Ander Poul
Ander Poul was an undercover agent for the Kaldor City Company. He later led the Church of Taren Capel.
Biography
Poul served under Kiy Uvanov alongside Kerril circa 2870 when Zilda's brother succumbed to Grimwade's Syndrome and fled from the sandminer. Poul believed that Uvanov had let him die so as to avoid missing a potentially lucrative storm.
The Company sent Poul undercover to work on Storm Mine 4, accompanied by D84, to investigate the threat of Taren Capel. He found Chub's body and helped the Fourth Doctor and Leela investigate, freeing them as he did not believe that they were responsible. Eventually, he himself succumbed to Grimwade's Syndrome and broke down. He, Uvanov and Lish Toos were the only ones to survive Capel and his robots. (TV: The Robots of Death [+]Loading...["The Robots of Death (TV story)"])
He was later given a job in the Security Division of the Kaldor City Company with Stenton Rull and Pur Dreck. Whenever he saw a robot, he would suffer a breakdown. He was later framed for the murder of the personnel of the Docking Bays, but escaped by hiding in the Fourth Doctor and Con Bartel's flier. When he saw a corpse marker, he had a breakdown and caused the flier to crash, killing Bartel. Carnell had planned to frame Poul for the murders of Toos and Uvanov. (PROSE: Corpse Marker [+]Loading...["Corpse Marker (novel)"])
According to one account, Poul began using the name "Paullus" and led the Church of Taren Capel. (AUDIO: Hidden Persuaders [+]Loading...["Hidden Persuaders (audio story)"]) He sent Elska Blayes to attack the Company and steal Capel's skull and "last testament". Whilst Blayes believed the tapes to be blank, Poul claimed to be able to hear Capel's voice in the static, (AUDIO: Taren Capel [+]Loading...["Taren Capel (audio story)"]) a voice that actually belonged to the Fendahl. Poul unwittingly helped a Fendahl manifest and watched as his followers were turned into food for it. (AUDIO: Checkmate [+]Loading...["Checkmate (audio story)"])
According to another account, after the Storm Mine 4 incident, Poul became a recluse with a dislike of robots, and moved out of Kaldor City to settle near the rural Settlement 26. (AUDIO: Toos and Poul [+]Loading...["Toos and Poul (audio story)"])
Appearance
Poul was an average-sized man with an air of constant watchfulness. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Robots of Death [+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Robots of Death (novelisation)"])
Behind the scenes
- Ander Poul's first name is given in the novel Corpse Marker. It is likely a play on the name of science fiction writer Poul Anderson.
- Poul's fate in the Kaldor City audio series by Magic Bullet Productions and The Robots audio series by Big Finish Productions are very much opposite, with him becoming the leader of a cult of Taren Capel in the former and a person with aversion to robots in the latter.
