Podcast appearances and mentions of Henry Gordon Jago

Horror author Mark Morris has written and edited around fifty novels, novellas, short story collections and anthologies. His script work includes audio dramas for Doctor Who and a Doctor Who spinoff series, Jago & Litefoot, and the Hammer Chillers series. His most recent work includes a new novel, That Which Stands Outside, and a 30th anniversary short story collection, Warts And All. Mark's work has won numerous awards, including two British Fantasy Awards, and two New York Festival Radio Awards. Mark talks with me about how he got his start as an author, being welcomed into the horror writing community, the differences between writing his own novels and working on tie-in fiction for franchises like Doctor Who, Spartacus, and Predator, making the switch to writing audio scripts, and more. You'll hear us talking about one of the stars of the Jago & Litefoot series, Christopher Benjamin. Christopher Benjamin was beloved among Doctor Who fans for his portrayal of Henry Gordon Jago, and one of the few actors to appear in not only the classic series but in the new series as well. His 70-year career spanned stage, radio, television, and film, including shows like The Saint, The Forsyte Saga, and the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. Christopher Benjamin passed away at the age of 90 on January 10, 2025, and I'd like to dedicate this episode to his memory. Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 02:01 Creative childhood and early storytelling. 04:55 Transition from history degree to writing career. 06:45 Determination to succeed. 12:09 Success with first novel, "Toady," and publicity. 20:29 Encouragement from horror writing community. 31:35 Writing tie-in fiction for Doctor Who and others. 39:22 Challenges of tight deadlines and research. 40:58 Insights into writing and editing processes. 44:17 Novelization of "Wild Blue Yonder" Doctor Who special. 46:25 Transition to writing for audio and challenges. 54:38 Upcoming projects and advice for young writers. 56:48 Emphasis on persistence and not turning down opportunities.   Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it's really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you'll share it with a friend.    

In this episode of the Who's He? Podcast.... Welcome The Second Doctor - The Power of The Daleks Phil & Scott continue their series of looking at how good how each Doctor's inaugral stories were at introducing them to the waiting world, with The Power of the Daleks, starring Patrick Troughton. With this story being the very first time a regenerated Doctor appeared on screen, was this story full Daleks, double and triple crosses successful in assuring fans that Doctor Who was alive and well? And in the news, we say a sad goodbye to Christopher Benjamin, the man who gave us Henry Gordon Jago. You can find us on X, Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky and Facebook.  Don't miss an episode by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, plus many other podcatchers of your choice. #doctorwho #thepowerofthedaleks

In this episode of the Who's He? Podcast..... The News Phil and Paul catch up on the latest news including the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary concert and their thoughts on the new theme tune from Murray Gold. But of course, the big news is that all Doctor Who is finally coming to the BBC iPlayer. However, all is not what it seems as owing to a licensing dispute, An Unearthly Child will not be included! Phil and Paul discuss the furore over this. Review - Voyage to the New World It's Big Finish time! And this time the lads elected to listen to Voyage to the New World, starring Colin Baker as the Doctor and Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter as Jago and Litefoot. This story sees the TARDIS materialize in the past, and the Doctor's companions, Professor Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago, find themselves prisoners of the natives in the New World. But there's something strange here - stranger than even the colonists, led by Englishman John White. What are the ghostly children? And who is the Old Man of Croaton? Phil and Paul remain somewhat confused by this audio play and that's not including whether this is part of the Jago & Litefoot range or the Sixth Doctor range?!? But how does the Jago & Litefoot double act hold up in this story set during the colonisation of America? You can find us on Twitter and Facebook and you can subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts plus many other podcatchers and don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel. #doctorwho #bigfinish  

