Gilbert and Sullivan were human musicians. The First Doctor claimed that they once gave him a coat, which he in turn lent to Ian Chesterton. (TV: "The Brink of Disaster")
Behind the scenes
- Peter Pratt was for many years the principal comedian of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which performed Gilbert and Sullivan's works. Pratt played the "patter" roles, such as the Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance and Ko-Ko in The Mikado.
- Gilbert and Sullivan's songs from The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance formed the basis of the songs sung in Doctor Who and the Pirates.
- Jim Broadbent portrayed W.S. Gilbert in the 1999 film Topsy-Turvy.
- Grim's Dyke — Gilbert's home and estate at Harrow Weald in north-west London, which he bought in 1890 and lived at until his death in 1911 — was used for location filming for The Evil of the Daleks.