I am – Hercules!!
“Doctor Dan” says:

DOCTOR WHO – 3.2 "The Shakespeare Code" WRITER: Gareth Roberts DIRECTOR: Charles Palmer CAST: David Tennant (The Doctor), Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones), Dean Lennox Kelly (William Shakespeare), Christina Cole (Lilith), Jalaal Hartley (Dick), Sam Mark s (Kemp) & Matt King (Peter) Synopsis: The Doctor and Martha arrive in Elizabethan England, where they discover William Shakespeare is being controlled by three witches...
The most believable Doctor Who episodes are undoubtedly period adventures, as the BBC is beyond reproach when it comes to costume drama. Gareth Roberts' The Shakespeare Code is a fun adventure, with The Doctor and Martha arriving in 1599 and meeting the Bard himself at the Globe Theatre. Unfortunately, in shades of Macbeth, three troublesome witches/aliens are controlling Shakespeare for nefarious purposes... It's only Freema Agyeman's second outing as the Doc's new companion and already Billie Piper's absence is forgotten. She's wonderful as Martha; believably excited by events and refreshingly knowledgeable about things like time paradoxes. It's about time a companion showed the same level of intellect as the average viewer. The few moments spent developing her relationship with The Doctor were very good, particularly when they share a bed and Rose (almost treated as The Docor's "ex") is mentioned... Dean Lennox Kelly is fine as a youthful William Shakespeare (almost a double of Kenneth Branagh), although the script was far more interested in literary in-jokes than any real character insight or development. Still, the episode treated Shakespeare with reverence and teachers will be applauding the fact he's been made cooler through his association with The Doctor! The supporting cast are good, but only Christina Cole has a role of any note, playing Lilith the head witch. She's agreeably villainous and looked suitably scary spitting her dialogue through fangs, or cursing The Doctor from a flying broomstick. The production throughout is magnificent. The set design is terrific and the CGI-assisted shots of 16th-century London are sublime. There are very few television shows that do such a brilliant job at recreating history and the visuals are a treat. The only downsides were some rubbery witch make-up and unconvincing spectres. There was a strong sense of energy and pace throughout and the storyline developed nicely. The witch's master plan was original (investing power in humble words) and the reasoning behind Shakespeare's importance nicely made. At times the script overused gags that quoted Shakespeare to amusing effect, but that’s a small complaint when the allusions and quips were so well made. Overall, The Shakespeare Code was a very enjoyable and entertaining frolic around Olde England . The actors lapped up Roberts' script and seemed to enjoy running around the impressive sets. David Tennant is just a marvel of enthusiasm and machine gun delivery, grabbing the script by the scruff of its neck when required. It was also interesting to see The Doctor comment on racial issues, time-travel dilemmas (using Back To The Future as an example!) and the treatment of the mentally ill at Bedlam Hospital, where they're whipped and seen as entertainment. An intelligent adventure, deftly told and with something for everyone. Many of the jokes and references will fly over children's heads, but they'll enjoy watching The Doctor versus the spooky witches. Who knows, it may even tempt some of them to pick up Hamlet in school...
THE GOOD 1. Freema Agyeman: sexy, competent, expressive, passionate and engaging. 2. The production design was magnificent, particular the sets and costumes. The FX used to show various landscapes were also excellent. 3. The literary references and in-jokes about Shakespeare (and even Harry Potter)m was amusing, if slightly overused. I particularly enjoyed seeing Martha's square off to Shakespeare about his joke-telling skills. 4. The Doctor's attitude to the backward elements of Elizabethan England (such as their treatment of the mentally challenged) was refreshing to see.
THE BAD 1. The CGI for the ghostly apparitions was a bit awkward and poorly animated. 2. The make-up for the witches looked a bit rubbery and fake.
THE GEEKY 1. William Shakespeare previously appeared in Doctor Who in "The Chase and Planet Of Evil". The Doctor also claimed to have helped transcribe Hamlet in "City Of Death ". Writer Gareth Roberts originally included a reference to "City Of Death ", but it was later removed because, according to the writer, "it was so sly it would have been a bit confusing for fans that recognized it and baffled the bejesus out of everyone else." 2. The Shakespeare Code is the third "celebrity historical" episode of the revived series, following The Unquiet Dead (Charles Dickens) and The Girl In The Fireplace (Madame de Pompadour). 3. Psychic paper doesn't work on geniuses like Shakespeare. 4. Writer Gareth Roberts began his career on the Virgin New Adventures series of Doctor Who novels with "The Highest Science" (1993). He wrote several more, including "Only Human" (2005), when the new series was airing, before writing the "Attack Of The Graske" interactive mini-episode in 2005. 5. The Doctor carries a spare toothbrush around with him! 6. This is apparently the most expensive episode of the revived series (and therefore the entire series, let's be honest!) 7. Dean Lennox Kelly (Shakespeare) is most famous for his role as Kev Ball in the drama Shameless. 8. The Doctor uses Back To The Future as an example of how time-travel work s! 9. The Doctor has already read the seventh Harry Potter book. He seems to be a big fan of J.K Rowling too! 10. The Doctor uses the "Sir Doctor Of TARDIS" title given to him by Queen Victoria in last year's "Tooth And Claw".
RATING: 4 / 5
NEXT WEEK: The Doctor takes Martha to a much grittier New Earth, where he meets the Face Of Boe and discovers the streets are being ruled by sinister Pharmacists...

