10 REAL Mysteries That Would Make Great Doctor Who Episodes
8. The Death Of Edgar Allan Poe
It's surprising that the Doctor and Edgar Allan Poe's paths haven't crossed on television before. The acclaimed gothic author feels like a perfect fit for one of Doctor Who's celebrity historicals, and yet, no such episode has surfaced.
Inspiration could also be taken from the bizarre circumstances surrounding Poe's death in 1849.
On 3 October – four days before his death – Poe was discovered in a disoriented and dishevelled state in a Baltimore tavern. However, no credible evidence exists to account for his whereabouts in the week leading up to this point. Nobody can explain how he found himself in Baltimore, wearing ill-fitting and shabby clothes, and reportedly very very intoxicated. He was taken to hospital and died a few days later, with his cause of death remaining undetermined to this day.
It would be a difficult tonal tightrope to walk, as Poe's missing days and subsequent death are a sensitive topic. However, a creepy Doctor Who story that riffs on the author's works while providing a sci-fi explanation for his unusual final days could be brilliant, if handled correctly.
Historical characters from outside the UK are quite under-represented in Doctor Who's celebrity historicals, so Edgar Allan Poe would be a great figure to redress that balance.
After all, we've met Charles Dickens and Mary Shelley! It's only right that the other key figure in the early days of gothic fiction is given his due.