Fantastic Beasts: 10 Ties To Doctor Who You Might Have Missed

10. The Dimensionally Transcendental Suitcase

Newt’s suitcase, like the TARDIS, is bigger on the inside. Whilst Doctor Who could hardly claim copyright on the concept of dimensional transcendence (there are numerous ancient examples in Celtic mythology and three decades before Doctor Who there was Mary Poppins and her impossible bag), its prominence in the show is such that it has become a source of parody (see for example Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and The Man With Two Brains).

Many dictionaries now even apply the word TARDIS not only to the specific time machine in the BBC TV series, but also to any container that “is much larger than it appears to be on the outside.” According to this second definition, Newt’s case is indeed a TARDIS.

This is not the first time J K Rowling has borrowed Doctor Who’s most recognisable feature for the Harry Potter universe. Among the many examples, ironically, David Tennant’s character Barty Crouch Jr carries a trunk that hides a bigger on the inside secret, thanks to the ‘capacious extremist’ spell.

But Newt’s case is the closest Rowling has come to mimicking the Doctor’s time machine. Its function is so much more than the pragmatic need to hide and transport the creatures. The case contains a world of its own and is Newt’s spiritual and physical home.