We are pleased to bring you a brand new interview with Christopher Benjamin, an actor who has appeared in three classic Doctor Who adventures (Inferno, The Talons of Weng-Chiang and The Unicorn and the Wasp) as well as dozens of Big Finish roles, most notably as Henry Gordon Jago in the spinoff series Jago & Litefoot. Original theme composed by Joe Kraemer | http://www.joekraemer.com/about/ Email: sirensofaudio@gmail.com Website: https://www.sirensofaudio.com/ Audio Feedback: https://anchor.fm/sirensofaudio Twitter: http://twitter.com/audiosirens Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audiosirens/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audiosirens YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrU3MLlOeJTLnAbLl35QgeQ Clips and music are copyright BBC and Big Finish. No infringement is intended. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sirensofaudio/message

  This title was released in October 2020. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until December 31st 2020, and on general sale after this date. Victorian London harbours many secrets: alien visitors, strange phenomena and unearthly powers. But a trio of investigators stands ready to delve into such mysteries: the Great Detective, Madame Vastra, her resourceful spouse, Jenny Flint, and their loyal valet, Strax. If an impossible puzzle needs solving, or a grave injustice needs righting, help can be found on Paternoster Row. But even heroes can never escape their past... 4.1 Merry Christmas, Mr Jago by Paul Morris As Vastra searches for relics of prehistory, Jenny worries about security, and Strax wants to find a suitable gift for his friend. Henry Gordon Jago has been invited to spend Christmas at Paternoster Row – but when presents are unwrapped, the surprises inside could prove deadly! 4.2 The Ghost Writers by Roy Gill While Jenny and Strax investigate sightings of fauns beneath streetlights and mermaids in bath-houses, Madame Vastra is invited into a different mystery. The literary members of the Antediluvian Club have strict criteria for entry, and Miss Edith Renner needs Vastra to access their secrets. 4.3 Rulers of Earth by Matt Fitton Ancient forces have risen, Vastra and her friends are lost to each other, and a terrible prophecy is taking shape. A pretender to the throne allies with a force from prehistory, while an unlikely ally searches for the Paternosters. The Gang must face their destiny, as the fate of Earth is decided...    

@Tindogpodcast reviews   This title was released in August 2019. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until October 31st 2019, and on general sale after this date. River Song has many ways to amuse herself away from her husband. And with access to the Doctor’s diary, she knows exactly when he might be around, and when best to slip in unnoticed and liberate valuable trinkets… But first of all, she must ensure he makes it out of Totters Lane alive! 6.1 An Unearthly Woman by Matt Fitton Coal Hill School has a new member of staff: an educated woman, who seems to specialise in every subject. Meanwhile, teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright have concerns over the behaviour of one of their pupils. Susan Foreman is intrigued by Dr Song, but something else is stalking her in the darkness and fog of London, 1963… 6.2 The Web of Time by John Dorney The capital has been evacuated. Monsters stalk the Underground. For River, it’s the perfect opportunity to steal a priceless artwork, so long as she can avoid looters, soldiers and an alien invasion. With the gallant Captain Knight at her side, River faces the Great Intelligence and its Yeti army. But her biggest challenge may be keeping time itself on track… 6.3 Peepshow by Guy Adams Miniscope parts fetch quite a price on the open market – luckily, River knows where she can find one that’s about to be decommissioned. Unfortunately, this particular miniscope is chock-full of aliens, as well as unsuspecting Earthlings. River must face a carnival of monsters before she can claim her prize – across miniature habitats, Ogrons, Sontarans and Drashigs await! 6.4 The Talents of Greel by Paul Morris River visits Victorian London on the trail of anachronistic technology. But when young women are stolen from the streets, she takes a stand. River’s investigation leads to theatre impresario Henry Gordon Jago, and his latest star act: Li H’Sen Chang and the unnerving Mr Sin. But if River’s going undercover at the Palace Theatre, she needs to have a song…  

Charles Skaggs and Jesse Jackson discuss “The Talons of Weng-Chiang”, the controversial sixth serial from Doctor Who Season 14 in 1977, featuring Tom Baker as the Tenth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela, Christopher Benjamin as Henry Gordon Jago, and Trevor Baxter as Professor George Litefoot! Find us here:Twitter: @NextStopSMG, @CharlesSkaggs, @JesseJacksonDFW  Instagram: @nextstopeverywherepodcast Facebook: facebook.com/NextStopEverywherePodcast  Email: nextstopeverywheresmg@gmail.com Listen and subscribe to us in Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

This is our first super special bonus lagniappe episode - an interview with Mark Morris, the author of "The Bodysnatchers". Roll up and hear the show as he discourses on being a Doctor Who fan as well as the tribulations of writing Victorian dialogue. Plus find out the secret to putting words in the mouth of that superior showman Henry Gordon Jago!

