The actor Richard Franklin, who has died aged 87, was an essential part of the long-running BBC TV series Doctor Who during one of its most-loved periods, with Jon Pertwee as the third incarnation of the Time Lord. Franklin debuted in the 1971 serial Terror of the Autons as the dashing Capt Mike Yates, bringing authenticity (he had served as a captain in the territorial army’s Queen Victoria’s Rifles), a natural military bearing and an appealing twinkle to the part.
With the Doctor exiled to Earth and serving as unpaid scientific adviser to UNIT (the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce), a regular lineup of supporting characters was needed. Yates was originally introduced as a possible love interest for the Doctor’s new companion Jo Grant (Katy Manning), but romance never quite blossomed.
