ICIS (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
The Internal Counter-Intelligence Service (ICIS) is a fiction
al military
organization from the UNIT
audio plays by Big Finish
. A highly nationalistic and xenophobic organisation, they were originally intended to be a uniquely British replacement for the British contingent
of UNIT in fighting extraterritorial threats; instead, they turned out to be a major threat.
. ICIS had been around for at least a few years before then, and were becoming increasingly concerned with Britain's involvement in the UN
and the European Union
. They recruited a young nationalist soldier named Brimmicombe-Wood soon after his training, and dispatched him as a double-agent within UNIT. By the time of The Coup, Brimmicombe-Wood was both the commander of UNIT's British arm and (secretly) ICIS, setting UNIT up for a fall. Soon, ICIS were working to eventually take over Britain in order to keep it from giving up any of its sovereignty to the UN and European Union. The British government was being convinced to shut down the UK arm of UNIT and hand over its operations to ICIS; simultaneously, ICIS were using alien technology and government helpline
s to program the general public into becoming sleeper agent
s. They were also using alien spacecraft blueprints stolen from UNIT to construct a time-space teleportation
device.
The day before the planned handover, both UNIT and ICIS became involved in a battle against the Silurian
s at Tower Bridge
; ICIS' troops swiftly proved themselves to be far more brutal than their UNIT counterparts. However, it would turn out that these Silurians were actually a diplomatic
party trying to make peaceful contact with humanity, and ICIS had launched an unprovoked massacre. ICIS' Captain Andrea Winnington and Sergeant French (a former Forge
operative) refused to believe the Silurians could be peaceful and attempted to kill their ambassador
, getting themselves arrested as a result. The handover was called off and UNIT remained in control of extraterrestrial operations, while ICIS handled domestic British affairs.
ICIS did not rest. In UNIT: Time Heals
, they secretly launched a raid on a UNIT transporter and stole the alien spacecraft
it was carrying in order to further their transmat experiments, as well as "abducting" Brimmicombe-Wood so he could fully concentrate on running ICIS and leave UNIT confused. Their continued time-space experiments went wrong, causing fluctuations in time and space that caused a series of horrific accidents and attracted UNIT's attention. The complex where the experiments took place was destroyed and the accidents stopped, but ICIS remained undetected and the general public believed they'd been under severe terrorist attack. What nobody knew was that by tampering with the spacecraft, ICIS had released an alien virus
that swiftly began sweeping its way through the world.
In UNIT: The Longest Night
, when the Prime Minister had signed the Euro Combine treaty, ICIS finally triggered their coup
. They began activating random sleeper agents across the country, starting a systematic wave of terrorist attacks designed to increase ethnic tensions and fear to dangerous levels. Andrea Winnington was freed from jail and sent to provoke UNIT's Public Relations Officer Col. Chaudhry into murdering her in order to discredit UNIT. (Winnington failed.) As the attacks increased and race-riots broke out in all major cities, ICIS agent and government press officer Philip Kirby subtly pressured the Prime Minister into declaring martial law
and letting ICIS onto the streets; UNIT's commander Colonel Dalton was triggered as a sleeper agent to assassinate the Prime Minister once this had been done. UNIT just barely managed to stop ICIS and save Britain, though Dalton lost his life in the process when Kirby triggered a suicide bomb.
While the Prime Minister vowed to shut down ICIS in The Longest Night, they were still operational in UNIT: The Wasting
(presumably Brimmicombe-Wood convinced the government that they hadn't really been involved and the plot was all Kirby). Knowing UNIT would be focusing on bringing it down (and that General Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart
was getting involved), they swiftly framed them for the deliberate murder of British civilians and secured orders to arrest them. Chaudhry and Lethbridge-Stewart led as many loyal UNIT soldiers as possible into going on the run, attempting to simultaneously bring down ICIS and stop the alien virus that had now become a global pandemic. While the discovery that Brimmicombe-Wood had been the head of ICIS all along and coming under attack by British armed forces demoralised them, UNIT (with assistance from NATO and the Silurians) succeeded in stopping the plague and ICIS. Brimmicombe-Wood was defeated in combat and arrested, and the work of journalist Francis Currie saw ICIS' crimes brought to light. The organisation was shut down and its leaders arrested on grounds of treason.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
organization from the UNIT
United Nations Intelligence Taskforce
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
audio plays by Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
. A highly nationalistic and xenophobic organisation, they were originally intended to be a uniquely British replacement for the British contingent
UNIT
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
of UNIT in fighting extraterritorial threats; instead, they turned out to be a major threat.
History
The organisation first appeared in the audio play UNIT: The CoupUNIT: The Coup
UNIT: The Coup is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Nicholas Courtney reprising his role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, the former commander of UNIT...
