A throwaway line spoken early into the first episode of the newly released Dracula places the Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss-produced vampire series within the expansive Doctor Who universe.
Season 1, episode 1, “The Rules Of The Beast”, of Dracula follows English lawyer Jonathan Harker’s (John Heffernan) interactions with the mysterious Count Dracula (Claes Bang). The show is set in the late 1800s, a time period showrunner Moffat is already familiar with through his work on Sherlock. The episode flits back and forth between a corpse-like Jonathan telling his harrowing tale to Sister Agatha (Dolly Wells) within the relatively safe walls of the monastery and scenes of the lawyer travelling to Transylvania and finding himself trapped in the vampire’s castle, “the prison without locks”.
As an oblivious Jonathan rides a rickety carriage towards Dracula’s castle, he pours over a letter from his beloved fiancée, Mina. In it, she writes of life back in England. Whovians were quick to notice that among the details mentioned by Mina was one familiar to watchers of the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi era of Doctor Who. Doctor Who as run by Steven Moffat has a history of being self-referential itself.
Dracula References Clara From Doctor Who
Mina writes to Jonathan of “the adorable barmaid at the Rose and Crown.” The 2012 Doctor Who Christmas special (re)-introduces audiences to Clara Oswin Oswald (Jenna Louise Coleman). Although the character eventually goes on to become the sharp companion to both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi’s Doctors, in the 1892-set episode, she is a barmaid-cum-governess once earning her income at the Rose & Crown Inn.
Is Dracula Set In Doctor Who’s Universe?
Whether or not the supernatural elements present in Dracula translate into the established Doctor Who universe (known by fans as the Whoniverse) is debatable. It wouldn’t be the sci-fi show’s first brush with the concept of vampires. Season 5, episode 6, “The Vampires Of Venice” presents a group of fanged, blood-drinking young women, although these are shown to be the result of an alien species taking advantage of local legends combined with a perception filter. Werewolves and the Devil make it into Doctor Who canon, although both are alien and seen as the inspiration behind the myth rather than the myth itself. As a creature, Dracula slots into the esoteric Whoniverse well. Without the Doctor there to help characters analyze the monster, he becomes preternatural, although it’s likely if the Timelord were handy, they would propose some camp pseudo-scientific explanation behind the beast.
Dracula and Jonathan both being undead easily works with the rules established in Doctor Who. Not only does the Doctor, as a Timelord, regenerate any time they are under threat of death, but the show presents Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a character who shifted from mortality to immortality over the course of the show. Revived by an omnipotent Rose (Billie Piper) in season 1, episode 13 “The Parting Of Ways”, Jack finds himself unable to die even when mortally wounded, much like the wretched Jonathan Harker, living even as he plunges a wooden stake into his own heart.
There Are Other Shows Set In The Doctor Who Universe
Dracula wouldn’t be the first show to share a universe with Doctor Who. The popular adventure series is the source of a number of spin-offs that work symbiotically with their source material. The spin-offs reference the show, the show references the spin-offs. Torchwood borrows its central character, Jack Harkness, from the long-running time travel show, Jack Harkness. Doctor Who references Torchwood on several occasions, including, most recently, to speak to the organization’s end. Classic Doctor Who was met with The Sarah Jane Adventures, while New Doctor Who saw the rise of Class.
Steven Moffat spent over eight years as the show-runner for Doctor Who. It comes as no surprise the director-writer was tempted to sprinkle references to this into Dracula, although the question fans will now be asking themselves is if there will be any more to come.
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Dracula premieres January 4th on Netflix.
