Richard Pritchard was the representative of Vector Petroleum and Vice President of Sub-aquatic Resources on board the Drum, an underwater mining facility in 2119 Scotland.
When commanding officer Jonathan Moran was killed, Pritchard took charge. When the Twelfth Doctor arrived and raised awareness about a missing power container from a discovered spaceship, Pritchard made it his mission to find it.
Later, when he had come back from exploring the lake, he was met by Moran's ghost, who drowned him. Clara Oswald and Mason Bennett saw his body floating out in the water, but then were met by his ghost, which attacked them but was repelled by the light.
Later, the Doctor led the ghosts into the base's Faraday cage, trapping them with the intention of discovering what they were all muttering in unison. After the Doctor left, the ghosts figured out a way to flood the base, forcing the Doctor to leave. (TV: Under the Lake)
When the holographic projection of a ghost Doctor opened the Faraday cage, Pritchard escaped. Later, he, along with the other ghosts, were lured in there later by the roar of their master, the Fisher King.
The Doctor later told Clara that UNIT would cut out the Faraday cage and eject it into space where away from the Earth's magnetic field, the ghosts would dissipate. (TV: Before the Flood)
Personality
Pritchard would often get on his colleagues’ nerves due to his habit of always reminding them of his rank. He would claim anything they found as an “asset” for his company to be taken and studied. He was slightly egotistical, and was easily annoyed by the fact that no one took him seriously.
O’Donnel seemed to hold a particular dislike for him, or at least showed it more openly than the other crew members. She would often insult him due to his reckless actions and even accused him of causing Moran’s death by tampering with the alien ship’s engines.
Behind the scenes
- Pritchard's first name is not spoken on screen, nor does it appear in the credits. However, it is briefly shown on his Vector Petroleum business card roughly 11 minutes into Under the Lake.
- The ghost of Pritchard is used as an enemy in the Doctor Who: Legacy mobile game.