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Oscar Botcherby was an actor who collected moths in Andalusia.
Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]
Early life[[edit] | [edit source]]
Oscar was an Englishman whose father served as an air raid warden in Shepton Mallet during World War II. (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"]) As a boy, Oscar angered the owners of an apple orchard and watched The War of the Worlds, which left a strong impression on him. His mother once faded the colours of his favourite shirt in the wash. (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"]) At a young age, he took up lepidoptery and used cyanide rather than ammonia as he believed that it was more humane. (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"])
Oscar went on to become a stage actor. He toured the United States of America once, performing The Way of the World - whilst he believed his performance to have been wonderful, the theatre critic of the Boston Globe described it as "monumental in its ineptitude". (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"]) He displeased the British Council and, claiming to be between roles, moved to Spain. (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"])
Seville and death[[edit] | [edit source]]
Living in Andalusia, Oscar managed Las Cadenas in the Barrio Santa Cruz in Seville for a friend (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"]) and worked there for at least three years. (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"]) He entered into a relationship with Anita, who took him to an olive grove on Doña Arana's hacienda to hunt moths. The pair witnessed the landing of a Sontaran spacecraft and met the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown, whom Oscar took to be police officers due to the TARDIS's appearance.
Oscar and Anita directed the Doctor and Peri to the Arana house, after which they returned to Las Cadenas. Oscar served Shockeye o' the Quawncing Grig and the part-Androgum Second Doctor and attempted to collect their bill of 81,500 pesetas, rejecting Shockeye's twenty narg note. Angered by him, Shockeye stabbed him with a knife before leaving. Oscar died with Anita, the Sixth Doctor and Peri at his side, regretting that nobody would see his definitive Hamlet and asking Anita to look after his moth collection (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"]) and Teddy. (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"])
Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Sixth Doctor used the cyanide that Oscar left behind in the olive grove to kill Shockeye, telling him that he got his "just desserts" (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"]) and feeling that he had avenged Oscar.
Oscar's murder was not solved by the authorities and his file was eventually joined by that of the Doña Arana, whose disappearance was never solved. (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"])
Alternate timeline[[edit] | [edit source]]
In an alternate timeline, the Sixth Doctor was able to save Oscar's life by arriving at Las Cadenas thirty seconds before he was stabbed by Shockeye. (PROSE: So Vile a Sin [+]Loading...["So Vile a Sin (novel)"])
Personality[[edit] | [edit source]]
Oscar was a bumbling and unworldly man (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"]) who could not stand the sight of blood. His passions were lepidoptery and acting, (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"]) although his knowledge of William Shakespeare's work was not extensive. (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"])
Appearance[[edit] | [edit source]]
In his forties, Oscar was a podgy-looking man. Whilst hunting moths, he dressed not unlike somebody on safari in Africa. (PROSE: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (novelisation)"])