The Rani

The Rani is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She is a recurring antagonist within the series. A renegade Time Lord and a nemesis of the series' title character, a Time Lord known as the Doctor, the Rani is an amoral scientist who is willing to do anything to further her research. The Rani was originally portrayed by actress Kate O'Mara, and she appears in the two classic serials The Mark of the Rani (1985) and Time and the Rani (1987), and reprised her role in the charity special Dimensions in Time (1993). The Rani subsequently appeared in spin-off material for the series, being portrayed by actress Siobhan Redmond in some audio dramas, but would not appear on-screen again until the 2005 revival's fourteenth series, where she initially appears as a recurring antagonist named Mrs. Flood, who is portrayed by Anita Dobson. This incarnation of the character "bi-generates", resulting in there being two Ranis, with the second portrayed by Archie Panjabi.

The Rani was initially created due to John Nathan-Turner, a producer on the show, wanting another Time Lord antagonist on the show. The writers of The Mark of the Rani, Pip and Jane Baker, decided to make this antagonist a woman, naming her the Rani after the Sanskrit word for "queen". The Rani would be incorporated into subsequent stories, but would not initially re-appear in the show's eventual 2005 revival. Though planned for a 2013 revival, the character would not re-appear on-screen until 2023's "The Church on Ruby Road," as Mrs. Flood. Davies enjoyed Dobson in the part and thus brought her back for further appearances. Mrs. Flood was played as a mysterious character, and during filming of series fourteen, showrunner and writer Russell T Davies was still unsure of what her true identity should be. He eventually decided on the Rani. The character would have her identity revealed on-screen in 2025's "The Interstellar Song Contest," which introduced Panjabi's incarnation. Davies desired an Indian actress in the part, reflecting the origin of the Rani's name, and contacted Panjabi personally to play her.

The Rani proved to be popular with critics, who praised O'Mara's performance. Many critics highlighted her role as a female antagonist who was treated seriously, which was ground-breaking for the time. She had lasting popularity with fans of the show, resulting in her often being frequently brought up by fans. She additionally was often speculated as a possible identity for mysterious new characters; this happened to such an extent that the production team directly acknowledged that fans would assume these characters to be the Rani. Her eventual return in the show's revival was initially met with a positive response, though her later usage received some criticism from critics.