Doctor Who: 10 Famous Writers The Doctor Has Met

William Shakespeare is perhaps the most famous English writer in the world. His work and life have been adapted into many films and television series, and we still use words and phrases from his plays today.

So, it is unsurprising that the Doctor has met Shakespeare. What is surprising is how differently Shakespeare acts during these encounters. When the Tenth Doctor takes Martha to meet the writer in The Shakespeare Code, the bard is pretty much as you’d expect. A nice chap, who helps the Doctor defeat some alien witches that were trying to manipulate him, all typical stuff. However, in the Big Finish audio The Kingmaker, Shakespeare is not as friendly – in fact, he is the villain!

Here, William gets the Fifth Doctor drunk, sneaks into the TARDIS and starts messing with time to make history reflect his plays. He’s so cunning and cruel, Peri even mistakes him for the Master!

Despite these two very different portrayals, both stories are great fun, and cleverly allude to his work and life. His plays of course, are well worth checking out, especially as several Doctor Who actors have performed in them.