The Roundheads (novel)
- You may be looking for the titular group.
The Roundheads was the sixth novel in the BBC Past Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Mark Gatiss, released on 24 November 1997 and featured the Second Doctor, Ben Jackson, Polly Wright and Jamie McCrimmon.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
1997 BBC Books Edition[[edit] | [edit source]]
"I tell you — we will cut off this King's head. Aye, with the crown on it!"
It is December 1648. Although victorious over the Cavaliers in the Civil Wars, the Roundheads are struggling to retain power. Plans are afoot to spirit King Charles from his prison, and the Doctor and his companions become embroiled in the intrigue...
Ben finds himself press-ganged and on board a mysterious ship to Amsterdam. Polly is an unwitting accomplice in the plot to rescue the King, and the Doctor and Jamie find themselves arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London under suspicion of conspiracy.
Can the Doctor and Jamie escape, manage to find Ben and Polly and still ensure that history remains on its proper course?
2015 BBC Books Edition[[edit] | [edit source]]
With the Civil War won, the Parliamentarians are struggling to hang on to power. But plans are being made to rescue the defeated King Charles from his prison...
With Ben press-ganged and put on board a mysterious ship bound for Amsterdam, Polly becomes an unwitting accomplice in the plot to rescue the King. The Doctor can't help because he and Jamie have been arrested and sent to the Tower of London, charged with conspiracy.
Can the Doctor and Jamie escape, find Ben and rescue Polly – while making sure that history remains on its proper course?
An adventure set in the aftermath of the English Civil War, featuring the Second Doctor as played by Patrick Troughton and his companions Ben, Polly, and Jamie.
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
to be added
Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Second Doctor
- Jamie McCrimmon
- Ben Jackson
- Polly Wright
- William Kemp
- Frances Kemp
- Colonel Thomas Pride
- Captain Thomas Culpeper
- Nathaniel Scrope
- Sir Grey of Groby
- Sarah Kemp
- Sir Thomas Fairfax
- Sir John Copper
- Christopher Whyte
- Benedict Moor
- Prince Rupert
- Captain Stanislaus
- Oliver Cromwell
- John Thurloe
- King Charles
- Captain Sal Winter
- Arthur Culpeper
- Gustavus van Leeuwenhoek
- Isaac Ashdown
- Richard Cromwell
- O'Kane
- Jem
- Hugh
- Spufford
- Sam
- Daniel Ancrom
- Jabez
- Petie
- Arkwright
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor mentions his granddaughter, Susan Foreman.
Food and Beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor buys oranges for him and his three companions. He later buys a fruitcake and shares it with Jamie.
- Ben drinks rum in the World Turn'd Upside Down, and notes that it always makes him rowdy. He later drinks ale in Amsterdam.
Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Susan was very keen on the period of history of the English Civil War.
- Ben compares Jamie's voice to that of Bill Shankly.
- Anton van Leeuwenhoek is Gustavus van Leeuwenhoek's brother.
- Archbishop Laud and Strafford are mentioned.
Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The East India Docks are mentioned.
- Oliver Cromwell's father had an estate in Cambridgeshire.
- St James's Park is in London.
- Charles I is executed by Inigo Jones' Banqueting House.
TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor manages to get lost in the TARDIS on his way to the library.
- The TARDIS has a copy of the book Every Boy's Book of the English Civil Wars.
Ships[[edit] | [edit source]]
Alternate timelines[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor refers to several alternate timelines he had visited or heard of relating to the civil war time period. Including:
- A third, fourth of fifth English Civil War.
- A resurgent but tyrannically anti-democratic monarchy.
- A hereditary Puritan Protectorate which reigns until the 20th century
- An invading Catholic army which conquers most of the world.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The novel was reprinted as part of The History Collection in February 2015, with a new cover and introduction by Gatiss.
- This story is set between The Macra Terror and The Faceless Ones.
- This story is a "pure historical" featuring no science fiction elements apart from the presence of the Doctor, Ben, Polly, Jamie and the TARDIS.
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor reminisces about his first trip with Ben and Polly, when Ben kept demanding to be taken back to his ship because he would be late. (TV: The Smugglers)
- Ironically, Ben is forced to be a crewman at another ship, Teazer, which is a namesake of his ship, HMS Teazer. (TV: The War Machines)
- The Doctor again uses his ability to speak in a foreign accent (in this case, Scandinavian). (TV: The Highlanders)
- The Doctor induces sleep using hypnosis. (TV: The War Machines) He claims to have been taught by an "absolute master". (TV: Terror of the Autons (TV story) etc.)
- The Doctor, Ben and Polly previously visited this same time period. (PROSE: The Feast)
- The First Doctor previously met Charles I's father King James I in 1605 and 1609, (PROSE: The Plotters, PROSE: The Empire of Glass) whereas the Second Doctor would later meet his son King James II in November 1688. (AUDIO: The Glorious Revolution)
- Ben mentions the Daleks (TV: The Power of the Daleks) and the Cybermen. (TV: The Tenth Planet, The Moonbase)
- The Doctor refers to the TARDIS' tertiary control room. (PROSE: Nightshade)
- The Doctor is aware of a possible future in which a triumphalist hereditary Puritan Protectorate rules Britain until the twentieth century. (AUDIO: Republica, PROSE: Republica)
- Prince Rupert travels with a pet monkey. When he met the Eleventh Doctor earlier in his life, he was accompanied by his poodle Boye. (COMIC: Dog of War!)
- Oliver Cromwell called Jamie his Scotch Cassandra when Jamie failed to predict the escape of Charles I. Cassandra created a lot of problems for Vicki, Steven and the First Doctor. (TV: The Myth Makers)
- As many of his other incarnations, the Second Doctor was imprisoned in the Tower. (AUDIO: Trail of the White Worm, The Marian Conspiracy, The Devil's Armada; TV: The Day of the Doctor)
- It was said that Charles I showed no fear before his execution. (AUDIO: The Glorious Revolution)
Audiobook[[edit] | [edit source]]
- This novel was released as an audiobook on 16 April 2015 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Anneke Wills.
Audiobook cover
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Official The Roundheads page at Penguin Books
- The Roundheads at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: The Roundheads at The Whoniverse
- The Cloister Library: The Roundheads
