B is for... Benoit

Roger Benoit was a French scientist who was second-in-command at the Moonbase which housed the Gravitron device. In the year 2070, this machine helped control the weather on Earth by manipulating air pressure. The Doctor began searching for the cause of a mystery illness amongst the crew, and invoked Benoit's ire when he got under his feet. Later, Ben saved the Frenchman's life after he went out onto the lunar surface to repair a piece of damaged equipment. He was attacked by a Cyberman, but Ben destroyed it with a bottle of plastic solvent. Benoit was at the controls of the Gravitron when it sent the Cybermen and their spacecraft hurtling into space.

Played by: Andre Maranne. Appearances: The Moonbase (1967).

• British TV and cinema's go-to actor for French characters, Maranne had a career spanning four decades. He's best known for playing the sensible sergeants to Herbert Lom's increasingly neurotic Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movies, He also appeared in the classic Fawlty Towers episode "The Gourmet Night", and was a Spectre operative in Thunderball, amongst many, many other roles.
• The character of Benoit was to have been called Jules, but it was found that another of the Moonbase crew already had this name. This was after his name tag had been made up. This is why he wears the little neckerchief - to hide the initial "J".