M is for... McLeish, Sir Robert

Sir Robert McLeish was the owner of Torchwood House in the Highlands of Scotland, near the Vale of St Katherine in which lay a remote monastery. The monks of this establishment had fallen under the sway of an alien lifeform which took as its host a local youth. Abducted by the monks from his home, the youth would transform every full moon into a savage werewolf-like creature.

The alien had arrived in the area in medieval times, and Sir Robert's father had studied the lore attached to it. One of his friends was Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Together they had prepared for the alien's eventual plan to usurp the throne by passing onto the Queen.

When the time was right, the monks engineered a blockage on the railway line which would force Victoria to take to her carriage to complete her journey to Balmoral. The journey would be too long to cover in one day, so she would almost certainly stop over at Torchwood House, and this was taken over by the monks. Sir Robert was forced to collaborate with them, whilst his wife and staff were held hostage.

At dinner that evening he told the assembled guests the story of the werewolf.

When the monks, led by Father Angelo, revealed their plans, Sir Robert was accused of treason for having colluded with them and placed the Queen's life at risk. The Doctor further belittled him, pointing out that he lacked the intelligence of his father and the Prince Consort.

To atone for his failure to stand up to Father Angelo, Sir Robert sacrificed himself to buy everyone time - guarding a doorway armed with a sword. He was killed by the werewolf, but the Doctor, Rose Tyler and the Queen had managed to escape. 

Played by: Derek Riddell. Appearances: Tooth and Claw (2006).

• Riddell first came to prominence in the medical comedy-drama No Angels. He has guested on practically every long-running series on UK television, including crime dramas from Taggart to Ripper Street to Shetland. Most recently he played recurring characters in Gentleman Jack and Happy Valley. Whilst his work has mostly been confined to the small screen, he also featured in the second Fantastic Beasts... film.