“The Handsome 12th Doctor” says:

Big thanks to all of yous who did the Dalek/stairs gag last week. Could we maybe give it a rest this week? Please. AnyWho...... tonight's ep (The Shakespeare Code) saw new girl Martha Jones take her first journey through time with the Doctor. Much like he did with Rose he tries to impress her by taking her someplace that would blow her mind. In this case it was back to 1599 to meet some bloke named Bill. Of course all's not well that starts well, as wherever the Doc goes he tends to run into mayhem. The threat here took the form of three 'witches' who are plotting to use the power of Shakey's words for their own goals. In fact the whole episode was built around being wordy. If anyone still thinks this is a silly kids show then they should take a look at this ep. There's intelligence and wit running through the entire script. Chock full of references to Shakespeare's works, as well as other noted writers. Also to JK Rowling. The best thing about it though was it was shot like a horror movie. It had a brilliantly dark atmosphere, some great creepy effects, and scary looking (for 7pm) witches. This show has always been a perfect stepping stone into the world of horror watching and tonight's was a prime example. Christina Cole played the head witch with pure textbook wickedness. Dean Lennox Kelly did a marvellous turn as Shakespeare, giving him the characteristics of some medieval rock star. Oh, for the word hounds among you - William Shakespeare is revealed to be an anagram of "I help a Master awake" Apologies if that's a spoiler. Martha My Dear further banishes thoughts of Rose from my head (until we get reminded of her again that is). I like the way Martha continues to question the big issues of time travel and suchlike, and the Doctor helpfully explaining using Back To The Future as a guide. Freema also showed very believable wonder at stepping out into history. While David Tennant again put himself up there with the best of the Docs. And how cool was it to see Super Hans locked in Bedlam? I was almost expecting him to start ranting about people liking Coldplay. Terrific stuff. from The Handsome 12th Doctor PS – Was there a Saxon reference in there that I missed? PPS – Ok, so that Shakespeare anagram wasn't right. You believed it for a second though didn't you?

