That Time Doctor Who and Shakespeare Fought Witches

[@HarboWholmes]

Sorry about all of the freeze frames in this. For some reason, this review kept getting flagged for copyright so this was the only fix. Also yeah I forgot that Shakespeare wrote Merchant of Venice and other racist/sexist works. But my meaning was that even if he was like that, the episode doesn't seem to condemn it and plays it for laughs, which is wrong, in my opinion. But considering this episode was written by a transphobe, I guess it's not a surprise.

[@Lia-uf1ir]

The Shakespeare Code was one of the first Doctor Who stories I watched and I did like it at the time as it introduced me to a fantastic universe. But I noticed the sexist/racist scenes right away. I didn't know the transphobic background of the writer which, as a trans person myself, is now as clear as day! Especially the comments that "London never changes" and the mention of Rowling is cringy as hell! Especially since I grew up with Harry Potter. :/

[@l692]

Yeah jokes about racism don't really work as satire if it's just for shock and laughs with no consequences to the character who says them. Especially in a show aimed at kids, that should either be worded better and clarified to be wrong or not there at all.

[@jordan89124]

I think the sexism and racism were fair, it was trying to be accurate, you should also not judge historical characters on modern values as you can't blame people for doing something bad that wasn't bad at the time that would be like saying the age of consent is not 35 and anyone who has done it before then will retroactively be punished for it.

[@Lia-uf1ir]

@@jordan89124 But that's it! It WAS as bad at the time as it was today, the people just did not only not are about it, they were actually expected to think like that or the whole colonisation and slavery thing couldn't have worked. That's why we have to think with our "modern values" (which is just another term for basic moral) because only then can we see how horrible things actually were at the time. Also, that view that something was "normal" at the time shows the emense amount of privelige that the people who say this as they are the ones who don't face this discrimination. For those discriminated people (women, POC, trans people) it was beyond horrible to be treated the way they were! No one would want that kind of "normal" forced upon them! All the wealth of the western world was only possible via systemic racism and colonisation, by stealing indigenous peoples their land (like in the Americas) or kidnapping them from their homeland to build the wealth of others by force (African Americans). Not only that, the entire refugee crisis has its roots in that exploitation, all the misery of those countries came because of colonisation and the disruption of the clans and tribes in these countries. And it's still happening via trade agreements that favor the Europeans who once colonized them.

[@silviasanchez648]

Well, why would the episode say anything? That's up to the viewer. People have minds to think and criticise on their own, the story shouldn't tell us what to think or feel.

[@presentfuture7563]

Well the bawdy parts of Shakespeare are numerous and fairly filthy, so that may not be a misrepresentation. I love the bit where he flirts with the Doctor and the Doctor mutters something about 57 academics punching the air

[@jvblhc]

I like when The Doctor tells Shakespeare that Martha is from "Freedonia", which was a nod to the Marx Brothers' classic comedy film Duck Soup.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

That literally got a chuckle out of me on a rewatch.

[@iHDFootball]

I still kinda like this one

[@thewhofandom6711]

So do I

[@lovetolovefairytales]

Only kinda? I still like it a lot!

[@abcdefgh6951]

Yeah I am just all the way this video just comming up with exuses on every complain there is lol Well exept the Doctor being a dick to Martha, thats just fact

[@joshyounger9520]

I don't know. I could honestly rewatch this easily. It's just a fun story.

[@erinella]

I'm glad you addressed the Doctor's treatment of Martha. It's something that has always bothered me, especially since fans had a habit of imitating his behaviour by hating on Martha for basically not being Rose even though she's one of the strongest characters in NuWho.

[@lewiskazinsky7334]

Martha’s definitely been vindicated by time. The fan hate was only prevalent when Series 3 was airing for the very reason you described, but now that the show has survived for over a decade without Rose, I don’t think you’ll find anyone who seriously argues that Martha was a bad a companion.

[@gay4sswhovian]

The Doctor is just awful in general in series 3 honnestly... In 2 too Rose and them are just so toxic and awful bitch to lots of people it's really annoying

[@OverlyPositiveFanboy]

Series 3 was my first Series, so I sidestepped the entire issue.

[@WiGgYof09]

I don't like the Doctor's treatment of Martha. However, considering Rose was his 1st companion after the time war and he was in love with, her Martha was essentially a rebound. Both as a companion and as a relationship. The problem is many fans couldn't recognize when the Doctor's actions were wrong.

[@HuntingViolets]

@@lewiskazinsky7334 I've seen people online who still absolutely hate her, unfortunately.

[@ko379]

I always hated the doctors response to Martha’s skin color concern. Especially because in later episodes she IS treated terribly because of her skin color. I mean, I’m white, and even teenage me knew he was being dismissive of a real issue

[@epiccarrot88]

If you don't like it, maybe this show isn't for you. I mean, The Doctor is good friends with Strax, from a people who consider themselves superior to everyone else. The Doctor doesn't focus on smaller issues. If someone's feelings are hurt, he doesn't really do much about it. He cares more about the physical danger those around him are in. If someone treated Martha badly because of her skin colour, like in Family of Blood, then yeah, he'd step in and tell them to stop. As long as everyone isn't being actively hostile to Martha, he won't do anything about it. I mean, to travel the universe like this, through all of time and space, you have to take some stuff on the cheek. With how many cultures exist, you will inevitably end up somewhere where you aren't treated very well for being an outsider. The Doctor has been treated that way many times. But he puts up with it, doesn't fight them on it, so he can earn their trust. It's the same thing here. If The Doctor retaliates, then he becomes disliked by those around him. And then they can't work as well together when danger rears its head. If he didn't get as close to Shakespeare as he did in this episode, the Carrionites could have been released. This episode is actually the perfect example of how to write The Doctor, and how his companion will learn to act. You can't get too bogged down on personal feelings. It's something every companion learns. I mean, look at Clara with that one guy in Flatline who treated the lives lost as trash thrown away. Horrible attitude, but she had to put up with it, because they all had to work together to get out of there alive. It's no different here. Another example: look at Thin Ice. There was that one rich guy being offensive to Bill, and The Doctor and Bill had to put up with it. Once The Doctor realised he had no relevance to the bigger picture, that he could anger him without issue, he punched him. If you can't learn to take this aspect, then you will not be able to travel with The Doctor. Silureans for example will treat you as inferior because you are human. But at the same time, peace can also be forged. So, you have to get used to it. Peacemakers always have to learn to roll with the punches.

