Exterminated! Dalek operator loses job over insulting article

A DALEK operator on Doctor Who has been sacked after writing a coded message into his magazine column that branded the BBC “c----”.

Nicholas Pegg, who has worked on the show operating the Doctor’s most feared nemesis for 12 years, had hidden the insult in an article featured in a recent edition of the show’s magazine.

The starting letters of each sentence in the piece – No 87 in Doctor Who: a History of the Universe in 100 Objects, spelt a secret message, which read “Panini and BBC Worldwide are c----”.

Mr Pegg, whose pen name is The Watcher, was later exposed online when one reader uploaded a picture of the article, annotated to show the offending letters.

It appears that Mr Pegg had encouraged readers to look for the coded message, having written in the piece that “if you look hard enough, there’s always something hidden in plain sight”.

He was unavailable for comment when approached last night. While his reason for including the message is still unclear, fans have speculated that he may have been irritated by the corporation’s decision not to release a DVD of Shada, an unaired serial of the show filmed between 1979-80.

However, a spokesman for BBC Worldwide, which distributes the programme, told The Telegraph that Shada would be released on DVD and digital download next month.

A spokesman for BBC Worldwide, which distributes the programme, said “The matter was raised with the publisher who has dismissed the writer.”

It is understood that Mr Pegg will also not be returning to his production role on the show.

An operator sits in the hollow inside of the Dalek on a wooden seat and uses a foot pedal to control its movements, including the exterminators and the flashing lights. Mr Pegg had previously discussed his role in a BBC promotional video, in which he described the challenge of having to navigate the machines with restricted visibility.

“I’ve got used to it over the years but visibility inside is a bit restricted,” he said.

“It looks like a Dalek... it is a testament to what a fantastic piece of design it is that people just think it’s a Dalek – not just a bloke and a piece of plywood.”

‘If you look hard enough, there’s always something hidden in plain sight’