Doctor Who, by royal appointment

It was all the fault of Elizabeth I.  That amazing queen of England has just added another string to her bow by being part, albeit as a fictional creation, of the 50th anniversary episode of one of the biggest TV dramas ever.  Doctor Who has just marked its half century with an amazing adventure and thankfully, the show went back to its whimsical best and made one of England's most famous monarchs one of the stars of the show.

All of them together again - the Doctor turns fifty today and brought along Elizabeth I to celebrate

Many actresses have tried to bring Gloriana herself to life and Joanna Page made a very good job of it for this hugely significant show.  It might not be the dramatic, haughty Elizabeth of legend but she had all the spark and determination of that amazing monarch and delivered the queen's most famous line from that speech at Tilbury as well as anyone else. 

Three doctors, one man and a total TV success.  Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt have their own acting competition and come out honours even

Of course, it's Doctor Who so the Time Lord had to marry Elizabeth but disappeared before he could become a prince consort.  By far the safest option, even for a man that can regenerate in tricky circumstances.  But for a time traveler, what better way to mark this epic anniversary which has got the whole world talking by heading back to see an epic queen who got the whole world she knew talking about her in her lifetime.

Joanna Page as Elizabeth I for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary - and a very good one she was too