[@stanleydude3340]

@@epiccarrot88 I mean in the most recent stuff the Doctor does specifically try to make people feel more comfortable now

[@epiccarrot88]

@@stanleydude3340 Then you didn't watch Twelve, because Twelve could not be more different

[@stanleydude3340]

@@epiccarrot88 My guy punched a racist Also 12 regenerated like 6(?) years ago. 13, 14, and 15 app definitely cate about their companions feelings

[@slutty_raccoon69]

​@@epiccarrot88 the thing is the doctor did care about his companions concerns even tho it was always in a kinda awkward antisocial way, but here he just doesn't care about Martha almost looking down on her like he does a lot in the series

[@joelbrown2782]

Russell T. Davies didn't write The Unquiet Dead, that was Mark Gatiss. Just thought that I would point that out, because it was stated that Davies wrote previous celebrity historical figure episodes.

[@HarboWholmes]

Thanks for the correction, I overlooked that fact

[@jacobscrackers6600]

Harbo Wholmes what else did you overlook?

[@jacobscrackers6600]

RogueLady 👏🏻

[@IngenuityFortress]

I mean there's a clear reason the Doctor is always dismissive and rude to Martha. It's simply because he doesn't recognize Martha as anything more than someone to talk to while he travels. She is not Rose and he can't forgive her for it. It's different than in Jones and Smith because that was a fast pace few hours of adventuring. But now he is truly travelling with her and it is obvious she's not Rose. She is analytical and smart. And while she obviously had a crush on him and he recognized that but he doesn't even really deem her important enough to care about what she thinks. At least not until she starts doing her own thing in Daleks in Manhattan, making the Doctor think hmm maybe she could be interesting. But still it becomes clear that while in a way Martha was the strongest companion, literally travelling the world for a year by herself to save his ass, she wasn't flashy and feisty enough for him. I sometimes feel like the problem with having Martha as a companion and that the Doctor can't have a human companion that is more brilliant than him, but for Martha she was. Because so much of her season she is fighting/ figuring things out without the Doctor.

[@Comicbroe405]

True. She was a proper independent character.

[@TheCagedCorvid]

Personally, I think it was down to the writer having no respect for women or people of colour, even with all the stuff you wrote, it still feels out of character. Even the cast themselves can be seen being uncomfortable with the lines they've been given, especially Davids "political correctness gone mad" line, he's physically cringing as he says it.

[@sunnystrathern8396]

Harbo: rightfully calls out Shakespeare's sexism and racism Also Harbo: "Would you still hit it if you knew what was hiding underneath?"

[@HarboWholmes]

Well, when it comes to Lilith, would you?

[@gf1006]

Harbo Wholmes yes

[@henryg4377]

Harbo Wholmes is sometimes one of the most innuendoic whotubers.

[@thebeatleswin1]

Unrightfully*

[@MarieDesJardin]

As Russell T Davies explains in his book "The Writer’s Tale," he was a huge fan of JK Rowling. He was actively reading the Potter books during his time as showrunner, hence the reference to Book 7 in this episode. He wanted to feature Rowling as a guest artist in the 2008 Christmas Special, but David Tennant wasn't happy with that idea (for whatever reason), so Russell dropped it. I don't think we can blame anyone on the show for not anticipating a charged discussion that would take place 13 years in their future. Harbo, I think you did a fine job of calling out the controversies and shortcomings that haven't aged well. I don't always agree with your assessment of an episode, but you explain your viewpoint well and that makes it enjoyable to watch and discuss. Cheers.

[@GeriatricFan1963]

TBF J.K. Rowling had some dodgy takes that she had expressed during the 2000's (before she joined Twitter, so they weren't publicised as much) so it's possible David Tennant may have known back then. More likely though that he just doesn't like Harry Potter, and I can't blame him on that one, because neither do I.

[@brookek3116]

Edward Hunter had David Tennant been in a Harry Potter movie yet at that point or not?

[@MarieDesJardin]

​@@brookek3116 Yes, Tennant appeared in the 2005 Goblet of Fire movie before he joined the Doctor Who set. @Edward Hunter - interesting; RTD never seemed to find out DT's objections. Personally, I thought it was because Rowling wasn't an actor and DT might consider that a risk, but I really don't know

[@artemis3181]

As Rowling is very against Scottish independence, David might have had an issue with that

[@irrevenant8724]

The episode or its creators can't be blamed for not anticipating the JK thing. It still makes it uncomfortable to rewatch the episode nowadays and you can't just pretend it's not there.

[@leonmayne797]

The cursed child was sucked into the funnel. It no longer existed, if it ever did.

[@garr_inc]

If only it were true. If only...

[@henryg4377]

Err... what?

[@nightowl8477]

This one's a little dull at times, but it's mostly just a romp. Just comfort food, you know?

[@bonniethesans5923]

What?????????????????????????????????

[@nightowl8477]

@@bonniethesans5923 - what?????

[@nightowl8477]

@@bonniethesans5923 - it is good for what it is, it's just not trying to be anything special.

