Howard Foster

Professor Howard Foster, the stepfather of Peri Brown, was an archeologist. Whilst off the coast of Lanzarote, he found an artefact from the planet Trion. (DW: Planet of Fire)

Behind the scenes
According to one account, he sexually abused Peri, an act for which she never forgave him. (TN: Shell Shock) However, this is contradicted by the intent of the actors and director, as relayed on the DVD commentary. It's also narratively contradicted by BFA: The Reaping and CC: Peri and the Piscon Paradox. Both reveal much about Peri's early family life. The Reaping indicates the reason her mother divorced Howard had nothing to do with any abuse of Peri. Had Peri been abused by Howard, that surely would have been the central cause of divorce. In Piscon, Peri relates another instance of abuse, this one from her first major boyfriend. Had she been also abused by her step-father, it is likely she would have related that, too.