This is our first super special bonus lagniappe episode - an interview with Mark Morris, the author of "The Bodysnatchers". Roll up and hear the show as he discourses on being a Doctor Who fan as well as the tribulations of writing Victorian dialogue. Plus find out the secret to putting words in the mouth of that superior showman Henry Gordon Jago!

In this episode of the Doctor Who: Alhambra Podcast, we travel back in time to September 2017, where Liam was able to attend the Whooverville 8 - Doctor Who convention.   This release focuses on the podcasting table interview of TV and theater actor Christopher Benjamin. In this interview Christopher Benjamin talks about both the classic and new Doctor Who stories he’s been in, his role as Henry Gordon Jago.  He talks about his time working with Trevor Baxter, who recently passed away a few months before Whooverville 8.  Christopher Benjamin does a great job to celebrate the time that he and Trevor worked together with Big Finish in the Jago and Litefoot series.  Working with Tom Baker in some of the Big Finish 4th Doctor ranges, and much more. A future Whooverville 8 interview for the Doctor Who: Alhambra Podcast will feature the 5th and 6th Doctor companion co-star: Nicola Bryant   Subscribe to the show on  Stitcher http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/doctor-who-alhambra-podcast TuneIn http://tunein.com/radio/Doctor-Who-Alhambra-Podcast-p891406/ Poddirectory http://poddirectory.com/podcast/17156/doctor-who-the-alhambra-podcast Please email the show at: alhambraaudio@gmail.com Tweet the show: @AlhambraPodcast  Tweet the hosts: Liam @djNezumi or Brett @Mavic_Chen  Visit our website: AlhambraPodcast.weebly.com

Whooverville 9 coverage continues with a chat to Christopher Benjamin, Henry Gordon Jago himself.   You can see my photos of Whooverville 9 here https://www.flickr.com/photos/tdrury/albums/72157688450619545   End Theme: Dr Who(Gypsy Guitar) by Thrip   The show is now on Facebook please join the group for exclusive behind the scenes insights and of course also discuss and feedback on the show https://www.facebook.com/groups/187162411486307/ If you want to send me comments or feedback you can email them to tdrury2003@yahoo.co.uk or contact me on twitter where I'm @tdrury or send me a friend request and your comments to facebook where I'm Tim Drury and look like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdrury/3711029536/in/set-72157621161239599/ in case you were wondering.

A stunning new star act is wowing the audiences of the New Regency Theatre. The modern mechanical marvel of canny canine charisma - the automated dog that can answer any question - the incomparable - the unbeatable - K9! The Doctor and Romana have returned to Victorian London and been reunited with their old friends Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago. However this is not merely a social visit. A terrifying crime spree is sweeping the capital, and the burglaries of 'The Knave' defy all logic. Something impossibly dangerous is taking place amid the fog. Only the time travellers and their friends can stop it... but can they be sure they're all on the same side? Written By: Justin Richards Directed By: Nicholas Briggs Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Lalla Ward (Romana), John Leeson (K9), Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), Trevor Baxter (Professor George Litefoot), Conrad Asquith (Inspector Quick), Ed Stoppard (Sir Nicholas Asquin) Producer David Richardson Script Editor John Dorney Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

