Medicinal Purposes was the fifth serial of Season 40 of Doctor Who. It was written by Robert Moss, directed by James Hawes and starred Aidan Gillen as the Tenth Doctor & Miranda Raison as Jessica Tyler.
Synopsis[]
Edinburgh, 1827.
The infamous body snatchers William Burke and William Hare are at large. The local prostitutes dull their fear with cheap whisky. The graveyard owls are hooting. Business is good.
When accidental tourists the Doctor and Jessica Tyler stumble upon one of Britain's most lurid, illuminating chapters in history, a simple case of interest in the work of dedicated man of science Doctor Robert Knox, quickly turns sour.
Just what is that time-bending Scots mist? Whatever it is may put the very fabric of the universe under threat...
Plot[]
To be added.
Cast[]
- The Doctor - Aidan Gillen
- Jessica Tyler - Miranda Raison
- Doctor Robert Knox - Leslie Phillips
- Daft Jamie - David Tennant
- Mary Patterson - Glenna Morrison
- William Burke - To be added.
- Billy Hare - Tom Farrelly
- Old Woman - Janie Booth
Crew[]
To be added.
Worldbuilding[]
- The Doctor and Jessica visited Greyfriars Graveyard.
Individuals[]
- Daft Jamie's name and nationality causes the Doctor to recall his former companion Jamie McCrimmon.
- The Doctor refers to the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
- The Doctor mentions Dr Christiaan Barnard.
- Knox is contemptuous of the Time Lords and their 'dominion' over time, and says it doesn't exist.
TARDIS[]
- Knox bought his Type 70 TARDIS from a Nekkistani on Gryben.
- Knox's TARDIS has a working chameleon circuit.
Literature from the real world[]
- The Doctor superstitiously refers to Macbeth as "the Scottish Play."
- Dr. Knox refers to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, who would not be born until the 1850s. The Doctor realised that he mentioned the novel as a test for Jessica whom he correctly believed may be another time traveller.
Notes[]
To be added.
Continuity[]
- The Doctor would refer to Macbeth as "the Scottish Play" again during his thirteenth incarnation. (TV: The Book of Kells)
Home video releases[]
VHS[]
- This story was first released on VHS.
DVD[]
- This story along with the other stories in Season 40 were released as Doctor Who: The Complete Fortieth Season in 2004.
Blu-ray[]
- This story along with the other stories in Season 40 were later released as Doctor Who: The Complete Fortieth Season on Blu-ray.