Alec Palmer
Major Alec Palmer was a ghost-hunter with many degrees.
Biography
He was, according to the Eleventh Doctor, a "member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the ministry of ungentlemanly warfare, specialised in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines," as well as "a talented water colourist [and a] professor of psychology." He kept some of his true occupations secret
He killed in the war and sent many people to their deaths. When he made it back from the way, he became haunted by this and became a ghost hunter. By 1974, he had bought Caliburn House and had his empathic psychic assistant, Emma Grayling, find out about the Caliburn Ghast and took pictures.
On the fourth day of ghost hunting, 25 November 1974, the Eleventh Doctor arrived with Clara Oswald to ask Emma what sort of girl Clara was. Under the guise of a member of the ministry, he pretended to join in with the ghost hunting. With Alec's help, the Doctor discovered the Ghast was the time traveller, Hila Tacorien, trapped in a pocket universe. With the help of Emma's psychic powers creating a wormhole, the Doctor pulled Hila out of the collapsing pocket universe. The Doctor told Alec and Emma that Emma's psychic connection to Hila was so strong because Hila was their descendant, and what Alec and Emma needed to was to "[h]old hands" and to "[k]eep doing that, and never let go". (TV: Hide)
