Historical "Dr. Who" Story Suggestions

[Big Orange]

What historical stories on Earth do you want to see in Doctor Who? Here are my suggestions:

1930/40s Serial Adventure - An Indiana Jones style adventure along the lines of Raiders of the Lost Ark with booby traps, gung-ho grave robbers, desert/jungle chases and evil Nazis explorers.

1700s Piracy - Pirates, privateers, pirate ports, hidden coves, Royal Navy, the French and treasure hordes. Can't go wrong.

The Conquistadors - There has been an popular Aztec story from the Hartnel era, but we can come back to the Aztecs and Incas when the Spanish come round to kicking their doors down (the dramatic story would work without aliens).

Elizabeth I - We can find out how the Doctor got on the wrong side of her in her youth.

Medeval Europe - Something similar to the hinted at Charlemagne story?

[Patrick Degan]

The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, 1917.

The American Civil War.

Early 6th Century Britain —finding the "real" story of King Arthur.

Feudal Japan —before the time of the segoku.

15th century Transylvania —a look at the real Count Dracula, a.k.a. Vlad Tepes.

Just off the top of my head.

[Kanastrous]

The Great Game - military and commercial espionage across South and Central Asia. Russian maneuvers toward India. British adventuresomeness in Afghanistan.

The Doctor: You can't park your entire force out on the plain; the Bala Hissar is a perfectly good fortress. Put them *there*!

Lord Elphinstone: Don't tell me how to deploy an army!

[Gandalf]

I'd like him to meet Stalin, and not have anyone be a monster.

[Stark]

PROPER historicals don't need monsters.

Anything like the 2nd Doctor ones would work; no monsters, no real interaction with events (ie, no 'zomg stop Stalin' nonsense), just an adventure with Bad People against a Historical Backdrop.

[Gandalf]

PROPER historicals don't need monsters.

Anything like the 2nd Doctor ones would work; no monsters, no real interaction with events (ie, no 'zomg stop Stalin' nonsense), just an adventure with Bad People against a Historical Backdrop.

That'd be great.

S4 spoilers: That was the failing of the Agatha Christie episode, you've got a great mystery writer, but spend time pissing about with a wasp monster. Why not do an actual murder mystery?

[Stark]

Yeah, 20's Poirot shit would probably work just fine - the totally Victorian parts of Talons were awesome, and the plot would work fine without magic boxes and super aliens.

[Soontir C'boath]

15th century Transylvania —a look at the real Count Dracula, a.k.a. Vlad Tepes.

There is a pretty good audio story about it already with Peter Davison as the Doctor; here

Hmm, I wouldn't mind a story about oriental nations such as China and their Emperors.

[Uraniun235]

The Pig War could be a good comedy episode.

[DrMckay]

How 'bout the Great Game era- With Harry Paget Flashman?

ooH TEH AWESOMEZOR!!!!




or, some sort of sixties avenger-esque spy thriller.

Have they done a Western yet?

[Patrick Degan]

How 'bout the Great Game era- With Harry Paget Flashman?

ooH TEH AWESOMEZOR!!!!




or, some sort of sixties avenger-esque spy thriller.

Have they done a Western yet?

"The Gunfighters" (1965).

[mr friendly guy]

Are these historical episodes supposed to be only pure history like Patrick Troughton's "The Highlanders" or are we allowed aliens in it, like several episodes in the new series "Shakespeare code", "Tooth and claw" etc.

I personally find pure historical stories not as entertaining without a touch of the sci fi things. Personally I thought having a historical "vampire" story would work for Doctor who set in Victorian England would work, with the Doctor setting himself up as a Sherlock Holmes type figure.

It would also be interesting seeing a DW story in China. I would go for the closing stages of the Yuan dynasty where Mongol rule is about to be overthrown by Chinese rebellion, since the First doctor already visited the Yuan dynasty at its height "Marco Polo", it would be nice to see the doctor at the end.

[Patrick Degan]

Are these historical episodes supposed to be only pure history like Patrick Troughton's "The Highlanders" or are we allowed aliens in it, like several episodes in the new series "Shakespeare code", "Tooth and claw" etc.

I think what we're talking about here is something in the vein of the classical historicals —no monsters, no aliens. Which would be a refreshing break, though I think after they've had the Doctor essentially hanging around Earth a bit too much, you need to have one of these every other season and the rest of the time it's out in the wilds of time and space. But the occasional pure historical would do the programme a world of good and offer a rich storytelling vein to mine.

[Big Orange]

I'd say no aliens or aliens having a very minor role (like an alien artefact) would be genuinely refreshing with "The Unicorn and the Wasp" being vastly improved if it had no aliens and was played as a straight drama with no aliens, only that it involved the Doctor and his TARDIS (maybe have the episode more closely follow Agatha Christie's missing days, with the Doctor deciding to erase her memories after she stays inside the TARDIS for several days, maybe the who plot could've been about Agatha Christie getting lost in the TARDIS' lower levels after she accidently stumbles inside it after dumping her car).

You don't need aliens wanting to conquer/blow up the Earth in every historical story (or any kind of story) and you could make a very nerve wracking tale out of a alien-free historical setting (like a companion getting seperated from the Doctor right in the middle of the Battle of Kursk for example or she/he gets kidnapped by regular group of historical human bad guys who have no affilation with aliens).

[General Zod]

I'd say no aliens or aliens having a very minor role (like an alien artefact) would be genuinely refreshing with "The Unicorn and the Wasp" being vastly improved if it had no aliens and was played as a straight drama with no aliens, only that it involved the Doctor and his TARDIS (maybe have the episode more closely follow Agatha Christie's missing days, with the Doctor deciding to erase her memories after she stays inside the TARDIS for several days, maybe the who plot could've been about Agatha Christie getting lost in the TARDIS' lower levels after she accidently stumbles inside it after dumping her car).

