H is for... Haemovores

In an alternate time-line, the Earth of the far future had become heavily polluted. The human race devolved into blood-drinking creatures called Haemovores. The evil entity Fenric had his life-force imprisoned in a flask by the Doctor following a game of chess in the deserts of Arabia hundreds of years in the past. Fenric was able to use his powers to carry a Haemovore back through time to the Dark Ages in a time-storm. The creature, which became known as the Ancient One, followed the flask as Arab traders carried it into Eastern Europe. Here, the Ancient One helped give rise to the Vampire myths of the region as many of its victims were themselves transformed into Haemovores. The flask fell into the hands of Viking traders next, and they brought it eventually to the north-east of England, to a small village near Maiden's Point. Here Fenric planned his resurrection, having manipulated the blood-lines of a number of the Viking settlers in the area. These included Commander Millington, who was in charge of a naval base where the flask was hidden, a Soviet commando officer named Sorin, and the Doctor's companion Ace.

A number of Haemovores existed in the seas off Maiden's Point, their bodies covered in coral growths. They attacked the base when summoned by Fenric, who escaped the flask and inhabited the body of a scientist named Judson, another whose bloodline had been manipulated. Two evacuee school girls, Phyllis and Jean, who had gone swimming off the Point were transformed into Haemovores. They could only be killed by staking through the heart but could be held back by faith, which created a psychic barrier they could not breach. Fenric next summoned the Ancient one and had it destroy the other Haemovores as their usefulness was at an end. Fenric transferred himself to Sorin and ordered the Ancient One to use toxic weapons to pollute the seas. However, the Doctor had shown it that the terrible world which had spawned it could be avoided, and it turned on Fenric, killing itself and him with the poison.

Played by: Raymond Trickett (Ancient One), Joanne Bell (Phyllis), Joann Kenny (Jean). Appearances: The Curse of Fenric (1989).

• A couple of child Haemovores appear in some scenes. These were played by Sylvester McCoy's children who were visiting him on the location shoot.
• To give the masks some added texture seeds were added to the latex. These began to sprout, and were kept as they added to the desired effect of undersea growths covering the creatures.