Doctor Who Series 11: 10 Huge Questions We Are Asking After The Witchfinders
9. Was King James The FIrst Realistic?
Alan Cummings’ King James may well turn out to be the most memorable guest character of the series. It is a delicious mix of the camp and the sinister, and for many younger viewers his performance would have called to mind the successful children’s television franchise Horrible Histories. All that was lacking was him breaking out in a song.
Writer Joy Wilkinson has certainly carried out her research on the king. Many of the facts about his life are still hotly debated by historians, including whether or not his mother, Mary Queen of Scots murdered his father. Wilkinson choses whichever options best fit her presentation of James as a man whose fears and paranoia stem back to his upbringing.
She characterises him as a performer, masking his true identity behind a role and a name. She even has him wearing a theatrical mask. This in turn provides a rare reminder in this series that there’s more to the Doctor than meets the eye. Isn’t she too hiding behind a title, he opines.
Various assassination attempts didn’t help King James’ insecurities and is one explanation for his obsession with witches and the devil. His concern for his personal safety make it highly unlikely he would have wandered the villages alone.