UNIT stands for United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. UNIT first appeared in the Second Doctor story, The Invasion, (1968), although Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart had appeared earlier in The Web of Fear, (1968), then in the rank of Colonel. UNIT went onto feature in many Third Doctor stories, as the Doctor was exiled to Earth in Spearhead from Space, (1970), and became UNIT's Scientific Advisor following the Auton attack. Subsequent Doctors have maintained this post. UNIT is a large organisation and many personnel have featured in Doctor Who over the years. Some supporting and recurring characters have been affiliated with the organisation.
PERSONNEL
A
Corporal Adams
Corporal Adams, played by Max Faulkner, was stationed in Devesham during the Kraal invasion, as seen in the Fourth Doctor story, The Android Invasion, (1975). The Kraals made an android replica of him. Faulkner had previously played a UNIT Soldier in the Third Doctor story, The Ambassadors of Death, (1970).
B
Brigadier Winifred Bambera
Brigadier Winifred Bambera, played by Angela Bruce, appeared in the Seventh Doctor story, Battlefield, (1989), as UNIT's commanding officer. She worked alongside the Seventh Doctor, Ace, (whom the Doctor had initially passed off as UNIT's former Scientific Advisor, Liz Shaw), and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, (pulled out of retirement for the duration of the crisis), in defeating the extra-dimensional forces of Morgaine and Mordred in Carbury. She was in command during the mid-90s and was tasked with transporting a nuclear missile across Britain. Bambera was tough and able to fight with weapons and in hand-to-hand combat. She took a no-nonsense, by-the-book approach to command that warrented the respect of those under her. Major Husak and Sergeant Zbrigniev reported directly to her. Fans have speculated that she succeeded Brigadier Crichton as Brigadier.
Corporal Bell
Corporal Bell, played by Fernanda Marlowe, was one of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's administrative support staff. She appeared in the Third Doctor stories, The Mind of Evil, (1971), and The Claws of Axos, (1971).
Sergeant Benton
Major Beresford
Major Beresford, played by John Acheson, was in command when UNIT was called on to help defeat the Krynoids in the Fourth Doctor story, The Seeds of Death, (1976). Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was in Geneva at the time.
Betts
Betts was a UNIT Soldier posted at Llanfairfach in Wales during the incident with the Giant Maggots, as seen in the Third Doctor story, The Green Death, (1973).
Major Blake
Major Blake, played by Chu Omambala, in the Tenth Doctor story, The Christmas Invasion, (2005), escorted Danny Llewellyn, project director of the Guinevere One space probe, to the UNIT facility at the Tower of London. As a high-ranking and trusted member of UNIT, Blake had knowledge of secret organisation, Torchwood, and was surprised when Prime Minister Harriet Jones asked him about this, as she was not supposed to know of their existence. He did not have A+ blood and so was not affected by the invading Sycorax's mind-control. He was transported to the Sycorax ship by their transmat, along with Jones, her aide, Alex, and Llewelyn. He was killed, reduced to a pile of bones, by a Sycorax whip, because he protested after Llewelyn had been killed by the same manner.
Major Branwell
Major Branwell, played by Clifford Earl, served under Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, in The Invasion, (1968). He was impressed by Zoe Herriot's programming ability when destroying the Cybermen fleet. He later was tasked with overseeing the launch of the missile that destroyed the Cyberman bomb.
Private Bryson
Private Bryson, played by Colin Bell, was on duty during the supposed 'Dinosaur Invasion', as seen in the Third Doctor story, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, (1974). Somewhat gullible, he held the Third Doctor.
C
Mr Campbell
Mr Campbell was a Scotsman working in UNIT's scientific supply section during the Third Doctor story Terror of the Autons, (1971).
Corporal Champion
Corporal Champion, played by James Haswell, was on duty during the incident involving three alien 'ambassadors', seen during the Third Doctor story, The Ambassadors of Death, (1970).
Chauffeur
A Chauffeur, played by Michael Ely, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Mind of Evil, (1971).
Horatio Chinn
Horatio Chinn, played by Peter Bathurst, was a civil servant working for the Ministry of Security tasked with supervising UNIT. He wanted to investigate the Third Doctor and sought to gain the exclusivity of Axonite for England when Axos landed on Earth, in the Third Doctor story, The Claws of Axos, (1971). When Axos foiled his plans, he was put in charge of distributing Axonite globally. He had Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and his men arrested by Captain Harker of the British army. Fans have speculated that his actions would have caused him to be discredited after Axos' real intentions became apparent.
Corporals
A Corporal, played by Billy Horrigan, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Mind of Evil, (1971). Horrigan later played a UNIT Guard in the Third Doctor story, The Green Death, (1973).