“Napier” says:

Hey Herc, how's it going? Sent you a couple of reviews in last season when I felt the eps were deserving and have to say that by the second episode this year I already have the urge to put quill to parchment! So forget the Dan Brown-ish title (though it does make a weird kind of sense!) - this is a story set seriously back in the day. 1599 to be precise. And if there's one thing the BBC can do in spades then it's period drama. And this has got to be a contender for the best dressed set yet. Taking in the actual Globe theatre itself via the streets of Warwick we get as true a sense of Shakespeare's times as it's possible to get, all viewed through the new-to-time-travel eyes of one Martha Jones. Who is fantastic BTW. A real breath of fresh air after (the still much loved) Rose Tyler. Her stamp on the whole piece is a new intelligence. From questioning the nature of paradox to bringing up the (rereshingly not swept under the carpet) treatment of black culture back in the day she's a revelation. And still carrying a pretty big torch for the Doc as she goes. One that the man himself remains blind to for now. The dope! So anyway. Shakespeare. Well he's a genius, 'natch. And ripe for exploitation by a trio of witches. Or Carrionites, as the non-magic loving, rationale seeking producers would have you believe (Doctor Who always being one for the de-bunking of magic - despite the numerous and hilarious Harry Potter references!). The playing of The Bard as Rock Star is inspired. Not only that, we're treated to a raft of in jokes as the Doctor lets slip a volley of quotes that Our William eagerly seizes upon. The two have met before of course in Who history - but this is the first time from a linear sense of time that Will has come across the Doctor and the sense of playfullness between them is apparent. But also the pathos as Shakespeare reveals the loss of his son - though quickly turned into literary opportunity: "To be or not to be..." The whole piece has a sense of drama to it as the fabled lost play "Love's Labours Won" merges with the intriguing use of words as opposed to maths to create an Elizabethan apocalypse to be thwarted by the triumvirate of Doctor, Martha and Shakespeare. And the use of wordplay is not just restricted to Shakespeare. Gareth Roberts has conjured up a screenplay that matches the best of the modern era, not just in wit, but also characterisation, from the lovestruck Martha to the lustful Bard to the indifferent Timelord. Truly this stands up to be one of the best Who's in ages. The coda too has some brilliantly inspired moments, from the ripping off of Shakespearean names being validated, to the second instance of events past having happened in the Doctor's future. In fact the second episode in a row to pull such a trick. Perhaps a pattern is emerging for this season? Who knows... If you use this call me "Napier." Cheers!

“Kelvington” says:

Doctor Who The Shakespeare Code This week the Doctor and Martha travel back in time when witches were real and the Bard still lives. While not the best outing for “Doctor Who” it was certainly a fun one. If you’re a fan of Shakespeare then you will certainly find all the in jokes and references clever and funny. However, if you saw the film “Shakespeare In Love” you might find it a bit dull. This episode borrow heavily from the afore mentioned film, but still keeps an air of humor and levity by introducing some witches, well, they’re not really witches but aliens who look like the archetype witch we all know from Halloween and our love lives. The Doctor of course know who they are, or at least susses it out quick enough and we discover that they are aliens trying to get into this world, they use words or spells like we use math and science, and they have enchanted Shakespeare to write those words and have his troupe perform them in the lost sequel to “Love’s Labours Lost” called simply enough, “Love’s Labours Won”. Of course the Doctor and Martha try and intervene and stop the aliens, all the while Shakespeare tries to woo the lovely Dr. Jones. While I have a few quibbles with this episode and a trend the show is taking in general, I want to point out the amazing work The Mill has done in making the old Globe theater come back to life. Both on the outside and inside it looked wonderful and great to see it displayed so well, along with some amazing backdrops and cityscapes of that era. Now to my quibbles, the writers are talking way too much about Rose, she’s gone, get over it, even if the Doctor loved her, they never talked this much about Adric, and the Doctor killed him. So enough with Rose talk. Second, stop with the pop culture references, when a companion does it, it’s fine, but when the Doctor talks about “Back To The Future” and “Harry Potter” like they are on his DVD shelf, it’s just stupid. There was a time when the Doctor could explain things without using pop rferences. That time needs to return. We don’t mind a bit of technobabble but when your talking about the TARDIS and time travel and you have to mention Marty McFly for anyone to get it, well, you’ve lost me. Overall, it was a good show, but not a great one. While I know we don’t really leave Earth much this season, it would be nice for them to leave some of the pop references back in the TARDIS. Just my 2¢

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