10 Doctor Who Easter Eggs Only Hardcore Fans Spotted
6. John Smith’s Parents (Human Nature)
The Doctor’s brief spell as a mortal in Human Nature/The Family of Blood came complete with a compelling backstory.
In his guise "John Smith", the Doctor learned to draw on Gallifrey – somewhere in Ireland, apparently – and had parents named Sydney and Verity. Sydney was a watchmaker from Nottingham, and Verity was a nurse.
The suggestion that Gallifrey is in Ireland is an easter egg in itself: a nod to similar assumptions made in The Hand of Fear and The Invisible Enemy, which would be expanded upon in Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children.
But that's not the only clue to John Smith’s true identity.
The names of his parents refer to the show on a metafictional level. Specifically, they recall the names of two of Doctor Who’s creators: BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman, who commissioned the show, and founding producer Verity Lambert.
It would be the equivalent of the Fugitive Doctor, as "Ruth", claiming to be the child of a "Mr. Chibnall". Or the Twenty-Fifth Doctor turning human and having a father called Russell. Which could still happen now that we think about it.
Sydney and Verity were namedropped once again in The End of Time: Part Two, where the granddaughter of Joan Redfern was revealed to be Verity Newman – another lovely touch.