The Meddling Monk was a character in some early Episodes of
Doctor Who. He was the first
Time Lord other than
The Doctor to appear in Doctor Who (though they were not yet referred to as Time Lords), and was in some ways similar to
The Master (although not as
cunning).
The Meddling Monk first appeared in the episode The Time Meddler. In this, The Doctor (played at this time by William Hartnell) uncovered The Monk's plot to change the course of history by preventing the 1066 Norman Invasion. Like The Doctor, The Monk also had a TARDIS which in The Time Meddler was disguised as part of the Monastery where he was hiding. The Doctor eventually defeated him by removing the dimensional stabiliser - the part of the TARDIS which makes the inside bigger than the outside. This supposedly trapped him in 1066. There were some amusing shots of The Monk looking inside his TARDIS, the insides now shrunk down to tiny proportions.
The Monk returned briefly in The Daleks Master Plan, seeking revenge against The Doctor, but as always, The Doctor prevailed. He did not appear again, despite his claims to the contrary. This is sad as I found him an interesting character. Possibly the writers simply incorporated some of the ideas into The Master who appeared later.
The Meddling Monk was played by Peter Butterworth.
Source: http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.campbell10/is8renegade.htm