 This is the eighth story of Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11). It was written by Joy Wilkinson and directed by Sallie Aprahamian.
This story takes place in 17th century Lancashire, where The Doctor and her three travelling companions find themselves in the middle of a witch hunt held by a local land owner.
This story is commonly misnamed as its working title The Witch Finders. This story was also rumoured to be called The Witchhunters, but this was dropped, likely because it is too similar to the title of the BBC Books' The Past Doctors Stories novel "The Witch Hunters" written by Steve Lyons.
The Twelfth Doctor also encountered witch trials in the 17th century in the comic-strip story "Witch Work".
This story is notable for being the first time on screen, the Thirteenth Doctor faces sexism in a past era due to her new gender.
The Doctor is heard to mention having once been a ‘bloke’. She then laments that she used to command more authority. She previously noted that, as a man, she was allowed to go anywhere (see the BBC New Series Adventures novel "The Good Doctor" written by Juno Dawson).
After getting knocked out by the Morax Queen, The Doctor says she has not had a hangover this strong since the Milk Wars of Keston Five.
The Doctor and Graham O'Brien claim to be Witchfinder Generals.
King James thinks The Doctor took her name from the necromancer Doctor Dee.
The Doctor has met James I before. This occurred in the Virgin Books' The Missing Adventures novel "The Plotters" written by Gareth Roberts.
The Tenth Doctor was previously accused of witchcraft by the Sycorax leader after he used excess regeneration energy to regrow his severed hand in the 2005 story "The Christmas Invasion". The Sixth Doctor was called a warlock by the Carrionites in the Big Finish Productions audio story "The Carrionite Curse". The Doctor's granddaughter Susan was also accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in 1692 in the BBC Books' The Past Doctors Stories novel "The Witch Hunters" written by Steve Lyons.
The Doctor uses her respiratory bypass system when she is accused of being a witch (see the 1975 Fourth Doctor story "Pyramids of Mars", the 1982 Fifth Doctor story "Four to Doomsday" and the Big Finish Productions Sixth Doctor audio story "Return of the Krotons").
The Doctor mentions having met Harry Houdini (see the BBC Fifth Doctor audio story "Smoke and Mirrors", the online novel "Houdini and the Space Cuckoos" (made available to download from the Doctor Who website as part of the 2012 Advent Calendar) and the Short Trips story "The Great Escapes" (written by Simon Guerrier and published in the Big Finish Productions book "Short Trips 23: Defining Patterns")).
The Doctor once again is heard calling her friends ‘gang’, ‘team’, and ‘fam’.
Ryan Sinclair is heard to refer to the death of his nan and mum (see "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" and "The Tsuranga Conundrum").
Yasmin Khan refers to another time in her life where prejudice got to her (see "Rosa").
In this story it is revealed that when King James was a baby, his father was killed. James claims that he was murdered by his mother, who was then imprisoned and beheaded. James was therefore raised by regents. He later reveals that his mother left him when he was under a year old, and she was made into a scapegoat.
Bilehurst Cragg is a fictitious village located in the shadow of Pendle Hill which is a real place situated in the east of Lancashire, near the town of Burnley. Pendle Hill is famous for its links to the now notorious witch trials of 1612.
The Doctor discovers a copy of Daemonologie amongst the possessions of Becka Savage. This book was written and published by King James I and its appearance in this story could be seen as a reference to the 1971 Third Doctor story "The Dæmons".
Several Biblical sayings are given in this story. However, some are misattributed: while The Doctor is heard to say ‘Love thy neighbour’ originates from the New Testament, it is actually first said in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus.
The Doctor reminds her friends not to mess with history as she did previously in "Rosa".
James and Becka blame Satan for the local troubles. The Doctor is heard to say that she does not believe in Satan. The Tenth Doctor previously met a Beast who called himself Satan, which The Doctor speculated had inspired many cultures' myths about the Devil, or the Horned Beast (see the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit").
King James is heard to mention to Ryan that people have tried to blow him up before (see the Virgin Books' The Missing Adventures novel "The Plotters", written by Gareth Roberts, and the computer game "The Gunpowder Plot").
The Doctor is heard to mention Clarke's Law. The Third Doctor and Jo Grant once discussed Clarke's Law, in the 1971 story "The Dæmons", when The Doctor made it appear that his motor car, Bessie, could move on her own, when in reality he had wired the engine with a remote control. The Seventh Doctor also once quoted Clarke's Law to Ace in the 1989 story "Battlefield".
This story was released to Amazon Prime subscribers three days before its BBC One broadcast, when the streaming service accidentally uploaded this story instead of the previous story, "Kerblam!".
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The Firsts:
The first Doctor Who story to be written by Joy Wilkinson.
The first time on screen, the Thirteenth Doctor faces sexism in a past era due to her new gender.
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