The Time Meddler

The Monk (Peter Butterworth) is intrigued
 to find a TARDIS which isn't his

First broadcast Jul 3 to 24 1965

1. The Watcher (8.9m)

2. The Meddling Monk (8.8m)

3. A Battle of Wits (7.7m)

4. Checkmate (8.3m)
Average audience for serial: 8.43m

• A pictorial guide to the guest cast can be found at the bottom of this entry. Read an episode by episode review of this story on Time Space Visualiser here!

REGULAR CAST

William Hartnell (The Doctor) January 8th 1908 to April 23rd 1975 (heart failure after a series of strokes) For a full career biography for William Hartnell, click here.

Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) Born June 29th 1943 For a full career biography of Maureen O'Brien, click here.

Peter Purves (Steven Taylor) Born February 10th 1939 For a full career biography of Peter Purves, click here.

CREDITED GUEST CAST

David Anderson (Sven)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Caravan warrior in Marco Polo (1964, uncredited)
Played: Palace guard in Marco Polo (1964, uncredited)
Played: Aztec captain in The Aztecs (1964)
Fight arranger: The Aztecs (1964), The Time Meddler (1965), The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Soldier in The Reign of Terror (1964, uncredited)
Played: Reynier de Marun in The Crusade (1965)
Played: Sven in The Time Meddler (1965)
Played: Egyptian warrior in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66, uncredited)

Facts

David used to run his own martial arts school in Shepherd's Bush, London.

Peter Butterworth (The Monk) February 4th 1919 to January 16th 1979 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: The Monk in The Time Meddler (1965), The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Career highlights
Peter's distinguished career began uncredited in William Comes to Town (1948), and he went on to appear in over 80 TV series and films, including Miss Pilgrim's Progress (1949), Aladdin (1951), Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure (1951), Will Any Gentleman? (1953), Friends and Neighbours (1954), Tom Thumb (1958), The Spider's Web (1960), Murder She Said (1961), Bulldog Breed (1962), The Odd Man (1963), Moll Flanders (1965), Danger Man (1965), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), Inside George Webley (1968), Nearest and Dearest (1969), Bless This House (1972), Scott On... (1968-72), Dad's Army (1975), Robin and Marian (1976), A Bunch of Fives (1977), Alan Bennett's Afternoon Off (1979) and The Dancing Princesses (1980). Peter is best known for his varied roles in 16 Carry On films (1965-78), three Carry On Christmas specials (1969-73) and the Carry On Laughing series (1975). He had regular roles as Mr Oddy in Those Kids (1956), Groome in Catweazle (1970-71) and Wilf in Odd Man Out (1977).
Facts
Peter was in the British Navy during World War Two, and when the plane he was travelling in was shot down over Holland in 1940, he was sent to a Prisoner of War camp, where he met future Carry On writer Talbot Rothwell (other fellow prisoners were Rupert Davies and Donald Pleasence). He tried to escape the camp three times, and one of these attempts was later filmed as The Wooden Horse (1950), for which Peter auditioned but was told he didn't look heroic enough! Peter was married to actress and impressionist Janet Brown, and their son is actor Tyler Butterworth, who is married to actress Janet Dibley. Peter died after playing Widow Twankey in Aladdin in Coventry. When he failed to turn up for the next day's performance, he was found dead in bed at his hotel.
This is Your Life: Peter was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on March 5th, 1975, surprised by host Eamonn Andrews while shopping with his wife Janet Brown at Selfridge's in London.

Alethea Charlton (Edith) August 9th 1931 to May 6th 1976 (malignant melanoma)

Doctor Who credits
Played: Hur in An Unearthly Child (1963)
Played: Edith in The Time Meddler (1965)
Career highlights
Alethea's earliest role was in Touch of Death (1961), followed by roles in Silent Evidence (1962), The Villains (1964), The Woman in White (1966), Paul Temple (1969), Hardy Heating Company Ltd (1970), Doomwatch (1971), Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), Thriller (1973) and The Cedar Tree (1976). Her most successful recurring role was as Ethel Barraclough in Sam (1973-75).
Facts
Before training as an actor, Alethea was a teacher. Alethea was one of six siblings. Tragically, Alethea was one of three that pre-deceased their parents: sister Elsie died in 1975 aged 60, and sister Miriam died four months after Alethea, aged 59. It must have been a devastating period for the Charlton family.

