Wednesday 23 November 2016

A is for... Autloc


The elderly High Priest of Knowledge in the unnamed city of the Aztecs, visited by the First Doctor and his companions Ian, Barbara and Susan.
When Barbara became separated from her companions, and was found alone in a chamber atop the pyramid tomb of High Priest Yetaxa, he spotted a snake-shaped bracelet she was wearing. This had belonged to Yetaxa, and he took Barbara to be a reincarnation of the dead man.
When Susan was sent off to a seminary, Autloc took an interest in educating her in his peoples' ways. He was offended when she refused to marry the Perfect Victim, whose every wish was to be granted.
Barbara and he became friends, and she found him to be more open-minded and less superstitious than his fellow Aztecs - especially the sadistic High Priest of Sacrifice, Tlotoxyl. She decided to enlist his help in putting an end to human sacrifice. Determined to prove her a fake, Tlotoxyl then decided to destroy Autloc's trust in her. He arranged for warrior Ixta to strike down Autloc with Ian's sword - ensuring he would be blamed for the crime.
Fortunately, Autloc came to realise that Barbara would never do anything to harm him, and so he helped the time travellers to escape - bribing the warrior who was guarding Ian and Susan. He offered him his home and all his possessions.
Barbara had convinced him that his civilisation was doomed, and so he took himself off into voluntary exile to live a hermit life in the wilderness.

Played by: Keith Pyott. Appearances: The Aztecs (1964).

  • Pyott was the second actor of the first season to have appeared in an Orson Welles movie - Arbitan actor George Couloris being the first. He had featured in The Chimes At Midnight.
  • He appeared in a number of Hammer films - Pirates of Blood River, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Devil Rides Out.
  • Appropriately for a Doctor Who guest artist, he also appeared in a film called Sea Devils.

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