UNIT (UNified Intelligence Taskforce, or United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) is a military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Operating under the auspices of the UN, its purpose is to investigate and combat paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to the Earth. In the original Doctor Who series, several UNIT personnel (such as the Brigadier) played a major role in the programme.Following the broadcast of the 2005 series, executive producer Russell T Davies claimed that the UN were no longer happy to be associated with the fictional organisation, and the UN's full name could now no longer be used. However, the "UNIT" and "UN" abbreviations could be used, as long as it was not explained what the letters stood for. In 2008, he announced that the organisation's name had been changed to the "UNified Intelligence Taskforce". This new name was first mentioned on-screen in "The Sontaran Stratagem", in which it was indicated in a line of dialogue that the United Nations still supports UNIT with funding.