Castellan (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
Castellan, in the context of the BBC
television series Doctor Who
, is a title
adopted by one or more high-ranking Time Lords, such as Castellan Spandrell
, Castellan Kelner
and the unnamed Castellan, who is/are member/s of the High Council of Gallifrey and is/are in charge of the security of the Citadel. The Chancellory Guard reports to a/the Castellan. It is unclear whether the times in office of the Castellans depicted in the series overlap or not.
, is a fictional character from Doctor Who. He is a member of the High Council of Gallifrey and is a Time Lord. He appears in two Doctor Who stories, Arc of Infinity
and "The Five Doctors
".
. He suspects the Doctor
, who is sentenced to death. After the Doctor's termination fails, the Castellan is led to think that the Doctor is in league with President Borusa. Locating Borusa, the Castellan finds the Doctor with him. The Castellan pulls a gun on the Doctor intending finally to execute him. However, the real traitor Councillor Hedin jumps in front of the Doctor taking the Castellan's shot and dying. Confused, the Castellan looks on as Omega
seizes control of the Matrix
. As the Doctor attempts to thwart Omega, the Castellan develops a new respect for his former suspect.
In "The Five Doctors", the Castellan is seen to have voted with the rest of the inner council to overrule Borusa and summon the Master
to rescue the Doctor from the Death Zone. The Castellan supplies the Master with a recall device that will emit a signal so that he can be transmatted back to the Capital when he has something to report. Having refused to believe the Master is trying to help him, the Doctor takes the Master's recall device, which he drops during a Cyberman
ambush, and is transported by the Castellan, (who thinks he is retrieving the Master), to the Capital where he learns that the Master was telling the truth. The Castellan had hoped the Doctor would know who was controlling the Death Zone but the Doctor does not although he suspects a high-ranking Time Lord of being responsible.
The Doctor realises that he and his companions
, Tegan
and Susan
, and the Master were found too easily by the Cybermen and opens the recall device to reveal a homing beacon
contained within it. As the Castellan supplied the device, Borusa orders his office and living quarters to be searched despite the Castellan's protestations of innocence. A casket containing the Black Scrolls of Rassilon, forbidden knowledge from the Dark Times, which self-destruct upon opening, is found in the Castellan's room. He denies having ever seen the casket. Borusa orders that he be taken to Security and authorises the use of the Mind Probe to discover the truth. Scared, the Castellan objects to the use of the Mind Probe but is escorted out of the conference room nonetheless.
Out in the corridor, the Castellan screams in pain and the Doctor and Borusa exit the conference room to find the Castellan lying dead on the floor with a gun beside him. The Commander of the Chancellory Guard claims the Castellan was armed and trying to escape. Confiding in Chancellor Flavia, the Doctor states he has "known the Castellan too long...he was limited, a little narrow, always fiercely loyal to his oath of office. Any mention of the Dark Days filled him with horror." The Doctor reveals he thinks that the traitor is still at large and it later transpires that the Castellan was framed by Borusa and that he was not the traitor.
Peter Moffatt
was able to rehire Paul Jerricho to reprise his Arc of Infinity role of the Castellan in "The Five Doctors", but had to recast Borusa, (his new appearance explained by one of the Castellan's lines as a "new regeneration
"), and replace the character of Chancellor Thalia with Chancellor Flavia.
, as has the character.
Paul Jerricho makes appearances at Doctor Who fan events, such as signings and conventions.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, is a title
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
adopted by one or more high-ranking Time Lords, such as Castellan Spandrell
The Deadly Assassin
The Deadly Assassin is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 October to 20 November 1976...
, Castellan Kelner
The Invasion of Time
The Invasion of Time is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 4 February to 11 March 1978...
and the unnamed Castellan, who is/are member/s of the High Council of Gallifrey and is/are in charge of the security of the Citadel. The Chancellory Guard reports to a/the Castellan. It is unclear whether the times in office of the Castellans depicted in the series overlap or not.
Unnamed Castellan
The Castellan, played by Paul JerrichoPaul Jerricho
Paul Jerricho is a British actor.He has been mostly active in television. His best known roles include Robert Hastings during the final series of Howards' Way, violent P.E. teacher Mr. Hicks in Grange Hill and the Castellan in two Doctor Who stories, Arc of Infinity and The Five Doctors...
, is a fictional character from Doctor Who. He is a member of the High Council of Gallifrey and is a Time Lord. He appears in two Doctor Who stories, Arc of Infinity
Arc of Infinity
Arc of Infinity is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 3 January to 12 January 1983...
and "The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations...
".
