor and Vicki come across a Roman villa, and realise they are near Rome. As they approach the villa, they see blood on the ground. Inside the villa, they meet Lucius, the caretaker of the villa, who has been attacked by a lion and is fatally wounded. Vicki and the Doctor try to make him as comfortable as possible, and their kindness allows him to trust them. He extracts from them a promise to watch the villa for him until his master returns from a campaign in Gaul. He dies.
As Barbara and Ian work on the TARDIS, a lion approaches. At first it focuses on Barbara, but Ian distracts it and it comes after him. After some dodging, Ian manages to climb up a ledge and lets a boulder drop on the lion, killing it. He is upset over the killing, but Barbara convinces him he had to do it to save their lives.
As the travellers sleep that night in the villa, Ian has the car crash dream again. He realises that he loves Barbara.
== Characters ==
* First Doctor
* Barbara Wright
* Ian Chesterton
* Vicki Pallister
* Lucius
* A lion
== Worldbuilding ==
* Ian once lost someone he loved, Suzy, in a car crash, finding out about the event in a newspaper.
== Notes ==
* The television story The Romans begins with the TARDIS landing in 64 AD before cutting to scenes of its crew enjoying life in a villa. This story covers the initial landing and explains how the Doctor and his companions were provided with their holiday home.
* The BBC Past Doctor Adventures novel Byzantium! gives a very different account of what happens after the TARDIS falls of the cliff. In fact, Byzantium! implies that the events of Romans Cutaway were actually a dream experienced by Ian on his way to Rome from Byzantium.
* This story is a "pure historical" featuring no science fiction elements apart from the presence of the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki and the TARDIS.
== Continuity ==
* The TARDIS falls off a cliff after landing. (TV: The Rescue, The Romans)
* Lucius' master is Flavius Giscard. (TV: The Romans)
* The Doctor calls Ian "Chesterman" and "Chesterfield". (TV: The Daleks, The Edge of Destruction, et al)
* Ian recalls killing Daleks and the Slyther. (TV: The Daleks, The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
== External links ==
* 
Category:First Doctor short stories
Category:More Short Trips short stories
Category:Stories set in Italy
Category:Stories set in 64
Category:Short stories set in the Roman Empire