Who is The Rani? Digging Into the Backstory of the Renegade Time Lady from “Doctor Who"
Last week’s episode of Doctor Who finally revealed the identity of the mysterious Mrs. Flood as the Rani. But unless you’re a big fan of the classic series of Doctor Who, you might be left scratching your head as to just who the Rani is. Well, I aim to give you a rundown of the character here, so buckle up!
The Rani was a renegade Time Lord (the race that the Doctor also hails from) who appeared in only two classic era stories. In both she was played by the fabulous Kate O’Mara, known for her work on the 1980s soap opera, Dynasty. Unlike another renegade Time Lord, the Master, the Rani wasn’t necessarily evil, she was more scientific-minded. She experimented on those she viewed as “lesser beings," in the pursuit of scientific advancement. In fact, it was her experiments that got her expelled from Gallifrey, as mice she experimented on ate the Lord President’s cat.
The character’s first appearance came in the 1985 Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) story, “The Mark of the Rani," where she begrudgingly teamed up with the Master to achieve her plan of extracting a sleep-promoting chemical from local miners to use on the inhabitants of the planet Miasimia Goria, a planet she rules. Of course, the Doctor is able to foil the duo’s plans, even setting a trap inside the Rani’s unique TARDIS.
The Rani appeared for the second and final time in the classic series two years later, for the Seventh Doctor’s (Sylvester McCoy) first story, "Time and the Rani." Still getting over his regeneration, which the Rani inadvertently caused by knocking the TARDIS off its orbit. Disguising herself as the Doctor’s companion Mel (Bonnie Langford), the Rani aims to trap some of the most brilliant minds ever known to convert the planet into a “Time Manipulator" using an asteroid made of strange matter, and a giant brain made up of her collection of genius’ intellects.
Those two appearances were the Rani’s only cannon appearances in the TV series proper, but Kate O’Mara did return for the 1993 30th anniversary special, “Dimensions in Time," which is not viewed as cannon, as various versions of the Doctor are trapped in Albert Square from the popular British soap opera, EastEnders. It’s a camp, ridiculous time that’s hardly great Doctor Who, but definitely worth a watch if you’re in for a laugh. Aside from that, the Rani has only appeared in audio dramas and novels ever since.
For years, fans have wondered whether the character might make a return – sometimes jokingly noting that every mysterious female character the show has introduced might just be the Rani. Well, it seems that for once, that has actually come true – as Mrs. Flood was revealed to be the Rani at the end of “The Interstellar Song Contest." More so, she somehow bi-generated, just like the Doctor recently did, creating another side to herself, now played by Archie Panjabi.
While Kate O’Mara sadly passed away in 2014, it will be great to see how Panjabi and Dobson breathe new and different life into the character. The Rani is a decidedly different character than the Master, and I hope that those differences are highlighted in her inevitable interactions with the Doctor in the forthcoming two-part season finale.