For those looking for the Jon Pertwee serial of the same name, you're in the wrong place. I'd offer a link, but we won't be into the Pertwee era until some time next year.
Delos disobeys Nero's order to kill Ian and strikes out at the emperor. Nero's guards manage to protect him. Barbara tries to make a run for Ian, but Nero is holding on to her harder than OJ clings to the pretense of innocence. Ian calls to her letting her know that he'll come for her.
Nero decides to set a trap for him using Barbara as bait. The slave trader is put in charge of finding the escaped gladiators; if he's successful, then he'll be rewarded, if he's not, he'll be killed.
He then asks a guard for his sword. He takes it and buries it into what we think is Barbara. It turns out that he's killed one of his guards. Apparently he hadn't fought hard enough. Nero has turned from comedic villain to petulant psycho in a blink of an eye.
Back at the palace Poppaea orders Tavius to dismiss Barbara from her service. Tavius protests mildly eliciting a slap to the face and a pulling of rank.
Barbara, fresh from her experience at the arena, finds Tavius, fresh from his browbeating by Poppaea. Barbara tells Tavius that she is planning on making good her escape soon. She tells him about Ian. She needs help and has no one to go to except for him.
Barbara starts to tell Tavius about the plot against Maximus when soldiers begin to surround the palace.
Tavius finds his way to the Doctor and Vicki. He tells "Maximus" of the plan to have him sent to the lions; Maximus will have to act quickly if he wishes to assassinate the emperor. The Doctor decides that things are getting way too hot in Rome and makes plans to leave that evening.
Later the Doctor is inspecting Nero's plans for a new Rome. The emperor walks in all excited about his plans for "Maximus." The Doctor takes the wind out of his sails when he "guesses" that he's been lined up to play in the arena. What follows is probably the most puns per square inch as the Doctor makes it clear to Nero that he knows that he is to be lion chow. Nero is about to burst into tears over the fact that his surprise is ruined when the sun (magnified through the Doctor's glasses) sets the plans ablaze.
Nero goes insane with rage over the destruction of his plans. He moods swings full circle and ends up praising the Doctor for giving him the idea to burn Rome forcing the Senate to rebuild the city to his specs.
Ian manages to sneak past the guards by joining a mob that Nero has assembled to burn the city. Tavius guesses that Ian might try to get in with the mob and picks him out of the crowd. Tavius reunites the two teachers and sends them on their way as Rome is put to the torch.
As they depart we see Tavius holding a small cross. The implication being that he is an early Christian and his assistance to Barbara was inspired by his faith.
The Doctor and Vicki make their own way out of the city pausing, at a safe distance, to admire history. Vicki reflects on the fact that she is watching something that people will be reading about for thousands of years and they got it wrong; there's no mention of the Doctor giving Nero the idea.
The Doctor is, at first, insistent that he didn't do anything of the sort. If he wasn't there, something else would have managed to do the same thing. Even he doesn't seem to buy it.
The effects of Rome burning aren't that great. Apparently they spent the budget for the serial up when someone in authority decided that they needed to have a shot of Rome burning. Cuskick had a few schillings and pocket lint to make magic. To no one's surprise, he failed.
Barbara and Ian make it back to the villa before the others. They clean up the place and themselves and barely have a night's sleep before the Doctor and Vicki return. There is some nice banter between the teachers and some fun when the others return and believe that Ian and Barbara have been vacationing.
The Romans isn't my favorite historical story. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid story, very funny at points, but I don't think that it rates higher than Marco Polo, the Aztecs or The Reign of Terror. It is hard to compare the four stories since the first three are more serious and this one is an outright farce at points.
The events of this story do get mentioned, obliquely, at the beginning of the David Tennant story The Fires of Pompeii.
Next up: The Web Planet
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