[@zombilicious]

"But..muh racism"

[@abcdefgh6951]

This was the first episode of doctor who I ever saw, I got immediately engaged, but the only other episode I managed to find was night terrors which, looking back, got me really confused lol and then it took years untill I last year redescovered it again, and now doctor who is a big part of my life, so this episode is really something special for me

[@nomore.1598]

Aww that's so cool, it was definitely one of my favorites tho I'm not really sure why haha

[@massy7699]

This one was also my first episode, stumbling on it during the climax. I remember thinking "what the hell is this what is going on here wtf" and I was so confused I actually sticked for the following 2 episodes (because the tv channel broadcasting them would put 3 episodes a day). Cut to a week later and I was a full blown whovian digging the internet for the classics x). And now it's been 7 years of obsession with Doctor Who because of the Shakespeare Code lol

[@wil2209]

ONE OF US ONE OF US

[@danm3882]

This was my first ever Doctor Who episode I watched. The day before this episode was broadcast my neighbour bought me a dalek Easter egg and wanted to know what it was off and decided to watch this episode. I’ve never looked back. One of my favourite shows and I’m very grateful to my neighbour!

[@prettyoriginalnameprettyor7506]

I feel like I had a similar egg

[@danm3882]

@@prettyoriginalnameprettyor7506 was it a black dalek sec one?

[@thehorrorcounselors4747]

It’s not just the story that’s lacklustre. it’s the dynamic between Martha and the Doctor, Martha is more or less undermined and is only there to fill in Roses shadow, and the thing is it’s like this the majority of season 3...Martha deserved so much better treatment from the Doctor.

[@thewhofandom6711]

I agree

[@iusedtowrite6667]

So true, Doctor came across as ajerk in this episode. He was unnecessarily rude to Martha and was generally awful to her. If he didn't like her flirting then he should've just turned her down properly, instead of playing her around and giving her fake hope.

[@shwenty1734]

I never understood this point of view. Maybe in like the first few episodes she wasn't given as much appreciation but from the Lazarus Experiment onward she is respected and appreciated by the Doctor. He didn't really do anything wrong, she was in love with him. Not really his fault.

[@shwenty1734]

@@iusedtowrite6667 He wasn't rude or awful to her. He clearly didn't know she fancied him and even if he did she should have realised he wasn't interested and calmed down.

[@iusedtowrite6667]

@@shwenty1734 He was though. Atleast in the beginning, he was kinda condesending to her. And yeah I get that its her crush on him. But he could've easily said no and reject her crush respectfully. Rather he kept his flirty-ish attitude and did string her up. Even in later episodes, he still compared her to Rose, expecially when they met up with Cap Jack,the two kept talking about Rose and how amazing rose was. If thats not rude, i dont know what is

[@Tulf42]

1:11 I'm glad someone else acknowledges and likes the continuity of picking up from the previous episode to help make it feel like the audience is joining in with the series long adventure and not missing out on any adventures in between TV episodes so you don't miss out on character development either. However I make the exception that at the times of original broadcast, you could join in with some off screen stories like the comic strips in Doctor Who Magazine and Adventures as it kept you thinking about the show during the week as well as talking about it with other people.

[@danm3882]

I wonder if Peter Streete was in the asylum because he accidentally run to Windsor

[@PoissonVisageStudios]

This episode's a fucking banger. Yeah, there's a few lines that don't age well when you know Gareth Robert's stance on transgender rights, but they worked back in the day and they work now with the originally assumed contexts. Like: "Men dressed as women. London never changes", I always just thought of as drag queens, who aren't claiming to be women, it's just an act. I also have no issue with Shakespeare hitting on Martha either, because it alludes to her being "the dark lady" from his sonnets, which is nice, and he doesn't say anything racist to her. Sure, you can't call someone a "blackamoor" these days, but the episode's set in 1599. Language has changed and his intentions are clearly not malicious. I think it works that Shakespeare was given a romantic personality, given how many sonnets he wrote and how love is such a huge theme of his works. Also, all the JK Rowling love, I just think that in the Doctor Who universe, she never wrote the abomination that is The Cursed Child and stayed off twitter. Anyway, The Doctor is close friends with waaaaay more questionable figures. He loves Winston Churchill and smiled as Queen Elizabeth joked about beheading people.

[@paddystrongjaw9995]

Yo man how is Winston Churchill questionable.

[@PoissonVisageStudios]

@@paddystrongjaw9995 I'm still a fan of Churchill and what he did for the British during the war, he just did a lot of bad shit too, like cause some famines in India and there's a lot of quotes of him talking about how the white race is so much superior to any other as well.

[@paddystrongjaw9995]

@@PoissonVisageStudios he didn’t cause the famines, the war did, and if anything he wanted to relive the famine. And a lot of the quotes about white people being superior are from second hand accounts or during angry outbursts.

[@marinettedorien8236]

Yeah it’s not weird for Shakespeare to say those things, but it obviously would impact Martha, so the Doctor could have had a very simple ‘no’ moment, almost a bit like when he just said ‘no’ to Rose when she tried a Scottish accent in series two. It didn’t have to be a big deal, but he should of just said ‘no don’t say that’ to Shakespeare and just move on

[@sparshjohri1109]

@@paddystrongjaw9995 India was being made to export food to Britain at the time it was going through the famine, and Churchill definitely supported that policy

[@silviasanchez648]

I don't see what's wrong with Shakespeare's lines. That was a time when people of other races in England were a rarity, something exotic. Maybe we should all stop trying to fix the past and make it work and look to fit modern eyes and concepts? To me, the episode was good. I actually liked it even when Martha is among my less favourite companions.

[@chriswagg1354]

I agree....though Martha was one of my favourite companions

[@Slacktionman]

You can still accept that this was what was said and their views at the time and recognise that they are wrong. You learn from past mistakes.

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

AFK Browsing zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@Slacktionman]

Eccremocarpus scaber cheers for contributing nothing to the conversation. Next time don’t waste you time

[@silviasanchez648]

@@Slacktionman I'm not saying they were right, I'm saying that if you make 15th-16th Century people speak like nowadays it will sound stupid and out of place. Also, I rather have authors let me judge by myself what is right and what is wrong. I don't want them preaching and telling what I'm supposed to think. I have a brain of my own and I'd like to use it, thank you very much.

[@Diamondlad]

Apart from 42 series 3 is a top tier series

[@timeofthewhoviansunited1504]

100% agree with you on that front.

