Harry Potter

Magic and stuff, that's a surprise. It's all a bit Harry Potter.Martha Jones

Published in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the Harry Potter was series of novels by British author J.K. Rowling which were extremely popular and spawned a series of film adaptations. The novels chronicled the early life of a young wizard as he was groomed to defeat an evil warlock.

The Doctor had read the Harry Potter novels, and cried upon reading the ending of the final book. Martha Jones also knew the books and suggested Potter's magic word "expelliarmus" to William Shakespeare to help defeat the Carrionites. The suggestion worked. (DW: The Shakespeare Code) Donna Noble jokingly referred to a centaur she met as Firenze - the name of one of the centaurs in the Potter universe (BBC Audio: Pest Control). A copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the first Potter novel) can be seen in a display case on Platform One.

Although originally consisting of seven books, at some point several more novels were written, as the Doctor had a complete set of 11 Harry Potter novels in his TARDIS. (EDA: The Gallifrey Chronicles)

Behind the scenes

Trivia

• In 2005, Russell T Davies asked Harry Potter's creator J.K. Rowling if she would write for Doctor Who. She refused, saying that she was "was amused by the suggestion but simply doesn't have the time." She was writing the sixth Harry Potter novel at the time.

• In The Christmas Invasion, a Hogwarts-style uniform briefly appears as the Doctor considers what clothes to wear in his new incarnation.

• The Shakespeare Code, in which The Doctor references reading the final book, was broadcast before the book was published, during a period of intense anticipation for its release. The Doctor doesn't mention the book's title, as it had not been revealed by the time the episode began filming.

• According to his 2008 autobiography A Writer's Tale, Russell T Davies considered basing the 2008 Christmas special around an appearance by Rowling.

• Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, was a name thrown out by Russell T. Davies to play The Eleventh Doctor.

• Other actors who have appeared in the Harry Potter films who have been considered for the role of The Doctor include John Cleese and Robbie Coltrane.

• In The Gallifrey Chronicles, written in 2005, a character picks up a copy of the last Harry Potter book in the TARDIS, before replacing it next to its "ten other sequels." While this can be seen as an anachronism -- possibly the author was unaware Rowling only planned to publish seven books -- it should be noted that since the publication of book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Rowling has not dismissed the possibility of writing more Potter books in the future; perhaps in the Whoniverse she (or someone else) did in fact write additional volumes. It also should be noted that the title Deathly Hallows is not mentioned in The Shakespeare Code, so the Doctor could just as easily be referring to Book 11, although Martha probably thinks he means Book 7.

Doctor Who actors who have appeared in the Harry Potter film series

• David Tennant - Barty Crouch Jr.
• John Cleese - Headless Nick
• Roger Lloyd Pack - Barty Crouch Sr.
• Shirley Henderson - Moaning Myrtle
• Zoë Wanamaker - Rolanda Hooch.
• Jim Broadbent (The Curse of Fatal Death) - Horace Slughorn

Notes and referances