Doctor Who uses the science fiction elements of time travel in order to explore eras of history that we might not get to see very often. In typical Who fashion, some kind of alien mystery is normally woven into real-world events.
Sometimes, these historical episodes are incredibly accurate; other times, they are all over the place and pay little regard to precision. Let’s take a look at five episodes that stayed relatively faithful to history, along with five examples that weren’t exactly accurate when it comes to the portrayal of their historical figures.
INACCURATE: NICOLA TESLA
Nicola Tesla and Thomas Eddison were recently featured in an episode of the time-traveling show. While it was a really fun episode and one that accurately portrayed the relationship between Eddison and Tesla, there were a number of things that were off.
Most notably, the show portrayed Tesla as some kind of hero when, in actuality, there were a number of less than savory aspects of the character that were seemingly ignored. People were quick to point out online that this episode wasn’t totally accurate.
ACCURATE: ROSA PARKS
“Rosa,” featuring the story of Rosa Parks, was one of Doctor Who’s best and most historically rich episodes in a while. In the previous series of the show, viewers were shown Rosa Parks in her famous moment where she refused to move from a bus seat.
While time travelers were trying to stop this from taking place, Doctor Who still delivered an accurate depiction of Parks’ life and personality. The world-changing event was portrayed in a way that genuinely captured the real-life moment.
INACCURATE: CHARLES DICKENS
Charles Dickens is a difficult man to portray, as he was a complex figure who had a lot of personal issues. While more recent films have done a good job of showing him in the right light, one Doctor Who episode only managed to introduce a pale version of Dickens.
While the ghost story that was set up was a nice nod to his other work, notably A ChristmasCarol, this was about as deep as the episode dived into Dicken’s history. This was the case of a famous face being used rather than a moment of time being taken.
ACCURATE: MARY SHELLY
The recent “The Haunting of Villa Diodati” episode took viewers back to the era when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. The group that she was living with at the time, including Lord Byron, were all accurate to the time.
Although the show suggested that they all wrote their most notable works in one night, in actuality, it took place over a number of days. Despite this, everything else was almost spot on, even down to the emotional dramas that were taking place.
INACCURATE: ADOLF HITLER
Hitler is a historical figure that has been portrayed over and over again, with many dramas and comedies opting to almost create a caricature rather than prioritizing accuracy. Doctor Who decided to follow suit.
When Doctor Who took a step back in time to WWII - something that has been done in other series, comics, and audio stories - the show depicted a Hitler whose role was to be laughed at after being punched by Rory and thrown into a cupboard. While amusing, this depiction amounted to little more than that.
ACCURATE: AGATHA CHRISTIE
Agatha Christie is one of Britain’s most well-known authors, having created multiple murder mysteries that have stood the test of time. However, there’s a period of time where Christie actually disappeared before eventually turning up in Yorkshire.
Doctor Who decided to fill in this gap, giving Christie amnesia to forget coming face to face with the Doctor, Donna, and a giant alien wasp. She then turns up with no memory in the hotel where she historically ended up. While the plot serves as a fun bit of historical fan fiction, Christie’s portrayal is fantastic and the parts not involving alien wasps are quite accurate.
INACCURATE: QUEEN VICTORIA
Queen Victoria is an interesting historical figure that has been depicted in a number of ways in media. Unfortunately, Doctor Who seemed pretty off with the writing of the character. The Queen actually shooting someone, for instance, is absolutely played for laughs.
Queen Victoria was also said to have set up the Torchwood Institute and was part of the defense of Earth against aliens. There was even talk that she had been turned into a werewolf thanks to a bite from an alien. Nothing makes sense about her appearance in the series.
ACCURATE: VINCENT VAN GOGH
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the best artists that the world has ever seen. During his time, however, Van Gogh’s art was not recognized, a factor that contributed to the artist’s mental health issues.
Although it’s a little unbelievable to think that Van Gogh got to go to the future to find out that people actually loved his work, this is a sci-fi show at the end of the day. The character portrayal of Van Gogh was absolutely brilliant throughout the episode.
INACCURATE: QUEEN NEFERTITI
Little is known about Queen Nefertiti due to her life predating a time when accurate records were frequently kept. Therefore, any depiction of the historical figure is going to be inaccurate, so Doctor Who really ran with this.
They had the Egyptian Queen join the Doctor on an adventure as an enthusiastic time traveler with a no-nonsense attitude. It was fun to imagine Nefertiti in this way but it is obviously not as accurate as other historical characters featured on Doctor Who.
ACCURATE: MADAME DE POMPADOUR
One of the most memorable stories in all of Doctor Who history is the award-winning “The Girl in the Fireplace” episode featuring Madame de Pompadour. Doctor Who represented her entire life all in one sequence.
The episode drops back into Madame de Pompadour’s narrative through the fireplace at different stages in time, as she fought off the clockwork people that were trying to steal her brain. While the set up is unrealistic, the writing provided an in-depth look at the character.
