Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 was a play by William Shakespeare featuring the eponymous King of England.
After Shakespeare inadvertently replaced King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and Richard took Shakespeare's place in 1597, the Fifth Doctor gave Henry IV, Part 1 as an example of a play which he was meant to start writing soon. The Doctor also suggested Richard could put his deceased brother George, Duke of Clarence into his first Shakespearean play to give him the immortality that history couldn't, an idea which Richard found appealing. In reference to Henry IV, Part 1, Richard asked "That alright, can I put him in that one?" to which the Doctor replied "Oh, I should think so". (AUDIO: The Kingmaker [+]Loading...["The Kingmaker (audio story)"])
Shakespeare was summoned to the court of Queen Elizabeth I to confirm whether the character of Falstaff in his latest play had been based upon Sir John Oldcastle, which he admitted. Elizabeth was disappointed upon learning Shakespeare had no plans for a further play featuring Falstaff but then declared that she had an "excellent" idea of the subject for Shakespeare's next play, stating he would write of "Falstaff in love". (PROSE: The Chase [+]Loading...["The Chase (novelisation)"]) This commission resulted in the production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. (PROSE: Apocrypha Bipedium [+]Loading...["Apocrypha Bipedium (short story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
In the real world, George, Duke of Clarence did not appear in Henry IV, Part 1, which was set well before his birth. He did, however, make appearances in two other Shakespearean plays, namely Richard III and Henry VI, Part 3.
Shakespeare's "latest play" is not named in The Chase [+]Loading...["The Chase (novelisation)"] but is identifiable due to the historical legend that states Elizabeth I requested a romantic Falstaff play after watching Henry IV, Part 1.
Although the title of the play as given in The Kingmaker [+]Loading...["The Kingmaker (audio story)"] implies the existence of a Henry IV, Part 2, it has never been explicitly mentioned in-universe. Additionally, Henry IV, Part 1 also features the future Henry V, although his appearance in the play has not been confirmed by an in-universe source.