[@TempoKong]

42 is a really good episode tho, way better than The Shakespeare Code One of Chibnall's best, I don't understand the hate for this one

[@timeofthewhoviansunited1504]

@@TempoKong I love 42 and think it's a really good episode. I'm the only member of this channel to like it - Corey

[@a-cxnt]

@@TempoKong 42 is the most mediocre doctor who episode, in my opinion.

[@Diamondlad]

To be clear I'm not saying 42 is awful however in my current rewatch of series 3 I got up to 42 and wasn't particularly enthusiastic to watch it however it is a novel concept of a living sun possessing and picking off the crew as revenge for using it as fuel however my one grievance is with the "chibnall timer" in this episode and cold blood chibnall relies on a timer to move the plot along

[@DCSMedia]

I still enjoy this one. I just find it a fun romp

[@andreabaas5597]

You make some interesting points, not all of which I agree with. I think what is actually brilliant about the episode is the Doctor being oblivious/d*ckish to Martha, b/c it shows just how fragile his feelings are despite being from an “advanced civilization.” He doesn’t grieve well (we saw that in series 1, esp). It took him most of S1 to open up to Rose about the Time War; S3 he spends getting over the loss of Rose. And each companion has to suffer thru his immaturity when this grief happens. Someone else mentioned Martha deserved better treatment, and they’re absolutely right. But I think the Doctor’s behavior is consistent with his character.

[@linkypoo4444]

As a wise man once said, "Nonny nonny."

[@nl7567]

I quite liked how Shakespeare was given a quite racist/ sexist personality. It reflects back to the 'don't meet your heroes' thing and is more realistic. A lot of famous, iconic people from the past would likely have had problematic views because of the times they lived in, and I like that this episode doesn't shy away from that and instead shows that you can respect someone's talent while also recognising that they are far from perfect. Although I do agree that the doctor and martha should have condemned him a bit more for it

[@marinettedorien8236]

Yeah they could have had even just a small moment of the Doctor saying ‘no.’ In it

[@PsyrenXY]

My issue wasn't how they portrayed Shakespeare, it was the Doctor going along with it when he of all people should know better.

[@t.j.armendariz354]

I think the point in time that it was filmed (and the healthier perspective) is that we shouldn’t applaud racism or sexism but when you do a period piece you acknowledge that that was the belief at the time and there’s little to nothing you can do about it as a time traveler, you are an interloper and to interfere risks messing up the fixed points of the fact that that is the known attitude of the time. Also in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, in Europe, colored people were viewed as exotic and so to be treated with respect and care, not as lesser, as such the doctor dismissing it as a possible risk is reasonable. That’s not to say there was never racism but racism was more an American thing than a European thing.

[@PsyrenXY]

@T.J. Armendariz except the Doctor calls out historical figures all the time. You don't have to change history to point out when someone is being a d__k to your companion

[@KatieRuby]

This is one of those episodes that everyone else seems to dislike but it must be one of my most rewatched! I just really enjoy it and I love Dean Lennox Kelly as Shakespeare 😊

[@jvblhc]

I always liked it. It was an average episode, some good parts, some bad. But I've been through season three several times (as well as season four) and I never skip over The Shakespeare Code. The two-part Dalek episodes and The Lazarus Experiment, yes. Skippable every time for me.

[@krustykrabmeat6881]

Ahhh I dunno I love this episode, it’s silly it’s fun, it has its flaws but gah Shakespeare man

[@ForeverTraitor]

I remember the voodoo doll drowning really freak me out as a kid. The witches in general really freaked me out.

[@jmace2424]

I always felt like the Shakespeare character in this episode appreciates Martha’s beauty.

[@justuspariah]

This was my first Doctor Who episode and I am a fan of Shakespearean literature, so this episode holds a special place in my heart.

[@nightowl8477]

4;40 at least David had the decency to read it sarcastically.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

I originally thought it was *written* to be sarcastic as well but then Roberts unzipped his forehead and dropped the skin suit

[@TheCagedCorvid]

Yeah, you can see from his delivery that he didn't want to say it. I think sarcastic was his only opinion...

[@FlamingoSundew]

I would love one with jfk

[@GeriatricFan1963]

I think a story set during the Cuban Missile Crisis involving JFK could be really interesting. I really hope they don't ever do one about his assassination in Dallas as that's been (quite literally) done to death by every series under the sun; the only recent time travel story that kind of bought an interesting angle to it was Stephen King's book 11:22:63 which was about a modern day school teacher who goes back to stop Oswald from doing the assassination, and ends up having to live in the past for several years. (because the time machine he discovers only takes him to 1958) They also did a TV series where James Franco plays the school teacher; it's not bad, but it pales in comparison to the book.

[@dr.zoidberg8778]

technically the doctor has already been there hasn't he? When Clive shows Rose the pictures of him in S1E1 he shows one of him in the crowd at his assassination

[@FlamingoSundew]

@@dr.zoidberg8778 imagine we got a special episode with Christopher Eccleston goign to jfk

[@dr.zoidberg8778]

@@FlamingoSundew that'd be cool, could explain what he was doing in each of the pictures, though I do like the mystery of it in the original

[@FlamingoSundew]

@@dr.zoidberg8778 yeah understandable have a nice day

[@itzimperiumxvi2620]

Is there a 10 hour version of Shakespeare Saying Nonny nonny. It would really make my year

[@0GallifreyGirl0]

"Shakespeare Code is awful" Me: *flings down gauntlet* you wanna go

[@Twxst616]

I still love this episode, the idea of words in sentences having the same power as numbers in equations really stayed with me as a kid, and it gets bonus points for having Martha in it (most underrated companion)

[@nathanmcgowran8898]

I had the opportunity to perform at the Globe Theatre a couple years ago and literally all I could think of while I was there was this episode 😂 So I have kind of a soft spot for it now, despite the fact it was written by an arsehole, gushes over another arsehole, and turns both Shakespeare and the Doctor into arseholes.

