Arnold Yarrow, Doctor Who's oldest surviving cast member, dies aged 104

A member of the Exxilon species, the character required Yarrow to don an elaborate costume, which he recalled being both time-consuming and uncomfortable in a 2020 interview.

He told Toby Hadoke: "It was made of separate bits that were all glued together – I was stuck in there for three hours at a time. They were very restricting. I was filled with horror the first time I put it on.

"There were two tiny pinholes for eyes to look out of and nostrils to breathe through. My vision was extremely limited."

Yarrow had more positive feedback on then-Doctor Who star Jon Pertwee, saying: "He looked after me and guided me around the set. Rather more than that, Jon was very considerate. As a fellow actor, he was aware of my practical problems."

But he added that he would not have considered a longer stint on the show should it have been offered, as the costume difficulties would have been too much to put up with over an extended period.

He reflected: "It was a brief episode in a jobbing actor’s career… until the fan mail started coming in!"

In the Radio Times review of Death to the Daleks, the serial in which Yarrow features, critic Patrick Mulkern says: "Even now, Bellal, the amiable Exxilon, is oddly endearing, despite appearing to be caked in bird droppings."

Bellal was featured via archive footage in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2010, while Yarrow was interviewed about his experience in the role for the 2012 DVD release of Death to the Daleks.

But Doctor Who wasn't the only recognisable credit on Yarrow's CV, as the actor also played Benny Bloom in the early years of EastEnders, and appeared in the likes of Coronation Street, Life with Cooper and Dr Finlay's Casebook.

Yarrow's acting career spanned several decades, while he also worked on scripts for EastEnders and Softly, Softly, among other shows.