Kal

Kal was an outsider taken in by Za's tribe in the year 100,000 BC.

Biography
At the time the tribe was undergoing a crisis. The previous leader had been killed before he passed on the secret of making fire to his son Za. As a result, Za's leadership of the tribe was in question and Kal hoped to take advantage of the situation.

Kal saw his chance when he observed a group of strangers emerge from a strange "tree", and later saw the group's leader, an old man, produce fire by striking a tiny stick on a rock and breathing smoke. Kal captured the old man and took him to the tribe, where he hoped to force the stranger to tell him the secret.

Za's mother was convinced the use of fire had brought divine wrath down on her husband. She feared the same would happen to the entire tribe if the old man and his friends produced the secret. As the tribe slept, she sneaked into the cave where the strangers were held and helped them escape into the forest. After Za and his mate Hur left in pursuit of the strangers, Kal killed the old woman in anger. When the strangers later returned with Hur and an injured Za, the old man proved it was Kal who had killed Old Mother, In anger, the tribe drove Kal into the darkness.

Kal sneaked back, seeking revenge on the strangers. He was confronted by Za, who killed him in a fight. Za then used the secret of fire taught him by the strangers to re-establish his leadership over the tribe. (DW: An Unearthly Child)

Behind the scenes

 * Kal has the honour of appearing as the first-ever villian on Doctor Who. Though Kal himself does not appear until the second episode of An Unearthly Child, "The Cave of Skulls", his shadow appears falling over the landscape during the last few seconds of the first episode, also called "An Unearthly Child".

Khal