Re: Shakespeare, I think some of the dialogue is actually in iambic pentameter. One line turns up again in The Shakespeare Code too.
I can't say much about the novelization, as it was one of the few I could never get hold of, but it's interesting that the illustrations are not from the telesnaps, as those in Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure in the Daleks are clearly sourced from publicity photos, down to the Doctor wearing a jumper instead of his usual costume in one or two because the photos are from rehearsal, not recording.
I do like The Crusade, but it's an odd story. Our Heroes don't actually do that much and the whole thing sort of stops instead of actually concluding, if you see what I mean. I think it's the last example of David Whitaker's approach to Doctor Who, what I call the 'witness to history' approach where the TARDIS crew arrive, watch something famous happen and leave without actually doing very much to influence events. Even by this stage, The Romans had challenged this, and next few stories would completely throw it out.
no subject
I can't say much about the novelization, as it was one of the few I could never get hold of, but it's interesting that the illustrations are not from the telesnaps, as those in Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure in the Daleks are clearly sourced from publicity photos, down to the Doctor wearing a jumper instead of his usual costume in one or two because the photos are from rehearsal, not recording.
I do like The Crusade, but it's an odd story. Our Heroes don't actually do that much and the whole thing sort of stops instead of actually concluding, if you see what I mean. I think it's the last example of David Whitaker's approach to Doctor Who, what I call the 'witness to history' approach where the TARDIS crew arrive, watch something famous happen and leave without actually doing very much to influence events. Even by this stage, The Romans had challenged this, and next few stories would completely throw it out.