Doctor Who character spotlight: Orcini (Revelation of the Daleks)
By James Aggas
We look back at the character of Orcini from classic Doctor Who story Revelation of the Daleks – a mercenary with a very strong sense of personal honor.
One of my favorite Doctor Who stories from Eric Saward – perhaps my all-time favorite of his, in fact – is the Sixth Doctor story Revelation of the Daleks. In some ways, it is very representative of the era it came from – it’s incredibly violent, bleak, ruthless and downright unpleasant, at times.
However, there’s one thing that truly stands out about Revelation: the characters. They are some of the best written creations of all of Eric Saward’s stories. They’re fleshed out, believable and often very funny.
One of the very best is the mercenary Orcini, as played brilliantly by William Gaunt. Despite his line of work, Orcini has a very strong sense of honor. This is because he’s also a Knight of the Grand Order of Oberon, and thus aims to live up to that significant title as best he can.
Surprisingly, this leads to a number of hilarious moments. His sense of honor is so strong that he risks his own safety to ensure it. For example, on the mission that he takes in Revelation, he decides to use an outrageously dated weapon – one that had jammed previously in the past – just to make his mission more “honorable”. This leads to Orcini giving us, without a trace of irony, one of the best quotes in the history of Doctor Who:
"Only fools would take the risks I do!"
Like Kara (Eleanor Bron), Orcini was just one of of a number of strong characters from the Sixth Doctor classic Revelation of the Daleks.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
William Gaunt
Such a character requires a strong actor to make him really work, and that’s exactly what the production team did when they cast William Gaunt in the role. Gaunt brings a strong air of gravitas and authority to Orcini, and just the right amount of class to make the character truly believable as a knight.
He also delivers some of the best lines with a brilliantly deadpan delivery. When introducing Bostock – a squire who doesn’t remotely believe in personal hygiene – Gaunt delivers this single line perfectly:
"He may smell like rotting flesh, but he’s an excellent squire."
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Orcini is also written to have a great friendship with Bostock. There’s both a lot of banter and a lot of trust between the two, helping to make the two characters an effective and very likable pair.
Gaunt’s portrayal of Orcini was incredibly memorable, so when he showed up in the Doctor Who universe once more in Dalek Empire III as Selestru, it was hard not to be reminded of Orcini, at times.
With a combination of great dialogue and strong characterization from Eric Saward, as well as a strong performance from William Gaunt, Orcini comes across as one of the stronger one-off characters in Classic Doctor Who.
Next. Faith: How two key stories explore it. dark
Was Orcini your favorite character in Revelation of the Daleks? Is it one of your favorite Dalek stories? Let us know in the comments below.