Grugger
General Grugger was the leader of a group of Gaztak mercenaries.
Biography
In 1980, Grugger, his aide Brotadac, and his marauding band were hired by Meglos to bring an Earthling to Zolfa-Thura.
The Gaztaks subsequently kidnapped George Morris, an assistant bank manager on his way home from work, who thought Grugger and his band were students carrying out one of their Rag Week pranks. (PROSE: Meglos)
Once on Zolfa-Thura, Meglos made a deal with Grugger, promising him power in return for the Tigellans' Dodecahedron.
Grugger took Meglos to Tigella to steal the Dodecahedron from their underground city. Grugger and his party stayed with their ship. They captured Romana II and forced her to take them to the TARDIS. Instead, she led them in a circle before initiating a Bell Plant attack upon them. Grugger eventually broke free from the plant, as did his party. They then attacked the Tigellan city and managed to beat back the defenders.
Together with Meglos, Grugger and his band left for Zolfa-Thura. Once there, they set up the Dodecahedron so that it could fire a powerful blast. Grugger requested that Tigella be that target, angry over the loss of life sustained by his crew there. However, the Fourth Doctor reverted the controls so that Zolfa-Thura was destroyed, along with Grugger. (TV: Meglos)
Behind the scenes
- John Flanagan wanted Lee Marvin for the role and was amazed when Bill Fraser was cast as he had not imagined him in the role at all. Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Brian Blessed, Peter Cushing, James Ellis, Ronald Fraser, Peter Gilmore, Donald Houston, Glyn Houston, Stratford Johns, T. P. McKenna, Donald Pleasence, Leonard Sachs, George Sewell, Nigel Stock, John Stratton, Richard Todd, Peter Vaughan, Frank Windsor and Peter Wyngarde were also considered.
- Bill Fraser agreed to play Grugger only on the condition that he could kick K9, which he had never been too fond of — an action he would perform in part three. According to Tom Baker on The Tom Baker Years, Fraser pointed out quite firmly to the production team: "If I don't kick the dog, I don't do the show!"[1]
- The scene of Grugger kicking the immobile K9 is omitted from Terrance Dicks's novelisation of the story.
