diff --git a/include/boost/python/object/function_doc_signature.hpp b/include/boost/python/object/function_doc_signature.hpp
index 4f00cb38..5fa2c19d 100644
--- a/include/boost/python/object/function_doc_signature.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/python/object/function_doc_signature.hpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 namespace boost { namespace python { namespace objects {
 
 class function_doc_signature_generator{
-    static const  char * py_type_str(const python::detail::signature_element &s);
+    static str py_type_str(const python::detail::signature_element &s);
     static bool arity_cmp( function const *f1, function const *f2 );
     static bool are_seq_overloads( function const *f1, function const *f2 , bool check_docs);
     static std::vector<function const*> flatten(function const *f);
diff --git a/src/object/function_doc_signature.cpp b/src/object/function_doc_signature.cpp
index 41695285..c5a54988 100644
--- a/src/object/function_doc_signature.cpp
+++ b/src/object/function_doc_signature.cpp
@@ -114,19 +114,24 @@ namespace boost { namespace python { namespace objects {
         return res;
     }
 
-    const  char * function_doc_signature_generator::py_type_str(const python::detail::signature_element &s)
+    str function_doc_signature_generator::py_type_str(const python::detail::signature_element &s)
     {
         if (s.basename==std::string("void")){
             static const char * none = "None";
-            return none;
+            return str(none);
         }
 
         PyTypeObject const * py_type = s.pytype_f?s.pytype_f():0;
+#if PY_VERSION_HEX < 0x03030000
         if ( py_type )
-            return  py_type->tp_name;
+            return str(py_type->tp_name);
+#else
+        if ( py_type && (py_type->tp_flags & Py_TPFLAGS_HEAPTYPE) )
+            return str(handle<>(borrowed(((PyHeapTypeObject*)(py_type))->ht_qualname)));
+#endif
         else{
             static const char * object = "object";
-            return object;
+            return str(object);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/test/nested.cpp b/test/nested.cpp
index de656d2b..b807c8bd 100644
--- a/test/nested.cpp
+++ b/test/nested.cpp
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 // http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
 #include <boost/python/module.hpp>
 #include <boost/python/class.hpp>
+#include <boost/python/def.hpp>
 #include <boost/python/operators.hpp>
 #include <boost/python/scope.hpp>
 #include "test_class.hpp"
@@ -26,11 +27,13 @@ std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& s, Y const& x)
     return s << x.value();
 }
 
+void test_function(const X& x, const Y& y) {}
 
 BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(nested_ext)
 {
     using namespace boost::python;
 
+    {
     // Establish X as the current scope.
     scope x_class
         = class_<X>("X", init<int>())
@@ -42,6 +45,10 @@ BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(nested_ext)
     class_<Y>("Y", init<int>())
         .def(str(self))
         ;
+    }
+
+    // The generated docstring will use the fully-qualified name of Y
+    def("test_function", &test_function);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/test/nested.py b/test/nested.py
index 56f81e52..3d97208b 100644
--- a/test/nested.py
+++ b/test/nested.py
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@
     
     >>> X.Y.__name__
     'Y'
+
+    >>> test_function.__doc__.strip().split('\\n')[0]
+    'test_function( (X)arg1, (X.Y)arg2) -> None :'
     
 '''