Ancelyn

"I do not talk to peasants."

- Ancelyn

Ancelyn ap Gwalchmai was Knight Commander under King Arthur in a parallel world in which Arthur actually existed.

Profile
Ancelyn was a noble and honourable knight: though he initially dismissed Brigadier Winifred Bambera as a "peasant", he was able to accept her as an equal after she bested him in combat. Though his enemy Mordred accused him of having fled the Battle of Camlann, this may have been a bluff, he was unflinchingly loyal to his king and his king's fight against Mordred and Morgaine.

Indeed, Ancelyn's fight against Mordred was bitter and deeply personal: Mordred had killed Ancelyn's fiancée, and Ancelyn had vowed revenge.

Ancelyn displayed at least one ability unusual amongst individuals native to the main timeline: he recognised the Doctor as Merlin, on sight, despite having never met that particular incarnation of the Doctor. He also knew of the Doctor's ability to regenerate and of the TARDIS' dimensionally transcendent interior.

Ancelyn is seen in our dimension after Morgaine's defeat; he may have elected to stay with Brigadier Winifred Bambera, with whom he had fallen in love.

Behind the Scenes
Ancelyn was not part of Arthurian lore and was invented for this serial. His name, which translates to Ancelyn, son of Gawain, suggests that he is of Welsh extraction and that his father was the legendary Sir Gawain, Arthur's nephew and one of his most trusted knights.