Theory:Timeline - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

This page lists Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom in chronological the order. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories.

Years given for their ministry are the ones confirmed by DWU stories.

17th century

 * 1626: George Villiers
 * ERIMEM: Who's the Duke of Buckingham?
 * DOCTOR: George Villiers, English Prime Minister. Had a thing with the Queen by all accounts. (AUDIO: The Church and the Crown)

18th century

 * 1720: Robert Walpole
 * "Every Prime Minister is here, from Walpole to Pitt the Younger, to Disraeli and Gladstone, Lloyd George, Churchill, Wilson and Thatcher. (PROSE: Time Wake)


 * 1752: Henry Pelham
 * “In 1752, Britain switched from using the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar, in line with the rest of the world ... The incumbent Prime Minister, Henry Pelham, was less than reverent in his diaries, calling the compact 'An opportunity to relieve the somewhat delusional from the burden of their unfathomably abundant assets.'” (PROSE: Weapons Grade Snake Oil)


 * 1782: Lord North
 * "The North administration had overseen the tea fiasco in Boston; the defeat of the British at the hands of General Washington; the banishment of all Scarlette’s ‘tribe’ from the Americas; and the death of the courtesan-cum-sorceress colloquially known as ‘the Queen of New York State’." (PROSE: The Adventuress of Henrietta Street)


 * 1782: Rockingham
 * "When the still-new Prime Minister Rockingham dropped dead on the first day of July leaving the American peace negotiations at an uncertain point, some immediately assumed that it was part of a ruthless attack on the very foundations of the country..." (PROSE: The Adventuress of Henrietta Street)


 * 1782: Shelburne
 * "At the end of the year, the situations were much the same, with Shelburne’s government looking as unstable as North’s and the world waiting to see whether the King would be able to weather the storm." (PROSE: The Adventuress of Henrietta Street)

19th century

 * 1806: William Pitt the Younger
 * DOCTOR: Not in the year 1806. George the Third is on the throne, William Pitt is Prime Minister, and ladies fight with witticisms and the occasional fan. Not with edged weapons. (AUDIO: Seasons of Fear)


 * 1827: George Canning
 * STEVEN: How could we forget Prime Minister George Canning. When he died in 1827, The Times reported that his body was so frightfully attenuated, so greatly changed, that those who were most intimately acquainted with his person would not now recognise it. ...it says here that there was a period at the start of the 19ths century where five Prime Ministers died at their posts in just twenty-two years. (AUDIO: Upstairs)


 * 18XX: Arthur Wellesley
 * ‘But not here and now. And Sir Arthur Wellesley – Wellington? What happened to him?’
 * ‘They made him Duke of Wellington in 1814. When Napoleon made his comeback they made him supreme commander of the allied armies. After winning Waterloo he was Prime Minister for a while and died in 1852, in Queen Victoria’s time.’ (PROSE: World Game)


 * 1868: Benjamin Disraeli
 * DISRAELI: He, on the other hand, has made a practical demonstration and a practical offer. So. Who are you, and who is he? (COMIC: The Heralds of Destruction)


 * William Ewart Gladstone
 * "Every Prime Minister is here, from Walpole to Pitt the Younger, to Disraeli and Gladstone, Lloyd George, Churchill, Wilson and Thatcher. (PROSE: Time Wake)


 * 1877: Benjamin Disraeli
 * "The prime minister would not have given me permission to annex otherwise? Even as he said it though, Shepstone knew he was convincing neither his visitors nor himself what Disraeli had given him was carte blanche to go ahead with an act that unequivocally broke the government's promise." (PROSE: White Man's Burden)


 * William Ewart Gladstone


 * 1894: Earl of Rosebery
 * ‘Autumn came early in the year of 1894’
 * ‘"Someone calling herself the right honourable Earl of Rosebury wishes to see you, Madame," said Strax. "I told her you were busy drinking tea, but the lady was most insistent."’
 * ‘"That is because the Prime Minister is not a lady," sighed Vastra, reaching for the veil, which she usually wore when accepting visitors.’

