Tardis

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Tardis
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Tardis

Nigel Rochester was an insane President of the English Empire in an alternate timeline. Since the Dalek invasion of 1903 and the timely intervention of the Sixth Doctor, Rochester and his predecessors had been in possession of Dalek technology and had used it to expand English rule to the entire Earth.

Nigel Rochester was a man bordering on madness. A tyrannical ruler, his regime enacted various harsh rules and doctrines to keep the subordinate societies of the Earth in line, such as prohibiting the return of immigrants to England, placing a midnight curfew on all women under his rule and even questioning the legality of contracting one's own words. Those who objected to his regulations were sent to labour camps and exterminated. Nigel himself was not even concerned with abiding by his own laws He and his wife, Miriam, would contract their words in private games of rebellion.

When in the company of the Sixth Doctor, Nigel confessed to being a weak man by nature, saying that he would have been better off "as a greengrocer." He tried to explain away his quirks by claiming that he was the only one who was not "under Dalek mind-control," and felt forced to play the part of the tyrant. Nigel wished to confess his true nature to his followers some day, but was fearful of what the Dalek prisoner might do to him, despite the fact that the creature had been kept in captivity for over one hundred years. The nature of Nigel's madness came to the fore when he presented to the Doctor his collection of "toys;" dwarves sent to him by world leaders which he ordered to live inside prop Dalek casings. Nigel claimed to only be "pretending" as he savagely cut off his newest dwarf's hand so the man would fit within the casing.

Nigel was fondest of an upcoming jubilee celebration which commemorated the one-hundredth anniversary of the Daleks' defeat at the hands of the Doctor in 1903. He planned to execute his lone Dalek prisoner and asked that the Doctor witness the event by his side. The Doctor agreed, feeling as though he did not have much of a choice in the matter. At this ceremony, the Doctor gave a speech accusing the Empire's population of being just like the Daleks. Soon after, Rochester was usurped and killed by Miriam.

When the alternate timeline was nullified, Rochester and the others who died were all brought back to life. The Doctor came across Rochester having a heart attack in the street and resuscitated him, saving his life. Rochester appeared to recognise the Doctor despite the timeline change, calling him "a saviour to us all" and thanking him for giving him the chance to be a good man. (AUDIO: Jubilee)

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