Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great was the King of Macedon in the 4th century BC and one of the most successful military commanders in human history.

In May 323 BC, the First Doctor and his companions Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright met Alexander in Babylon, ultimately being present for his death the following month. (BFA: Farewell, Great Macedon)

The Venetian explorer Marco Polo hoped that by presenting the Doctor's "flying caravan" to Kublai Khan, his master would become more powerful than Alexander the Great. (DW: Marco Polo)

Immediately after his third regeneration, the Fourth Doctor recalled his encounter with Alexander the Great. Temporary memory loss caused him to refer to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as Alexander. (DW: Robot)

The Fifth Doctor described Alexander as "a dreadful bore" to his companions Tegan Jovanka and Turlough. (MA: The Crystal Bucephalus)


 * It is possible that the Doctor met Alexander the Great in the same adventure that he met Pyrrho, as the two were contemporaries.

Behind the scenes

 * In 1964, a six-episode story entitled Farewell, Great Macedon Great Macedon was written for the First Doctor. It was never produced, though the script would be published in book form in 2009. It is possible that the meeting referenced in Robot could be this unproduced adventure.