Expectations were very high for this, the second episode of David Tennant's second season in "Doctor Who". THE SHAKESPEARE CODE was designed on every level as a showcase episode. Carte Blanche was given to the BBC to film in the actual Globe Theatre reproduction, giving the episode incredible depth and texture. The scenes shot there are simply some of the best the series has ever had to offer.?? Long time fans have longed to celebrate the visceral meeting of the Doctor and William Shakespeare, a meeting that has been referred to in the classic series several times before and talked about amongst the fan faithful for years. It was a meeting that was long overdue, except for the fact that it had already, supposedly, happened.? The most notable of these references were in PLANET OF EVIL and in CITY OF DEATH where The Doctor claims to have helped Shakespeare pen his famous "Hamlet".? Knowing this, it is most surprising to discover the Doctor meeting Shakespeare with almost teenage zest as if for the first time, when he supposedly has met him at least twice before.? Scriptwriter Gareth Roberts has admitted to an early script version reference to the "City Of Death" meeting but it was edited from the final script versions as being too confusing for casual viewers.

Based singularly on continuity, I personally feel such an obscure reference would have been welcome as each episode of DOCTOR WHO is rife with all sorts of obscure references of sexual innuendo and identity and modern pop culture references that have become the trademark of the new series. CODE offers too very uncomfortable references to HARRY POTTER and BACK TO THE FUTURE and Ray Bradbury's infamous butterfly no less! WHO would have ever thought? Arguably, it can be said these references are not as important to the series, as a reference to established canon, still the reference to CITY OF DEATH has been strangely omitted here and we are at a loss for it. Chalk it up to the Doctor's failing memory after 900 or so years.

In THE SHAKESPEARE CODE, Mr. Roberts has delivered us an episode absolutely brimming with all sorts of Shakespeare minutia to delight fans of the Bard to great ends and it serves as a wonderful tribute to the legacy of William Shakespeare.? The appearance of the Caronnites as witches speaking in rhymes directly references the witches seen in "Mac Beth", and it is unfortunate that play could not have been featured in "Code". Alternatively, the exploration of the possibility of discovering the much debated and discussed" Love's Labor's Won" was effectively substituted to great effect here and its final demise secures it's stature as continuing to be " lost". It is the possibility of it's discovery that first peaks?? the Doctor's interest to stay in 1599 a bit, and it's amusing that Martha wants to try to find a way to record it and return to the 21st century with it in hand to make a fortune on its discovery. The Doctoring quoting Shakespeare's own words was also amusing and well used. The greatest thing about DOCTOR WHO is that through the footsteps of The Doctor and his companions, we are able to vicariously walk through time and set foot in places like the GLOBE theatre in 1599. Witnessing as such Shakespeare's sophomoric taunting of the crowd is our first glimpse of an irreverent but charming portrayal of the Bard of legend as a 16th century cultural icon and rock star.? Historically, Dean Lennox Kelly's portrayal takes massive liberties with the Shakespeare of history, as does Robert's script, however there is not much statistically available on the actual personality and demeanor of England's most favorite Bard. One thing is certain, Shakespeare was a writer who was wildly popular in his own time period and would have probably used that fame to secure all of life's hedonistic pleasures abound. Dean Lennox Kelly's sharply crafted portrayal is one of the most memorable characters in recent years in Doctor Who and he leaves no strings unattached here. . His flirtation with Martha was reassuring, as Shakespeare's sexual polarization has always been in question. In fact, his reference to Martha as " The Dark Lady" lends Martha as being the inspiration to the series of sonnets Shakespeare penned referring to a mysterious dark lady who it was rumored was a lover of middle eastern or even African descent and one of Shakespeare's many muses.? It's amusing to think that Shakespeare's "Dark Lady" could well have been inspired by his boyish attempted tryst with Martha Jones!? His quoting of Sonnet 14 while gazing into her eyes could well have inspired the "Dark Lady" sonnets of yore although it would have been a very witty reference indeed if Shakespeare had quoted directly from those sonnets!

