Kal was the surviving member of a tribe which had perished for want of fire. He took refuge with another tribe, but harboured ambitions to take over the leadership. This would go to whoever could make fire. Kal's rival was Za, son of the last firemaker, who had died before he could pass on the secret.
Whilst hunting alone, Kal witnessed the arrival of the TARDIS, and later saw the Doctor light his pipe with a match. Kal seized him and took him to the tribe, believing that this would give him the leadership he craved. However, the Doctor had dropped his matches in the struggle and could not make fire. Kal felt humiliated.
That night, he saw an old woman of the tribe sneak into the cave where the Doctor and his companions were being held, so that she could set them free. After they were gone, Kal killed the old woman for what she had done. He led the tribe's warriors into the forest and recaptured them.
His attempts to blame Za for the old woman's death failed when the Doctor tricked him into exposing his own guilt. Kal was cast out of the tribe, but later sneaked back to the cave where Ian had now made a fire. Za arrived and challenged him. The two men fought fiercely but Za proved the victor. He killed Kal by smashing his skull with a rock.
Played by: Jeremy Young. Appearances: An Unearthly Child (1963).
- Kal is Doctor Who's first ever villain.
- Young returned to the series two years later, to play spaceship captain Gordon Lowery in Mission to the Unknown.
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