Parker was a very rich elderly man, nearing death and questioning the meaning of life. He lived alone in a large house with nobody but paid guards to take care of him. He was connected up to a mountain of life support equipment, but put his faith in the ‘pulse’ – an alien artefact he had acquired and which he believed was keeping him alive. Owen told him it was nothing to do with it and persuaded him to give it up.

Death: Mr Parker died soon after relinquishing the ‘pulse’. Owen was unable to revive him.

Richard Briers was born on 14 January 1934, Merton, Surrey, England. He is best known for the classic comedy, The Good Life and later, Ever Decreasing Circles in which he played the husband of Penelope Wilton, also to be connected with Doctor Who. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1989 for his services to drama and the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

He attended RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) between 1954-1956 and is a member of their Council.

He was nominated for Broadway's 1998 Tony Award as best actor in a play for his performance of Eugène Ionesco's in "The Chairs.".

He has appeared in both classic Doctor Who and Torchwood.

Torchwood

A Day in the Death (2008) .... Parker

Before Torchwood

Marple: Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (2008) (TV)
Little Whispers (2008) .... Stranger
"Kingdom" .... Jim Wright (1 episode, 2008)
"Holby City" .... George Woodman (1 episode, 2007)
"A Bucket o' French & Saunders" (1 episode, 2007)
"Doctors" .... Jack Roberts (1 episode, 2006)
As You Like It (2006) .... Adam
"New Tricks" .... James Farlow (1 episode, 2006)
Sir Billi the Vet (2006) (voice) .... Reggie the Landrover
"Monarch of the Glen" .... Hector MacDonald / ... (27 episodes, 2000-2005)
Our Hidden Lives (2005) (TV) .... Herbert Brush
"Roobarb & Custard Too" .... All Characters / ... (1 episode, 2005)
"Bob the Builder: Project Build It" (2005) TV series .... Bob's Dad Robert (unknown episodes)
Dad (2005) (TV) .... Larry James
Peter Pan (2003) .... Smee
Bob the Builder: The Knights of Can-A-Lot (2003) (TV) (voice) .... Robert
London Sonnet (2003) (voice)
Unconditional Love (2002) .... Barry Moore
"Watership Down" .... Captain Broom (15 episodes, 1999-2001)
Victoria & Albert (2001) (TV) .... Joseph Paxton
Love's Labour's Lost (2000) .... Nathaniel
The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything (1999) (TV) .... Highway Robbery Victim

"Midsomer Murders" .... Stephen Wentworth (1 episode, 1999)
"Geoff Hamilton: A Man and His Garden" (1998) TV mini-series (voice) .... Narrator
"A Respectable Trade" (1998) TV mini-series .... Sir Charles Fairley
Spice World (1997) .... Bishop
"Inspector Morse" .... Sir Clixby Bream (1 episode, 1997)
The Student Prince (1997) (TV) .... Dr. Corbitt
Hamlet (1996) .... Polonius
Heavy Weather (1995) (TV) .... The Hon. Galahad Threepwood
In the Bleak Midwinter (1995) .... Henry Wakefield (Claudius, the Ghost, and the Player King)
"Down to Earth" (1995) TV series .... Tony Fairfax (unknown episodes)
The Adventures of Mole (1995) (TV) .... Rat
Frankenstein (1994) .... Grandfather
Skallagrigg (1994) .... Old Arthur/George
Mole's Christmas (1994) (TV) .... Rat
"If You See God, Tell Him" .... Godfrey Spry (4 episodes, 1993)
"Lovejoy" .... Raymond Doncaster (1 episode, 1993)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) .... Leonato
"Little Red Tractor Stories" (1993) TV series (voice) .... Narrator
Peter's Friends (1992) .... Lord Morton
Swan Song (1992) .... Nikita
"Mr. Bean" .... Mr. Sprout (1 episode, 1990)
"Ever Decreasing Circles" .... Martin Bryce (27 episodes, 1984-1989)
Henry V (1989) .... Bardolph
The Amazing Adventures of Mr. Bean (1989) (V)
"Minder" .... Col. Caplan (1 episode, 1988)
Minder: An Officer and a Car Salesman (1988) (TV) .... Col. Caplan
"Tales of the Unexpected" .... Albert Dobson (1 episode, 1988)
A Chorus of Disapproval (1988) .... Ted Washbrook
Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1988) (TV) .... Malvolio
"Doctor Who" .... Chief Caretaker / ... (4 episodes, 1987)
"All in Good Faith" (1985) TV series .... Reverend Philip Lambe (unknown episodes)
"Alias the Jester" (1985) TV series .... Alias
A Month in the Country (1984) (TV)
The Aerodrome (1983) (TV) .... The Rector
It's Your Move (1982) (TV) .... The husband
"Goodbye, Mr. Kent" .... Travis Kent (7 episodes, 1982)
"The Goodies" .... Narrator (1 episode, 1981)
"Play for Today" .... Jack Broome / ... (2 episodes, 1977-1981)
Comedy Tonight (1980) (TV)

