Charles Van Lyden

Senior Astronaut Charles "Charlie" Van Lyden was a British astronaut. He was a stolid-looking young man with fair (PROSE: The Ambassadors of Death) or brown hair.

Van Lyden was sent in Recovery 7 to rescue Joe Lefee and Frank Michaels after seven months with no contact from Mars Probe 7. Upon linking up with the craft, he was captured by aliens and taken to Lefee and Michaels on an alien ship, hypnotised to believe that they were on Earth. They were returned thanks to the Third Doctor's negotiations. (TV: The Ambassadors of Death)

Behind the scenes
In the novelisation of The Ambassadors of Death, Van Lyden's name is instead spelt "Van Leyden".