stephen thorne (2 march 1935 – 26 may 2019) was a british actor. he largely worked in radio, appearing in over 2000 bbc broadcasts. he is well-known for his roles as villains omega, azal and eldrad in "doctor who". he acted in other tv series including "z-cars", "crossroads" and "last of the summer wine". he recorded over 300 audiobooks including children's stories. he was born in london and trained at the royal academy of dramatic art (rada).