Geoffrey Cheshire (Viking leader) March 26th 1927 to October 5th 2004
Doctor Who credits
Played: Viking leader in The Time Meddler (1965)
Played: Garge in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Roboman in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966)
Played: Tracy in The Invasion (1968)
Career highlights
Geoffrey's other credits include The Skull (1965), The Saint (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Doctor in Charge (1972), Tycoon (1978), The Thief of Baghdad (1978) and The Bill (1989).

Facts

Geoffrey has the distinction of appearing in a TV Cyberman story, a TV Dalek story and a Dalek film.

Michael Guest (Saxon hunter)

Doctor Who credits
Played: Mongol bandit in Marco Polo (1964)

Played: Man-at-arms in The Crusade (1965, uncredited)
Played: Saxon hunter in The Time Meddler (1965)
Played: Interviewer in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Career highlights
His acting debut came in Escape (1957), then Quatermass and the Pit (1958-59), Pathfinders in Space (1960), Compact (1963), R3 (1965), The Champions (1968), Menace (1970), Upstairs, Downstairs (1972), Special Branch (1974) and Dixon of Dock Green (1974/75).

Norman Hartley (Ulf) June 13th 1930 to January 13th 2020
Doctor Who credits
Played: Ulf in The Time Meddler (1965)
Played: Sergeant Peters in The Invasion (1968)
Career highlights
Norman's debut came in The Shop at Sly Corner (1948), followed by The Gay Lady (1949), The History of Mr Polly (1959), Tomorrow at Ten (1963), Our Man at St Mark's (1964), The Spies (1966), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Man in a Suitcase (1968), Paul Temple (1971), Beasts: The Dummy (1976), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Shoestring (1979), Breakaway (1980), Blake's 7 (1981), County Hall (1982), Shine On Harvey Moon (1984), John and Yoko: A Love Story (1985), The Bill (1989), The Piglet Files (1990) and Between the Lines (1993). Norman also co-wrote the Canadian TV play The Insurance Man from Ingersoll (1975).
Facts
Norman was the godfather of the son of director Douglas Camfield and wife Sheila Dunn.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Norman here.

Michael Miller (Wulnoth) April 6th 1922 to June 27th 1987
Career highlights
Michael's career began in an episode of Dixon of Dock Green (1961) and saw appearances in Contract to Kill (1965), three episodes of The Prisoner (1967/68), Paul Temple (1970), Crossroads (1976-78, as Tom Reed), Supernatural (1977), Henry IV, Part II (1979) and Baal (1982). His role as a man at the bar in Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971) ended up on the cutting room floor.

Ronald Rich (Gunnar the Giant)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Gunnar the Giant in The Time Meddler (1965)
Played: Trantis in Mission to the Unknown (1965, uncredited)
Career highlights
6ft 8in Ronald's other work includes The Lance Percival Show (1965), Alfie (1966), Doctor in Clover (1966), B and B (1968) and The Benny Hill Show (1968). In Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967) Ronald played Blofeld's bodyguard Hans, who 007 has a fight with an ultimately pushes into a pool of piranhas.

Peter Russell (Eldred) June 8th 1931 to July 28th 2003 (cancer)
Career highlights
Peter's debut came in The Three Princes (1959), followed by Bonehead (1960), The Sudden Silence (1962), The Villains (1964), Gideon's Way (1964), Blackmail (1965), Softly Softly (1966), The Railway Children (1970), Days of Hope (1975), Ready When You Are, Mr McGill (1976), It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1977), Dummy (1977), The Water Babies (1978), Last of the Summer Wine (1983), The Hello Goodbye Man (1984), Making News (1990), Oasis (1993), The Mill on the Floss (1997), Bramwell (1998), The Dark Room (1999) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (2000). He also had a regular role as Rufus Wright in Swizzlewick (1964).
Facts
Peter was also a comedian and did multiple stage shows with many of the UK's well known TV comedians of the 1970s, like Jimmy Tarbuck.

