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Captain Mike Yates was associated with the Doctor between Terror of the Autons and Planet of the Spiders. Captain Yates - known to the Doctor and Jo as Mike - was the Brigadier's easy-going right hand man. As such he helped to repel a number of alien invasions, and had various encounters with The Master. Jo became close to him for a while although several ‘dates’ they made were broken because of The Doctor’s activities. Mike was a troubled soldier. Twice he went astray badly. The first time, working under cover to investigate Global Chemicals, he was hypnotised by the megalomaniac computer, BOSS, and turned against the Doctor until he was brought out of the hypnotic state by The Doctor’s blue Metebelis crystal. He was disappointed, later, when Jo decided to marry Clifford Jones. His loyalty was again tested when his idealism made him betray his UNIT colleagues for the scientists planning Operation Golden Age. Without even the excuse of hypnotism this time, he was lucky to escape a court martial and was given a medical discharge from the Army. Later, whilst recovering from a nervous breakdown as a result of
his experiences and being dismissed from the Army, he discovered that
a Buddhist retreat was being used by giant Metebelis III spiders as
an invasion channel. He contacted U.N.I.T and helped The Doctor and
Sarah Jane to get to the bottom of the mystery.
He has had various roles in different television programmes including Crossroads (1964) and Emmerdale Farm (1972). However, his most significant role was that of Captain Mike Yates, a member of UNIT, in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1971 to 1974. He has also guest-starred in a number of Big Finish Productions audio plays including Professor Bernice Summerfield: Dragons' Wrath, Sapphire and Steel: The Surest Poison and I, Davros: Innocence. Richard has stood for Parliament on several occasions and works today primarily as a theatre director. He is the founder member of the Silent Majority Party, now known as the Silent Majority Movement after failing to return its deposit in any election.
Richard’s Political career. Candidate in the United Kingdom general election, 1992 in Sheffield Brightside for the Liberal Democrats 5,273 votes Candidate in the United Kingdom general election, 1997 in Hackney South and Shoreditch for the Referendum Party 613 votes Candidate in the United Kingdom general election, 2001 in Hove for the United Kingdom Independence Party 358 votes Founded the Silent Majority Party Candidate in the United Kingdom general election, 2005 in Hove for the Silent Majority Party 78 votes
Film and TV "Heartbeat" .... Doctor (1 episode,
1997)
"The Saint" .... Second Guard (1
episode, 1968)
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Richard
Franklin worked for an advertising agency before deciding to become
an actor. He joined the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
in 1963 and his first professional acting work was with the Century
Theatre. He was offered small roles on television and, in addition,
spent a year and a half with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. 
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