Intelligent, cunning, and fiercely loyal to Davros, Nyder stands out as one of the greatest henchmen in Doctor Who history.
Just like we’ve had many great leading villains in Doctor Who over the years, we’ve also had great henchmen too. Especially during Tom Baker’s era. Some examples that stand out include Scorby in The Seeds of Doom and Marcus in Pyramids of Mars. But one of the very best is Nyder – Davros’s right-hand man in Genesis of the Daleks.
What really stands out about Nyder as a character is his completely unquestioning loyalty. He’s extremely faithful to Davros. He has no desire to steal his place – on the contrary, he believes that Davros is the best chance that the Kaleds have of winning the war. Nyder has absolutely no doubts that Davros will lead his people to greatness, and no one should stand in his way.
And when “Skaro’s greatest scientist” confirms that he’s planning on the destruction of his entire race, does Nyder suddenly have a change of heart? Does he start making plans to stop Davros from committing genocide on his own people? No. Instead, Nyder all too willingly helps him. Because he knows it’s the right thing to do.
And of course, he makes sure to protect his leader at all costs. In the below clip, he shows up just in time to stop the Doctor from dealing with Davros once and for all:
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A frighteningly believable character
The only time Nyder comes close to losing faith in his leader is when he believes that Davros is surrendering. And even then, he’s keen to protect him at all costs. Of course, when Davros reveals his real plan and unleashes his revenge – or even long before then when he gets just an idea of Davros planning something – he’s more than happy to continue following him.
This kind of unquestioning loyalty could’ve given us a character that lacked depth. However, Nyder works for two reasons. Firstly, there’s the fact that across history, we know that there have been men exactly like him. Men who have served the worst kind of people all too gladly, because they see these people as geniuses and want only what’s best for the people – even while they’re responsible for the deaths of millions. The true horror of Nyder is that there have been many men like him before, and there will be many more to come.
Of course, what also makes Nyder work is the actor himself. Peter Miles appeared in several Doctor Who serials as various characters, but Nyder has to be one of his greatest performances on the show. He helps to make the henchman terrifying, loathsome, and kind of respectable, too. As a result, as well as Terry Nation’s strong writing, he’s a key reason why the character is loved by fans decades later.
While he was exterminated at the end of Genesis, this wasn’t the only appearance of the character. Nyder also appeared in the theatrical production The Trial of Davros in both 1993 and 2005, both times being played by Peter Miles. Miles also returned to the role on audio in the final episode of prequel series I, Davros.
Despite having one of the most satisfying deaths in Doctor Who history, it’s easy to see why fans wanted to see more of the character. Frighteningly believable with an excellent performance from Peter Miles, Nyder still stands out as one of the show’s best henchmen, decades after his one and only on-screen appearance.
If you’ve seen Genesis of the Daleks, were you a fan of Nyder? Is he your favorite henchman in Doctor Who? If not, who is? Let us know in the comments below.