A Corporal, played by Clinton Morris, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Claws of Axos, (1971).
A Corporal, played by Patrick Milner, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Dæmons, (1971).
A Corporal, played by Pat Gorman, appeared in the Third Doctor story, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, (1974). Gorman later played a UNIT Soldier in the Third Doctor story, Planet of the Spiders, (1974).
A Corporal, played by Bernard G. High, appeared in the Fourth Doctor story, Terror of the Zygons, (1975).
Colonel Charles Crichton
Colonel Charles Crichton, played by David Savile, succeeded Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as Brigadier following the latter's retirement. He briefly met the Second Doctor during an annual UNIT reunion, featured in Fifth Doctor story, The Five Doctors, (1983), at which Lethbridge-Stewart was also present. The Doctor branded him as "unpromising."
D
The Doctor
- The Second Doctor - Patrick Troughton, (by association)
- The Third Doctor - Jon Pertwee, (as Scientific Advisor)
- The Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker, (as Scientific Advisor)
- The Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison, (by association, via Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Retired)
- The Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy, (by association/as Scientific Advisor)
- The Ninth Doctor - Christopher Eccleston, (as Scientific Advisor)
- The Tenth Doctor - David Tennant, (as Scientific Advisor)
E
F
Colonel Faraday
Colonel Faraday, played by Patrick Newell was in command during the Kraal invasion, as seen in the Fourth Doctor story, The Android Invasion, (1975). Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was in Geneva at the time, so Faraday took command of the Devesham Space Research Station. He led the UNIT operation against the Kraals and their androids, which included a replica of himself.
Bill Filer
Bill Filer, played by Paul Grist, was an American intelligence agent sent to liaise with UNIT about the Master. Kidnapped and duplicated by Axos, he managed to escape and help the Doctor and UNIT defeat Axos, in the Third Doctor story, The Claws of Axos, (1971).
Corporal Forbes
Corporal Forbes, played by George Lee, was killed by an Auton during the Nestenes' first invasion of Earth, seen in the Third Doctor story, Spearhead from Space, (1970).
Major Frost
Major Frost was a high-ranking United States military officer called to Ten Downing Street during the crisis surrounding the appearance of aliens in London, seen in Ninth Doctor episode, Aliens of London, (2005), owing to her expertise regarding aliens. She was killed alongside her colleagues, fellow experts, by the Slitheen, electrecuted by devices planted on their name tags. Only the Doctor survived. Her name, 'Frost', is only given on her name tag and it has led to fan speculation that it is derived from the non-canonical character, Muriel Frost, featured in the comic strip in Doctor Who Magazine. This argument is fuelled by earlier drafts of the episode's script that had the Doctor refer to her directly as 'Muriel Frost'. However, in this episode, she is dressed in US military uniform, suggesting that she may not even be affiliated with UNIT.
G
Jo Grant
- Jo Grant - Katy Manning, (Assistant to the Scientific Advisor, (the Third Doctor, during her time))
Grimshaw
Grimshaw was a UNIT soldier saved by Sarah Jane Smith, in the Fourth Doctor story, Robot, (1975).
Guards
A Guard, played by David Melbourne, appeared in the Third Doctor story, Day of the Daleks, (1972).
Guards, played by Terry Walsh, Billie Horrigan, Brian Justice and Alan Chuntz, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Green Death, (1973). Billie Horrigan had previously played a UNIT Corporal in the Third Doctor story, The Mind of Evil, (1971).
A Guard, played by John Scott Martin, appeared in the Fourth Doctor story, Robot, (1975).
Guards, played by David Masterman, Harry Fielder and Ian Elliot, appeared in the Fourth Doctor story, The Seeds of Doom, (1976).
H
Private Harris
Private Harris was wounded during the Cybermen invasion of Earth, as seen in The Invasion, (1968).
Sergeant Hart
Sergeant Hart, played by Richard Steele, was killed by the Silurians in the Third Doctor story, Doctor Who and the Silurians, (1970).
Captain Hawkins
Captain Hawkins, played by Paul Darrow, fought against the Silurians, before being killed by the Young Silurian when he came to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's rescue, in the Third Doctor story, Doctor Who and the Silurians, (1970).
Sergeant Henderson
Sergeant Henderson, played by Ray Barron, was crushed and turned into compost by Harrison Chase, when he fought against the Krynoid, in the Fourth Doctor story, The Seeds of Doom, (1976).
Corporal Hopkins
Corporal Hopkins, played by Michael Pinder, was attacked by Lupton in the Third Doctor story, Planet of the Spiders, (1974).
