Robert was an officer.
He came to the house in Ely, as had others before him, to exorcise the ghost of Sara Kingdom. At first he did not wish to grant the ghost an exception so as to continue its existence, as had the others. However, he changed his mind and wanted to record one of her stories so he could use it to petition she not be exorcised. (AUDIO: Home Truths, The Drowned World)
Robert came from a time in Earth's distant future where those who lived on Earth had regressed to more primitive times. Technology such as photography had been forgotten, while the phonograph had only recently been either reinvented or rediscovered. Stories of mankind traveling among the stars still persisted, and even the Daleks were remembered as monstrosities from a bygone era.[source needed]