[@timeofthewhoviansunited1504]

For the most part, I always find this one rather fun. Yeah the Doctor is an absolute t**t and some of the dialogue is a bit off. The Carrionites are goofy but do pose as decent villains. I'd say I prefer The Unquiet Dead which is spooky, atmospheric really interesting - Corey

[@jvblhc]

The Unquiet Dead was the episode that made me decide I was in for the entire series.

[@iusedtowrite6667]

This episode had so much potential but they waste it all. It could've been interesting one to further revolve around how Martha is a black woman in 16th century England, you've could have had a very powerful episode with DW's first Black companion. But no instead we got pervy shakespeare

[@Jackgames-vg7cw]

True but a good episode for that was the family of blood as it showed how she was treated like shit

[@munchies4532]

So basically you wanted am episode which revolves around someones skincolor. Do you see how stupid and shallow it is?? But i suppose when you are obsessed with race thats what happens.

[@iusedtowrite6667]

@@munchies4532 i'm not asking for an episode revolving skin colour. I just want them to address that being black in Shakespearean England isnt exactly the norm. It could more to this episode and rather than just brushing It aside they could address this in a more mature way.

[@Jackgames-vg7cw]

its g u mean how it was dealt with in family of blood

[@iusedtowrite6667]

@@Jackgames-vg7cw Exactly. That episode was amazing in the way it dealt with the period typical racism without becoming too overbearing.

[@SilverStormShadow]

I'm of the opinion that this episode was never good, it's one of my least favourite episodes of the Tennant era, I just find it so BORING. The part where the 10th Doctor is talking about Rose in the inn is an interesting one because, yes, the Doctor is rude to Martha, but I don't think it's intentional, woth this scenario, you've got to put yourself in his position, imagine you were the last of your species, no friends or family anywhere in the universe, and you feel like you can't redeem yourself in any way, then you find someone who not only is your friend, but actually loves you, and you love them, and they want to spend all their time with you, and then you lose them. The Doctors character at that time would have 100% blamed himself for what happened to Rose, he loved her and she loved him, he's heartbroken, and Martha constantly reminds him of Rose, and while Rose wasn't as smart as Martha, and arguably not as helpful as Martha is, she was always there for the Doctor emotionally, she helped him get through everything, and recover from everything that's happened to him over the time war. I really enjoy how this is played out throughout not only this episode but the whole season.

[@kat369-mine]

So what makes you think Shakespeare Wasn't a racist and a sexist? He was a white, lettered, fairly well off male of his time. OF Course he was a racist and a sexist. Nobody would believe it if he wrote him differently. As for the Doctor keeping himself distanced from Martha..he still pretty much doesn't want anyone along who he might get attached to. He's setting her up to Not like him, in self defense. Don't tell me he didn't or couldn't hear everything she was saying and feeling. He had to keep her at arm's length.

[@nfe440]

One of my favorite DW episodes. Also, back then "Expeliamus" was just a random non-violent spell, well before it became important in later HP books

[@mayotango1317]

Shakespeare feel more a beard Jack Harkness.

[@fran_03]

probably underrated opinion but I actually love this episode! the score for it was excellent too, I feel like Murray Gold doesn't get enough credit for this episode's music

[@thelordsoftime7025]

Expelliarmus Expelliarmus!! EXPELLIARMUS!!!!

[@jessicaable5095]

Since old will had a habit of making up words, I'm honestly surprised he didn't decide to use that 😂

[@TheCagedCorvid]

N...no... don't do that...

[@FreakyTeeth]

Honestly I think the historical episodes of rtd's era are amongst the best. The thing about RTD's era is that it takes the historical differences between past, present and future to a level Moffat and Chibnall's just cannot do. In Chibnall's the differences are made out so overtly it almost distracts from the main focus of the episodes completely. In Moffat's the differences are joked out of significance. In RTD's era they are addressed, but they are not ridiculed or overly emphasized. The genius of RTD's era is that the historical episodes present the characters from the different eras in ways that make them both very different from what we in present-day earth are mostly like, and at the same time they're presented as remarkably relatable. In the victorian-era episodes, this episode, the coronation-day episode, the year 5 billion episodes, the father's day episode, heck even the ones when they just slam the characters somewhere on a space-positioned place in the future and with, the exception of the girl in the fireplace, they stay there, the characters from other eras are presented in ways that we the viewers who come from this period, can relate to. Mind you I reckon this is more to do with the superb acting of the actors rather than the brilliance of the writers. This is what I love about the RTD era: relatability of the characters. In RTD's era when I first watched the episodes when they first came out, I always turned away when someone got hit by an extermination ray or got "deleted", because the music, the context, the details given by the dr, the effects and the screams of the people dying, made me feel just as afraid as i imagine the characters felt and my child-self couldn't bear to watch it and in a way because of that I was even more hyped for the following episode that'd continue the story. Modern-day Dr who on the other hand, has made the characters be they very funny, like in the Moffat era, or, frankly, dull and annoying like in Chibnall's era, very unrelatable. So yeah, this episode can be seen as forgettable by a lot of hardcore fans, it has its moments I honestly would've preffered it if they left out, like Dolly Baiey dying of fright, it plays into Shakespeare's "fraily thy name is woman" sexism, that i don't like him for. And I think the way i which the writers make the doctor and, implicitly the carrionites, out to be sort of inspirations for some of Shakespeare's most famous works, is a bit...well...offensive to Shakespeare's imaginative talent. I personally can translate Shakespeare very easily, so i appreciate his genius even if i find most of his characters appalling. It's important to note however that when it comes to Shakespeare, if you'll pardon me quoting "Father's day": "the past is another country they do things differently there". By the tudor era standards, Shakespeare was actually for the most part a really open-minded man and he really did create a lot of very relevant and inspirational quotes and he really did have a deep understanding of how people for his time thought and acted and in his plays he demonstrates this. I think the brilliance of this episode comes from the talent of the actors playing the roles, more so than the dictations of the writer. The writer of this episode, felt like too much of an exploiter of other people's works to be honest.