"ITV Playhouse" .... A (1 episode, 1979)
"The Other One" .... Ralph Tanner (13 episodes, 1977-1979)
"The Good Life" .... Tom Good (30 episodes, 1975-1978)
Just Between Ourselves (1978) (TV) .... Dennis
Watership Down (1978) (voice) .... Fiver
"The Morecambe & Wise Show" .... Theatre Patron (1 episode, 1977)
The Norman Conquests: Table Manners (1977) (TV) .... Reg
The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden (1977) (TV) .... Reg
The Norman Conquests: Living Together (1977) (TV) .... Reg
"The Galton & Simpson Playhouse" .... Henry (1 episode, 1977)
"One-Upmanship" (1976) TV series (unknown episodes)
"Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk" (1976) TV series .... Narrator (unknown episodes)
"Noddy" (1975) TV series .... Narrator
The Four Musketeers (1974) (voice) (uncredited) .... Louis XIII
"Roobarb" .... Narrator (4 episodes, 1974)
The Three Musketeers (1973) (voice) (uncredited) .... Louis XIII
Rentadick (1972) .... Miles Gannet
"Birds on the Wing" .... Charles Jackson (6 episodes, 1971)
All the Way Up (1970) .... Nigel Hadfield
"Jackanory" .... Storyteller (5 episodes, 1969)
"The Old Campaigner" (1967) TV series (unknown episodes, 1968)
"Play of the Month" .... Sandy Tyrell (1 episode, 1968)
Fathom (1967) .... Flight Lt. Timothy Webb
"Marriage Lines" .... George Starling (44 episodes, 1961-1966)
"Theatre 625" .... David Prentice (1 episode, 1966)
The Bargee (1964) .... Tomkins
A Home of Your Own (1964) .... Husband
The V.I.P.s (1963) (uncredited) .... Met. Official
Doctor in Distress (1963) (uncredited) .... Medical Student
"Brothers in Law" .... Roger Thursby (13 episodes, 1962)
"The Sunday-Night Play" .... Edward Kinnerton (1 episode, 1962)
"Dixon of Dock Green" .... Ken Tracey (1 episode, 1962)
"The Seven Faces of Jim" (3 episodes, 1961)
"Armchair Theatre" .... Stanley Frelaine (1 episode, 1961)
The Girl on the Boat (1961) .... Eustace Hignett
A Matter of WHO (1961) .... Jamieson
Murder She Said (1961) .... Mrs. Binster
"Somerset Maugham Hour" .... Herbert Sunbury (1 episode, 1960)
Bottoms Up (1960) .... Colbourne
"Tales from Dickens" .... Mr. Winkle / ... (2 episodes, 1959)
Girls at Sea (1958) .... 'Popeye' Lewis