20th century

 * 1900: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
 * SERVANT: In case you're  wondering sirs and madam, this is July 1900.
 * DOCTOR: So the prime minister was Lord Salisbury.


 * Arthur Balfour
 * QUOTE? (AUDIO: Upstairs)


 * 1908-1916: Herbert Asquith
 * 1909 - "Of course! Asquith, the Liberal statesman and Prime Minister of Britain from 1908 to 1916." (PROSE: Birthright)
 * 1909 - ‘H.H.?’ Haleston blinked. ‘Do you mean to tell me, sir, that you are an emissary of our Prime Minister, Mr Asquith?’ (PROSE: Sting of the Zygons)
 * 1910 - ‘Edward dying now. It has more meaning than anyone knows. The Liberals have been in power for five years – Asquith and Churchill have been passing more and more socially conscious legislation.’ (PROSE: In Case of Emergencies)
 * 1914 - 'Damn Liberals! Pardon my French, loved one, but it's really going too far when you're in and out of prison like billyoh. I don't know why Asquith doesn't just give them the vote, well, for householders, anyway. What do you think?' (PROSE: Human Nature)


 * 1915-1918: David Lloyd George
 * DOCTOR: I'm telling you. Lloyd George, he used to drink me under the table. (TV: Aliens of London)
 * 1915 - 'I'm getting reports from the field that he's not satisfied with our strategic efforts. He's going to write a letter to the Prime Minister.' This was a historical cheat — Ashmead-Bartlett did write a letter to Lloyd George, but not for another three months. (PROSE: Direct Action)
 * NOTE: Perhaps time traveller Jack Holbine has his facts off by a year?
 * 1916 - "It was, Mrs Challenger agreed, both rude and, yes, inconsiderate of Mr Lloyd George, installed now as Prime Minister, to demand these things of them." (PROSE: The Found World)
 * 1918 - ‘If you look in my inside pocket, you’ll find a letter signed by Lloyd George himself.’ (PROSE: Casualties of War)


 * 1930: Ramsay MacDonald
 * 1930 - CHARLEY: Oh, you know. The Prime Minister, Ramsey MacDonald. What do you say to that then, hmm? Ramsey? (AUDIO: Storm Warning)


 * 1936: Stanley Baldwin
 * 1936 - "Not many people can arrive unexpectedly at 10 Downing Street, demand an immediate meeting with the Prime Minister, and be shown inside - but Winston Churchill was one of them. Within ten minutes of his arrival he was facing Stanley Baldwin in his private office." (PROSE: Players)


 * 1939: Neville Chamberlain
 * NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN: I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street. This morning, the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German government a final note, stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and that, consequently, this country is at war with Germany... (AUDIO: An Eye For Murder)


 * 1940-1945: Winston Churchill
 * DOCTOR: Prime Minister of Great Britain 1940 to 1945. And 51 to 55. But that’s not the time frame we’re worrying about. (AUDIO: Their Finest Hour)


 * 1945-1951: Clement Attlee
 * 'Attlee has his principles. He could err on the side of caution. But Bevin is a pragmatist with a temper. A very unstable combination. Give him another push, he'll go over the edge.' (PROSE: Deadly Reunion)
 * QUOTE? (AUDIO: Subterfuge)
 * "4 November 1951, 18:12 - Something Attlee had failed to see: Britain’s Empire was crumbling all around her, and the War had left her without the stomach to keep hold of it. Perhaps that was why they had voted Churchill back in..." (PROSE: The Albino's Dancer)


 * 1951-1955: Winston Churchill
 * DOCTOR: Prime Minister of Great Britain 1940 to 1945. And 51 to 55. But that’s not the time frame we’re worrying about. (AUDIO: Their Finest Hour)


 * Anthony Eden
 * DOCTOR: Sorry, excuse me. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Who, um, who's the Prime Minister? ... Margaret Thatcher? Harriet Jones? Wilson? Eden? (TV: Knock Knock)


 * 1950s: Unnamed man
 * Voiced by Russell Bentley. (AUDIO: Ashenden)

1960s

 * 1963: Harold Macmillan
 * QUOTE? (PROSE: The Shoreditch Incident)


