Abbot Malvern was a monk at the English monastery that Brother Octavian resided at in 1538. He tried to help Brother Octavian deal with the voices in his head.
That year, Malvern handed over the monastery's riches to Thomas Cromwell but withheld a piece of the Doomsday Chronometer which Cromwell managed to find. He sold a horse to the Eighth Doctor and later attempted to warn him when Brother Octavian's voices said that the Doctor should not interfere, but he brushed Malvern off and departed. (AUDIO: The Eighth Piece)