David Taylor (Shada)

David Taylor was a human resident of Cambridge in 1979. He died after Skagra transferred his mind into his Sphere to learn how to drive a car.

Early life
David's education stopped after three O-levels. He lived a quiet life with his widowed mother, and enjoyed the music of Cilla Black. (PROSE: Shada) He was also the treasurer of the Ford Prefect Appreciation Society. (WC: Shada)

The Shada conundrum
According to one account, David nearly ran over Skagra while he was walking in the road. When he asked for a lift, David let Skagra into his car. However, Skagra merely wanted transport to his ship, which was parked and cloaked in a field. Skagra used his Sphere to absorb David's mind and ability to drive, and then killed David when he reached his destination, taking his clothes for himself. (WC: Shada)

According to another account, Skagra approached David from the street and asked for a ride, with David thinking Skagra was trying to flirt with him. Skagra still absorbed David's mind into the Sphere, though David's mind lived on in the Sphere. After the Fourth Doctor defeated Skagra, he took the Sphere to Drornid, where he had the minds of David and the other victims transplanted into new bodies. David asked the Doctor to fetch his mother from Earth for him. (PROSE: Shada)

Behind the scenes

 * The hapless Cambridge motorist killed by Skagra has neither a name nor much of a personality in the original version of Shada. In the webcast and audio versions from Big Finish Productions, he was played by Stuart Crossman, and given a bit of character. He was portrayed as an enthusiast for the car, which was of course a tribute to the character of Ford Prefect in Shada author Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
 * The motorist's name, character and resurrection on Drornid are all derived from Gareth Roberts' novelisation.