Doctor Who: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About The Waters Of Mars
9. Maggie Was Based On Helen Sharman
Played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Maggie Cain is one of the most important characters in the story, acting as a sort of spokesperson/de facto leader for The Flood.
Her magnitude with regards to the plot might be why she was partly based on such an important figure in British space travel – astronaut Helen Sharman.
In 1991, Sharman became the first British person to go to space, as part of a privately-funded mission to the Russian space station Mir.
The Doctor's flashback to Maggie's obituary shows that she was born in Grenoside, Sheffield, and later studied chemistry at the University of Sheffield – two things that are also true about Sharman.