Exterminated! Dalek operator who worked on Doctor Who sacked for calling BBC Worldwide 'c***s'

A Dalek operator on Doctor Who has been fired for placing a coded message in a magazine.

A Dalek operator on Doctor Who has been sacked by the BBC after writing a coded message into his magazine column that branded the corporation "c***s".

Nicholas Pegg, who has operated the Doctor's most feared nemeses for 12 years, had hidden the insult in an article featured in a recent edition of the show's magazine.

The starting letters of each sentence in the piece, published in "A History of Dr Who in 100 Objects", spelled a secret message, which read "Panini and BBC Worldwide are c***s".

Pegg, whose pen name is "The Watcher", was later exposed online when a reader uploaded a picture of the article, annotated to show the offending letters.

It appears that Pegg had encouraged readers to look for the coded message, having written in the piece that "if you look hard enough, there's always something hidden in plain sight".

Pegg was unavailable for comment when approached last night.

So, an article in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine spells out a very interesting message. pic.twitter.com/dRHNT1PgAw

— Dave Elliott (@The_Iceman2288) October 23, 2017

His reason for including the message is still unclear, but Doctor Who fans claimed that he may have been irritated by the corporation's supposed reluctance to release a DVD of Shada, an unaired serial of the show filmed between 1979-80.

However, a spokesman for BBC Worldwide, which distributes the programme, told the Telegraph that Shada would be released on DVD and digital download next month.

They added the magazine column was "was raised with the publisher who have dismissed the writer".

It is understood that Pegg will also not be returning to his production role on the show.

Daleks on the show are operated by a separate actor, while the operator controls their movements.

Pegg had previously discussed his role in a BBC promotional video, in which he described the challenge of having to navigate the machines with "restricted visibility".

'It looks like a Dalek. It is a testament to what a fantastic piece of design it is that people just think it's a Dalek - not just a bloke and a piece of plywood," he added.

The controversy follows the recent unveiling of Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor to star on the show. She replaces Peter Capaldi in the latest series, which is due to air next year.