R. Asquith
General R. Asquith (GAME: Security Bot) was the Chief of the Defence Staff, the most senior military officer in Great Britain at the time of the Slitheen alien landing in 2006.
Biography
In 2005, Asquith sent men in search of terrorists after a time explosion at Royal Hope Hospital. Kenny and his team from Torchwood One were sure to avoid them. (AUDIO: New Girl)
Summoned to Albion Hospital in 2006, Asquith was shocked by the Space pig recovered from the crashed spaceship that landed in the Thames. When Dr Sato pulled back the comatose creature's sheet, he asked if she was sure it wasn't "a hoax or a dummy". She responded that the brain was wired like nothing she had ever seen before. Asquith went to 10 Downing Street to brief the Acting Prime Minister, Joseph Green inside the Cabinet Room. Asquith, appalled at Green's leadership, threatened to remove Green and put the United Kingdom under martial law. Green and his colleagues, Margaret Blaine and Oliver Charles, revealed themselves as Slitheen in disguise and killed General Asquith. The Slitheen who had used the skin of Oliver Charles switched to Asquith. As Asquith, the Slitheen had control of the British military.
Harriet Jones, an MP who was hiding in a cupboard in the Cabinet Room, witnessed Asquith's death and told Rose Tyler about it. (TV: Aliens of London) The Slitheen impersonating Asquith was killed when a missile destroyed Number 10. (TV: World War Three)
Asquith's skin was recovered from 10 Downing Street and stored in the Leamington Spa Lifeboat Museum. (GAME: Security Bot)
Behind the scenes
The television stories only refer to the character by the last name. The initial R. can be seen in the description of Artefact #05 in the game Security Bot: "Skin and uniform appears to belong to General R. Asquith..."
An action figure of the Slitheen with Asquith's skin was released by Character Options.
Despite being referred to as Chief of the Defence Staff (thereby the UK's most senior military officer), Asquith is not shown with the insignia of a 'full' general (i.e. crossed sword and baton, star of the Order of the Bath, St Edward's Crown).
