David Banks

David Banks (born 24 September 1951) is an English actor, writer and author. He is best known for playing the Cyber Leader in the Doctor Who stories Earthshock, "The Five Doctors" (1983), Attack of the Cybermen (1985) and Silver Nemesis (1988). As a theatre actor, he has played many leading roles in London and throughout the UK. He is also the author of several published books.

Career Acting Banks's numerous television appearances include long-running portrayals in Brookside, playing the wrongly convicted murderer Graeme Curtis, and 181 episodes of L!ve TV’s drama series Canary Wharf as Max Armstrong, head of news, who was finally abducted by aliens. He also appeared in EastEnders in 1992, playing the photographer, Gavin, at Michelle Fowler's graduation ceremony.

During the 1980s, Banks played the Cyber Leader in the science fiction series Doctor Who in all stories featuring the Cybermen: Earthshock (1982), "The Five Doctors" (1983), Attack of the Cybermen (1985) and Silver Nemesis (1988). In 1989, he played the part of Karl the Mercenary in the stage play Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure, except for two performances when he appeared as the Doctor, replacing Jon Pertwee, who had fallen ill.

Banks writes and directs, and has worked extensively as a voice artist, recording over 100 audiobooks – including an unabridged version of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (Talking Books, 2006). In 2007, he revived his portrayal of Karl the Mercenary in a Big Finish Productions audio adaptation of Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure with Colin Baker as the Doctor. In 2018, he reprised his role as the Cyber Leader for the Big Finish audio story "Hour of the Cybermen" and again in 2019 for the audio story "Conversion".

Writing Banks is the author of several published books. In 1988, he wrote Doctor Who – Cybermen, illustrated by Andrew Skilleter (Who Dares Publishing, 1988), which encompasses the history and conceptual origins of cybermen. He adapted the book into four audio cassettes, The ArcHive Tapes, which he also narrated. (These were re-released on CD in 2013 with bonus material by Explore Multimedia. ) He later wrote the novel Iceberg (Virgin, 1993) for the Virgin New Adventures range of Doctor Who spin-off novels, which was set in 2006, when an inversion of the Earth's magnetic field is threatening to destroy human civilization, and featured the Cybermen and the investigative journalist Ruby Duvall.

His play Severance, about the 12th century lovers Abelard and Heloise, was first performed in 2002. In 2008, he was invited to deliver a paper about cyber emotions entitled "Life as an emotionless killing machine: Cybermen in a Strange State" by the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne. This paper references the recent reappearance of Cybermen on television after a long absence.

Other plays he has written and directed include Five Marys Waiting, a tragicomedy of grief and belief . He directed Jimmie Chinn’s Talking to John, Simon de Deney’s Between the Lines and, most recently, Four Quartets by T S Eliot . His production of Alan McMurtrie’s The Prisoner’s Pumpkin (Old Red Lion) won the London New Play Festival (LNPF) Best Play award in May 1992 .

In 2026 Banks announced publication of a new book of his memoirs. Man and Cyberman: Memoirs of a Cyberleader was published in September 2026 by Telos Publishing Ltd.

Software Development Banks is the strategic development director of Agentfile , a suite of management software intended for acting and voice Agents. Agentfile streamlines repetitive tasks and is managed within one single system. Functions include: storage and retrieval of all client data; GDPR & HMRC compliant; handles commission & VAT; is confidential & secure; is locally hosted so can work when broadband is down.

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes 1979 The Cuckoo Waltz PC Dave Granada Television (Episode: The Press Ball) 1980 Keep it in the Family Leslie Thames Television (Episode: The Mouthtrap) 1982 Earthshock Cyber Leader BBC TV Doctor Who 1983 Man of Letters Dennis O’Donovan BBC TV Play for Today 1983 "The Five Doctors" Cyber Leader BBC TV Doctor Who 20th Anniversary Special 1985 Attack of the Cybermen Cyber Leader BBC TV Doctor Who 1988 Silver Nemesis Cyber Leader BBC TV Doctor Who 1991 The Bill DI Graveny ITV (Episode: Caught Napping) 1991-1992 Brookside Graeme Curtis Channel 4 (22 episodes) 1992 A Time to Dance Ray BBC TV mini series 1994 EastEnders Gavin BBC TV soap opera 1995 Death in the Playground Derek Wakeley BBC TV Rough Justice 1995 Going Under Dennis Smalley BBC TV Crimewatch Special 1996 Canary Wharf Max Armstrong L!VE TV soap opera (186 episodes) 2006 Doctors Inspector Headley Thames Television soap opera (Episode: Beat)