Of special note here is Shakespeare's unique ability to see through the Doctor And Martha as time travelers, a concept he could not possibly comprehend.? . The Doctor's psychic paper fails him, and he observes Martha as being puzzled by the existence of the Doctor?? and the Doctor as having eyes older than he seems. One has to wonder if his remark that he and the Doctor are a lot alike is this episodes 'Saxon'; arc reference in disguise. " Disguise " being an operative word of illusion here. We will know by season's end. If not, than William Shakespeare is seen here as much more than just a man of words.

Of course, lending a poetic waxing to the charms of Martha Jones is certainly not premature here by any means. Her chemistry with David Tennant's Doctor elevates both characters, and her wide eyed child like reactions to traveling with the Doctor have so far proven to be very enjoyable indeed. She is absolutely stunning in appearance and her spirit and personality are gleaming to the point of illuminating. The scene where her and the Doctor awkwardly share a bed goes places where Rose and the Doctor could only dream of, without even going for it. Tennant on the other hand seems far more relaxed and likeable in the role so far this season and both Tennant and Agyeman are absolutely in top form for this episode. The Doctor continues to play hard to get, and certainly still has Rose on his mind. Talking about how Rose would have "known exactly what to say" while lying in bed with Martha, probably would not be par for the course in a Casanova's amorous life!? Martha has her work cut out for her if she's going to get inside the Doctor's cagey heart, or at least one of them.

Production values are once again flawless. Charles Palmer, who has very quietly directed the opening two episodes this season seems well suited to the task and has an understated style that works very well for Doctor Who.? There was a stark believability to the invasion scenes in SMITH AND JONES, and once again we see a similar attention to detail in CODE. More paradoxal however is Gareth Roberts script for this story.?? His dialogue between the Doctor and Martha is crystal magnificence, and his writing of the Doctor's character is very strong and reminiscent of a 1970's DOCTOR WHO adventure.

Yet, the plot serves the Globe theatre as a central character in the episode and is eerily reminiscent of THE UNQUIET DEAD on many levels, especially the opening sequence in the TARDIS, which is almost stolen from that episode. Perhaps the workload of overseeing TORCHWOOD and SARAH JANES ADVENTURES allowed the opening scenes in the TARDIS to slip by the production team unnoticed but the similarities between CODE and the opening TARDIS scenes in UNDEAD never should have been allowed. The episode's end also borrows heavily from UNDEAD, again even in style, tone, and form. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. This is the saddest letdown of an otherwise enjoyable episode. The episode is a strange mix of successful elements from TOOTH AND CLAW as well. As such, on first viewing the episode is a bit of an uninvolved letdown and a trifle contrived. The basic plot is Sci Fi clich?, although I will admit, witches on flying brooms is something that has been long overdue in DOCTOR WHO, and the element of the "Power of Words' was perfect on the lips of William Shakespeare and his troupe, unknowingly aiding the Caronnites in their quest. The "witchcraft" elements are explained away as the work of this ancient alien race in the same way THE DAEMONS tried to explain away occult happenings as an alien science. And so unfortunately, Robert's script is contrived, and recycled, while being technically well written, and a sparkling showcase for the future of the Doctor and Martha.

The episode however will probably survive its failings as a fan favorite although, arguably falls short of "classic" status. The final scene, however with Queen Elizabeth's surprise appearance that has the Doctor running for his life, literally, is a treasure of an episode ending and further punctuates the complexity and sheer magic of the Doctor's travels. I would love to see that "future" episode with Queen Elizabeth, knowing that there are now two queens of England that now want the Doctor's hide. Sir Doctor would do best to watch his footsteps in merry old England! BottaBoomba!

Well, I was wrong...

? after that horrendous Dickensian howler in The Unquiet Dead, I would've bet money on Shakespeare saying "What the Chaucer?" upon seeing the ghosties in this episode!

