Once you know that "The Crusade" was written by David Whitaker and directed by Douglas Camfield it is hardly surprising that this is as good as it is. "The Crusade" features literally not a moment of bad acting, great dialogue, a cracking story, fast and assured pacing, and quality characterization. It is also superbly directed by Camfield.
"The Crusade" continues in the tradition of these early 60's episodes by really being quite excellent on a visual level, with sets and costumes that are extremely convincing and realistic. Whitaker clearly did some research before writing this because the authenticity is in the script as well as the visuals. The most impressive thing about the script here is the extraordinary characterization for all the characters in the story, in particular the surprisingly unflattering take on Richard the Lionheart.
The acting is uniformly superb and convincing, with episode three, "The Wheel of Fortune" standing out as perhaps one of the better examples of pure drama in 60's Who when it comes to the performances of those involved, as well as Whitaker's script.
Only episodes one and three survive, of course, leaving two and four available as reconstructions or audios. I think the better two episodes survived the purge, though, as although episodes two and four are really very good they aren't quite as good as the other two. Episode four works tremendously as entertainment, but is a tad disappointing as a resolution.
Boasting surprising realism and intelligent handling of the subject matter which thankfully is far from one-sided, David Whitaker's "The Crusade" is unquestionably one of the best Doctor Who historicals and definitely a story which more people should see.
Episode 1: 9/10, Episode 2: 8/10, Episode 3: 10/10, Episode 4: 8/10.
Average: 8.75/10
