On paper, Turlough was a thrilling new concept for Doctor Who in 1983 a companion who had conned his way on board the TARDIS, having been charged by a malevolent universal personification of chaos and disorder to murder the Doctor. The Black Guardian had appeared as an antagonist in the show before, as the bad guy in 1978/1979s sixteenth season. Facing the 4th Doctor in the year-long quest to reunite the parts of the cosmic MacGuffin the Key To Time, the Black Guardian had been thwarted, and the Doctor had been so worried about retribution that for a long time afterwards, hed attempted to hide the TARDIS travels through time and space to prevent being tracked down for revenge. Dressed as a school prefect, and with a sinister, vulpine face, Turlough wasnt trusted in the slightest by the 5th Doctors companions, Nyssa and Tegan, but as accepted with open arms by the Doctor himself. Fans didnt react well to the snake in our midst storyline, which seemed to spoil the cosy atmosphere on board the TARDIS, and really didnt like the cowardly, sharp-tongued and ruthless Turlough all of which would have boded well for a villain. However, when Turlough chose to deny his master and remain with the Doctor, fans were left with a quandary they still really, really didnt like Turlough, and now they were stuck with him. To make matters worse, Nyssa had left the TARDIS (and the show) only a few weeks after he arrived, and the following years Resurrection Of The Daleks serial saw Tegan leave in the end. Were they really going to have to live with the snide, creepy Turlough as the Doctors only companion? Fortunately, actor Mark Strickson had decided to leave as well, feeling that the character wasnt gaining enough development due to the format of the show, and departed with the very next serial, Planet Of Fire. Unfortunately, this wouldnt make matters any better
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