#bigfinish #doctorwho #podcast #tindogpodcast    THE WORLDS OF DOCTOR WHO  RELEASED SEPTEMBER PRICES CD £45.00 Download £25.00 Synopsis An epic adventure uniting the Doctor's friends across time and space, featuring Jago & Litefoot, Counter-Measures, the Vault and Gallifrey! 1: Mind Games by Justin RichardsIn Victorian England, Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot investigate worrying events on the streets of London – which seem to be linked to the New Regency Theatre's resident act, the mesmerist Mr Rees… 2: The Reesinger Process by Justin RichardsLondon, 1964, and the repercussions of Jago and Litefoot's adventure are dealt with by Sir Toby Kinsella and his crack team of specialists at Counter-Measures. What is the Reesinger Process – and who is behind it? 3: The Screaming Skull by Jonathan MorrisDisgraced soldiers Ruth Matheson and Charlie Sato are called back into action by Captain Mike Yates, when the UNIT Vault is mysteriously locked down by a deadly force. Together they must infiltrate the Vault and get those trapped out alive. But what enemy are they facing? 4: Second Sight by Nick Wallace and Justin RichardsThe actions of Mr Rees have alerted the Time Lords of Gallifrey, and Romana has assigned her best warrior. Independently, the Sixth Doctor has arrived on Earth. A power from the dawn of the Universe is about to be unleashed once more… Written By: Justin Richards, Jonathan Morris, Nick WallaceDirected By: Ken Bentley and Lisa Bowerman Cast Colin Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Lalla Ward (Romana), Daphne Ashbrook (Ruth Matheson), Trevor Baxter (Professor George Litefoot), Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Karen Gledhill(Allison Williams), Hugh Ross (Sir Toby Kinsella), Pamela Salem (Rachel Jenson),Yee Jee Tso (Charlie Sato), Simon Williams (Group Captain Gilmore), Jamie Glover (Mr Rees), Sinead Keenan (Stephanie Wilton), Rory Keenan (James Wilton) Producer David RichardsonScript Editor Matt FittonExecutive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Nick Briggs is the Executive Producer of Big Finish, the Voice of the Daleks, and most importantly... he's Sherlock Holmes in The Ordeals Of Sherlock Holmes! Babes Curly, Taylor, Kafers, Maria & Amy chat with Nick about the new box set from Big Finish, the love he has for audio and theatre, his amazing cast, tricking Benedict Cumberbatch, and what Holmes would deduce about a Dalek. You can get The Ordeals Of Sherlock Holmes plus all the other Holmesian audios at . Order Ordeals []! Mentioned: Jago & Litefoot []: Jago and Litefoot is an audio series from Big Finish Productions. The stories involve Henry Gordon Jago and George Litefoot, characters first introduced in Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang, who become Infernal Investigators, solving mysteries involving paranormal or alien  The Confessions Of Dorian Gray starring Alexander Vlahos []: Inspired by Oscar Wilde's classic story of hedonism and corruption, The Confessions of Dorian Gray imagines a world where Dorian Gray was real, and his friendship with Oscar Wilde spawned the notorious novel. is the one where Nick as Holmes appears. The Big Finish Podcasts []

They call him The Pugilist. It is the dawn of a new century and a vigilante is on the loose. The scourge of the criminal underclass. The saviour of the virtuous and the protector of the weak. The police are baffled, the public enamoured…  but Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago are on the case. Or at least they will be when they've finished their beer. What is the source of The Pugilist's spectacular supernatural powers? Is he alone in his noble quest? And what is his connection to the spate of corpses discovered around London? As they descend further into a nefarious netherworld, the infernal investigators may be out of their depth. They're going to need help if they're to get out of this alive. The help of an old friend and his new assistant. The help… of the Doctor and Romana. Written By: John DorneyDirected By: Ken Bentley Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana), Trevor Baxter (Professor George Litefoot), Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), Mark Goldthorp (Bobby Stamford), Rosanna Miles (Mary Brown), Ben Bishop (Stone), Adrian Lukis (Harvey Marsh)

After being thrust into a war, The Doctor becomes a family man ("The Doctor's Daughter"). Then, he and Donna help Agatha Christie solve a murder mystery ("The Unicorn and the Wasp"). The guys decide that Henry Gordon Jago could be Colonel Curbishly, and Dan is proud of his new status.

