I think that the main inspiration for the political part of Beeblebrox's story was probably 1976 Doctor Who episode "The Deadly Assassin" because Adams was heav

I think that the main inspiration for the political part of Beeblebrox's story was probably 1976 Doctor Who episode "The Deadly Assassin" because Adams was heavy Doctor Who fan who made other borrowings from the show (for example using towels as tools was inspired by Forth Doctor's scarf usage) and soon later wrote a few episodes for it and became a showrunner.