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Official Secrets Act

The Official Secrets Act was legislation which protected official state secrets in the United Kingdom on Earth. Signing the Official Secrets Act constituted an agreement not to reveal certain secret state matters. Breach of the Act was a jailable offence.

References[]

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart appealed to the Act to count on the discretion of Dr Humphrey Cook about the mysterious events at the Newton Institute. (TV: The Time Monster [+]Robert Sloman, Doctor Who season 9 (BBC1, 1972).)

An oblivious Brigadier asked the Fifth Doctor if he had signed the Act, since he was speaking freely about a secret organisation as the UNIT. (TV: Mawdryn Undead [+]Peter Grimwade, Doctor Who season 20 (BBC1, 1983).)

Liz Shaw was reluctant to answer James Stevens' questions in part because she had signed the Official Secrets Act. (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy [+]David Bishop, Virgin Books (1996).) Her mother, Dame Emily Shaw, had signed the Act many times. (AUDIO: The Last Post [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)

Mike Smith, sergeant in the RAF, was placed under close arrest on suspicion of offences contrary to the Official Secrets Act. In fact, he was working as an informant for the fascist group the Association, allied to renegade Daleks. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks [+]Ben Aaronovitch, Doctor Who season 25 (BBC1, 1988).)

The relationship between Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and his daughter Kate suffered due to his inability to explain his work because of the Official Secrets Act. (HOMEVID: Downtime [+]Marc Platt, Reeltime Pictures releases (Reeltime Pictures, 1995)., PROSE: Downtime [+]Marc Platt, adapted from Downtime (Marc Platt), Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1996).)

In the aftermath of Private Carver's death during an incident with the Master at Devil's End, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart carefully told the private's father all he could about his son's death without breaching the Act. (AUDIO: Degrees of Truth [+]David A. McIntee, Short Trips (BBC Books, 1998).)

Phillipa Gregson signed the Act when UNIT visited Stegmoor. (AUDIO: Beachhead [+]Nicholas Briggs, Doom Coalition 2 (The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Doom Coalition, Big Finish Productions, 2016).)

Details of the petrol-bombing of a McDonald's restaurant in Kent were suppressed under the Official Secrets Act. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Warhead [+]Andrew Cartmel, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1992).)

Many employees of Scala, a scientific company Sarah Jane Smith investigated, were past members of an organisation which dissolved when many of its members were jailed for breaches of the Official Secrets Act. (AUDIO: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre [+]Peter Anghelides, Sarah Jane Smith (Big Finish Productions, 2002).)

Lauren Hudson signed the Act after UNIT removed a Viyran virus from her body, saving her life. (AUDIO: Urgent Calls [+]Eddie Robson, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2007).)

Woking and the Minister had Naomi Davies and Rab sign the Official Secrets Act before employing their help in investigating Embankment tube station. (AUDIO: Ruffling [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)

The Sixth Doctor claimed to have signed the Official Secrets Act several times. (AUDIO: Criss-Cross [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.)

In the Unbound Universe, just before Hong Kong was to be turned over to China, Ross Brimmicombe-Wood reminded Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart that the current operation was covered by the Official Secrets Act and that the Brigadier was bound to it for life. (AUDIO: Sympathy for the Devil [+]Jonathan Clements, Doctor Who Unbound (Big Finish Productions, 2003).)

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