Character history
In Arc of Infinity, the Castellan investigates a serious security breach on GallifreyGallifrey
Gallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
. He suspects the Doctor
Fifth Doctor
The Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
, who is sentenced to death. After the Doctor's termination fails, the Castellan is led to think that the Doctor is in league with President Borusa. Locating Borusa, the Castellan finds the Doctor with him. The Castellan pulls a gun on the Doctor intending finally to execute him. However, the real traitor Councillor Hedin jumps in front of the Doctor taking the Castellan's shot and dying. Confused, the Castellan looks on as Omega
Omega (Doctor Who)
Omega is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. In the context of the series, Omega is known as one of the founding fathers of the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey, and is a revered figure in Time Lord history together with the equally...
seizes control of the Matrix
Matrix (Doctor Who)
The Matrix, in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a massive computer system on the planet Gallifrey that acts as the repository of the combined knowledge of the Time Lords....
. As the Doctor attempts to thwart Omega, the Castellan develops a new respect for his former suspect.
In "The Five Doctors", the Castellan is seen to have voted with the rest of the inner council to overrule Borusa and summon the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
to rescue the Doctor from the Death Zone. The Castellan supplies the Master with a recall device that will emit a signal so that he can be transmatted back to the Capital when he has something to report. Having refused to believe the Master is trying to help him, the Doctor takes the Master's recall device, which he drops during a Cyberman
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
ambush, and is transported by the Castellan, (who thinks he is retrieving the Master), to the Capital where he learns that the Master was telling the truth. The Castellan had hoped the Doctor would know who was controlling the Death Zone but the Doctor does not although he suspects a high-ranking Time Lord of being responsible.
The Doctor realises that he and his companions
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
, Tegan
Tegan Jovanka
Tegan Jovanka is a fictional character played by Janet Fielding in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An Australian airline stewardess and a native of Brisbane who was a companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1981 to...
and Susan
Susan Foreman
Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The granddaughter and original companion of the First Doctor, she was played by actress Carole Ann Ford from 1963 to 1964, in the show's first season and the first two stories of the second season...
, and the Master were found too easily by the Cybermen and opens the recall device to reveal a homing beacon
Homing beacon
A homing beacon is a radio or acoustic device that allows the user to track a ship, aircraft, an animal, or another individual. Depending on the beacon, the range can be as short as a hundred metres, or, in science fiction, allow for tracking a ship through hyperspace....
contained within it. As the Castellan supplied the device, Borusa orders his office and living quarters to be searched despite the Castellan's protestations of innocence. A casket containing the Black Scrolls of Rassilon, forbidden knowledge from the Dark Times, which self-destruct upon opening, is found in the Castellan's room. He denies having ever seen the casket. Borusa orders that he be taken to Security and authorises the use of the Mind Probe to discover the truth. Scared, the Castellan objects to the use of the Mind Probe but is escorted out of the conference room nonetheless.
Out in the corridor, the Castellan screams in pain and the Doctor and Borusa exit the conference room to find the Castellan lying dead on the floor with a gun beside him. The Commander of the Chancellory Guard claims the Castellan was armed and trying to escape. Confiding in Chancellor Flavia, the Doctor states he has "known the Castellan too long...he was limited, a little narrow, always fiercely loyal to his oath of office. Any mention of the Dark Days filled him with horror." The Doctor reveals he thinks that the traitor is still at large and it later transpires that the Castellan was framed by Borusa and that he was not the traitor.
Behind the scenes
DirectorTelevision director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
Peter Moffatt
Peter Moffatt
Peter Moffatt was a British television director.His work includes Crane , All Creatures Great and Small and The Gentle Touch...
was able to rehire Paul Jerricho to reprise his Arc of Infinity role of the Castellan in "The Five Doctors", but had to recast Borusa, (his new appearance explained by one of the Castellan's lines as a "new regeneration
Regeneration (Doctor Who)
Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
"), and replace the character of Chancellor Thalia with Chancellor Flavia.
After Doctor Who
The Castellan's line, "No, not the mind probe!" from "The Five Doctors" has a place in Cult TV Awards's Hall of Shame as the Worst Line of Dialogue for 2003 / 2004. This line has also been mocked by some Doctor Who fansDoctor Who fandom
The long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who has developed a large fan base over the years.Doctor Who fans are sometimes referred to as Whovians, most often by the American press. The usage was more common among fans in the United States during the 1980s, when the Doctor...
, as has the character.
Paul Jerricho makes appearances at Doctor Who fan events, such as signings and conventions.
Appearances
- Arc of InfinityArc of InfinityArc of Infinity is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 3 January to 12 January 1983...
— 3–12 January 1983 - "The Five DoctorsThe Five DoctorsThe Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations...
" — 23 November 1983
See also
- List of supporting characters in Doctor Who