Q is for... Quill

The Quill were a humanoid species which inhabited the planet Rhodia. In their natural form, females had crested craniums and porcupine-like quills sprouting from their reddish-brown skin. 

Confined to a small southern continent, they became involved in a long-running civil war with the more human-like Rhodians.

There's was a matriarchal society. Female Quill had two wombs, and their children would often eat the mothers after birth. The children were very competitive and would try to kill their nest-mates.

The war arose when the Rhodians were accused of spoiling the planet's resources, leaving little for them. The Quill then became subservient to the Rhodians to obtain what they needed, and this resentment flared into open conflict. The Quill were eventually defeated, and their leaders were forced to accept a small parasite into their brains, known as an Arn, before each being partnered with a Rhodian noble. The Arn prevented them from ever taking any hostile action against their partner, or even wielding a weapon. As such, they became little more than their servants or slaves - even having to take on their human-like appearance.

Beings called the Shadow Kin invaded the planet soon after the war and wiped out the entire populations of both species. Only one Quill survived, partnered by a Rhodian prince. The Doctor relocated them to early 21st Century London for safety. The Quill adopted the alias of a Coal Hill School teacher - Miss Andrea Quill - whilst the prince took the name Charlie and became one of her pupils. Andrea Quill's real name was Andra'ath.

The Quill had worshipped a being known as the Quill Goddess, which was in appearance a more primordial version of the species. Originating in their version of the Underworld, it was supposed to have emerged from the very first Quill nest.

In order to free herself of her Arn, Miss Quill embarked on a quest to locate a number of supposedly mythical items, belonging to a range of deities. The Goddess' head was required. It was killed for her by Ballon, a shape-shifting mercenary who accompanied her on the quest.

The operation to remove the Arn was successful, but Miss Quill did not take revenge on Charlie as an uneasy truce had formed between the pair. She had also discovered that she had become pregnant by Ballon, who she had been forced to kill as part of the quest.

Prior to this, Miss Quill had encountered an alien plant which took on the appearance of people who were significant to its victims, exploiting their grief as it fed off them. In her case, it was her dead sister. She knew this to be a fake, however, as she was too nice.

Played by: Katherine Kelly (Miss Quill). Appearances: Class: For Tonight We Might Die to The Lost (2016).

• The Quill Goddess was played by Spencer Wilding, who performed a number of monster roles in Doctor Who before being cast as Darth Vader in Rogue One - A Star Wars Story.
• Katherine Kelly was best known for a long-running role in Coronation Street, playing Becky McDonald. Other TV work has included The Night Manager and Mr Selfridge.