[@Fairly-odd-kel]

It's strange I was just thinking about this episode when this popped up lol

[@elberno4243]

Marco Polo is a celebrity historical. Leonardo was a celebrity in a historical (City Of Death) Einstein is a prisoner (Time & The Rani) The Highway man, Richard ?name escapes me? (Talons Went Chiang) was a real historical figure Horas, is a historical celebrity (Pyramids Of Mars, if real) Loch Ness being home to a Zygon ship, is as close to historical as any truth. In whoniverse... Keeper Of Trakken was a galaxy wide calebrity and a historical episode... OK, Even I think I'm overstretching that pedancy😂😂 But, at least, only Marco Polo and maybe Horas, were ever vital characters within theIr stories, the rest were all inconsequential Great video friend, I actually never realised the celebrity element was in the formular or that they are just repeating a format every season. Oh dear

[@charleshenderson-blake5633]

While slavery was a thing, racism against other races is a relatively new phenomenon among European descended people (within the last 500 years). Genetic studies, especially on Viking burials show that British and Northern European populations "danced" very, very frequently with non-white populations from Southern Europe and other continents. The history books are having to be rewritten because of the DNA studies. Further, in most of history people largely defaulted to a beige or light brown skin tone so the idea that Martha would be the one out of place in past eras is just playing into Victorian stereotypes. With only a few exceptions did racial narratives play a role in the clashes between ancient cultures. Usually it was about religion and different technology levels with the more sophisticated technology claiming cultural superiority whether that was right or wrong.

[@skittybug6937]

There's one more unmentioned line that's also aged like milk and seems extremely out of place for a timeless being such as the Doctor, which adds onto the whole terrible aging of the "Good old J.K" line. Martha's ignorance of Shakespearean performances only being played by men results in the line "are those men dressed as women?" To which the Doctor responds "London never changes." As a trans girl, that kinda just doesn't sit right at all and I struggle to understand why the Doctor would make that sort of comment. Surely his default state is that of progressivism, especially when one considers he pretty much said acceptance of Captain Jack's bisexuality was inevitable. Why - in a meta context at least - would he not feel the same way about the trans community? It's just another pretty icky example of a time travel show being limited by the attitudes present in society at time of writing.

[@gay4sswhovian]

As myself trans the Doctor's line is more about Drag than us trans people I think

[@skittybug6937]

@@gay4sswhovian Either way, considering drag is and always has been part of queer culture you'd think that the Doctor would be more understanding. But I'm glad the show is fixing these outdated notions in this year's specials, what with Donna's daughter. That legitimately makes me happy.

[@SusannaEmily]

My sister and I always used to enjoy this one when we were younger

[@leifhelland6313]

I sorta like this one. Might just be s3 nostalgia, and I had forgotten that political correctness line. Yikes

[@redactedredacted6656]

I can't remember who said it but somebody in the confidential episode for said that The Shakespeare Code said Shakespeare was inspired by a bunch of charismatic rock stars and pop stars. It would have been interesting if the episode leaned more into that and did more deconstruction of that kind of persona. But I get that The Shakespeare Code was meant to be a romp and not like one of the later historical figure character pieces.

[@matthewc3135]

I honestly love this episode. It's really fun

[@masterjedi343]

I like this episode well enough. The Doctor talking about the last HP book and how he cried is still sort of accurate

[@SchardtCinematic]

This is personally one of my favorite episodes because it's so out there. I like how he defeats the witches.

[@Im_Evie_Now]

"He ends up sounding more like a racist sex pest than an influential writer" Why can't he be both?

[@BradLad56]

4:41 Ok two things: 1. Racism as a concept didn't exist in Shakespeare's time genius, and 2. Blackamoor was not an offensive term. It was a general term used to refer to dark skinned people.

[@shibolinemress8913]

The Shakespeare Code's music is some my favourite in all of DW!

[@kadette]

I thought this was one of the most defining series 3 episodes for the new time. I love it, accurate or not

[@thestabbybrit4798]

Shakespeare was not racist in this episode. There would be no reason for anyone to be racist towards her. This is 16th century England, not 19th century USA.

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

There’s no point.

[@thestabbybrit4798]

@@eccremocarpusscaber5159 what do you mean?

[@ColourMagician]

Exactly the same here as many other people, unsubbing, especially as I'm someone from these backgrounds people feel the need to pander to, to condescend to. In The Family of Blood, Banes makes a joke about Martha, based on her race at the start, as they go on it's made clear that she is to "know her place" for similar reasons... that's all that's needed. Its realistic, its grounded and it's entertaining to watch. For some reason, certain people seem to think that I need to have episodes one after another, where characters spout racist, sexist, derogatory remarks, so that I can go "yeah that bad". It's the most insulting shit imaginable, when people start white knighting for issues that don't concern them, I don't need to be told what I already know is right and wrong. Like wtf do these people expect? That a character from a certain time period acts like a character from that time period, and it'll be presented though it were Mein Kampf, with an explanation before and after about why it's wrong? I'd bet 90% of the people reading this have no idea what JK Rowling's personal views are, they just base their assumptions on quick article headlines and reddit posts. The same people mostly have no idea what it's like to grow up poor, an ethnic minority, struggle with their sexuality, gender identity, etc. They just base it on the idea that all these things make a person so fragile that they need constant pandering and a few emotional support dogs. Seriously, if you can't learn to accept other people's views, or tolerate other people's views, at least learn to understand them, otherwise you're no different from the other sad end of the internet who you see as evil.

[@CryptoSeb]

Last time I was this early David Tennant was still the Best Doctor ❤

[@garylouk8776]

He still is

[@ihavekalashnikovyoudomath9275]

@@garylouk8776 Maybe before Matt

[@captainkiwi77]

Gary Louk personally I’m a big capaldi and Tom baker fan but tenants still legendary. Of course my favorites the hufflepuff King matt

[@lovetolovefairytales]

He still is!

[@MichaelM28]

He was never the best Doctor!

[@mothost6929]

Cleary the episode would have been majorly improved if they made the witches green and tiny with semi transparent skin.