. ICIS had been around for at least a few years before then, and were becoming increasingly concerned with Britain's involvement in the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. They recruited a young nationalist soldier named Brimmicombe-Wood soon after his training, and dispatched him as a double-agent within UNIT. By the time of The Coup, Brimmicombe-Wood was both the commander of UNIT's British arm and (secretly) ICIS, setting UNIT up for a fall. Soon, ICIS were working to eventually take over Britain in order to keep it from giving up any of its sovereignty to the UN and European Union. The British government was being convinced to shut down the UK arm of UNIT and hand over its operations to ICIS; simultaneously, ICIS were using alien technology and government helpline
Helpline
A helpline was originally a telephone service which offers help to those who call. Many helpline services now offer more than telephone support - offering access to information, advice or customer service via telephone, email, web or SMS....
s to program the general public into becoming sleeper agent
Sleeper agent
A sleeper agent is a spy who is placed in a target country or organization, not to undertake an immediate mission, but rather to act as a potential asset if activated...
s. They were also using alien spacecraft blueprints stolen from UNIT to construct a time-space teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
device.
The day before the planned handover, both UNIT and ICIS became involved in a battle against the Silurian
Silurian (Doctor Who)
The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
s at Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
; ICIS' troops swiftly proved themselves to be far more brutal than their UNIT counterparts. However, it would turn out that these Silurians were actually a diplomatic
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
party trying to make peaceful contact with humanity, and ICIS had launched an unprovoked massacre. ICIS' Captain Andrea Winnington and Sergeant French (a former Forge
Forge (Doctor Who)
The Forge is a fictional black operations organisation from the Big Finish Productions audio plays based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
operative) refused to believe the Silurians could be peaceful and attempted to kill their ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, getting themselves arrested as a result. The handover was called off and UNIT remained in control of extraterrestrial operations, while ICIS handled domestic British affairs.
ICIS did not rest. In UNIT: Time Heals
UNIT: Time Heals
UNIT: Time Heals is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Nicholas Courtney reprising his role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, the former commander of UNIT...
, they secretly launched a raid on a UNIT transporter and stole the alien spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
it was carrying in order to further their transmat experiments, as well as "abducting" Brimmicombe-Wood so he could fully concentrate on running ICIS and leave UNIT confused. Their continued time-space experiments went wrong, causing fluctuations in time and space that caused a series of horrific accidents and attracted UNIT's attention. The complex where the experiments took place was destroyed and the accidents stopped, but ICIS remained undetected and the general public believed they'd been under severe terrorist attack. What nobody knew was that by tampering with the spacecraft, ICIS had released an alien virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
that swiftly began sweeping its way through the world.
In UNIT: The Longest Night
UNIT: The Longest Night
UNIT: The Longest Night is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It continues the story of UNIT...
, when the Prime Minister had signed the Euro Combine treaty, ICIS finally triggered their coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. They began activating random sleeper agents across the country, starting a systematic wave of terrorist attacks designed to increase ethnic tensions and fear to dangerous levels. Andrea Winnington was freed from jail and sent to provoke UNIT's Public Relations Officer Col. Chaudhry into murdering her in order to discredit UNIT. (Winnington failed.) As the attacks increased and race-riots broke out in all major cities, ICIS agent and government press officer Philip Kirby subtly pressured the Prime Minister into declaring martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
and letting ICIS onto the streets; UNIT's commander Colonel Dalton was triggered as a sleeper agent to assassinate the Prime Minister once this had been done. UNIT just barely managed to stop ICIS and save Britain, though Dalton lost his life in the process when Kirby triggered a suicide bomb.
While the Prime Minister vowed to shut down ICIS in The Longest Night, they were still operational in UNIT: The Wasting
UNIT: The Wasting
UNIT: The Wasting is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Nicholas Courtney reprising his role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, the former commander of UNIT...
(presumably Brimmicombe-Wood convinced the government that they hadn't really been involved and the plot was all Kirby). Knowing UNIT would be focusing on bringing it down (and that General Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
was getting involved), they swiftly framed them for the deliberate murder of British civilians and secured orders to arrest them. Chaudhry and Lethbridge-Stewart led as many loyal UNIT soldiers as possible into going on the run, attempting to simultaneously bring down ICIS and stop the alien virus that had now become a global pandemic. While the discovery that Brimmicombe-Wood had been the head of ICIS all along and coming under attack by British armed forces demoralised them, UNIT (with assistance from NATO and the Silurians) succeeded in stopping the plague and ICIS. Brimmicombe-Wood was defeated in combat and arrested, and the work of journalist Francis Currie saw ICIS' crimes brought to light. The organisation was shut down and its leaders arrested on grounds of treason.
Voice cast
- Colonel Brimmicombe-Wood — David TennantDavid TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
- Sergeant French — Mark Wright
- Corporal Ledger —Joseph LidsterJoseph LidsterJoseph Lidster is an English television writer best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Biography:His debut work was the audio play The Rapture for Big Finish Productions in 2002...
- Captain Andrea Winnington — Sara Carver
- Major Philip Kirby — Johnson Willis