United Kingdom: Difference between revisions

|type          = Nation

[[The Doctor]] frequently visited the United Kingdom throughout their incarnations. Due to this association, the UK was often the first line of defence against [[alien]] invasion.

The [[Torchwood Institute]] was formed by [[Queen]] [[Victoria]] to fight alien threats. As opposed to UNIT, Torchwood was solely based in the [[British Empire]], and later the United Kingdom after [[1924]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]'', ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Golden Age (audio story)|Golden Age]]'') Its success led to it developing an almost mythical state and it branched off into several divisions. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'', ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'')

[[The Doctor]] had an obsession with the United Kingdom. Most of their journeys to Earth brought them to the UK. For this reason, they had an intimate knowledge of the countries' history and had acquainted himself with many of its historical figures and was even a friend of the monarchy. ([[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'', et al.) The Doctor took on much of the UK's culture. They frequently drank [[tea]] and even took on the accents, whether English or Scottish. ([[TV]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'', ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'') The [[Eighth Doctor]] even decided that he ''was'' British because of this attachment. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'') When visiting other countries, it was often suggested that he was British either because of his appearance, mannerisms, accent or all three. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[History 101 (novel)|History 101]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'') The United Kingdom was also the most common source of their [[companion]]s, with the vast majority originating from the region. ([[TV]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', ''[[The Massacre (TV story)|The Massacre]]'', ''[[The War Machines (TV story)|The War Machines]]'', ''[[The Highlanders (TV story)|The Highlanders]]'', ''[[The Evil of the Daleks (TV story)|The Evil of the Daleks]]'', et al.)

The Doctor singled out England to be their favourite place, specifically during the [[19th century]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Banquo Legacy (novel)|The Banquo Legacy]]'') After the Doctor was [[Exile on Earth|exiled to Earth]], he lived in the UK and carried on defending the Earth by assisting UNIT in their various operations. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'')

The Doctor visited the UK throughout its history, from the joining of [[Scotland]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Highlanders (TV story)|The Highlanders]]'') to the region's departure from Earth. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Beast Below (TV story)|The Beast Below]]'') The vast majority of these visits saw them defending the UK from alien threats, sometimes with the assistance of [[UNIT]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', ''[[The Faceless Ones (TV story)|The Faceless Ones]]'', ''[[The Ice Warriors (TV story)|The Ice Warriors]]'', ''[[The Web of Fear (TV story)|The Web of Fear]]'', ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'', ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'', et al)

The Doctor's association drew {{Delgado}} to the UK ([[TV]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]'') and he became trapped there following his imprisonment at [[Fortress Island]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'') In {{simm|n=another incarnation}}, he chose to run for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He won through use of the [[Archangel Network]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'') Like the Doctor, the Master visited the UK throughout its history. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Mark of the Rani (TV story)|The Mark of the Rani]], et al.)''

[[The Doctor]] visited the war several times. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of Giants (TV story)|Planet of Giants]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Front Line (short story)|Front Line]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[The Amateur (comic story)|The Amateur]]'', ''[[The Forgotten (comic story)|The Forgotten]]'', ''[[Warfreekz! (comic story)|Warfreekz!]]'')

During the first half of the [[2000s]], the UK branch of UNIT faced the serious threat of the [[Internal Counter-Intelligence Service]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[UNIT (audio series)|UNIT]])''

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

Only twice in the [[BBC Wales]] era has the full name of the UK been mentioned, this being ''[[The Beast Below (TV story)|The Beast Below]]'' — which implies Northern Ireland will still be part of the UK in the [[29th century]], and the contemporary ''[[Children of Earth: Day Three (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day Three]]''.

In the same tabloid, both [[Andrew Cartmel]] and [[Sophie Aldred]] also claimed this was the case. The [[BBC]], however, denied the allegations, firmly stating they had always been impartial from a political view.<ref>http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article7026314.ece</ref>

Many stories have been set in the United Kingdom, starting with the Shoreditch, [[London]] setting of ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'' (identified as Shoreditch in ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''). Setting aside the many unspecified locations, almost every region of the country has been used as a setting. However, no television story has ever been set in [[Northern Ireland]].