You don't need aliens wanting to conquer/blow up the Earth in every historical story (or any kind of story) and you could make a very nerve wracking tale out of a alien-free historical setting (like a companion getting seperated from the Doctor right in the middle of the Battle of Kursk for example or she/he gets kidnapped by regular group of historical human bad guys who have no affilation with aliens).

That's kind of retarded considering the Doctor is an alien himself.

[Big Orange]

That's kind of retarded considering the Doctor is an alien himself.

*Sign* No other alien besides the Doctor himself and his TARDIS or course.

[NecronLord]

Obviously discounting the Doctor...

BO: He hardly needs to erase her memories. Plenty of other companions have just told no one...

[Patrick Degan]

Just as a fanfic possibility, but which would make a good episode... The TARDIS lands in No Man's Land during the American Civil War. A mortar barrage seperates the Doctor and companion, with one winding up on the Union side of the line and the other the Confederate. As the time travelers try to avoid being shot as spies, they happen to be unlucky enough to also be in their respective camps as scarlett fever is raging, and the companion contracts the disease.

[NecronLord]

That seems a bit contradictory with that crudwood episode that suggests a near perfect immune system is the result of repeated TARDIS travel. Though of course, near perfect isn't perfect.

[Patrick Degan]

That seems a bit contradictory with that crudwood episode that suggests a near perfect immune system is the result of repeated TARDIS travel. Though of course, near perfect isn't perfect.

Fortunately, Doctor Who isn't as wedded to its canon as other series. If the story demands it, it happens.

[mr friendly guy]

That seems a bit contradictory with that crudwood episode that suggests a near perfect immune system is the result of repeated TARDIS travel. Though of course, near perfect isn't perfect.

Fortunately, Doctor Who isn't as wedded to its canon as other series. If the story demands it, it happens.

Not to mention these things are relatively easy to explain away.

[Big Orange]

Patrick Deagan's Civil War story idea sounds like a rejigged "The Doctor's Daughter" to me, although far less cheesy.

Maybe the TARDIS pops up in the middle of the final fall of Constantinople, when the triple enwalled city gets penetrated by the numerically and technologically superior forces of the ascending Ottomon Empire?

Maybe we can finally have a meeting with a famous cultural icon from history that doesn't have goofy aliens intruding? Surely just the Doctor himself turning up in TARDIS is an anomalous enough occurance?

[Patrick Degan]

Patrick Deagan's Civil War story idea sounds like a rejigged "The Doctor's Daughter" to me, although far less cheesy.

Haven't seen that episode yet, and the idea's been bouncing around in my head for years.

[Zixinus]

A possibly bit offensive episode or sets of episodes:

The TARDIS detects a paradox and drops right into Hitler's Germany to prevent it from unfolding. It's still before the war but Hitler's personality and cult is already established, the average German is already pretty fanatic and sincerely believes in Hitler's words.

The basic plot is that some aliens or future humans want to kill Hitler. And the Doctor wants to stop them.

Basically a "to preserve the time-space continuum or else Very Bad Things Will Happen" plot but with an insight to the Doctor's self-image and responsibility as a Time Lord and a rather accurate insight into Hitler's Germany. To portray Hitler to the public as most people saw him at the time: a charismatic, visionary leader putting the country on a just path. Of course we can drop enough hints to show the hypocrite he is. Perhaps to show the night when he burned down all his opponents, while he gleefully laughs at the burning people?

The drama doesn't focuses on Hitler really, he is merely more of a backdrop character. The real drama is with the opposing charecters, the team sent to kill Hitler. A bunch of young kids with overly idealistic view of the world and a relatively bad understanding of history. Of course, the Doctor's companion, the ditz she usually is, is attracted to their cause.

The real issue is to show that people's view of the world constantly changes and sometimes we do learn from the past.

[Hillary]

A possibly bit offensive episode or sets of episodes:

The TARDIS detects a paradox and drops right into Hitler's Germany to prevent it from unfolding. It's still before the war but Hitler's personality and cult is already established, the average German is already pretty fanatic and sincerely believes in Hitler's words.

The basic plot is that some aliens or future humans want to kill Hitler. And the Doctor wants to stop them.

Basically a "to preserve the time-space continuum or else Very Bad Things Will Happen" plot but with an insight to the Doctor's self-image and responsibility as a Time Lord and a rather accurate insight into Hitler's Germany. To portray Hitler to the public as most people saw him at the time: a charismatic, visionary leader putting the country on a just path. Of course we can drop enough hints to show the hypocrite he is. Perhaps to show the night when he burned down all his opponents, while he gleefully laughs at the burning people?

The drama doesn't focuses on Hitler really, he is merely more of a backdrop character. The real drama is with the opposing charecters, the team sent to kill Hitler. A bunch of young kids with overly idealistic view of the world and a relatively bad understanding of history. Of course, the Doctor's companion, the ditz she usually is, is attracted to their cause.

The real issue is to show that people's view of the world constantly changes and sometimes we do learn from the past.

On the basis that the Daleks are dustbin-shaped Nazis, Genesis of the Daleks is not a million miles away from this. In this case the Doctor is sent to stop the Daleks from ever happening, but ends up doubting his right to do so. It could be argued that his refusal to blow up the incubator room is very much akin to stopping Hitler being killed. Certainly the same sort of dilemma.

The idea of yours would certainly fit in with the new series, I feel.