After being thrust into a war, The Doctor becomes a family man ("The Doctor's Daughter"). Then, he and Donna help Agatha Christie solve a murder mystery ("The Unicorn and the Wasp"). The guys decide that Henry Gordon Jago could be Colonel Curbishly, and Dan is proud of his new status.

tin dog podcast 299. Roanoke Island, 1590. The TARDIS materializes in the past, and the Doctor's companions, Professor Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago, find themselves prisoners of the natives in the New World. But there's something something strange here – stranger than even the colonists, led by Englishman John White. What are the ghostly children? And who is the Old Man of Croaton? The travellers are about to discover the secret of the lost colony... and it may cost Jago's life. Written By: Matthew SweetDirected By: Ken Bentley Cast Colin Baker (The Doctor), Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), Trevor Baxter (Professor George Litefoot), Philip Pope (John White), Ramon Tikaram(Wanchese), Mark Lockyer (Sir Walter Raleigh), Emerald O'Hanrahan (Eleanor Dare)

Synopsis Professor Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago are accustomed to the murky fog of Victorian London and the palatable pints of half and half at the Red Tavern. They are not used to travelling through time and space with their old friend the Doctor. And now they fined themselves whisked off to the planet Venus in the distant future, at a time when warrior women rule from a floating city in the clouds. There's a mystery here, one that the Grand Empress Vulpina intends to keep secret. Even if it means destroying these visitors from the long-dead planet Earth... Written By: Jonathan Morris Directed By: Ken Bentley Cast Colin Baker (The Doctor), Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), Trevor Baxter (Professor George Litefoot), Juliet Aubrey (Vulpina), Catherine Harvey (Felina), Charlie Norfolk (Ursina), Hugh Ross (Vepaja)

“What temptuous contortions of the gyrating kind!” Big Finish have expanded their already impressive range of Doctor Who-related audios with the release of Jago and Litefoot – Season 1. Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot...

