Harry Houdini Harry Houdini was a famous American magician and escapologist on Earth during the 20th century . Biography . Houdini first met the Doctor in 1890 , when the Doctor was in his first incarnation , although this was not their first encounter from the Doctor ' s perspective . At the time , the Doctor was accompanied by Ben Jackson and Polly Wright . Together , the four of them defeated the Ovid s . At some point after this , Houdini met the Third Doctor , and travelled to the future with him and Jo Grant . ( AUDIO : " Smoke and Mirrors " ) Between 1917 and 1920 , Houdini , along with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , publicly announced the existence of fairies following the release of the Cottingley fairy photos . Gwen Cooper believed this was all an act of self - publicity . ( TV : " Small Worlds " ) In 1920 , the Eleventh Doctor needed help defeating the Cuculus and decided to recruit Houdini during his act . When they were captured by the Cuculus , Houdini was easily able to break the locks holding him and the Doctor . After the Doctor defeated the Cuculus , they returned them to Earth and the Doctor returned him to his act . When people started getting sick , the Doctor realised that the Cuculus had infected them with a disease to wipe out humanity . Using a crystal from the Cuculus ship that Houdini had stolen , the Doctor was able to cure the disease . ( PROSE : " Houdini and The Space Cuckoos " ) In 1925 , Houdini was trapped in a computer program inside a crystal ball which simulated the theatres he had visited and began feeding on his despair . He called the Twelfth Doctor for help , but the Doctor and Clara Oswald ' s minds were also trapped inside . The program set up theatrical death traps with no way out so their minds could be ripened for it , but the Doctor , Clara and Houdini escaped . The Doctor revealed the virtual environment with his sonic screwdriver , and the three of them thought of the things that made them feel the most free to break their minds out of the crystal , destroying it . Houdini lost hope in ever communing with the dead , but the Doctor and Clara assured him that his reputation with outlive him . ( COMIC : " Theatre of the Mind " ) The Fifth Doctor , Adric , Nyssa and Tegan Jovanka later met Houdini when the Doctor answered a psionic distress call being sent from England in the 1920s . Unbeknownst to the Doctor and his companions , Houdini had been convinced by that the Doctor was evil . Houdini ' s relationship with the Doctor , already tense due to the Time Lord ' s refusal to offer the performer any clues as to his personal future ( in particular whether he would ever be able to communicate with his deceased mother in the spirit world ) , became strained as a result of the incident . ( AUDIO : " Smoke and Mirrors " ) The Eighth Doctor also met Houdini when he was travelling with Lucie Miller . Houdini taught Lucie how to escape from handcuffs during this time . ( PROSE : " The Great Escapes " ) At some point before his time on Destination , a met Houdini , and was taught escapology . ( AUDIO : " The Destination Wars " ) References . Houdini ' s name became synonymous with cheap tricks . In 2011 , Rex Matheson told members of the CIA , " Who knows if Jack Harkness ' immortality is a miracle , or he ' s Harry Houdini ? Either way , it ' s news . " ( TV : " The Gathering " ) The Doctor would make many later references to the skills he learned from Harry Houdini . On Avalon , the First Doctor used a trick he learned from Houdini to make an egg appear from Gramling ' s beard . ( PROSE : " The Sorcerer ' s Apprentice " ) According to one account , the First Doctor used some of Houdini ' s tricks to escape when he was tied up by Bret Vyon on Kembel in 4000 . ( PROSE : " Mission to the Unknown " ) While in Scotland in April 1746 with the Second Doctor , Ben Jackson credited Houdini for himself being able to loose the ties in which he was bound by some slave dealers . ( TV : " The Highlanders " ) The Third Doctor used Houdini ' s trick of contracting the muscle s to escape from the Eight Legs on Metebelis III , though he had trouble remembering the magician ' s last name . ( TV : " Planet of the Spiders " ) While tied up on Nerva Beacon , the Fourth Doctor used a trick to he learned from Houdini to escape from a Turk ' s head knot . ( TV : " Revenge of the Cybermen " ) He later claimed that Houdini kept several lock picks on his person . ( AUDIO : " The Wrath of the Iceni " ) The Fifth Doctor credited Houdini for how he was able to free the Miaxa from his imprisonment . ( AUDIO : " 1001 Nights " ) He later used a trick he learned from Houdini to convince a jailer that he could turn a lead coin into gold , although Sir Isaac Newton saw through the trick . ( AUDIO : " Summer " ) In 1626 France , he wished he had listened to Houdini about lock - picking so he could escape his captors . ( AUDIO : " The Church and the Crown " ) In Erimem ' s Kyropite - induced dream on YT45 , he mentioned that he had learned lock - picking tricks from Houdini . ( AUDIO : " The Mind ' s Eye " ) The Sixth Doctor tried , and failed , to use a trick he learned from Houdini to escape from a Pararachnid cocoon . ( PROSE : " Moon Graffiti " ) He later used a trick he learned from Houdini to escape when he was tied up by Astrolabus . ( COMIC : " Voyager " ) He later wished that he had listened to Houdini when he was imprisoned by Reggie Mead . ( AUDIO : " Project : Twilight " ) In 7214 , in Antarctopolis , he used Harry ' s teachings in order to escape a straightjacket in an asylum the Master had recluded him . He mentally recalled the exact words of the escapist . ( COMIC : " Façades " ) The Seventh Doctor attempted to use Houdini ' s trick of contracting the muscles to escape from the Process ' s cocoon , but it was too tight . ( PROSE : " " ) On Mendeb Three , the Seventh Doctor told Bep - Wor that Houdini had taught him every trick he knew , but didn ' t have to use any of them to escape from his chains as they were not securely fastened . ( PROSE : " Independence Day " ) On Parking , the Seventh Doctor used the escapology that he learned from Houdini to free himself from the ropes that had been used to bind him . ( AUDIO : " The High Price of Parking " ) The Eighth Doctor mentioned that he had taken lessons in escapology from Houdini . ( PROSE : " Frontier Worlds " ) Whilst handcuffed , Donna questioned the Tenth Doctor as to whether he had ever met Houdini . The Doctor didn ' t answer this , instead saying the handcuffs were very " good " , implying that the escape trick could not be performed on that century ' s handcuffs . ( TV : " Planet of the Ood " ) In Area 51 , when the Tenth Doctor , Cassie , and Jimmy were trapped on a ' table ' , the Doctor used a trick taught to him by Houdini to break out of the handcuffs and turn off the amnesia gas . ( TV : " Dreamland " ) In Venice in 1580 , the Eleventh Doctor entered an underground cellar and met five female " vampires " . When he saw that they could not be seen in the mirror , he compared it to a trick by Houdini . ( TV : " The Vampires of Venice " ) On Poseidon 8 , the Eleventh Doctor escaped from being bound by ropes to a railing , saying he learned the trick from a " long story " with Houdini . ( GAME : " Shadows of the Vashta Nerada " ) The Twelfth Doctor claimed he taught Harry Houdini everything he knew . ( COMIC : " The Swords of Kali " ) Behind the scenes . Houdini actually never investigated the Cottingley photos , despite some correspondence from Doyle that suggested he visit . Houdini was shown to be involved in the events in the 1997 film " FairyTale : A True Story " starring Paul McGann .