P is for... Pilot

Day to day leader of an Earth colony on an obscure planet in the far future, which the Doctor visited with companions Ben, Polly and Jamie. The Pilot gained his title from the original spaceship captain who had brought the colonists to this world.

He was not in overall charge here, however, as above him was a figure known only as Control, who was heard but only ever seen in static photographs.

The colonists mined a special gas from deep beneath the surface - unaware that they were being exploited by a parasitic race of giant crab-like creatures known as Macra. The human Control was really a frail old man, held captive by them, and it was the Macra which really ran the colony from behind the scenes. Everyone had been mentally conditioned to obey the voice of Control.

The Doctor, realising that the Pilot was a man of honour and conviction, was able to convince him of the truth - helped by destroying the mental conditioning device in his office. Once he witnessed the Macra for himself, he was able to join with the Doctor in defeating them, despite the efforts of his zealous chief of police - Ola - to stop them.

Following the destruction of the Macra, the Doctor was proposed as new Pilot for the colony - a role he hastily declined.

Played by: Peter Jeffrey. Appearances: The Macra Terror (1967)

• Jeffrey, who died in 1999, became the very first actor to claim to have taken a role in the series because his children would never forgive him if he didn't.
• He is better known to Doctor Who fans for his later appearance as Count Grendel in The Androids of Tara.
• He has played a villain in both the original The Avengers and The New Avengers. He appeared three times in the former over the years.
• When once asked about getting his facial warts removed, he replied that they were his bread and butter as an actor as they added to his villainous looks.