"The Unicorn and the Wasp" is the seventh episode in the of the , which was aired by on at 7:00pm. Perhaps due to its later broadcast, it received an overnight audience rating of 7.7 million, making it the most successful episode this series since "". The episode is a story set in 1926, in a manor owned by a character named Lady Eddison in which crime fiction novelist is visiting, and is a comedic episode with a murder storyline. // if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } // Plot Synopsis The episode sees the () and () arrive at a dinner party hosted by Lady Eddison () and her husband, Colonel Hugh (). One of the guests is none other than (). Looking at a newspaper, the Doctor finds that it is the day of Agatha Christie's famous unexplained disappearance (, ). Just as this revelation is made, another guest, Professor Peach (), is found by Eddison's friend and companion Miss Chandrakala () in the library, murdered with a lead pipe; Donna alludes to the similarity to the boardgame . The Doctor finds morphic residue on the floor while examining the scene, meaning that one of the guests isn't human. Aided by Agatha, the Doctor interviews the guests while Donna goes looking for clues. She investigates a locked room, which the butler explains Lady Eddison had sequestered herself in while recovering from a bout of contracted in India forty years earlier and they had left locked after her recovery. Donna is attacked by a giant wasp after tracing a buzzing sound to a window. She scares it off with a magnifying glass. It escapes and apparently retakes human form before they can catch up, killing Miss Chandrakala along the way. Her last words are "The poor little child." At this point it becomes clear that the murder is being played out like one of Agatha's novels. While the three mull over the evidence they've gathered thus far, the Doctor is poisoned with ; however, it is not as fatal for him as it is for humans, and an odd combination of ingredients with a shock (in the form of a kiss) from Donna allows him to himself. In return, the Doctor "poisons" the guests' dinner with pepper; naturally this is not harmful to humans, but it acts as an insecticide to wasps. A buzzing sound can be heard moments later, to which Lady Eddison exclaims, "It can't be!" The lights are blown out by a sudden wind and they again fail to ascertain the identity of the alien. Roger Curbishley (), Lady Eddison's son, is murdered in the confusion, and Lady Eddison's necklace, 'The Firestone,' is stolen. In the sitting room, the Doctor and Agatha reveal several secrets about the guests and hosts. Robina Redmond () is a thief called 'The Unicorn' who coveted the Firestone and stole it in the confusion. Colonel Hugh is not actually wheelchair bound as he appears to be; he faked the condition to make sure Lady Eddison did not leave him. The truth of Lady Eddison's bout of malaria is also revealed; she was actually made pregnant by an alien known as a , who gave her the Firestone necklace. The necklace is psychically linked to her son, whom she had given up for adoption and never saw again. Her son is actually the Reverend Golightly (Tom Goodman-Hill), who had come to associate Agatha Christie's novels with the way the world must work because Lady Eddison had been reading one when his alien biology was awakened in a moment of anger, and had killed those who were working against him in the manner of one of her novels. Golightly, now enraged once more at being discovered, transforms into his wasp form. Agatha snatches the Firestone, and Golightly pursues her since she is now linked to it. The Doctor and Donna follow after her. Agatha leads the creature to the lake, where Donna throws the necklace into the water. Golightly follows it in and thus drowns. Still linked to the necklace, Agatha nearly dies as well, but Golightly chooses to release her as his last act. The trauma causes amnesia, and the Doctor deposits her at the Harrogate Hotel ten days later, explaining her disappearance. In the , the Doctor produces one of Agatha's novels, , and points to the copyright page in the front. The publication date is listed as the year five billion; Agatha Christie is quite literally the most popular novelist of all time. The cover features a giant wasp, suggesting that the amnesia was not total (although the wasp in the novel is in fact of the normal variety). Continuity When the Doctor meets Agatha Christie for the first time, he mentions that he was just talking about her the other day, saying "I bet she's brilliant". This comes from the end of "", when he was suggesting places where he and Martha could go after the 's defeat. Several previous episodes are referenced by both the Doctor and Donna. The Doctor produces items from a chest of items beginning with C, including a chest-plate from "" and the crystal ball in which the are trapped from "". Donna mentions that meeting Agatha Christie during a murder mystery would be as preposterous as meeting " surrounded by ghosts at Christmas", unknowingly referencing the events of "". When Donna attempts to use 1920s , the Doctor tells her to stop, just as he did with (in "") and (in "" and ) when they tried to mimic local speech; the first slang phrase Donna uses ("Topping day, what!") is also used by the Third Doctor when interacting with 1920s characters in the 1973 serial . When poisoned, the Doctor runs into the kitchen and asks for . The Fourth Doctor was seen drinking ginger pop throughout and the dislike of it by companion becomes a major plot point. Donna refers to her own failed marriage in "", comparing it to Christie's husband's infidelity. She notes that her husband was colluding not with another woman but with . She also mentions the , following on from previous mentions in "" and "". The Doctor has a flashback scene when unravelling motives with Agatha Christie. In it he's carving through Belgium with a bow and quiver of arrows on his back. His