Doctor Who: 10 Unresolved Storylines & Mysteries That Need To Be Explored

The first and only mention of the Minister of War is during series 9's Before the Flood, where an excitable and all-round Doctor fanatic O'Donnell (which of course means she had to go) rattles off some significant events to have already taken place in her lifetime:

So, pre-Harold Saxon. Pre-the Minister of War. Pre-the moon exploding and a big bat coming out.

The fact it warrants mentioning alongside Britain's most psychotic prime minister (it's practically art imitating life) means it's clearly a big deal. When O'Donnell says "the Minister of War", the Doctor immediately turns to her with a look of intense intrigue and repeats the very same words like a question. But the Doctor is now well-versed in spoilers thanks to River Song, so he stops O'Donnell from revealing anything further; expecting he'll "find out soon enough."

Spoiler alert: he doesn't. And that's as far as this throwaway teaser goes, for now. So, let's furiously speculate, like Twelve does on his chalkboard, as to who this mysterious man, woman or variation thereupon is.

The rather ominous title instantly recalls that other renegade Time Lord, the War Chief, and also the arguably more dangerous War Lord. Both were last seen as the main antagonists during the Second Doctor's regeneration serial The War Games. A follow-up appearance is way overdue, so what better way to bring one or both back under this new guise? Or maybe it's an Abzorbalovian from Clom? Yeah, sorry, let's not joke about that.