Doctor Who or UK Government

Much like Doctor Who, the UK’s system of government is a hodge-podge of modern ideas crudely grafted onto a base of olden-days nonsense which we all pretend still makes sense while quietly ignoring whenever we think we will get away with it.

The question is, can you tell which of these names are genuine aspects of British governance, and which are silly technobabble made up for Doctor Who?

This game only contains spoilers for UK government terms.

  • The Commonwealth Realms
    The Commonwealth Realms are a collection of countries notionally ruled by the Queen (including the UK).
  • Consumcard
    Consumcards are a form of banking card in use on Pluto when the Fourth Doctor visited.
  • Stormcage
    Stormcage is the prison where River Song sometimes chooses to stay.
  • The Shadow Chancellor
    The Shadow Chancellor is the opposition MP whose job is to scrutinise the work of the Treasury.
  • List X Site
    A List X Site is a non-government building authorised to hold confidential government information.
  • The Cyber Controller
    The Cyber Controller is one of several special models of Cyberman, a form of cyborg who occasionally threaten the Doctor.
  • The House of Lords
    The House of Lords is the upper house of UK government, roughly equivalent to the US Senate except with far more pomp and much sillier rules of admission.
  • The Office of the Public Guardian
    The Office of the Public Guardian exists to protect people who lack the mental capacity to take decisions for themselves. (In real life.)
  • The Chancellery Guard
    The Chancellery Guard police the Doctor's homeworld of Gallifrey.
  • The Goschen Formula
    The Goschen Formula was the rule determining how much funding Scotland and Ireland should receive from 1888 to 1922.
  • The Shadow Proclamation
    The Shadow Proclamation is an outer-space police force responsible for upholding Galactic Law.
  • The Overlord System
    The Overlord System was a short-lived structure devised by Winston Churchill (who, admittedly, is also a character in Doctor Who).
  • The Osmotherly Rules
    The Osmotherly Rules dictate how government departments should give evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees. (They should not be confused with the Osgood Boxes, which keep us safe from Zygons.)
  • The Zero Room
    Zero Rooms are enormously useful Time Lord-built areas where the normal laws of physics are a little more flexible.
  • The Shadow Cabinet
    The Shadow Cabinet is a group of opposition MPs who mirror and scrutinise government ministers.