The Shakespeare Code

Gareth Roberts' "The Shakespeare Code" is an episode I originally disliked upon first watching as a kid when it aired & yet as I've grown in to an adult, I've also equally grown to really admire it over time.

The installment boasts a brilliant sense of humour - littered with topical jokes which equate to continuously self aware winks to the camera - ones I wouldn't have understood as a child; a probable contributing factor as to why I initially responded so badly to its release. Additionally, it has a lot of jokes which aren't considered politically correct anymore - but this seems like a deliberate creative choice considering he (the writer) later makes an accurate observational jab about the ever-changing terms which are considered acceptable & how new names / ways of referencing one another / words or phrases continue to modify & be invented throughout history as public perceptions shift & whilst time slowly progresses.

It's an acknowledgement of the unavoidable - embracing it rather than fighting against that inevitability & instead of attempting to remain current & ensure the relevancy of his script for decades to come, he alternatively (& rather boldly) revels in the finality of it - as (like "Love's Labours Won") those words will surely be gone forever some day - so we're encouraged to enjoy them while they last.

Hence, this works in the outing's favour because (as was preemptively predicted by the episode) watching it 13 years later, it has grown a little dated with the terminologies used - just as all works of literature do - but these works persist regardless, as great stories are timeless, irrespective of when they're told to an audience or read - which is the main point conveyed in the narrative - reaffirmed cleverly merely by its existence, in & of itself.

It's an ode to writers - past, present & future - (playing on lines by Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas, JK Rowling etc.) paying homage to their collective contributions whilst restyling & refashioning them for what was then (in 2007) a modern audience.

This culminates to form something potentially controversial in 2020 - but that doesn't detract from the power of the central themes - it actually ironically validates them.

Martha impressed in the hit and miss opener Smith and Jones, now she gets her first outing in the TARDIS, and it's back to London in 1599 for a visit to the Globe Theatre.

The first thing to point out is the stunning imagining of London back in 1599, it looks truly impressive, Smith and Jones special effects were really dodgy, but the Shakespeare Code looks as good as any blockbuster film, great production values.

A truly scary start, with the young musician entering the Witches lair, pretty nasty for the young children. The plot is a clever one, wonderfully imaginative, Lilith and her mothers are great, I love the story of Love's Labours lost and Love's Labours won. The finale is truly a goody, the Globe setting and play are gorgeously realised. I love how the audience applaud at the end.

There's quite a good looking cast, we have the very beautiful Christina Cole and the very hunky Dean Lennox Kelly. This episode is very good on the eyes for lots of reasons.

Here we go again with the companion falling in love with the Doctor, and there are more mentions of Rose :-(

Overall The Shakespeare code is a brilliant episode, the Carrionites are a great creation, it looks stunning. 9/10

Was Queen Bes a Zygon??

The first away day with the Doctor for Martha and it is off to 1599 and a rather affectionate William Shakespeare, as well as some nasally challenged witches whose...

Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and caldron bubble, if they manage to cut just the slightest of stubble, your lights will fade, and your spirit will crumble.

All facilitated by the Carrionites who wish to bring forth their sisters and consume the world in darkness and all the other stuff witchlike creatures like to do. However, there a no cats or toads or frogs or tongues of dogs, so not true Shakespearean necromancers.

"The Shakespeare Code" marks the lovely Martha Jones' first trip in the TARDIS. Rather than a trip to a space station or a faraway planet, the Doctor and his companion go back to Shakesperean England where they meet the bard himself. Dean Lennox Kelly plays Shakespeare like a Tudor rock star, including high-kicks and Noel Gallagher-like comments to the audience. Kelly's performance is excellent and his Shakespeare is a very likable fellow.

The beautiful Christina ("Hex") Cole plays the youngest of three "witches" who set out to destroy earth. Cole is always watchable and she does a great job here. The pre-titles intro will have many older male viewers grinning at the suggestion of naughty goings-on with Ms. Cole. Meanwhile, kids will run for cover behind their nearest settee as the considerable "fright factor" is introduced.

This episode is truly impressive in the visual effects department. Filmed partly in the re-built Globe theatre and on location, there's a real sense of scale. Everything is lit beautifully and the effects are gorgeous to look at. The CGI-produced Carrionites are a great design, reminding me a little of the terrifying Reapers from Eccleston's "Father's Day".

The script is superb and will have schoolchildren throughout the land rummaging through Shakespeare plays for a reference to a Sycorax. Here's a clue...they should start with "The Tempest". Thankfully, the episode doesn't try sticking to continuity with previous stories where the Doctor's meetings with Shakespeare have been mentioned. This would have simply made things messy and unnecessarily confusing.

Despite its strengths, there are one or two areas where the episode didn't gel as well as it could have done. Perhaps I'm being unsympathetic but I'm growing a little tired of the Doctor's references to Rose. Hopefully, these will soon become a thing of the past. Also, Tennant can be just a tad annoying at times. Having said this, he's a great Doctor and every incarnation of the Time Lord has had the ability to be a little annoying in certain situations.

Overall, an enjoyable episode and a strong 8 out of 10. This is big-budget television and proper family entertainment.

hey, i thought the episode was really good. funny. upbeat and generally very well acted. the witches were very well costumed. visual effect were very well done. we can still see that the doctor is still in love with rose as he still thinks about her and her name keeps him going. shake-sphere is played by dean Lennox Kelly Also known as Kev from shameless. very very good indeed. David Tennant still puts a lot of energy into the work and plays hes character brilliantly . Freema is doing very well as a person shes settled in extremely well and has been welcomed into the family of doctor who!