Mind you, that was about the only thing which they didn't do, this being a production team which absolutely does not do things by halves! Not only does the Doctor give Shakespeare some of his best lines, he gives him one of Dylan Thomas' as well, and unwittingly provides him with the 'Dark Lady' (literally ? oo-er!) who would inspire so many sonnets! All in 45 minutes of comedy-drama! I'm amazed they had time to fit in a coven of witches (three, as in Macbeth, did you notice? Doomfinger! Bloodtide! And, um, Lilith, sexily played by Christina Cole.)

There was a fair bit riding on this, in a way. Just as The End of the World was the make-or-break episode for Series One, The Shakespeare Code would decide for us whether Series Three maintained its very strong start or came crashing back down to earth. I wouldn't really like to say whether it was better or worse than Smith and Jones ? suffice to say that it was very different, and good. The dialogue had all the lurid richness that you would expect from a writer trying to cram the Elizabethan era into 45 minutes (oh, what a shame the episodes aren't longer), and although in the past I've accused the special effects of gaudy unrealism, this time round they were fine, with some super shots of 16th century London. One especially nice one had the tiny figures of the Doctor and Martha running through it in one corner, and it, like so much else these days, was too easy to miss. TV Doctor Who is still telling stories that are visually 'too broad and deep for the small screen', but this time actually with appropriate SFX. We ought to be watching this in cinemas.

Writer Gareth Roberts was, of course, the author of two astonishing 4th Doctor novels in the 1990s, The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death, both of which are easily up there with the soon-to-be-televised Human Nature as contenders for 'best Dr Who novel', and it may be just for this reason that I felt that some (not all) of his scripted lines recalled Tom Baker's Doctor. "Night-night, Shakespeare" in particular was a line that would have suited Tom to a tee, and it was immediately noticeable that DT seemed a bit uncomfortable with it ? it must've been hard to deliver while at the same time maintaining an appropriate air of dark, mysterious, Time Lord-y gravitas!

In fact, the whole script felt at odds with the Tenth Doctor's character as established so far in the series; it requires him to be enthusiastic and enchanted practically all of the time in a way to which this anguished, fiery incarnation is not very well suited, but which Tom Baker would have got on with like a house on fire. David Tennant's performance carried it through with flying colours though, and in fact the Doctor's obvious happiness was extremely charming, and served to make the Rose references still more jarring. I really wish they would forget about her, at least for a while. I know the idea is that she made such an enormous impact on him that he's still mourning her loss, but it's getting a bit repetitive and maudlin now. Poor Martha. (more of her later ? much more!)

To return to the point, a scene that deserves special praise is the fabulous ending! Queen Elizabeth enters with the immortal line "Doctor! My sworn enemy!" and the Doctor and Martha are forced to make a comedic flying exit for reasons they don't even know. Tennant plays it with an infectious smile on his face, and the whole thing is so marvellously uplifting and somehow typical of Doctor Who, from the Doctor's looking forward to having that adventure in future to the point when arrows begin thudding into the TARDIS, that I was quite delighted! There, I thought to myself, is the Gareth Roberts I know!

Roberts had a lot to live up to, as well, having written several highly perceptive articles about how to write Doctor Who stories and how to use the TARDIS in 'Doctor Who Magazine' ? back in the days when I still read it, before the new series sycophancy became too sickly to endure ? even going so far as to lay down ground rules about it, which I was looking through shortly before the episode. Well, he wasn't obviously following those rules. But it was fine, because what he produced was good anyway. Although a past master of the printed word, and an unparalleled imitator of the Fourth Doctor's era in the spacious confines of the novel, he had no previous form on television that I had seen, so I was quite wary going into this, too. In a way, though, I think this could become one of the most enduring episodes of the new series so far.

As for the plot, I'm not quite sure, looking back, what the pre-credits sequence had to do with anything, and while the resolution to the story was a fabulous concept requiring the genius of Shakespeare, aided by the genius of the Doctor and the more questionable geniuses of Martha and J.K. Rowling, his key speech was rather lost in a welter of special effects and noise. I'll have to go back and watch it again. The little details were where the really winning stuff was ? Martha's own tiny imprint on history, in influencing the behaviour of theatre crowds; the inclusion of Mr Kempe as a speaking part in Shakespeare's company (which I didn't even notice till the ending credits); and of course Martha Jones ending up as the Dark Lady.

