R is for... Ratcliffe

An East End businessman who led an organisation known as The Association. Ratcliffe had been a supporter of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists before the Second World War, leading to his imprisonment. The Association carried on many of its racist ideals. 

In 1963 he was running a builders merchant business in the Coal Hill area of Shoreditch.

One young member of the Association was Sergeant Mike Smith, who was attached to the Intrusions Counter-Measures Group, a specialist military force.

Together they worked with the Supreme, leader of a renegade Dalek faction, to obtain a stellar manipulator device which had been left in the area by the Doctor. This was the Hand of Omega, which had first helped give the Time Lords the power they needed to begin time travel experiments.

Ratcliffe allowed the Supreme to install its battle-computer in his office. This was operated by a schoolgirl under the Supreme's mental control.

His reward for helping the Daleks was the kind of fascist society he longed for, one in which he would have a leading role to play.

However, a second Dalek faction - loyal to the Emperor - also came in search of the Hand.

Through Mike, Ratcliffe was able to steal the remains of a destroyed Dalek to prevent the ICMG from investigating it. He then located the Hand, buried in a local cemetery, and had it dug up and moved to his yard.

Imperial Daleks attacked and seized it. When it became clear that the Daleks could not be trusted, Ratcliffe and Mike tried to steal the Supreme's time travel device to use as a bargaining chip. The schoolgirl had also been given special powers by the Daleks, including the ability to fire lethal energy bolts from her fingers. As Ratcliffe tried to flee, she killed him.

Played by George Sewell. Appearances: Remembrance of the Daleks (1988).

• Sewell (1924 - 2007) was best known for playing policemen or villains. 
• He came to acting only in his mid 30's through Joan Littlewood's company at Stratford East, after meeting actor Dudley Sutton in a pub. He appeared in the stage productions of Sparrers Can't Sing (and its film adaptation Sparrows Can't Sing) and Oh, What A Lovely War!.
• For Gerry Anderson, he played Colonel Alec Freeman in 17 episodes of UFO.