Lobus Caecilius

Lucius Caecilius Iucundus was a man who lived in Pompeii before Vesuvius erupted in 79. Husband of Metella and father to Evelina and Quintus, Caecilius was a marble trader with political ambitions; it was to impress Lucius Petrus Dextrus, high priest of the Cult of Vulcan, that he bought the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS at the market, intending to display it as "modern art".

Along with his family, Caecilius was spared from the devastation of Pompeii by the timely intervention of the Doctor. By early 80, Caecilius and his family had resettled in Rome, and adopted the Tenth Doctor and Donna as their household gods. (TV: The Fires of Pompeii)

Behind the scenes

 * The Caecilius family (comprised of Caecilius, Metella and Quintus) were based upon characters used in Latin textbooks and the Cambridge Latin Course, which were based upon real people. Evelina was created by James Moran so she could be a member of the Sibylline Sisterhood, an important part of the episode's plot.
 * Actor Peter Capaldi later played John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth. Russell T Davies, interviewed for Torchwood Declassified, suggested that Frobisher may be a distant descendant of Caecilius. The fate of Lucius' family (all of them surviving), would be reversed in Frobisher's family's fate (all of them dying).
 * Capaldi was later cast as the Twelfth Doctor, the second actor to win a major role after appearing in The Fires of Pompeii (Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) being the first).