 * 1963-1964 Alec Douglas-Home
 * QUOTE? (AUDIO: State of Emergency)


 * 1964-1970: Harold Wilson
 * 'Look, Harold Wilson called the election for 18 June long after the publication date for Bad Science was announced. You can hardly blame me, my editor, or my publisher if the Prime Minister has a poor sense of timing,' (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy)

1970s

 * 1970: Edward Heath
 * "The new Heath Government had a very short honeymoon, with blame for the collapse of the World Peace Conference in November 1970 being laid squarely at its door." (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy)
 * ‘What’s the year? 1996. Starting from the 1970s, how does it go? ... Heath, Thorpe, Williams, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Clarke. . . Major. Yes. Major.’ (PROSE: Interference - Book One)
 * NOTE: Interference omits Callaghan, Phipps, unnamed, Greyhaven, and Brooks. Granted, some of these were introduced retroactively.


 * 1970s?: Unnamed man
 * PRIME MINISTER: Very well Doctor. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, I shall prepare the necessary lists immediately. (COMIC: Doomcloud)


 * 1970s?: Unnamed man
 * Voiced by Bo Poraj. (AUDIO: The Mega)


 * 1970-c. 1975: Jeremy Thorpe
 * 'How was your meeting with the Prime Minister?' asked the Doctor.
 * 'Went very well! The Brigadier laughed. 'You know, he's not a bad chap, for a Liberal.'
 * "PROFESSOR BERNARD TRAINOR, 1916-1970" (PROSE: The Devil Goblins from Neptune)
 * MINISTER: Wretched fellow needs a swift kick on the backside. Would you care to administer, Jeremy?
 * BRIGADIER: And what's more, sir. What do you say? Oh. Yes, good afternoon, sir. Duty? Yes, I think I know. Yes, I know that. Is that an order, Prime Minister? I see. (TV: The Green Death)
 * ‘What’s the year? 1996. Starting from the 1970s, how does it go? ... Heath, Thorpe, Williams, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Clarke. . . Major. Yes. Major.’ (PROSE: Interference - Book One)
 * QUOTE? (AUDIO: Damascus)
 * NOTE: Damascus is set in 1972 according to AUDIO: The World Beyond The Trees and Lost Property.
 * SYNOPSIS: It’s now 1975, the world has moved on, but the need for Counter Measures has never been greater. (PROSE: Birds of Passage)


 * 1976: Harold Wilson
 * "it's Mr Wilson's turn [as PM] this month". (PROSE: Daleks: The Secret Invasion)
 * "When she first arrived in this era, a week ago, she’d almost expected to meet Harold Wilson, George Best and Madonna in the street ... There are powercuts and Wilson’s resignation, a great upheaval of unease." (PROSE: No Future)


 * 1976: Shirley Williams
 * BENTON: UNIT Headquarters. Who? Oh, yes, he's here. Just a moment, please. It's for you, sir. The Prime Minister.
 * BRIGADIER: Lethbridge Stewart speaking. Oh, absolutely understood, madam. No public announcement. Yes, madam. Discreet action. Discreet but resolute. (TV: Terror of the Zygons)
 * ‘What honour?’ The Brigadier glanced at the Prime Minister.
 * ‘I hadn’t time to tell you.’ Mrs Williams tapped a pencil on her teeth.
 * ‘There were several Vardans working at Cabinet Office level. When they vanished, it was quite an easy matter to convince old Shirley that she’d made a mistake.’ (PROSE: No Future)


 * 1976-1979: James Callaghan
 * SYNOPSIS: When the Doctor and Leela arrive in the wilds of Derbyshire, only to get caught up in the hunt for a missing girl, they soon discover that the legend of the Worm is very much alive - even now, in 1979. (AUDIO: Trail of the White Worm)
 * COLONEL SPINDLETON: Very good. Then I will remain here to work on our ultimatum. The terms of surrender for that cove Callaghan to sign.
 * MARSHAL GRINMAL: Who is this Callaghan?
 * COLONEL SPINDLETON: Our so-called Prime Minister. Crisis? Hah! I'll show him a crisis. (AUDIO: The Oseidon Adventure)