voiceover explains he looking for who was "kidnapped by an insane computer." Christie interrupts before he can paint a full picture; however the events are fully explored on Doctor Who's BBC website in the short story "The Lonely Computer." The first episode of this series was called "Partners in Crime" - the title of one of Agatha Christie's books. Outside references There are numerous references to either Agatha Christie's novels or to Christie herself. In a similar manner to the running gag between the Doctor and in "The Shakespeare Code", both Donna and the Doctor refer to novels which Agatha has yet to write, ideas which she naturally finds to be intriguing — particularly , which Donna mentions. Other novels referenced are , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . When the body of Professor Peach is found, the Doctor remarks that the time of death was quarter past four. This is a reference to Agatha Christie's novel, "The Clocks" where there are clocks frozen at 4:13. Donna also mentions (whom Christie had not yet created), and the novelist remarks that she would make for an interesting character. The episode also claims that Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time (literally), which is true today as her novels have sold an estimated four billion copies. (The works of Shakespeare and the have sold more copies overall, but are not novels.) The Doctor also makes a slight faux pas when he addresses Christie as "Dame Agatha", a title which she had yet to receive at the time the episode is set in. The script also makes multiple references to the murder mystery board game . The first murder took place in the library, one of the rooms on the Cluedo board, with a lead pipe, one of the suspected weapons in the game. The victim's name is Professor Peach, a reference to Cluedo's Professor Plum. The episode also features a colonel (Colonel Mustard), a woman wearing blue (Mrs Peacock), a reverend (Reverend Green) and a woman in red (Miss Scarlett). Production The episode is written by , who previously wrote the pseudohistorical episode "". Roberts was given a fourth series episode to write after executive producer reviewed Roberts' script for "The Shakespeare Code". Several months later, he received an email from the production team which said "Agatha Christie". Roberts, a self-confessed fan of Christie's works, made the episode into a comedy, the first Doctor Who story to do so since 's serials and , in and , respectively. Roberts based the episode on his favourite Christie works: , which focuses on secrets within an aristocratic society, and the of . Speaking of both works, Roberts noted that it was "quite strange writing a modern Doctor Who with posh people in it. We don't really see posh people on television anymore, except at Christmas", and "there's something funny about the veneer of upper class respectability and the truth of any family underneath". He also stated that "there's really nothing nicer than watching a lot of English actors hamming it up in a vaguely exotic location... and then somebody's murdered!" The episode's title was deliberately chosen to sound "vaguely Christie-ish", but Roberts admitted that "[Christie] never used 'the blank and the blank' construction". In writing the episode, Roberts aimed to make the episode a "big, fun, all-star murder mystery romp". He was influenced by advice given by Davies, who wanted Roberts to "go funnier" with every draft, and former Doctor Who script editor ' advice that "a danger one runs is that the moment you have anything in the script that's clearly meant to be funny in some way, everybody thinks 'oh well we can do silly voices and silly walks and so on', and I think that's exactly the wrong way to do it". Using this advice, he used the adage that in comedy, the characters do not realise the humour, and cited 's mishaps in as an example. In an interview with , Roberts stated that "to a certain extent [there was less pressure]" in writing the episode. He was pleased with the success of "The Shakespeare Code" and the story "", but likened himself to , a member of the administrative staff at the fictional Doctor Who organisation , in saying that he did not wish to be "in the middle of things" or writing episodes "where big, pivotal things have happened to [the Doctor]". Cast notes Actor , who plays Colonel Hugh, previously starred in two serials of the original Doctor Who series, playing Sir Keith Gold in (1970) and Henry Gordon Jago in (1977). David Tennant's father played a footman in one of the early scenes, after being asked to act when visiting David on set. He had no lines. The casting of as Agatha Christie was made at the suggestion of David Tennant, who had previously worked with her on . Music Although the opening notes of the playing at the garden party have an apparent similarity to the Doctor Who theme, it is in fact the opening of Twentieth Century Blues, originally from Noël Coward's 1931 play . The recording used here, edited together with other "period music," is a 1931 recording of , featuring vocalist . Locations The Harrogate Hotel where the Doctor leaves Agatha is fictitious. In actuality, the hotel where she was found was the Swan Hydro (now the Old Swan Hotel), a somewhat less imposing building than the one depicted in the episode. episode Having followed her to the lake, the titular "" is controlled by () using the Firestone - the object sought after by the titular "" - as runs forward with to plead with it to spare Christie's life. Cast () () Guest stars – – Lady Clemency Eddison – Robina Redmond – Colonel Hugh – Reverend Golightly – Professor PeachDavid Quilter – Greeves – Roger CurbishleyDaniel King – DavenportCharlotte Eaton – Mrs Hart – Miss Chandrakala – Footman (uncredited) Production Writer Director Script editor Lindsey Alford Producer Executive producer(s) Production code 4.7 Series Length 45 mins Originally broadcast Chronology ← Preceded by Followed by → "" ""