Major Husak
Major Husak, played by Paul Tomany, served under Brigadier Bambera during the transporting of the nuclear missile across Britain and during the battle at Carbury against the extra-dimensional forces of Morgaine and Mordred, as seen in the Seventh Doctor story, Battlefield, (1989). He was responsible for evacuating civilians from the area. He was Czechoslovakian by birth.
I
J
Sally Jacobs
Sally Jacobs, played by Anita Briem, was a technician on duty in the UNIT facility in the Tower of London during the Sycorax invasion, seen in the Tenth Doctor story, The Christmas Invasion, (2005). She reported that the Sycorax signal came from 5000 miles above the Earth, not from Mars, which led to the realisation that there was a ship in orbit. She had A+ blood which meant she succumbed to the Sycorax mind-control. As a result of this, she stood poised to jump off the roof of the Tower of London. When the Doctor presses a glowing red button aboard the Sycorax ship, the humans affected are released from the Sycorax mind-control and come down from the roof safely, but confused, with no memory of how they got up there.
Private Johnson
Private Johnson, played by Geoffrey Beevers, was revealed to be one of Reegan's henchmen in the Third Doctor story, The Ambassadors of Death, (1970).
K
L
Private Latimer
Private Latimer, played by David Simeon, was on duty during the Inferno drilling crisis, as seen in the Third Doctor story, Inferno, (1970).
Flight Lieutenant Françoise Lavel
Flight Lieutenant Françoise Lavel, played by Dorota Rae, flew Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Retired, in a UNIT helicopter from his home to Carbury, scene of the battle against the extra-dimensional forces of Morgaine and Mordred, as seen in the Seventh Doctor story, Battlefield, (1989). Morgaine crashed her helicopter and captured Lavel, stealing her memories, then later killing her senselessly.
Brigadier Gordon Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart
M
Captain Jimmy Munro
Captain Jimmy Munro, played by John Breslin, was Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's captain during the first Nestene invasion of Earth, as seen in Third Doctor story Spearhead from Space, (1970).
N
Corporal Norton
Corporal Nutting
O
Officers
In the Third Doctor story, The Mind of Evil, (1971), UNIT Officers were played by Bill Matthews, Barry Wade, Dave Carter, Martin Gordon, Leslie Weekes, Tony Jenkins, Les Conrad, Les Clark, Gordon Stothard and Richard Atherton. Conrad played a UNIT Soldier in the previous story, Terror of the Autons, (1971).
Private Ogden
Sergeant Osgood
P
Corporal Palmer
Private Parker
Private Perkins
Sergeant Peters
Q
R
Radio Operator
A Radio Operator, played by Gypsie Kemp, appeared in the Third Doctor story, Day of the Daleks, (1972).
Private Robins
S
Sergeants
A Sergeant, played by Derek Ware, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Ambassadors of Death, (1970). Ware went on to play Pigbin Josh in the Third Doctor story, The Claws of Axos, (1971).
A Sergeant, played by Simon Legree, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Time Monster, (1972).
Liz Shaw
- Liz Shaw - Caroline John, (originally drafted as Scientific Advisor, she accepted the job of Assistant when the Doctor took the job of Scientific Advisor)
Sarah Jane Smith
- Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen, (by association)
Soldiers
A Soldier, played by Max Faulkner, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Ambassadors of Death, (1970). Faulkner later played Corporal Adams in the Fourth Doctor story, The Android Invasion, (1975).
A Soldier, played by Les Conrad, appeared in the Third Doctor story, The Terror of the Autons, (1971). Conrad appeared in the next story, The Mind of Evil, (1971), as a UNIT Officer.
A Soldier, played by Pat Gorman, appeared in the Third Doctor story, Planet of the Spiders, (1974). Gorman appeared in the next story, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, (1974), as a UNIT Corporal.
A Soldier, played by Peter Symonds, appeared in the Fourth Doctor story, Terror of the Zygons, (1975).
Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Sullivan
T
Technician
A Technician, played by Ellis Jones, appeared in the Third Doctor story, Spearhead from Space, (1970).
Corporal Tracy
Captain Turner
U
UNIT Personnel
Unit Personnel, played by Iain Smith and Tessa Shaw, appeared in the Third Doctor story, Spearhead from Space, (1970).
Unit Personnel, played by Leon Maybank and Barbara Chambers, appeared in the Third Doctor story, Day of the Daleks, (1972).
V
W
Sergeant Walters
Private Wright
Private Wyatt
X
Y
Captain Mike Yates
Z
Sergeant Zbrigniev
Sergeant Zbrigniev, played by Robert Jezej, was Brigadier Bambera's sergeant in Seventh Doctor story, Battlefield, (1989). He was involved in transporting a nuclear missile across Britain and in fighting the extra-dimensional forces of Morgaine and Modred in Carbury.