 Nigel Kneale conceived the character of Quatermass in 1953 , when he was assigned in his capacity as a BBC television staff drama writer to create a new six @-@ part serial to run on Saturday nights in July and August . Kneale initially named his leading character Professor Charlton , but during the writing process decided he wanted something more striking and memorable . A native of the Isle of Man , he was inspired by the fact that surnames beginning with " Qu " were common on the island . The eventual name was picked from a London telephone directory ; there was a family of that name who traded as <unk> in the city 's East End . The surname has its origins as a measurement of land assigned in the division of England by the Normans following their conquest of the country under William the Conqueror in 1066 . The Professor 's first name , Bernard , was in honour of the astronomer Bernard Lovell , founder of the Jodrell Bank observatory . 
