Forbidden Planet (film)

Forbidden Planet was a film produced in the 1950s, (PROSE: In Search of Doctor X) based on the play The Tempest by William Shakespeare. (PROSE: The Tempest – A Work in Progress)

Fitz Kreiner had seen the film before he started travelling with the Eighth Doctor in 1963. (PROSE: Grimm Reality)

Citing the poor state of the fabric of time, the Tenth Doctor became aware of Shakespeare's struggles writing The Tempest and decided to intervene in the writing process. The Doctor arranged for Shakespeare to pick up a battery-powered Blu-ray player and a copy of Forbidden Planet for inspiration. Shakespeare thought it was "a little far-fetched" with some of the concepts "unfamiliar" to him, but that the central premise was "intriguing" and bore "some similarities" to what he had intended to do with his play. The Doctor explained that was the point and that Forbidden Planet was inspired by the play Shakespeare was about to write. The Doctor encouraged the playwright to "raid it for ideas", claiming that because, "in a way", they were really his own, it was "not stealing". Shakespeare was originally annoyed the writers of the film would draw inspiration from his play without paying him, but the Doctor explained his works were out of copyright. Shakespeare's integration of elements from Forbidden Planet eventually left him with a play he felt "should be a real crowd-pleaser". (PROSE: The Tempest – A Work in Progress) The character of Robby the Robot from the film (PROSE: Grimm Reality) served as the direct basis for Ariel. (PROSE: The Tempest – A Work in Progress)

The chain of shops Forbidden Planet took its name from the film, selling science fiction and fantasy merchandise. (PROSE: In Search of Doctor X)