A BBC employee has been sacked after he wrote an insulting coded message about the corporation.

Nicholas Pegg, who had worked as a Dalek operator on Doctor Who since 2005, hid the secret message in a recent edition of the show's official magazine.

The offensive note was written in a column titled 'A History of Doctor Who in 100 Objects' and read: "Panini and BBC Worldwide are c***s."

An eagle-eyed reader uncovered the insult and posted the evidence to his Twitter account. The picture shows how the beginning letter of each sentence is formed to reveal the offensive communication.

It appears Pegg, who goes by the pen name of 'The Watcher', encouraged readers to find the hidden message after he wrote: "if you look hard enough, there's always something hidden in plain sight."

A spokesman for the BBC said the issue was raised with the magazine's publisher Panini and confirmed that Pegg will no longer write for the publication.

Pegg appears to have deleted his Twitter account and it is believed will not be returning to the show.

Pegg previously described his role on the show in a promotional BBC article and explained the challenges of being an operator with visual impairment.

'It looks like a Dalek... it is a testament to what a fantastic piece of design it is that people just think it's a Dalek - not just a bloke and a piece of plywood," he added.

Doctor Who remains one of the BBC's most successful shows since it was first aired in 1963.

The latest incarnation has been running from 2005 and has seen actors such as David Tennant and Matt Smith play the role of The Doctor. The latest series is set to feature its first female Time Lord after it was announced Jodie Whittaker would replace Peter Capaldi for the 11th series.

A remote-controlled Dalek from Dr Who
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