Doctor Who: Presidents

President Rassilon in ‘The End of Time Part 2’ – credit: netflix.com

A look back at of some of the presidents in the world of Doctor Who

With the United States Presidential campaigns in full swing, I was inspired to write about some of the various presidents from Doctor Who. They have hailed from many different countries, planets, times, and even dimensions. While theses characters have usually been fictional, real historical figures have occasionally made appearances, as well.

Time Lord President in ‘The Deadly Assassin’ – credit: tardis.wikia.com

In the Classic Doctor Who serial, ‘The Deadly Assassin,’ the Doctor tries to save an unnamed Time Lord President from being assassinated. In the process, the President gets killed and the Doctor is accused of the crime. Chancellor Goth attempts to fill the recently vacant position, only to have the Doctor run in opposition, saving himself from execution under Gallifreyan law. Long story short, spoiler: the Master is behind it.

President of Androzani Major in ‘The Caves of Androzani’ – credit: tardis.wikia.com

In another Classic serial, ‘The Caves of Androzani,’ Trau Morgus, a wealthy and prominent businessman, pushes the President of Androzani Major down an elevator shaft, killing him. This sounds like something right out of House of Cards.

the Doctor at the Kennedy assassination in ‘Rose’ – credit: netflix.com

In ‘Rose,’ the very first episode of the revival of Doctor Who, Clive – a man who compiles evidence of the Doctor’s appearance throughout time on Earth – shows Rose a photograph of the Ninth Doctor in the crowd at United States President John F Kennedy’s assassination.

President of the People’s Republic of Great Britain in ‘Rise of the Cybermen’ – credit: tardis.wikia.com

In Pete Tyler’s parallel universe, People’s Republic of Great Britain has Presidents. This is first depicted in ‘Rise of the Cybermen.’ In ‘Doomsday,’ Harriet Jones becomes his successor after he was killed by Cybermen, ushering in “The Golden Age.”

Next: More Presidents from Doctor Who

U.S. President Arthur Coleman Winters in ‘The Sound of Drums’ – credit: tardis.wikia.com

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A fictional United States President, Arthur Coleman Winters, appears in ‘The Sound of Drums.’ When attempting to assert authority as the United Nations ambassador to the Toclafane, they do not accept his authority, and the Master orders one of the Toclafane to kill him. As an appropriate reflection of international opinion of the United States President in 2007, Winters is stuffy and arrogant.

the Master as President of the U.S. in ‘The End of Time: Part 2’ – credit: netflix.com

Speaking of the Master, in the two part episode ‘The End of Time,’ he replaces everyone on Earth with clones of himself. This is shown to include United States President Barack Obama.

President Rassilon and the Doctor in ‘Hell Bent’ – credit: bbc.co.uk

In the same two-parter is Rassilon, Lord President of the Time Lords (as shown at the top of the article). His other appearances on the show are in ‘The Five Doctors’ and ‘Hell Bent.’ In the latter, the Time Lords took the Doctor’s side and mutinied against Rassilon. The Doctor temporarily took over his position after forcing him to leave the planet.

the Doctor as the new President of Earth, with Kate Stewart and Colonel Ahmed in ‘Death in Heaven’ – credit: bbc.co.uk

With that in mind, the Doctor also holds the position of President of Earth, as declared by UNIT. His induction happens in the twenty first century and is depicted in ‘Death In Heaven.’ His Presidency lasts for an indeterminate amount of time, most likely spanning centuries.

Canton Everett Delaware III, the Doctor, and U.S. President Richard Nixon in ‘The Impossible Astronaut’ – credit: bleedingcool.com

And let us not forget United States President Richard Nixon, who appears in ‘The Impossible Astronaut’ and ‘Day of the Moon.’ Contrary to how he is usually viewed and depicted in the media, Nixon is quite stately on Doctor Who. The Doctor does not agree with some of Nixon’s previous actions, but they become allies in two common causes — solving the mystery of a child in distress and defeating the Silence.

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Next: Restaurants on Doctor Who

These are just some of the presidents on Doctor Who. Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.