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

Played by Fenella Woolger.

The Unicorn and the Wasp is another episode that offers a ‘timey wimey’ explanation to an existing historical mystery. In this instance we’re offered an explanation for the ten day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926.

The episode plays out in the style of an Agatha Christie murder mystery which subsequently turns out to be more than just a coincidence. Lady Eddison, a big fan of Agatha Christie’s novels, had unknowingly filled the mind of her long lost son with the notion of murder mysteries through a necklace which linked the pair telepathically. The power of Agatha’s writings was so strong that they became embedded within the psyche of the newly transformed Vespiform alongside his true identity and resulted in his fictional misconception of the world.

Agatha determines that the only way to stop the giant wasp-like creature from killing people was to lure it away and drown it by throwing the telepathic necklace into Silent Pool lake. Her own connection to the jewel and the Vespiform resulted in her losing consciousness and being taken to a hotel by The Doctor and Donna, waking up ten days later with total amnesia about the events.

Of course, the real explanation for her disappearance and alleged amnesia remains a mystery, but the Doctor Who creatives, once again, decided to add their own supernatural spin to the story. The ending of the episode even suggests that she did eventually regain her memories of the events which were eventually published as a novel.

There are also many instances in this episode where Donna makes references to works by Agatha Christie that she hasn’t yet written, which result in comedy moments of back tracking so as not to influence or change the future.