CREW

Dennis Spooner (writer) December 1st 1932 to September 20th 1986 (heart attack) Click here for Dennis Spooner's entry on The Reign of Terror

Douglas Camfield (director) May 8th 1931 to January 27th 1984 (heart attack) Click here for Douglas Camfield's entry on Planet of Giants

Verity Lambert (producer) November 27th 1935 to November 22nd 2007 (cancer) Click here for Verity Lambert's entry on An Unearthly Child

Donald Tosh (script editor) March 16th 1935 to December 3rd 2019
Doctor Who credits
Script edited: The Time Meddler, Galaxy 4, Mission to the Unknown, The Myth Makers, The Daleks' Master Plan, The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (episodes 1-3) (1965-66)
Wrote: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (episode 4, 1966), The Celestial Toymaker (from a story by Brian Hayles, 1966)
Played: Party guest in An Adventure in Space and Time (2013, uncredited)
Career highlights
Donald also script edited Compact (1964-65), Sherlock Holmes (1968) and Ryan International (1970), and penned scripts for Mystery Hall (1967), Sherlock Holmes (1968) and Happiness is E-Shaped (1968).
Facts
He helped create the format for what eventually became Coronation Street in 1960. In 1967, Donald submitted a script called The Rosemariners to the Doctor Who production team, but although this was not developed, it was made into a full-cast audio adventure by Big Finish in 2012. After leaving television, Donald worked for English Heritage and was also head custodian of Sherborne Old Castle in Dorset and St Mawes in Cornwall.

Click to enlarge

Peter Purves career biography

Peter Purves (Morton Dill, Steven Taylor) Born Feb 10 1939

Doctor Who credits
Played: Morton Dill in The Chase (1965)
Played: Steven Taylor in The Chase, The Time Meddler, Galaxy 4, The Myth Makers, The Daleks' Master Plan, The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve, The Ark, The Celestial Toymaker, The Gunfighters, The Savages (1965-66). Return appearance in Tales of the TARDIS (2023)

Career

Although Peter subsequently became best known as a television presenter, he started out as an actor, making his screen debut at the age of 24 in an episode of ITV's The Villains, an anthology series of plays with the theme of, well... villainy! In Red Hot in Winter, Peter played Terry Buckley, and was joined by Mike Pratt, Karin Fernald and Jane Barrett. All episodes of The Villains apparently exist in the archives. While the IMDb claims this episode was broadcast on January 22nd, 1965, other sources claim it was the same date a year later. I'm tempted to believe it was 1965, as Peter's own CV states this, but his CV also claims he was in other series between 1963-64 not listed on IMDb, so who knows?

Peter was in two Z Cars stories in his acting career, starting with You Get All Kinds, shown on May 20th, 1964, in which he played a bus conductor. Also in the cast were Brian Blessed (The Trial of a Time Lord, 1986), Jack Cunningham (The Reign of Terror, 1964), James Ellis (Battlefield, 1989), Rio Fanning (Horror of Fang Rock, 1977), Stratford Johns (Four to Doomsday, 1982), Robert Keegan (The Ribos Operation, 1978) and Reg Pritchard (The Crusade, 1965, and The Daleks' Master Plan, 1965-66).

Peter as photographer Danny with Nicola
Pagett as Barbera in The Girl in the
Picture (1964)

The Girl in the Picture was an Armchair Theatre presentation shown on ITV on November 29th, 1964, written by Allan Prior and directed by Alvin Rakoff, husband of Jacqueline Hill, who at that time was playing companion Barbara Wright in Doctor Who. This play is now missing, but starred Peter as Danny, with Richard Butler, Seymour Green (The Seeds of Doom, 1976, and The Twin Dilemma, 1984), Ruth Dunning, Abigail Hamilton and Nicola Pagett, who played a girl called Barbera (coincidentally!) cajoled into entering the Northern Personality Girl of the Year in Blackpool by both her scheming mother and a flashy photographer (Peter as Danny). The play also included a large number of local extras playing the beauty pageant contestants, as well as Miss TV Times Valerie Martin!

