United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (also known as 'Britain' or, more simply, 'The UK') is an Earth nation which is made up from the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, the Principality of Wales and the Province of Northern Ireland.

By the 29th century, the United Kingdom - with the exeption of Scotland, who wanted their own ship - abandoned Earth for a spaceship, Starship UK. (DW: The Beast Below)

Real World

Often in the series, the term Great Britain (which is the island which England Scotland and Wales are situated upon) will be used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole, ignoring Northern Ireland. This is a common usage in real life.

Only once in the BBC Wales era has the full name of the country been mentioned, The Beast Below - which implies Northern Ireland will still be part of the UK in the 29th century. Children of Earth: Day Three intended to give the full name but accidentally said "the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland".

Story settings

Many stories have been set in the United Kingdom, Starting with the Shoreditch, London setting of An Unearthly Child (identified as Shoreditch in Remembrance of the Daleks). Setting aside the many unspecified locations, almost every region of the country has been used as a setting:

• London - Apart from the general London settings of (eg) The Empty Child there are specific locations and landmarks used in The War Machines (Post Office Tower), The Web of Fear (The London Underground, especially Goodge Street Station) and Voyage of the Damned (Buckingham Palace).
• Southeast England (sometimes called the home counties) - famed as the location of many a quarry and gravel pit used for filming, The Southeast is also the setting for The Claws of Axos and The Sea Devils.
• East of England (including East Anglia) - setting for Shada (Cambridge).
  • Locations:The Essex marshes were used in The Power of Kroll.
• Southwest England (also called the West Country) - The Smugglers.
  • Locations: Hound Tor, Dartmoor was used in The Sontaran Experiment, and Lulworth Cove, Dorset was used in The Curse of Fenric.
• The Midlands - setting for Doctor Who and the Silurians (Derbyshire's Peak District)
• The North - Setting for The Curse of Fenric and The Time Meddler, among others.
• Wales - its capital city, Cardiff, is the setting for The Unquiet Dead and Boom Town, as well as the Cardiff branch of the Torchwood Institute.
  • Locations: Mount Snowdon passed for the Himalayas in The Abominable Snowmen.
• Scotland - The Highlanders, Terror of the Zygons and Tooth and Claw and flashbacks in Children of Earth were set here.
• Northern Ireland - no television stories set here.

See also

• United Kingdom - List of Appearances
• Starship UK