R is for... Ravensworth, Lord

Lord Ravensworth was a progressive landowner whose estate in North East England included the mining village of Killingworth. He had a passion for science and engineering, and employed George Stephenson. He conceived a plan to convene a meeting which would be attended by as many of the greatest minds of the Industrial Revolution as he could muster, so that they could share ideas.

Unfortunately for him, the rogue Time Lord the Rani was active in the village, posing as the local bathhouse keeper. She was harvesting chemicals from the brains of miners who frequented her establishment, those that promoted sleep. This was in order to pacify the inhabitants of the planet Miasimia Goria which she ruled. She had tampered with their brain chemistry so that they would need less sleep and so work work more - only to find them becoming ungovernable.

Her tampering with the miners led to an outbreak of Luddite-like activity, which distressed Ravensworth as it seemed to affect hard-working, loyal men whom he knew personally. One was the father of Luke Ward, who assisted him and Stephenson.

Purely by coincidence, the Master also visited the region - intent on sabotaging Earth's industrial and scientific progress through an attack on Lord Ravensworth's proposed meeting. He lured the Doctor here so that he could destroy him. The Doctor advised Ravensworth to postpone his meeting until the threat from the two rogue Time Lords had been dealt with.

Played by: Terence Alexander. Appearances: The Mark of the Rani (1985)

• Based on a real historical figure - Thomas Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth and 6th Baronet (1775 - 1855). He employed Stephenson at Killingworth in 1804 and encouraged him in his work on developing steam powered transport so that his coal could be more easily carried from the pits to the ports on the River Tyne. His grand-niece was Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.
• Alexander had a hugely successful career as a character actor in film and television spanning five decades, but is best known for playing Charlie Hungerford - father-in-law to Bergerac.
• He played multiple guest characters in series such as The Avengers and The Persuaders!
• As Major Rupert Rutland-Smith, he was one of The League of Gentlemen (1960) - the movie which gave the comedy troupe their name.
• Amongst the many other actors considered for the role in The Mark of the Rani were Peter Cushing, Patrick Stewart and Michael Gough.