On December 20th, 1964, the BBC's Theatre 625 strand broadcast the third in a trilogy of Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End, entitled A Man Could Stand Up. Adapted for the TV by John Hopkins and directed by Alan Cooke, the drama starred Judi Dench and Ronald Hines, with Charles Houston, Arthur Lovegrove, Shane Rimmer (The Gunfighters, 1966), Edward Burnham (The Invasion, 1968, and Robot, 1974-75), Douglas Ditta (The Chase, 1965) and Peter, playing the minor role of a Private. This episode exists in the BBC archives (and has been commercially released), and a three minute extract is viewable on YouTube, but it merely shows Dench and various other actors messing around on a golf course. No Peter I'm afraid!

Peter as Steven with William Hartnell
as the Doctor in The Massacre of St
Bartholomew's Eve (1966)

On May 14th, 1965, Peter recorded a cameo role as American tourist Morton Dill in the Doctor Who episode Flight Through Eternity (part 3 of The Chase) at Riverside Studio 1. He impressed the production team so much that he was invited to play the new companion, Steven Taylor, who was due to join the regular team at the end of the same story. Peter was contracted just seven days later, on May 21st, and recorded his first scenes as Steven on June 4th, the day before Flight Through Eternity was broadcast. Peter's debut as Steven went out on June 26th, 1965, and he continued to play the character for a total of 10 stories, with his final recording day on episode 4 of The Savages on June 3rd, 1966 - one day shy of a year since he began. His departure episode was broadcast on June 18th, 1966.

There was one episode of Doctor Who during his contracted period that Peter did not appear in (or, indeed, did any of the regular cast) - the one-off Mission to the Unknown, broadcast on October 9th, 1965. But Peter did appear on TV that day nevertheless, in the (now missing) Dixon of Dock Green episode Castles in the Air, directed by Vere Lorrimer. In the episode, Dixon tries to save a man gripped by an obsession leading him towards self-destruction. It featured star Jack Warner, plus George A Cooper (The Smugglers, 1966), Colin Douglas (The Enemy of the World, 1967-68, and Horror of Fang Rock, 1977) and Duncan Lamont (Death to the Daleks, 1974), with Peter in the role of Brian.

Ten days later Peter popped up in the BBC's Play of the Month, Luther (broadcast on October 19th, 1965), based on the 1961 John Osborne play and directed by Alan Cooke. During the early 16th century, idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the Church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation. This play, which exists in the archives, starred Alec McCowen in the title role, plus Patrick Magee, Geoffrey Bayldon (The Creature from the Pit, 1979), Ray Barrett (The Rescue, 1965), Fulton Mackay (Doctor Who and the Silurians, 1970), James Cairncross (The Reign of Terror, 1964, and The Krotons, 1968), Rex Robinson (The Three Doctors, 1972-73; The Monster of Peladon, 1974; and The Hand of Fear, 1976) and Douglas Ditta (The Chase, 1965), with Peter in an undisclosed role.

The first acting job Peter secured after leaving Doctor Who was in the Court Martial episode Achilles' Heel, which aired on August 26th, 1966, written by John McGreevey and directed by Alvin Rakoff once more. The series starred Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves as a crack team from the Judge Advocate General's office during World War Two investigating crimes all over Europe. This episode of the ITC series featured Peter as Lieutenant Jeff Ainsley, with Ewen Solon (The Savages, 1966, and Planet of Evil, 1975), Norman Mitchell (The Daleks' Master Plan, 1965-66), Leonard Maguire (Full Circle, 1980) and Edward Brayshaw (The Reign of Terror, 1964, and The War Games, 1969).

Next up was the six-part BBC2 series Girl in a Black Bikini (now missing), which began on February 4th, 1967 and was directed by Gerald Blake (The Abominable Snowmen, 1967, and The Invasion of Time, 1978) and produced by Alan Bromly (director of The Time Warrior, 1973-74, and Nightmare of Eden, 1979). Peter appeared in the first two episodes as Peter Jarrett, and was joined on the bill by James Thornhill (The Invasion, 1968), Glyn Houston (The Hand of Fear, 1976, and The Awakening, 1984), Brian Cant (The Daleks' Master Plan, 1965-66, and The Dominators, 1968), Frederick Hall (The Awakening, 1984), John Carson (Snakedance, 1983), and Calvin Lockhart. The story was set around the first anniversary of the murder of a girl in a Thameside town, and Peter's character Jarrett was the boyfriend of a barrister's daughter who implicates his girl Kathy (played by Angela Scoular) in a drugs scandal, and is then murdered himself. The series was repeated on BBC1 from August 1, 1968.

