The Shakespeare Code

Season three continues apace with this witty and stylish historical adventure. For some reason I am getting the impression that this is going to be the best season yet, there really isn't one episode that I am not looking forward to and if this is the standard of the filler episodes I think we are on very good form.

It is such an irresistible idea I am surprised it has taken the Doctor over fourty years to come face to face with Shakespeare. Speaking as a man who adores the mans work it thrilled me to see him portrayed with such intelligence and charisma, walking on stage to the same roaring applause Justin Timberlake would get now. Because we are in the uber-capable hands of Gareth Roberts there are a great number of witty line drops, which are fired off with such ferocity and speed they make you chuckle rather than cringe. Dean Lennox Kelly is unrecognisable as Kev from Shameless and plays the Bard with a stillness and confidence that is hard not to be attracted to. Lets face facts when David Tennant is on screen I am usually spellbound by his performance but in The Shakespeare Code Kelly forces you to divide your attention, such is the strength of his presentation of one of Britain's greatest talents. The comparison between the popularity (I refuse to say genius because there is absolutely no comparison between the writer of Harry Potter and Hamlet) JK Rowling and Shakespeare is a great point and with the magic element it makes the contrast even more intriguing.

When I heard that they would be doing a Shakespeare adventure I thought it would be done on the cheap. All you need is a couple of sets and possibly a stage but instead we are treated to what is easily one of the most sumptuous and vivid productions of the entire series. The efforts that have gone in to creating Elizabethan London are astonishing and add another dimension to this historical. The glorious dressed sets, the delicious location filming, the CG shots of London, it all looks amazing. You can expect this amount of detail in a feature film but on a TV budget it is astonishing. Doctor Who really is the best looking show on television at the moment and certainly the most imaginative in terms of style and production, I cannot imagine any other show pulling off a historical with this much verve. The Shakespeare Code looks more authentic than Shakespeare in Love, that's how good this looks.

Doctor Who and magic are usually mutually exclusive if I am honest so to see witchcraft and magic being used so blatantly was something of a shock until Robert's genius idea of words being used as a science dismisses the whole idea. It's a brilliant concept, one of those fabulously imaginative ideas that Doctor Who thrives on. Slowly the Doctor is providing (or uncovering) a scientific explanation for everything in the universe, every myth and rumour, idea and superstition. How long is it before we discover God was some alien up to no good? What is especially good is that using words as power allows this script to ground its plot so effortlessly in Shakespeare's genius and centre the climax around his ability to create 'magic' with words. This is how to impress the kids with the strength of Shakespeare's ability, leave them reeling with the power of his ability to create thrills with words. And the missing Shakespeare play allows Gareth Roberts to explain again one of histories mysteries (see also the amazing Missing Adventure The Plotters).

The details are important. The casual sexuality, the effluence being chucked from the window, the whip being brandished in Bedlam, the chilling doll magic, the tiny people fleeing from the Globe as the world comes to an end, the Doctor's heart stopping, the flight from the window, Shakespeare's blatant racism?there are lots of special details that make this that bit more convincing and special.

The witches are not as over the top as you might think. The first scene could have been diabolical but with a director of Charles Palmers' ability it is creepy, especially the witch that swoops down from the ceiling and starts feasting. Yes they cackle and have warts and fly on broomsticks but remember the details that help make this more intoxicating: the lovely music when the doll mimics Shakespeare writing, the explosive reaction to hearing their own name mentioned, the mention of the Eternals banishing them, stabbing the Doctor, the shot of them trapped in the crystal ball. This is the closest Doctor Who has come to fantasy since it has come back, it is a hugely romantic story (with its glorious visuals and stunning imagery) and the creativeness of witches up to no good in Elizabethan England is to die for.?

Martha continues to impress and give the show-renewed energy and vigour. You would think with a historical so near to her introduction this would feel like The Unquiet Dead but the atmosphere is so different, exuberance rather than scares that it does not feel like a repeat experience. Martha's smiles as she explores this supernatural world is fantastic and helps to sell the magic of the experience. Freema Agyeman is very good at portraying Martha's joy at this whole new universe of possibilities opening around her helps you to fall for her character and her portrayal of the line "Hey Nonny! I know for a fact you have a wife!" is genius! The quiet scene between the Doctor and Martha on the bed is vital because it proves the Doctor is still not over Rose and shows the first hint of anger from Martha about that (justifiably, the thoughtless bastard).

Other points of interest:

"I began questioning my own existence. 'To be or not to be' ? ooh I like that" Inspired!
The exterior CGI shots are amazing and really help to sell the scale of the story. Thumbs up.
The final climatic scenes of the Carrionites swarming around the Globe are about epic as Doctor Who has dared since returning. I want to see how they are going top this!
I haven't mentioned David Tennant. That's because he is so good now it's a clich?.
"Author! Author! Don't people say that?" ? I laughed!

The one word that sums up The Shakespeare Code is indulgence. It is not a necessary adventure but it is a superb example of everything the new series does well. Production wise it is dazzling, the script is witty and feel good, the performances are powerful, the musical score is atmospheric?what's to criticise? I asked my friend Debbie to watch this episode, having never seen Doctor Who before and she texted me afterwards and wrote:? That was really good! I think you might have converted me! And I can't think of higher praise than that.