1980s

 * 1979-1987: Margaret Thatcher
 * DOCTOR: 1979. Hell of a year. China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Love that film. Margaret Thatcher. Urgh. Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb. (TV: Tooth and Claw)
 * POSTERS: No Third Term For Thatcher (TV: Father's Day)

1990s

 * 1992: Margery Phipps
 * AUDIO: Council of War


 * 1996: John Major
 * ‘Makes you wonder how Major got in again.’ It was a canny line – Maurice again on the offensive, trying to trip her up. He’d be asking about her religious beliefs next. Anything to throw her. (PROSE: Curriculum Vitae)
 * ‘What’s the year? 1996. Starting from the 1970s, how does it go? ... Heath, Thorpe, Williams, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Clarke. . . Major. Yes. Major.’ (PROSE: Interference - Book One)


 * 1997: Unnamed man
 * "Benny tried a little quiz on herself, but couldn't remember the name of either the Prime Minister or the President. Both countries had had an election in the last nine months, so it was tricky." (PROSE: The Dying Days)


 * 1997: Edward Greyhaven
 * "There was still a constitutional problem - Greyhaven couldn't just make himself Prime Minister regardless of how many Martians backed his leadership bid. ... For the moment, officially, he was still only the Acting-Prime Minister." (PROSE: The Dying Days)


 * 1999-2000: Terry Brooks
 * "It was well-known that Terry Brooks, smarmy, clean-cut Prime Minister, had reneged on a deal to step aside for him as party leader when Cotton returned from his stint as US Ambassador in Washington five years ago." (PROSE: Millennium Shock)

2000s

 * 2000: Philip Cotton
 * "With most essential systems and services now back to normal, the Prime Minister said he had chosen to resign immediately to give his successor, Philip Cotton, time to settle in before the widely rumoured general election." (PROSE: Millennium Shock)


 * 2001: Tony Blair
 * NEWSCASTER: Prime Minister Tony Blair was in York, visiting local businesses and tourist attractions around the city. So, when in Yorkshire, it seemed only fair that the Prime Minister should get to down a pint of... (AUDIO: Project: Twilight)
 * MICKEY: Oh, come on. You've seen it on films. Like an alternative to our world where everything's the same but a little bit different, like, I don't know, traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected. (TV: Rise of the Cybermen)


 * Kenneth Clarke
 * ‘What’s the year? 1996. Starting from the 1970s, how does it go? ... Heath, Thorpe, Williams, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Clarke. . . Major. Yes. Major.’ (PROSE: Interference - Book One)


 * 2005: Unnamed man
 * Voiced by Steffan Rhodri. (AUDIO: The Longest Night, The Wasting)


 * 2006: Unname mand
 * DOCTOR: Who's the Prime Minister now?
 * ROSE: How should I know? I missed a year. (TV: Aliens of London)
 * NOTE: The body double of the Prime Minister was intended to look like Tony Blair.


 * 2006: "Joseph Green"
 * GREEN: Never mind that, where is he? Where's the Prime Minister?
 * GANESH: No one knows, sir. He's disappeared. I have to inform you that with the city gridlocked and the Cabinet stranded outside London, that makes you acting Prime Minister with immediate effect. (TV: Aliens of London / World War Three)


 * 2006-c. 2007: Harriet Jones
 * 6 March 2006: DOCTOR: I thought I knew the name. Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age. (TV: World War Three)
 * 25 December 2006 - DOCTOR: Don't you think she looks tired?
 * HARRIET: Look, there is nothing wrong with my health. I don't know where these stories are coming from. And a vote of no confidence is completely unjustified. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)
 * 2007 - JACK: Prime Minister, is this a secure line? Can you tell me why Torchwood operations have become part of your security briefings to the leader of the Opposition? (TV: Greeks Bearing Gifts)


 * 2008: "Harold Saxon"
 * VIVIEN: Look, Harold Saxon never went to Cambridge. There was no Harold Saxon... Eighteen months ago, he became real. This is his first, honest to God appearance, just after the downfall of Harriet Jones. And at the exact same time, they launched the Archangel Network. (TV: The Sound of Drums)