It begs the question ? why couldn't we have one more little detail for those in the know: a brief reference to all those times in the past that the Doctor has referred to being well acquainted with the Bard? Take 'City of Death', for instance, where we learn that the Doctor actually wrote the first draft of Hamlet ? taking dictation, obviously. For an ultra-fan like me the story almost seemed to lack something, a certain natural outgrowth, for not acknowledging the Doctor's past meetings with Shakespeare (though this was quite clearly their first meeting chronologically). Roberts also thankfully omitted any reference to his previous Shakespearian romp, the Ninth Doctor comic strip, A Groatsworth of Wit, although the monsters were very similar.

That strip treated Shakespeare rather differently to how he came across here, and rather less well than The Shakespeare Code ? so that was one worry I initially had scotched. Although in both Shakespeare was something of a randy opportunist where love was at stake, and in both the Doctor's companion became the object of his affections, Dean Lennox Kelly, as Shakespeare, conveyed a certain likeability that a drawing could not! Which may sound like a rather backhanded compliment to give an actor, but I assure you it was meant nicely! And in contrast to the Ninth Doctor disrespectfully throwing Mr S. aside like a rag doll once things got heavy in the strip, David Tennant's Tenth Doctor treats him with near-constant hero-worship, only losing his cool briefly when the play goes ahead after he explicitly commanded otherwise. DT shouldn't have played the Doctor's lines during that bit with such vitriol, for my money. In the context of the episode I feel it might've worked better as a bit more wry and fatalistic ? less of the Idiot's Lantern-esque "I'm not listening!" treatment, which is his one deficiency as an actor. He then instantly reverted to enthusiastic appreciation, so the effect is unsatisfying.

Martha. She ought to get the trip of a lifetime here, but from the word go nearly gets a bucket of something unmentionable thrown over her, and then has to put up with the Doctor's almost wilful insensitivity in bringing up Rose again as they lie squashed intimately together on a bed. (We're back to the acceptable face of a 'sexual Doctor' here, by the way ? he's a sex symbol and shares a bed with Martha, but there's no flirting going on and he tells Lilith that sensuality is one way she could never snare him.) The Doctor being totally oblivious to normal human feeling is nothing new of course, but I mean to say ? poor girl! She recovered from it very well, I thought, and it was nice to see her enjoying herself for a while on a trip through time, which is something companions get surprisingly little time to do quite often.

I like Martha more and more, despite her rough edges ? namely, giving Shakespeare inexplicably short shrift over his un-PC epithets at their first meeting. She's in Elizabethan England ('the past is a foreign country ? they do things differently there') so you'd have thought she could've let it go. And all that stuff about how much better the 'land' that she comes from is than the one she finds herself in, where women can't do what they want, is just very slightly preachy.

The Doctor, happily, doesn't really seem to care about what Shakespeare says to her. I never forgave the Ninth Doctor for his cheap crack about the Deep South in The End of the World, and it's nice to see that the Tenth Doctor can sometimes be a little more tolerant of people's human and cultural failings, as seen from his lonely pinnacle. He gets all outraged with the warden at Bedlam, but that's a far more black-and-white situation: although there's no explicit confirmation that the warden enjoys whipping his poor charges, and to be fair to him somebody presumably has to do that job, there's no real compassion on show and the Doctor perhaps perceives something truly nasty about the guy ? he's better at seeing into the soul of a person than most.

Quite a long and rather more ruminative review than usual, but you'd be pretty damn disappointed if a script with William Shakespeare as principal guest wasn't thought-provoking, wouldn't you? I would. But my parents were soliloquising like crazy from the Shakespearian canon soon after the credits rolled, so Mr Gareth Roberts can't be said to have failed on that score!

