‘Doctor Who’ Dalek actor Nicholas Pegg fired over rude coded message

“Doctor Who” actor, writer and Dalek operator Nicholas Pegg has reportedly been fired after hiding an offensive message inside the show’s official magazine. He allegedly included a coded message in the current edition of Doctor Who Magazine.

The Mirror reports that Pegg, under the pen name The Watcher, spelled out “Panini and BBC Worldwide are c---s” using the first letter of each sentence in his column. BBC distributes the series, while Panini publishes the magazine.

“If you look hard enough, there is always something hidden in plain sight,” he also wrote a clue at the end of his article. The digital version of his column has since been edited.

“The matter was raised with the publisher who has dismissed the writer,” a BBC Worldwide spokesman told the Mirror. Even before he was fired, he was not expected to be involved in the upcoming season 11, which will see Jodie Whittaker take on the titular role as the first ever female Doctor Who.

It is unknown why Pegg, who has been working with the Daleks since the sci-fi show’s reboot in 2005, launched an attack against the two. According to fan speculations, he might be annoyed about a decision not to release a DVD of an unfinished serial of the show, “Shada,” from 1979 to 1980.

Pegg appeared as a Dalek operator in a number of “Doctor Who” episodes since the first season of the rebooted series. He also directed several audio stories and webcast, including the episodes “Shada” and “The Spectre of Lanyon Moor.”

“Doctor Who” will be back with a Christmas Special in December. The episode will see Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi regenerating into his Thirteenth incarnation. Whittaker will take over as the time-travelling Gallifreyan in 2018.