The Victorian Era (1837 to 1901, date fans) often receives a visit from the Doctor. It was a time of great peace and prosperity for the British Empire with bold scientific and technological advances.
There is much for the Time Lord here, with his beloved author Charles Dickens at work, as well as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was also when Darwin published earth-shattering work on the theory of evolution. Yet despite all the advances, there was still a great amount of poverty; gambling, drinking and prostitution were commonplace and violent criminals such as Jack the Ripper stalked the streets.
Here we’ve picked out our five favourite Victorian era Doctor Who stories…
‘The Evil of the Daleks’
By abducting the TARDIS, the scheming Daleks were able to reel in the Second Doctor and Jamie, transporting them back to 1866. The unconventional mode of transport was a homemade Victorian time machine constructed from static electricity and mirrors.
The Dalek plan involved coercing the Doctor to isolate ‘the human factor’, by performing tests on Jamie, believing it would grant them the ability to defeat the human race. Of course, the Doctor was one step ahead and his actions ultimately resulted in what looked to be a final end for his most famous foes. With plans to launch the creatures in their own US television series, it was a few years before they returned to menace Jon Pertwee in colour.
Of course, the most Victorian aspect of the story was probably the acquisition of a new companion. With her father Edward Waterfield killed by the Daleks, a young girl joined the Doctor and Jamie on their travels. Her name, most appropriately, was Victoria.
‘The Snowmen’
Post-Ponds, the Doctor chose to retire from the Universe-saving business. Withdrawing to the relative safety of London in 1892, he opted to park his TARDIS on a cloud near his loyal friends Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax.
There he remained until the mystery of Clara Oswin Oswald coaxed him out of his self-imposed slump. The call to adventure involved a battle with the Great Intelligence, an icy governess and an army of vicious Snowmen.
Crucially, the confusing question of Clara’s nature was posed and it looks set to rumble on all the way to Series 7’s finale.
‘Ghost Light’
A crashed alien survey ship in the basement of a Victorian house provided the vehicle for Season 26’s look at class, social climbing and the concept of evolution.
Set in the hamlet of Perivale in 1883, big game hunter Redvers Fenn-Cooper roams the house of Gabriel Chase. Driven mad by something he has seen, he claims to be hunting the Crowned Saxe-Coburg, i.e. Queen Victoria herself.
Marc Platt’s notoriously complex script was the last Doctor Who story of the original run to be produced, though shown second in the run. With a challenging storyline that demanded attention, it showed a callous side to the Doctor who wilfully brings Ace back to confront her childhood fears.
‘The Talons of Weng-Chiang’
A visit to London of 1889 saw the Doctor in Sherlock Holmes mode, deerstalker and all, encountering all manner of mysterious goings on. With the savage Leela in tow, they encounter a Chinese magician, a giant rat in the sewers, a Fu Manchu like figure from the future and the disturbing Peking Homunculus, Mr Sin.
Heralded as one of the series greats from legendary writer Robert Holmes, the story is also famous for the introduction of the unlikely investigating double-act Henry Gordon Jago, Music Hall Impresario, and George Litefoot, Forensic Pathologist. The pair, memorably brought to life by Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter, have since gone on to become the stars of their own entertaining audio series for Big Finish.
‘Tooth and Claw’
What could be more Victorian than Queen Victoria herself? This tale from David Tennant’s first run teamed the Doctor, Rose and the monarch up against Kung Fu monks and a werewolf in a tussle for control of the throne.
Set in 1879, late in Victoria’s reign, Russell T Davies’ tale turns on the legacy of Prince Albert and his obsession with the Star of India, a giant jewel more properly known as the Koh-I-Noor diamond.
The werewolf in question turned out to be a Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform, which had fallen to Earth some centuries earlier and had survived moving from host to host with the assistance of the Brethren who worshipped it.
After defeating the Wolf, Her Majesty’s gratitude soon turned to fear as she Knighted and banished the Doctor and Rose in the same ceremony, establishing the Torchwood Institute to defend the realm from future alien threats.
What’s your favourite Victorian episode of Doctor Who? Let us know below…
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