Borusa

Doctorwhocharacter


name=Borusa
series=Doctor Who
affiliation=Time Lords
race=Gallifreyan
planet=Gallifrey
era=Rassilon Era
start="The Deadly Assassin"
finish="The Five Doctors"
portrayed=Angus MacKay John Arnatt Leonard Sachs Philip Latham

Borusa is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series "Doctor Who". He was a Time Lord, and a former teacher of the Doctor.

Character Overview

Borusa appeared in four serials throughout the course of "Doctor Who": "The Deadly Assassin", "The Invasion of Time", "Arc of Infinity" and "The Five Doctors". Each time, Borusa was portrayed by a different actor, it being inferred that the character had regenerated in the time between these serials and thus his appearance and personality were different in each story.

Character Appearances

The Deadly Assassin

When the character was first introduced in "The Deadly Assassin", he occupied the post of Cardinal in the High Council, and was portrayed as a good though pretentious person with some political standing on Gallifrey, the Time Lords home planet. He set about "adjusting truth" in the wake of the Doctor's return to Gallifrey and his defeat of the Master. He sought to, for instance, portray the late Chancellor Goth not as the Master's ally, but as a hero who had given his life to stop the Master. After the Doctor willingly left Gallifrey again, in the Doctor's absence Borusa officially became Lord Chancellor (although the Doctor later claimed this was done "illegally").

The Invasion of Time

A regenerated Borusa appeared again when the Doctor returned to Gallifrey briefly in "The Invasion of Time" to officially take up the post of Lord President. This was, however, part of a strategy to defeat the Vardans, and once they and the Sontarans had been seen off, the Doctor - now having been officially inaugurated as President of the High Council of Time Lords - departed and left Gallifrey in the hands of Borusa once again.

Arc of Infinity

By the time of "Arc of Infinity" Borusa had regenerated again, and had officially become Lord President of Gallifrey. He, along with other members of the High Council of Time Lords, condemned the Fifth Doctor to death, as Omega had attempted to interface with this universe from his own anti-matter universe by using the Fifth Doctor as the bridge, thus endangering the whole of creation. Borusa was even suspected of being the traitor that had sent Omega the Doctor's genetic code, however he was quickly proven innocent and assisted the Doctor in destroying Omega.

The Five Doctors

By the time of the 20th Anniversary special, "The Five Doctors", Borusa had once again regenerated, which may have unbalanced his mind. He sought, by using the Doctor's first five incarnations, the Time Lord founder Rassilon's fabled secret of immortality for himself so that he might rule Gallifrey forever. It had been prophecised that Rassilon had left clues behind for a successor to follow in his footsteps, and Borusa believed himself to be it. Borusa used a Time Scoop to transport the Doctor (and various companions) to the Death Zone on Gallifrey, using them to clear the way to the Dark Tower where Rassilon was entombed. History stated that to share immortality, would-be challengers had to overcome the obstacles in the Death Zone and solve the Game of Rassilon by removing the ring from Rassilon's hand. As it turned out, the Game was actually a trap to contain power-mad maniacs, since Rassilon reasoned that immortality was curse rather than a blessing and that anyone who sought it was clearly deranged. Borusa was transformed into a living statue by Rassilon for his efforts; whether the statue survived the destruction of Gallifrey as revealed in "The End of the World" is unclear.

Appearances in Other Media

The spin off novels "Blood Harvest" and "The Eight Doctors" by Terrance Dicks feature further appearances by Borusa. It is confusing to note that, in both novels, Borusa was freed from his imprisonment and given a chance for redemption. Initially, it seems as though the two novels automatically contradict each other, but it is possible that Borusa, following the events of "The Eight Doctors", returned to Rassilon of his own free will, as he felt he had not paid for his sins yet, and was eventually freed for good in "Blood Harvest". The canonicity of the novels, like other "Doctor Who" spin-off media, is unclear.