He came a teatime. Slithering, squelching, growling into our homes after the sports results and Juke Box Jury.
He gave the children a taste of terror. Even fathers had a jolt. And when the family coped with the Saturday toast she swallowed a man.
But he is The Slyther, the new pet of the Daleks in the B.B.C.'s science fiction programme, Dr. Who.
Who made The Slyther slither? Inside the costume was actor Nick Evans.
He says acting The Slyther is "like being inside a boiler suit with its hood and lumpy skin made of rubber and plastic with straggly pieces outside and waggly claws.
Next Saturday The Slyther appears again.
What will it be up to then? Miss Verity Lambert, producer of the show, said: "Its future is undecided." But Nick Evans will be sorry if it disappears and quit.
He said: "Frankly, it does nothing for my career. And in any case I'm playing a Roman slave trader in the next Dr. Who story.
Caption: The man who slithers The Slyther... Actor Nick Evans
Caption: The Slyther as drawn by actor Nick Evans
Caption: Dalek by HARO.
Caption: This is The Slyther's description as himself by Nick Evans: like a large grotesque frog with knobs on.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
