Queen Elizabeth II In Sci-Fi

Doctor Who

“The Idiot’s Lantern”

Right at the start of her reign, aliens were causing trouble for Queen Lizzy 2. Taking advantage of that newfangled telly contraption, and a nation’s desire to see the first televised Coronation in 1953, an energy-based creature called The Wire possesses the airwaves and sucks viewers’ faces off.

The Queen doesn’t have a speaking part, but she’s there, in stock footage form, taken from that historic live broadcast.

Captain Britain

A quarter of a century later, in Silver Jubilee year, it looked like Captain Britain had lost his marbles when he attacked the Queen. In fact, the opposite was true. A villain called The Manipulator (whose real name was the wonderful Basil Crushstone) had taken control of the Queen, directing her to command the Royal Navy to conquer the African nation of Umbazi.

Doctor Who

"Mawdryn Undead”

While the queen was being mind controlled by The Manipulator, the Doctor’s companions materialised in the middle of Silver Jubilee celebrations at a Brendon Public School (they’d left the Doctor in the future, having been duped by Doctor impersonator). It takes Tegan quite a while to notice the bunting… and the flags… and the 1977 t-shirts…Clearly not a monarchist.

Austin Powers

Goldmember

The queen knights Austin the superspy spoof sequel, and you’re all ready to witness him hitting on the monarch, but all he’s concerned about is the fact his father has failed to turn up to watch the ceremony. The Queen here was played by the most famous Queen look-alike of all, Jeanette Charles, who also played her in such films as The Naked Gun and Queen Kong .

Doctor Who

“Silver Nemesis”

The queen’s Silver Jubilee had made a cameo in “Mawdryn Undead” so it was only fitting (though tremendously cheesy) for the queen herself to turn up for the Doctor’s own Silver Jubilee. The first episode of “Silver Nemesis” was broadcast on 23 November 1988, the 25 anniversary of the broadcast of the first episode of the show, featured the Cybermen and some scenes set inside Windsor Castle (though shot at the not-very-similar-looking Arundel Castle).

Producer John Nathan Turner – always with an eye for a publicity stunt – actually invited the real Queen to perform the cameo. She turned down the invitation, and an impersonator was used instead.

The Secret Avengers

Another Jubilee year, another encounter between Captain Britain and his Queen. Earlier this year, in the middle of a fight above the streets of London, Captain Britain is knocked into Buckingham Palace and into Queen Elizabeth II’s private rooms. Not the she seems to bothered. She’s just happy it's not another Christmas calamity. Speaking of which…

Doctor Who

“Voyage Of The Damned”

When the Doctor narrowly prevents the spaceship Titanic from ploughing into Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day, a curler-wearing queen waves her thanks to the Doctor. That wasn’t the original idea, according to The Writer’s Tale . Russell T Davies had intended for Buckingham Palace to be destroyed and the Queen to curse the Doctor like her Torchwood-creating predecessor Queen Victoria.

The BFG

In Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story, the Big Friendly Giant creates a dream for the Queen that big not-so-friendly giants exist, and she needs to order the army to stop them eating more children. Which she. Not sure what the Prime Minister had to say about her suddenly acting all autocratic, summoning and commanding the army at her whim. That’s how dictatorships begin…

Cars 2

The most bizarre version of Queen Elizabeth II in the movies has to be her appearance in Cars 2 . Here she’s reimagined as a vintage roadster, complete with a crown and a grandson called Prince Wheeliam. Vanessa Redgrave performed the voice-over. Character art director Jay Shuster said: “Specifically with The Queen's design it took some careful stepping as we, of course, were on hallowed ground emulating a nation's sovereign as a car. The Queen's design in our film is inspired by the elegant lines and paint schemes of British car designs of the finest vintage.”

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.