Doctor Who has a track record of incredibly good historicals ? some with sci-fi elements, and others without. Marco Polo, The Time Meddler, Black Orchid ? all classics.

And now the new series has a historical of its own to add to the list. A modern classic, if you will.

A portrayal of Will Shakespeare that was accurate enough to not be a pastiche, and yet comic enough to not bore the youngsters. Dean Lennox Kelly is superb as the bard. The Carrionites show great imagination, although I found the realisation a little to caricatured ? almost like the witches from Pratchett's Discworld.
The Doctor and Martha built there relationship, but I think the Doctor would realise he doesn't need to dumb down explanations for Ms Jones. I mean, using Back to the Future to explain the effects of changes to the timeline!

Again, Freema is superb as Martha. Her adjustment to Elizabethan England, her ability to handle the amorous Bard, and her outrage at the methods of Bedlam, are all played magnificently.

A little too much play on classic Shakespeare lines, but that was only to be expected.

There's not much more I can say, other than what becomes of the arrow that hit the TARDIS at the end? How Silver Nemesis was that?

How much you enjoy?a story like "the Shakespeare Code" may depend on how cynical you want to be about yet another foray into the past. You could bemoan the ruthless plundering of a rich vein of material simply because it hadn't been done before?we've done Dickens, now let's do Shakespeare with three witches a la Macbeth and?oh yes, throw in some voodoo toboot. Or you could relax and enjoy the ride. I did, and enjoyed a fine, witty and suitably bawdy script, supported mostly by great performances and truly stupendous special effects, continuing the promise of the season's energetic opener, Smith and Jones (though this was far superior).?

Freema Agyeman continues to impress as Martha, though I cannot believe that her attire wouldn't have caused mass panic in the England of 1599, and certainly not calm acceptance as here. On the Doctor's advice, Rose sensibly dressed herself in suitable attire for Victorian London and surely there was even more of a need for Martha to have worn something suitable for the Elizabethan era. The build up of the Doctor/Martha relationship is being handled well so far by which I mean not rushed and I was so relieved to be able to enjoy some good old fashioned emphasis on dialogue at times in this story, most notably the very well played bedroom scene, rather than non-stop tearing about. I get the impression ? and I could be way off the mark here ? that in the same way the relationship between the Doctor and Martha needs to grow, so too the relationship between Tennant and Agyeman. I don't detect any particular warmth between the two ? but what do I know ? whereas Tennant and Billie Piper seemed very close and I gather they have met socially. As for the location work and effects, these just blew me away ? if you thought the Girl In The Fireplace was good, just look at this ? and you could almost smell that human waste as it cascaded down and narrowly missed our main players. When care and effort on this scale is put in to a production, too much criticism seems unjust. (" But that won't stop me", you may reply, picking up on the Doctor's line in the Girl In The Fireplace).?

Dean Lennox Kelly's Shakespeare suffers by comparison with Simon Callow's Dickens but the star of the proceedings in any event was Christina Cole as Lilith, who frankly dominated every scene she appeared in and who was simply quite superb, a lethal concoction of deadly sexiness. The idea of the Carronites changing the physical shape of the world around them by words is fine, and the title itself draws on contemporary obsessions about hidden messages and meanings, all grounded of course in the traditional Who requirement to provide a scientific or rational explanation for the strange goings on rather than one based on witchcraft and magic.

An excellent, thoroughly enjoyable piece which may yet rival the quality of " The Unquiet Dead" in my estimation on repeat viewings. For the moment, 8.5/10.

Two words! "Absolutely Brilliant!" ?This has got to be the best episode of Doctor Who since its 2005 return, and probably amongst the top ten ever.

Dean Lennox Kelly played a blinder as William Shakespeare, coming across a bit like Liam Gallagher, "Shut yer fat mouths", and also bits of Giacomo Casanova and Billy Connolly. ?I though it was a nice touch to play him as a really "in touch" character, not afraid to speak his mind, and to have him state categorically that he new that the Doctor was a time traveller from another world and that Martha was from the future was a master stroke. Martha telling the Shakespeare joke to the Bard himself, or should that be "barred" was rib tickling.