[@leoharrison7449]

I feel like people go out of their way to try and hate This episode just because Gareth Roberts wrote it so they can look woke even though the episode has literally nothing to do with anything he said years later

[@supamat4]

i looked into what he said and its nothin. i dont think anybody complaining bout him actually know what he did

[@Lutgerion]

10:15 The way her hair moves with her eyelashes

[@elliotcrossan6290]

"...even saying that Rose would know what's going on, but what she really?!" Lol nope, Martha is SO much smarter than Rose! Rose frequently fucks up big time in Series 1, unlike Martha the GOAT 😇

[@maouliamediaofficial]

Error: the first celebrity historical wasn't written by T Davies. It was written by Mark Gatiss

[@ToxinWolffe]

Who else wants a Guitar cover of Beethoven's Fifth?

[@silviasanchez648]

MEEEE!!!!

[@emperorleachicus2199]

Have you seen this from the soundtrack of Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ6QpmWKoraBjpI

[@bammyplays3106]

I wish the doctor will stop mentioning rise in season 3

[@doctortehe]

It gets old so quickly and it's so irritating. Like fuck sake, dry your eyes Ten

[@intergalactic92]

Spoiler alert, he doesn’t.

[@bammyplays3106]

Ik he doesn't I've watched Dr Who billions of times

[@mollgrn]

young men did find shakespeare rather cute, guess i’ve always been a fan of fluffy long hair and flowy shirts

[@robertrowles5450]

Sorry, but I disagree with you on this one. It's one of my favourite Tennant stories, and beautifully done if - like me - you love Shakespeare. It would have felt completely fake - a bit like Bill explaining her lesbianism to a bunch of Roman legionaries and getting rapt attention with no backchat - if Gareth Roberts had purged all the casual racism. Also, as other commentators have noted, Shakespeare's language to describe Martha was pretty mild - mostly complimentary - and used words taken from the plays. Then consider Martha's response: bluntly putting him in his place - pointing out he had a wife and his breath stank. He just gave up. He didn't sexually assault her, or do anything to justify a strong denunciation. Playing it for laughs seems appropriate for an element relegated the background of the story as written. To complain about the Doctor not giving a lecture on race, or Shakespeare talking bollox to try and seduce a black woman, doesn't seem fair. It's a romp: the main themes were alien witches and the power of Shakespeare's words: I thought they were handled very well. I even appreciated the J K Rowling comparison at the end. Whatever you or I might think of her views on gender, she's a great writer.

[@justhavingalook7857]

Me: *watches a critical video* Also me: How dare you critique this?!

[@msredfox]

The line "Good old JK" now makes me cringe super hard, considering her hate filled posts these days

[@abcdefgh6951]

When you interpret the "good old jk" line in a way like, that the old does literally mean the old jk, that it means the image we used to think of her as, the cool writer, the cool person that wrote Harry Potter, and we could feel cool about interacting with trough reading her work listening to interviews and stuff... This way it isn't outdated, it's kinda bitter-sweet, yeah good old jk, she used to be that person in my eyes...

[@GeriatricFan1963]

That was a lie though; JK was always a bigot, the only difference now is that her transphobia and fearmongering is much more blatant and visible on social media; it's not like she woke up one day and suddenly decided out of nowhere that she hated trans people. And TBH, loads of writers (And in my opinion many of them significantly better ones) went for the wizarding schtick in the 90's; Rowling was just the lucky one who happened to get rich and famous. I don't begrudge anyone who enjoys or grew up with those books, but personally I never had much fun with them as a kid; they felt like a dull chore to read. I was way more into Terry Pratchett. (I remember asking my Dad early into Chamber of secrets if we had to keep reading this, and he said: "Actually, no we don't." And we started reading Wee Free Men instead. Best decision we ever made.)

[@abcdefgh6951]

@@GeriatricFan1963 I am not saying that she suddenly changed, she was always like that, by the old jk I basically mean the person she never was, but we thought she is

[@zombilicious]

You toxic fans need to stop reading too deeply into light drama.

[@MichaelM28]

she still is that person dumbass

[@MichaelM28]

@@GeriatricFan1963 JK Rowling is not a bigot you brain-dead leftist snowflake!

[@The12thDoctor]

"Good Old JK!" That didn't age well.

[@garylouk8776]

I don’t get why that hasn’t aged well someone explain

[@The12thDoctor]

@@garylouk8776 J.K Rowling did some transphobic tweets.

[@thejfoshow1320]

Severus RBLX can still compliment her work on Pottwr

[@shwenty1734]

@@The12thDoctor "transphobic"

[@astra3310]

It really didn’t

[@HiperPivociarz]

Gareth Roberts praising J.K. Rowling is strangely prophetic of the kind of people they both turned out to be.

[@mayotango1317]

The Cancel Culture are just bad.

[@HiperPivociarz]

@@mayotango1317 Not as bad as transphobia.

[@Dr3Mc3Ninja]

S rank episode. Fight me.

[@intergalactic92]

Harbo: the line "political correctness gone mad" is especially bad considering who wrote it. Me: why? Who wrote it? *looks up Gareth Roberts*.... Ohhhhh.....

[@Abra_Dan]

Not just his comments but the fact the he is gay himself shook me. Reminded me to much of Candace Owens being obviously racist.

[@jmace2424]

To everyone who grits their teeth at the line “Good ole JK”, just imagine it stands for “Just Kidding” and it will be okay because everyone knows Harry Potter was an act of spontaneous creation that had no author.

[@mayotango1317]

No, the Tenth Doctor is a Harry Potter fanboy.

[@gay4sswhovian]

​@@mayotango1317 Not really The Doctor just like human fictions in general lol he's a huge fan of Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens too lol

[@shanerulez79]

Does he not sleep because of his memories of the Time War? Horrors of his past keeping him up?

[@xenon8117]

With 12s zygon speech then that could well be a part of it.

[@robertperry8636]

"That hasn't aged very well, considering the writer." What are you implying?

