Abbot of Amboise
The Abbot of Amboise was the right-hand man of the Cardinal of Lorraine, the religious leader of the Catholics in France.
Biography
The Abbot was a physical double of the First Doctor, and Steven believed him at first to be the Doctor in disguise.
He was strongly anti-Huguenot and a member of the conspiracy to assassinate Admiral Gaspard de Coligny in August 1572. When the plan failed, Marshal Gaspard de Saux-Tavannes blamed the Abbot and had him executed. His death was blamed on the Huguenots, a religious minority living in Paris at the time. (TV: The Massacre)
Personality
The Abbot believed in the supremacy of the Catholic Church and had a reputation as a strict disciplinarian. He did not mince his words nor did he hesitate to act and Simon Duval believed him to be France's most subtle and devious Catholic politician. (PROSE: The Massacre)
Appearance
The Abbot was a white-haired old man who bore what Charles Preslin described as an "uncanny resemblance" to the First Doctor. He had cold eyes and wore black and white robes with a cowl. (PROSE: The Massacre)
Behind the scenes
- No official visual record exists of William Hartnell as the Abbot beyond the surviving soundtrack and some fan-made photographs featuring Hartnell's photoshopped head on a cloak. This is because The Massacre was never tele-snapped and no footage is known to have survived — either on 16mm black & white film or 8mm cine film shot off a television screen. However, the cover of the CD release of the soundtrack included a visualisation of the Abbot, as did the cover of the 1992 reprint of the novelisation.
- Amboise is a genuine French commune, and was served circa 1572 by Marmoutier Abbey. Therefore, a real "Abbot of Amboise" was in existence during the period in which The Massacre is set.[1]
