Malcom Wright

Malcom W. Wright, otherwise known as Malcom Wright or simply just Mal, was a companion of the Fifth Doctor. He meet The Doctor and Vislor Turloughin 1984 whilst working as a clerk in a bookshop, and after an adventure involving the fabled Book of The Dead, was invited to travel with them thereafter.

Encounter with The Doctor
When The Doctor first meets Malcom he is a brilliant but struggling freelance author living and working in London. He moved to London with dreams of publishing his works, but was met with harsh criticism by cynical publishers and ended up taking a job in a local second-hand bookshop to pay the bills.

The Doctor and Turlough came to the bookshop looking for the Necronomicon, in reality and alien prison device which the Doctor left there during a previous visit to London. Upon hearing of its unearthly origins, the skeptical Mal began jokingly toyng with the book, inadvertantly releasing the horde of demonic aliens trapped with its pages, which ran off into the city.

Feeling guilty, Mal insisted upon accompanying The Doctor and Turlough as they sought to track down and reimprsion that alien creatures. Despite being self-posessed and socially dysfunctional, he demonstrated immense bravery, and in The Doctor's words had "untapped potential". After he helped to reimprison the creatures in the book, The Doctor and Turlogh had developed a sense of respect for the young man and decided to invite him along on their travels.

Travels with The Doctor
Mal initially joined The Doctor with a partial view to self-gain, seeking inspiration to better improve his literary career, often writing notes about his travels. He even kept a pencil behind his ear for such purposes.

This selfish capacity showed during his early adventures, as he would often manipulate The Doctor into taking his preferred course of action, or readily defy The Doctor's wishes to suit his own ends. This led Turlough to become less and less trusting of him, but his concerns often fell on deaf ears.

Mal's relationship with his fellow travellers was tested when he willingly betrayed The Doctor and Turlough to the bounty hunter Siras Emms in exchange for information on future Earth history and events. After he discovered Emms planned to deliver the two to execution, Mal set out to rescue them. The three escaped and The Doctor confronted Mal on his behaviour, intent on kicking him out of the TARDIS, but Turlough convinced him otherwise, as he been manipulated before himself by The Black Guardian. The Doctor reluctantly agrees to keep Mal aboard. Before they depart, Mal, disgusted with himself, tosses the hard drive containing the information away, smashing it.

Further adventures to be added