King James I

Played by Alan Cumming

"You may prostrate yourselves before me, God's chosen ruler and Satan's greatest foe come to vanquish the scourge of witchcraft across the land"

First ruling Scotland as James IV, James I was King of England and Ireland from 1603 to 1625. Preoccupied with the occult and witchcraft, even writing a book on the subject called Daemonologie, James was instrumental in encouraging the witch-hunts and witch trials of the 16th and 17th century England – a practice which saw many innocent women tortured and sentenced to death.

The Thirteenth Doctor met James in person at Bilehurst Cragg in Lancashire, where local landowner Becka Savage was holding witch dunkings in the hope of ridding the village of a terrible curse. When Becka was eventually revealed to be possessed by the alien Morax, James wasted no time in killing her to save himself.

Though the Doctor understood that James had lived a difficult life, she still considered him selfish and cowardly beyond redemption. Some historians believe that he became more sceptical about witchcraft later on in his life, perhaps affected by his encounter with Team TARDIS after all.