David Tennant's Doctor seems to have calmed down his act somewhat, yet without diminishing the spontaneous side to his character. Last season, I felt that he and Rose were heading for a fall, as was the case at the end in "Doomsday". ?Donna (Catherine Tate) was a welcome change at Christmas, although I'm glad she did not become a permanent companion, as she got a bit irritating towards the end.

However, Martha Jones is great, and having watched Freema Agyeman's performance as Adeola over and over again to try and gauge what Martha might be like, I was pleasantly surprised by the difference when I watched "Smith and Jones", but did not write anything about it as I was so bowled over by it that I could find no fault at all, except for the obvious plot holes that come with anything science fiction.

"The Shakespeare Code" was fantastic, and yet some bits had me not knowing whether to cringe or laugh out loud. The conversation with the Doctor and Martha, with the refences to the Doctor having cried and cried when reading book 7 of Harry Potter, and the questions as to whether magic was real were really well done, and then in the Globe Theatre we get to discover that "Expelliarmus" actually worked to defeat the witches, and whatever it was they were summoning up by the utterance of those words and numbers they had made Will Shakspeare write down. It was hilarious, and somehow reminiscent of Rose Tyler that Martha should be the one to suggest the words that ultimately saved the day. Expelliarmus, indeed. When the Doctor and Martha lay side by side on the bed however, I began to worry that another snog was on its way, and was glad when it didn't happen.

Queen Elizabeth demanding the Doctor's head, and appearing to know who he was is a bit of a mystery, and I wonder if we shall learn why or how this is so. And it will be interesting to see next week if the Tardis materialises on New Earth with an arrow still stuck in the door... ?10/10.

Ok, now I'm going to start sounding like a blind fanboy.

I read the reviews last week and a few people said this show was getting worse and worse.? While I could see the point of a few of the reviewers, I still loved last week's episode.? Then we get to a period piece.? While there are obvious exceptions, I personally always liked the aliens and future tech episodes better than the "real history" episodes.? Still, I definately have an open mind when it comes to Doctor Who so I go in with no preconceptions.? I was literally blown away by this episode.

From the minute they step out of the Tardis, the setting is amazing.? The crew must have worked overtime to show us such an amazing glimpse of 1599 England.? The baddies were pretty cool as well.? Witches, of course, but Who always shows that science almost always plays a role.?

Have to throw in something about the Harry Potter references.? If you're not an HP fan, no big deal but if you are...they were brilliant.

Shakespeare was done excellent as well.? I must admit, I know little of the man but after this I would be much more likely to look on his work favorably.? I expected a stuffy Englishman with little sense of humor and theDoctor and Martha simply using him for comic relief.? Nothing could be farther from the truth.? He is played here for the genius he must have been.? Instead of treating him stuffy and full of himself, he is humble.? He makes jokes, goes back and forth with The Doctor a few times, hits on Martha several times, and entertains the masses at The Globe Theatre.? Not only that, but there is an excellent part at the end where he deduces exactly who The Doctor and Martha really are, and even a bit about the witches themselves!? I can't think of any other time this happened, even with the truth smacking people in the face.? Many people finally accepted who the Doctor was or that he didn't belong, but I can;t reme mber anyone simply figuring it out on their own, especially with the style Will brings to the table.

His son was named "Hamnet"! Ha!

Last off, I believe The Doctor and Martha are getting along well.? I'm not one of those die hard fans who think no one is good enough to take "Rose's place" so to speak (how in the world could you be a fan of Doctor Who and get that attached to a companion?? What was she like number 39 or something?).? Still, they are quipping at each other very well, and she does show a strong ability to adapt and contribute something to the team.? I do believe that with some time The Doctor and Martha team will turn into something excellent and I hope she stays long enough for it to happen.

An excellent episode in writing, design and execution.

And next week, I get a alien episode with future tech!? Daleks in Manhattan right after that!!? I don't care what anyone says...this season is cracking up to be the best of the new series yet!