Info from The Haberdasher's Tale needs to be added.
These omissions are so great that the article's factual accuracy has been compromised. Check out the discussion page and revision history for further clues about what needs to be updated in this article.
The Canterbury Tales was a book written by Geoffrey Chaucer during the 14th century. Barbara Wright was extremely fond of it but Ian Chesterton had never read it. In 1400, Chaucer entrusted Barbara and the First Doctor with the safe keeping of the manuscript. At the Tabard Inn in London, Barbara performed recitations of the tales. This improved the inns trade and earned Chaucer the goodwill of its patrons.
The Doctor had Adam, a servant of Chaucer, take the manuscript to Wales to be copied. Chaucer had concerns about Adam's reliability, but the Doctor was confident, based on his knowledge of history, that this endeavour would be successful. (AUDIO: The Doctor's Tale)
Behind the scenes[]
- In the TV story The Brain of Morbius, the Fourth Doctor threatened to bite Sarah Jane's nose if she didn't stop crying after she got blinded. This was supposed to be a reference to Jenkins, a character from The Canterbury Tales who got his nose bitten for crying and who was played by Tom Baker in a 1972 film based on the book.
Cast connections[]
| Actor | Doctor Who role(s) | The Canterbury Tales role |
|---|---|---|
| Vernon Dobtcheff | Scientist Dadda Desaka Sibelius Crow Shamur Professor Heinrich Schumann Jorenzo Zorn |
The Franklin |
| Derek Deadman | Stor | The Pardoner |
| Nicholas Smith | Wells | Friar |
| Tom Baker | Fourth Doctor | Jenkins |
| Peter Stephens | Cyril Kitchen Boy Knave of Hearts Lolem |
Justinus |
| Stephen Calcutt | Muto Mute Marshman Mara Operator |
The Groom |
| Phil Davis | Lucius Petrus Dextrus Titus |
Second homosexual lover |
| Francis De Wolff | Vasor Agamemnon |
The Bride's father |
| Patrick Newell | Colonel Faraday | Prior |
| Marc Sinclair | Cyberman | Ensemble |