Doctor Who: 10 Historical Figures That Need To Be Explored

Turing was a master code-breaker for the Allied forces during The Second World War, and is credited with helping to win the war. His work on cracking intercepted Nazi coded messages is estimated to have shortened the war by around two years, saving the lives of millions. He is also considered to be a visionary in the fields of computer science and artificial intelligence, with his work inspiring the machines we use today.

Despite this, Turing was not highly regarded at the time due to his homosexuality, and despite his extraordinary service to his country, he was charged and punished accordingly. He would commit suicide with a cyanide-laced apple two years later, though it is debated he may have also accidentally poisoned himself with noxious fumes, or, rather more worryingly, been assassinated by the British Government.

There's certainly no shortage of story to tell here, and if done right, this man's heroism in the face of injustice, as well as his eventual fate, could make for one of the most touching episodes of the show to date. Despite having a huge roster of gay characters, the show is yet to focus in on the hardships for homosexuals through history, which is somewhat surprising.

In terms of Who-ifying the episode, this would be one of the cases where the alien threat is the secondary plot, but it should be resolved through Turing's code-breaking knowledge. We think we know the aliens for the job. The Kasaavin are a race which, firstly, are adept in the use of spycraft, and secondly, felt underused and under-explained (no surprise there) in their first appearance. Make the story a spiritual successor to Spyfall and you might just fix the holes in that episode by proxy.