Doctor Who Theory Reveals Season 14's Evil Prime Minister Is Much Bigger Villain Than He Seems

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episode 4, "73 Yards."

Summary Roger ap Gwilliam's backstory hints at a mysterious past, connecting him to a potentially immortal being named Mad Jack.

The episode "73 Yards" leaves questions unanswered about Gwilliam's nuclear desires.

Doctor Who sets up Gwilliam's return in the future, exploring the hidden facets of his "Mad Jack" persona and his ultimate fate.

Doctor Who season 14, episode 4, "73 Yards," ends with unanswered questions about the installment's villain, but there are certain clues that suggest there's more to him than meets the eye. Roger ap Gwilliam, played by Aneurin Barnard, is a Welsh politician who's voted in as the British Prime Minister in 2046 in Ruby Sunday's future timeline. However, Gwilliam's alias is mentioned earlier in "73 Yards," during the episode's present-day scenes. The ominous foreshadowing of the entrance of Barnard's Doctor Who character hints at the possibility that he isn't originally from Earth.

Aneurin Barnard's role in the Doctor Who season 14 cast adds yet another mystery to the show's Disney era, reinforcing the enigmatic nature of Ncuti Gatwa's time as the Doctor. Although Ruby's timeline is reset at the end of "73 Yards," there's no guarantee that her heroic part in foiling Gwilliam's plot is a permanent solution, or if she simply bought the world time. As such, Barnard's character could conceivably return to Doctor Who at some point in the future. One thing is clear: there's something unusual beneath his pseudo-charming persona.

Related Doctor Who Season 14 Episode Guide Doctor Who season 14's eight episodes are brimming with important details, fun cameos, and major lore callbacks. Find everything you need here.

Doctor Who's "Mad Jack" Clue Suggests Roger ap Gwilliam Isn't Human

The villain in "73 Yards" raises a lot of questions

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The events of "73 Yards" are set in motion when the Doctor steps into the fairy circle and Ruby reads the messages contained within. One of the scrolls reads, "Rest in peace, Mad Jack," and another bears the words, "I miss you." When the episode reaches 2046, the name "Mad Jack" makes a comeback, when Ruby sees Gwilliam declaring the title as his nickname while being interviewed on TV. However, Mad Jack's memorial in 2024 strongly implied the enigmatic figure was dead, so it raises questions about how he returned 22 years later.

While it's technically possible that the double use of the Mad Jack moniker doesn't connect Gwilliam with the persona named in the fairy circle, it's far more likely that there's more than a mere coincidence at play. The implication is that Mad Jack has risen from the dead and is masquerading as Roger ap Gwilliam, or perhaps the Doctor and Ruby unknowingly freed Mad Jack's spirit in 2024, leading him to take over the body and mind of the Welsh politician.

Alternatively, he could be some form of immortal being who faked his death so he could return at a later date. If so, Gwilliam could be a Time Lord or another form of extraterrestrial life with a drastically extended lifespan compared with humans. Doctor Who's Disney era hasn't shied away from introducing villains who defy traditional conventions of existence, such as Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker or Jinkx Monsoon's Maestro. As such, it wouldn't be a surprise if Mad Jack fell into a similar category.

Another Clue Hints Doctor Who's Roger ap Gwilliam Is Older Than He Looks

Gwilliam's history sounds a little too storied for his age

When Ruby first sees Gwilliam on TV, he's in the middle of a monologue about all of his previous lines of employment. During his speech, he lists five jobs he's worked, all in different industries, and sounds as though he's only mentioning a few of his past roles. However, Gwilliam is only relatively young, so while it's not impossible that he has bounced around so many different areas of work, it's perhaps a little unlikely.

Related Who Is The One Who Waits? All Clues About Doctor Who's New Big Bad The One Who Waits is one of Doctor Who's most mysterious villains, but the show does provide certain clues about the enigmatic antagonist.

If he is as experienced as he claims, Roger ap Gwilliam - or more accurately, Mad Jack - could have filled all the positions he mentioned, but under different aliases during many different lives. Alternatively, he could actually be self-editing, and fabricating a history to convince the people of Earth that he is just a regular human and not an extraterrestrial/supernatural being with something to hide.

Doctor Who Still Hasn't Revealed Everything About Roger ap Gwilliam

Mad Jack's nuclear desires aren't explained

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Although "73 Yards" provides at least some clues as to where Gwilliam's Mad Jack persona comes from, it leaves certain aspects of his character completely up to interpretation. The biggest mystery is why Roger ap Gwilliam wants to fire a nuke, which would likely start a nuclear war. From his demeanor during the interview and the fear that his motivations will be proven to be authentic, it doesn't seem as though Gwilliam is bluffing or pandering to voters. So, the episode gives the impression that Aneurin Barnard's character genuinely wants to act on his acquisition of the launch codes.

The Doctor tells Ruby at the beginning of "73 Yards" that Roger ap William "led the world to the brink of nuclear-" but cuts himself off when he realizes Gwilliam is in Ruby's future.

Thankfully, Ruby manages to use the mysterious woman to scare Gwilliam into resigning as British Prime Minister. However, had Millie Gibson's character been unable to quash the threat posed by Mad Jack, it's very possible, if not probable, that the politician would have followed through on his implied desires. That being said, the Doctor tells Ruby at the beginning of "73 Yards" that Roger ap William "led the world to the brink of nuclear-" but cuts himself off when he realizes Gwilliam is in Ruby's future. So, Mad Jack may have always been doomed to fail in his horrific plot.

Doctor Who May Be Setting Up Roger ap Gwilliam's Return

Mad Jack could make a comeback

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Doctor Who season 14, episode 4, "73 Yards," ends without ever fully contextualizing Gwilliam's goals and desires, other than his aim to become Prime Minister. So, it would make sense for Russell T Davies to bring the character back at some point in the future and explore the hidden facets of his "Mad Jack" persona. Although the Doctor stepping on the fairy circle could easily be the explanation behind Roger ap Gwilliam also declaring himself as "Mad Jack," this theory isn't infallible. Gwilliam himself may still appear in 2046 and enter contention for the title of Prime Minister.

Therefore, Ruby's resetting of the timeline may not be enough to stop Gwilliam from being the threat he turns out to be. The next time 2046 comes around, Ruby and her older self now won't be there to force Gwilliam to resign. The fact that Ruby intervenes will drastically alter her own future, meaning she'll either still be traveling with the Doctor, or at the very least won't be forced into a life of isolation. So, if Gwilliam is left to his own devices, he may pursue the same course of action - even if he never takes on the "Mad Jack" moniker.

2:52 Related Doctor Who Is Finally Acknowledging 1 Part Of The Doctor's Character Ignored For Nearly 60 Years Doctor Who season 14 is evolving the show while still honoring what came before it with callbacks to a forgotten aspect of the Doctor's character.

"73 Yards" leaves several tantalizing loose ends by the end of the episode, but the connection between the Mad Jack mentioned in the fairy circle and Roger ap Gwilliam adopting the nickname in the future is among the story's most compelling mysteries. It would be unusual for Russell T Davies to include this enigma in the installment's script if it wasn't going to be solved further down the line. On the other hand, Mad Jack could forever remain a topic of much debate in Doctor Who lore.

Episode Disney+ Release Date "Space Babies" & "The Devil's Chord" May 10 "Boom" May 17 "73 Yards" May 24 "Dot & Bubble" May 31 "Rogue" June 7 "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" June 14 "Empire of Death" June 21