Great Britain
Great Britain, also known as mainland Britain, (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass [+]Loading...["The Shadow in the Glass (novel)"]) was one of the British Isles within the Northern Hemisphere of Earth.
Correcting Mr Copper's use of "Great France" and "Great Germany", the Tenth Doctor clarified that "only Britain [was] great". (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"])
Geography
Its capital city was London, with Edinburgh and Cardiff serving as the regional capitals of Scotland and Wales respectively. (TV: The War Machines [+]Loading...["The War Machines (TV story)"], The Highlanders [+]Loading...["The Highlanders (TV story)"], The Unquiet Dead [+]Loading...["The Unquiet Dead (TV story)"]) Britain shared its eastern coast with the North Sea. (TV: The Lie of the Land [+]Loading...["The Lie of the Land (TV story)"])
The prime meridian, an imaginary line which divided the Earth vertically into the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, ran through Greenwich in London. (TV: Fear Her [+]Loading...["Fear Her (TV story)"])
As it was a part of Great Britain in the British Isles, (TV: Rise of the Cybermen [+]Loading...["Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)"], Boom Town [+]Loading...["Boom Town (TV story)"]) England was not considered a part of mainland Europe, unlike Poland, France, and Norway. (AUDIO: Their Finest Hour [+]Loading...["Their Finest Hour (audio story)"])
Nationality
The Doctor's long association with the country led them to often be identified as British, typically when they were visiting other parts of Earth. (TV: The Gunfighters [+]Loading...["The Gunfighters (TV story)"], Doctor Who [+]Loading...["Doctor Who (TV story)"], Demons of the Punjab [+]Loading...["Demons of the Punjab (TV story)"])
Influence on the Doctor
The Doctor visited Great Britain more than anywhere else on their travels. He developed a great affinity for it and even lived there for some time. (TV: "An Unearthly Child" [+]Part of An Unearthly Child, Loading...{"namedep":"An Unearthly Child (1)","1":"An Unearthly Child (TV story)"}, et al.) The Doctor was well acquainted with the island's historical figures, and was a friend, an antagonist, and even a lover to several of her monarchs. (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"], The Crusade [+]Loading...["The Crusade (TV story)"], Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"], The Impossible Astronaut [+]Loading...["The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)"], The Day of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (TV story)"], The Shakespeare Code [+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"], The Beast Below [+]Loading...["The Beast Below (TV story)"]) In 1562, when the Tenth Doctor married Queen Elizabeth I, he was effectively King of England. (TV: The Day of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (TV story)"]) The Doctor sometimes considered themselves to be British and would often refer to themselves as such, (TV: Doctor Who [+]Loading...["Doctor Who (TV story)"], PROSE: History 101 [+]Loading...["History 101 (novel)"], et al.) though on one occasion the Tenth Doctor said he wasn't English. (TV: The Day of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (TV story)"]) He accepted a British knighthood from Queen Victoria, (TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"]) and, in his fifth incarnation, an English knighthood from an imposter posing as King John. (TV: The King's Demons [+]Loading...["The King's Demons (TV story)"])
History
Early history
After several failed attempts, the Roman Empire succeeded in conquering Britain in 43. The Roman occupation of the island lasted until the early 5th century. (AUDIO: The Wrath of the Iceni [+]Loading...["The Wrath of the Iceni (audio story)"]) One of these failed attempts was led by Julius Caesar in 55 BC. (AUDIO: Living History [+]Loading...["Living History (audio story)"]) The successful invasion saw the defeat of King Caratacus of the Catuvellauni. (PROSE: Byzantium! [+]Loading...["Byzantium! (novel)"])
In 305, the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard stopped the Nimon from invading a Roman fort in Britannia. (AUDIO: Seasons of Fear [+]Loading...["Seasons of Fear (audio story)"])
Following the 1346 siege of Kaffa, the bubonic plague spread throughout the continent of Europe, including Britain, in what became known as the Black Death. (PROSE: Bunker Soldiers [+]Loading...["Bunker Soldiers (novel)"])
Highwaymen were active in Britain from Elizabethan times right through until the early 19th century. (PROSE: A History of Humankind [+]Loading...["A History of Humankind (novel)"])
The United Kingdom
The Act of Union was an agreement signed by England and Scotland, which made them one country. (PROSE: The Roundheads [+]Loading...["The Roundheads (novel)"]) This led to Scotland being drawn into the Seven Years' War alongside England against France. (PROSE: The Many Hands)
In 1879, Victoria was Queen of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." (TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"]) That year, she established the Torchwood Institute to defend the realm of Great Britain by investigating "the unusual, the strange and the alien". (TV: The New World [+]Loading...["The New World (TV story)"])
British Summertime began in early 2005 on a Sunday morning at 01:00am when the clocks went forwards. (PROSE: The Clocks Go Forward [+]Loading...["The Clocks Go Forward (short story)"])
By the 21st century, Britain was identified as one of the most obese nations of the galaxy. (TV: Partners in Crime [+]Loading...["Partners in Crime (TV story)"])
In the Year That Never Was where the Toclafane ruled Earth, the Saxon Master's new name for Britain was Zone One. (TV: Last of the Time Lords [+]Loading...["Last of the Time Lords (TV story)"])
In the 24th century, it was known as ConCorp. (AUDIO: Antidote to Oblivion [+]Loading...["Antidote to Oblivion (audio story)"])
By the 26th century, it was known as Greater Britannica. (AUDIO: Scorpius [+]Loading...["Scorpius (audio story)"])
In the 29th century, due to solar flares, the United Kingdom abandoned Earth for Starship UK; Scotland opted for its own starship separate from the rest of the kingdom. (TV: The Beast Below [+]Loading...["The Beast Below (TV story)"]) This continued until at least the 52nd century. (TV: The Pandorica Opens [+]Loading...["The Pandorica Opens (TV story)"])
During the Ice Age of 5000, Brittanicus Base was located in Britain. (TV: The Ice Warriors [+]Loading...["The Ice Warriors (TV story)"])