 * 2008-2009: Aubrey Fairchild
 * 2008 - "The Prime Minister has promised the blackouts will not affect the UK." (TV: Revenge of the Slitheen)
 * ‘Fairchild? ... I know lots of prime ministers,’ the Doctor said. ‘But in this century they come and go annually, I think. This one clearly makes no impression on history.’ (PROSE: Beautiful Chaos)
 * 2009 - GWEN: I've lost contact with the Prime Minister's plane. (TV: The Stolen Earth)


 * 2009: Brian Green
 * NEWS: And an urgent investigation is underway to find out exactly how the television signal was hijacked as part of Martin Trueman's publicity stunt, with foreign governments demanding an explanation from the Prime Minister. (TV: Secrets of the Stars)
 * GREEN: Your children will then be taken to one of the designated rendezvous points and they'll become part of the, the process. It's our duty now to think beyond this terrible day. And once it's over, the government must be seen as victims of the 456. We must be seen to have lost. (TV:  Day Five)
 * BBC NEWS: Prime Minister Brian Green has yet to make a statement, although it is believed that he is a preparing a speech similar to previous Prime Minister Harriet Jones' "Doctor" one.

2010s

 * 2011: Unnamed
 * CANDICE: The scheme is already underway in the United Kingdom, with the Prime Minister declaring this a new age of care and compassion. (TV: The Categories of Life)
 * TV: "Prime Minister, there's notes from members of the public..." (TV: The Gathering)


 * 2013: Unnamed man
 * HUGO WILDING: Have they found the Prime Minister yet?
 * WOMAN: Yes, sir. He was in a tree in Regent's Park, eating a ferret. (COMIC: Hunters of the Burning Stone)


 * 2010s: Unnamed
 * QUOTE? (AUDIO: Vanguard)
 * QUOTE? (AUDIO: Bridgehead)


 * 2010s: Unnamed woman
 * Female Prime Minister who resigns.


 * 2010s: Kenneth LeBlanc


 * 2010s: Unnamed woman
 * Female Prime Minister reelected. (AUDIO: In Memory Alone)


 * 2014: Unnamed man
 * PRIME MINISTER: So the squid said hello to the dog. And they went in the pretty blue box. I want my beddy now. (COMIC: After Life)


 * 2015: Daniel Claremont
 * CLAREMONT: I hereby announce my resignation as Prime Minister. Effective immediately. Tricking and manipulating you since I took office has been an honor, but I can't continue due to a conflict of interest... Namely that we, the Sea Devils, intend to bring about the destruction of your whole race. (COMIC: Clara Oswald and the School of Death)


 * c. 2017: Unnamed woman


 * Voiced by Pippa Haywood. (AUDIO: Seed of Chaos, The Destructive Quality of Life)


 * 2017: Felicity


 * 2018: Fiona


 * 2018: Theresa May
 * Theresa May encouraged to pursue “no compromise” Brexit after UKIP voters flocked to Tories in local elections. (PROSE: Lucy Wilson & the Bledoe Cadets)

2020s

 * 2020: Boris Johnson
 * JOHNSON: "Artist" is far too generous a word to describe this individual. He's a vandal and an attention seeker! I can promise you, he's going to jolly well regret his actions when he's caught! (COMIC: Sticks & Stones)
 * QUOTE? (PROSE: The Edge of Glory)


 * 2021: Jo Patterson


 * 2026: S. J. Wordley
 * ORACLE: Protocol verified. Authorisation: Wordley, S. J. Level 1.
 * ACE: Who?
 * DOCTOR: The Prime Minister. (AUDIO: Project: Destiny)

c. 2050s

 * c. 2050s: General Mariah Learman
 * DOCTOR: New Britain, after the Euro-wars, during General Mariah Learman's benevolent dictatorship. (AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks)

Unconfirmed
Time as Prime Minister has not been confirmed.


 * Robert Peel
 * ‘Robert Peel,’ she snapped back without having to think.
 * ‘Wrong. He was the Home Secretary. Go on, name anyone from his police force.’ (PROSE: Another Life)