Harriet Jones - MP Flydale North

[Shrek Baby]

In "World War III" the Doctor explains to Rose that he remembered the name Harriet Jones. He claims that she is the Prime Minister for three successive terms. That's 12 years.

However, in "The Christmas Invasion" she is ousted due to a vote of no confidence. Mickey, Jackie and Harriet herself do not appear to be 12 years older at this time.

Continuity error or have I missed something?

 

[The Ace]

She should've had 12 years, the Master disrupted the timeline.

 

[Shrek Baby]

She was kicked out of Downing St before the Master ever made an appearance. There was no mention of Harold Saxon during the time of "The Christmas Invasion". He took advantage of a lack of leadership when he arrived shortly after the Sycorax incident.

 

[Kostmayer]

Isn't it the Doctor who causes her to be kicked out of Downing Street though? He could therefore remember her being in power for 12 years, then change history so that she wasn't.

 

[Dave]

Maybe she served for three terms in the alternative Cyberman UK?

 

[Shrek Baby]

Possibly.

 

[sebbie3000]

Doctor Who interfered, thus giving strength to the rumours of he himself becoming a vengeful 'god' - deciding what should and shouldn't happen (as the Timelords used to).

He decided after that one act - a mistake from a scared woman - that instead of forgiving her, he would punish her. In his haste, he completely ignored the possibilities of Britain not continuing on to their next golden age, and he should have had the sense to realise there would be dire consequences.

Him ridding the Earth of The Master was basically the same as having to call the plumber back because the last time you called him to fix your taps, he cracked the pipe, giving you a slow leek.

 

[Dave]

Well, possible spoilers follow:

I just happened across this website:
Flydale North Constituency Website

with a link to this one:
British Rocket Group - Guinevere One Project

From what I read there, that must have something to do with the plot of this year's (2007) Christmas Day episode. They can only be official BBC websites. Which can only mean that Harriet Jones is alive and well.

I'm going to post this again in the episode thread, apologies in advance for the duplication.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

One of the things that occurred to me after watching The Last of the Time Lords last night:

Unless I misheard something at the end of the episode, the Doctor turned time back to a point immediately after the Master killed the President-elect. So I think we can take it for granted that not only is Britain without a Prime Minister at that point (and all those other Ministers and advisors he murdered himself) but that in light of that assassination he effectively took down everyone who was even vaguely associated with him in the process.

Would this not be just the sort of situation where someone like Harriet Jones, who has already shown herself competent to handle things during a major crisis, could make a big comeback? (Especially now that people have had plenty of time to think about just how good things were back in the "Golden Age"?)

 

[PTeppic]

It would certainly be a bit/lot weird for the people watching - there is a new Prime Minister, the US President is murdered and (live on TV) and then suddenly most of the people involved are either dead or missing, despite being on a flying air-base. Talk about conspiracy theories...

 

[Harleyquin]

Unless I misheard something at the end of the episode, the Doctor turned time back to a point immediately after the Master killed the President-elect.

maybe its just me "(she says knowing its not"... but the Toclophane killed el yankie boy, this in turn means there was toclophane on earth and welcome back to the paradox...

Sureley we should have gone back to before the first toclophane even appeared?

 

[PTeppic]

Good point - didn't the Doctor create a paradox by having ALL the Toclafane disappear back into the rift thing, when there should have been some aboard the Valiant. Especially since they were at the eye of the storm...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Sureley we should have gone back to before the first toclophane even appeared?

My husband and I were discussing that same question -- why the Doctor chose to reverse time to that particular point -- and the answer we came up with was that the destruction of the Paradox Machine was like hitting the rewind key and erasing everything that happened after it started working, but nothing before that. If that's right, the Doctor didn't really have a choice in the matter.

And I suppose a few Toclophane left hanging around without the Master to give them orders wouldn't be too much for the folks at Torchwood to handle. (Especially since Martha and Jack would remember how to deal with them effectively.)

 

[joyteach]

In "World War III" the Doctor explains to Rose that he remembered the name Harriet Jones. He claims that she is the Prime Minister for three successive terms. That's 12 years.

However, in "The Christmas Invasion" she is ousted due to a vote of no confidence. Mickey, Jackie and Harriet herself do not appear to be 12 years older at this time.

Continuity error or have I missed something?

She could even at some time have been Prime Minister for over fifteen years in three successive terms. On the other hand, Harriet's terms may have been much shorter. I can remember parliaments that have lasted less than two years. The maximum is five years ( plus Lent in some cases, as in 1997 ) but there is no minimum and a Prime Minister's term does not have to be a full parliament. Most Prime Ministers I can remember began or ended the job part way through a parliament and so three successive terms has always meant less than twelve years in my lifetime.

Then again.........The Doctor didn't say when Harriet Jones's three successive terms were. He may have been referring to the future. If so, that means Harriet's not really dead this time. I hope that's the case. I liked her.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Well, we didn't actually see her die, and she may have had some means of defense or escape that we weren't told about. In fact, since she died off camera, I'd say the writers left it open for her to reappear at some point.

I'd like to see her come back, because I always liked her even when the Doctor didn't.

 

[PTeppic]

Well she was, unarmed, surrounded by three Daleks. Very few could escape that!

 

[dekket]

Didn't Davros refer to Harriet as one of the Doctor's followers who had already died for the cause, or something along those lines?

 

[PTeppic]

I thought he did, but then recalled that he was aiming more for "followers who killed in his stead". But, actually, given the visual flashback of people, I think you're right after all. Because it included people like Lynda (with a "Y" from the Games-station)

 

[doctordonna]

The Master was sent back to a time before the fall of Harriet Jones. He was not supposed to be there. He messed up history. And though time is, well, a big ball of wibbly, wobbly, timey, wimey stuff I believe that he changed the course of history so much that he, in part, caused the fall of Harriet Jones. He was a member of the Ministry of Defense and had access to all sorts of stuff. I'm not sure, but I thought there was something that cleared this up for me... one line at the end of season three, but I can't remember or find it in the transcripts. I guess I'll just have to watch them all again : )

 

[littlemissattitude]

Well she was, unarmed, surrounded by three Daleks. Very few could escape that!

Well, at Gallifrey One in February, during producer Phil Collinson's live commentary of "Journey's End", he said, when Harriet is done in by the Daleks, something along the lines of "She's not dead, you know. There was a trapdoor."

Of course, he was kidding (and he is no longer producing the show), but that comment got a huge cheer and round of applause.

There is nothing quite like watching a favorite episode of The Doctor on a huge screen in a room filled to capacity (and past) with several hundred like-minded souls, with the producer of the episode in attendance and doing commentary. It was one of the highlights of the con.