[@gay4sswhovian]

Gareth Roberts is a huge transphobic person

[@laborincana4490]

This is one of my favorite episodes. Not for the doctor. He is more himself and unlikable , at least for me. Carrionites as The 3 witches, go to MACBETH. Shakespeare hitting Martha, go to Shakespeare sonnets, THE DARK LADY. And maybe OTHELLO, because of Martha preferences to go away with the Dr.,instead of staying with him. A lot of Shakespearean literature. I love this episode.

[@SuperZez]

"Easy for you to say when you're white." Dude, he's been all over, to planets where he's an obvious, visible minority and in the same situation Martha is in now.

[@MikeyPFilm]

Hate to break it to you, none of that is real. But kids picking up on the doctor being dismissive of POCs worries about racism is. It's just an irresponsible line from such an influential character as the doctor

[@gay4sswhovian]

That's why we need more Doctors who aren't a white man (they're not Cishet though) so we can show it more from their eyes than just being an alien

[@roryevans4295]

Have any of the lines aged horribly tho really, we’re still half way through a second Harry Potter world film franchise, so those lines are still relevant today, it’s not like everyone forgot who jk Rowling was, for good or bad she’s still selling books as a relevant author, she’s gone back and retroactively made too many characters gay that had no gay tendencies (I’m gay so I can say that) but she’s defiantly not irrelevant, and I don’t think you can say that line aged badly

[@lateralhistory]

One gay character is too many gay characters? I don't think she Word of Gayed anyone but Dumbledore, did she? And I think we all knew what was up with him and Grindelwald in the canon without needing it spelled out for us. I never understood why people were shocked at her confirming that.

[@roryevans4295]

carraigrose 50 no it’s the background characters she highlighted as gays on pottermore because she wanted to feel more inclusive when in reality to a gay person it’s more offensive to retcon a character in to being gay to gain exclusivity points, instead of just writing a gay character straight from the off, she messes with work she did years ago too much like George Lucas, so what you didn’t write any gay characters in Harry Potter 20 years ago when you were writing them, you don’t need to suddenly transform them in to gays now, I don’t know a single gay person that looked at Harry Potter and said “I feel underrepresented, I’m not watching/reading this” nobody gave a fuck none of the characters were gay, I’d just like people to stop shoehorning gay characters into their products were they don’t belong, if the characters was originally written gay that fine, but don’t make a straight married with kids characters like Loki in all Norse mythology and marvel comics gay all of a sudden for inclusivity clout, just write a new gay character it’s really not very hard

[@jdg9825]

lol this is kind of a guilty pleasure ep

[@desmondcoppin591]

Shakespeare wasn’t even a very racist or sexist person for his time. He also wrote a lot of works that seemed to go against those things, even though some of his other works may not. I just think that for the time, Shakespeare was actually a generally open-minded person.

[@KingKhanAbz]

Shakespeare actually had a play planned called Loves Labor Won but it was never found so it's a good Easter egg. And I think Shakespeare casual racism is good. Honestly bruv, in the 21st Century I've been described as exotic too so I was like, I can relate! 😂

[@user-nu5ky7gn7n]

Yeah I never felt too attached to this episode.

[@supamat4]

Whats with the JK hate. oh no, we cant enjoy anything JK related because she believes the experience of being a woman is intrinsically tied to her biology, and because she has these personal views and opinion that are never expressed through her writings..... because she has had those 'extremist' yet worldwide generally accepted perspective we must hate JK..... grow up

[@WinterGray8888]

'not only is he casually racist' well, so was everybody back then. Not that weird

[@irrevenant8724]

0:00 "This episode has aged awfully". Umm, no, it was *always* pretty terrible. xD IMO the main reason this episode exists is to establish the power of stories as technology because that would be very important in the season finale.

[@Murrlin27]

"Sleep? Sleep is for turtles!"

[@frickinnancymain]

who is JK? All i know is emma watson that wrote all the harry potter books 🤩

[@Joey15811]

This one is good. One of the better historicals imho

[@intergalactic92]

I always enjoyed this episode. It is unfortunate that certain individuals have become infamous in recent times but I don’t think it’s fair to judge the episode for that, it’s not like they knew that JK Rowling would reveal herself to be transphobic years later. Also I’m frankly getting sick of the complaint that the villains are too camp. I didn’t realise that we were watching an ultra serious biopic starring Daniel Day Lewis. This is supposed to be a fun romp through space and time. It’s no fun if the villains are bland and forgettable.

[@Tuxxxido]

People were so dramatic calling her transphobic when what she said wasn’t transphobic and trans people agreed with her … the only people who got offended were 11 year old girls on twitter

[@mahkimahkila6396]

@@Tuxxxido as a trans woman I 2nd this. Still won't stop the straight white leftys from "defending" us....

[@es89276]

This one is one of my favourite episodes

[@zombilicious]

I heard Henry Vll was a misogynist 😱😱 Apparently there are plans to go back to old problematic episodes of doctor who and dub over them. Like in the scene when Shakespere meets Martha, instead of calling her a lady of afrik it will instead say " hello person of colour what are your pro nouns hastag black lives matter, hastag words are violence " and instead of calling him Shakespere they have to change it to ColoniserSupremacist as Shakespere sounds too close to spear shaker which attacks Africans who use spears as a hunting method.

[@thewhofandom6711]

What your favourite season of doctor who

[@TheWolfXCIX]

How was Shakespeare "racist" to Martha? Idk man I think you're being too sensitive

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

WOLF like most folk at the minute. Well, most folk on Twitter. Which blends into KZbin. Most people irl think this sort of shit is a load of bollocks.

[@jmace2424]

“There’s no such play as Love’s Labours Won. It never happened.” Wow, I must have missed where you were a time traveler in a Bootstrap Paradox situation and you actually wrote all of Shakespeare’s plays.

[@evanmccreesh268]

I mean, I get the comments defending this one, and I don’t think it’s a bad episode at all. But if this episode aired today people would tear it apart

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

Evan McCreesh that’s because people today need to get just a little bit of a grip. I hate white people deciding what’s racist and feeling the need to complain about it (not you - it’s not personal)