Doctor Who: 10 Best Historical Figures Who Have Appeared In Nu-Who

Played by Dean Lennox Kelly.

Even when The Doctor simply intends to impress his new companion with a quick trip to the past, he somehow manages to sniff out trouble. Whilst meeting William Shakespeare wasn’t completely by accident, fighting off the Carrionites was not part of the original plan. In fitting with the witchy theme of series 3’s The Shakespeare Code, it’s like he’s cursed!

What’s clever about this episode is the way that The Doctor and Martha use their knowledge of history to work out that something isn’t right. The works of William Shakespeare are famous throughout the world and so a random play that doesn’t exist in the future raises some serious questions.

Speaking of serious questions, another thing that this episode subtly touches on is the long standing myth that William Shakespeare was in fact bisexual. His attitude towards both Martha and The Doctor very much offer an answer to this question with The Doctor himself stating that “57 academics just punched the air” in response to his flirtatious remarks. It’s often easy to forget that this is simply a fictional answer to a real life mystery, and yet, there’s a sense of satisfaction regardless.

As it happens, Shakespeare isn’t the only historical figure to make an appearance in this particular episode but more on that later..