Rick Yates

Rick Yates MP was the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary in the administration of Prime Minister Brian Green. Yates was summoned to a meeting of COBRA during Day Four of the 456 incident to discuss the 456's demands for 10% of the child population of Earth. Yates was first asked for 60 children to be sacrificed as a small compromise offer. However when the 456 rejected it, Yates then suggested alphabetical order for the random selection of which 10% would be selected from Britain, the idea was ridiculed by Denise Riley who suggested his surname was being low down on the alphabet, even though Yates said he had no children. Yates had also suggested in favour of the sacrifice to Green to meet population rises. (TW: Children of Earth: Day Four and Day Five)

Like most of Green's cabinet, Yates' future in government is left unclear following the resolution of the 456 issue.

Behind the Scenes

 * Yates is played by Nicholas Briggs, making his on-screen debut in an official Doctor Who franchise production. Although best known to viewers for providing many of the show's alien voices, including the Daleks, Cybermen, Nestene Consciousness and Judoon since 2005, Briggs is well-known in Who fandom, playing the Doctor in the fan-made Audio Visuals audio dramas of the late 1980s (which later evolved into Big Finish Productions), and appearing in (as well a writing and directing) many of the independent spin-off video productions of the 1990s. He also hosted the long-running Myth Makers interview series. His appearance in this episode also means he has now worked on both Doctor Who spinoffs.