Peter's final acting job was his second Z Cars, this time a story entitled All Through the Night, broadcast July 24th-25th 1967 and again directed by Gerald Blake (The Abominable Snowmen, 1967, and The Invasion of Time, 1978). Peter played Cord, and was joined by David Daker (The Time Warrior, 1973-74, and Nightmare of Eden, 1979), James Ellis (Battlefield, 1989), Bernard Holley (The Tomb of the Cybermen, 1967, and The Claws of Axos, 1971), Nerys Hughes (Kinda, 1982), Stephen Yardley (Genesis of the Daleks, 1975, and Vengeance on Varos, 1985) and stuntman Derek Ware.

Peter with Blue Peter co-presenters Lesley
Judd, Valerie Singleton and John Noakes
in 1972

Peter's acting career was over, but his career in television and entertainment was only just beginning. On November 16th, 1967, he made his debut as the sixth official presenter of BBC children's magazine show Blue Peter. He stayed with the programme for over 10 years, making his final appearance on March 23rd, 1978, the second longest-serving Blue Peter presenter to date (after John Noakes). He did return to the Blue Peter cannon, however, to present five Special Assignments in 1979.

One of the most memorable moments Peter was involved with during his time on Blue Peter was the visit to the studio in July 1969 by Lulu the baby elephant, which you can see on YouTube here:

Other programmes he served as presenter of include Crufts Dog Show (1976-2008), Stopwatch (1978-81), We're Going Places (1979/81) and Kick Start (1981-1991). He reprised the role of Steven for Tales of the TARDIS series 1 on November 1st, 2023.

Facts
Peter originally auditioned for a role as a Menoptra in The Web Planet (1965), but didn't get the job, but was remembered by director Richard Martin for The Chase. Peter's Grade II listed house in Suffolk suffered a serious fire in January 2004 due to an electrical fault. Peter also provides personal training on presentation skills to businesses, and is a seasoned pantomime director. In 2008 his former Blue Peter colleague Valerie Singleton revealed the two had had an affair in the 1960s. Peter's first wife was TV scriptwriter Gill Fraser, while his son Matthew was assistant floor manager on Battlefield (1989).

The Chase

Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) and Ian
 (William Russell) find a real police box
 on their jubilant return to 20th century Earth

First broadcast May 22 to Jun 26 1965

1. The Executioners (10.0m)

2. The Death of Time (9.5m)

3. Flight Through Eternity (9.0m)

4. Journey Into Terror (9.5m)

5. The Death of Doctor Who (9.0m)

6. The Planet of Decision (9.5m)
Average audience for serial: 9.42m

• A pictorial guide to the guest cast can be seen at the bottom of this entry. Read an episode-by-episode review of this story on Time Space Visualiser here!

REGULAR CAST

William Hartnell (The Doctor) January 8th 1908 to April 23rd 1975 (heart failure after a series of strokes) For a full career biography for William Hartnell, click here.

William Russell (Ian Chesterton) November 19th 1924 to June 3rd 2024 For a full career biography for William Russell (aka Russell Enoch), click here.

Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) December 17th 1929 to February 18th 1993 (bone cancer) For a full career biography for Jacqueline Hill, click here.

Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) Born June 29th 1943 For a full career biography of Maureen O'Brien, click here.

Peter Purves (Morton Dill & Steven Taylor) Born February 10th 1939 For a full career biography of Peter Purves, click here.

CREDITED GUEST CAST

Hywel Bennett (Rynian) April 8th 1944 to July 25th 2017
Career highlights
After debuting in Doctor Who, Hywel went on to appear in The Idiot (1966), The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Loot (1970), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972), Pennies from Heaven (1978), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), The Consultant (1983), The Twilight Zone (1986), Boon (1988), Virtual Murder (1992), Murder Most Horrid (1994), Karaoke/ Cold Lazarus (1996), Neverwhere (1996), Lock, Stock... (2000), EastEnders (2003), High Hopes (2005) and The Last Detective (2007). He is best known for playing James Shelley in the sitcom Shelley (1979-84) and The Return of Shelley (1988-92).
Facts
Between 1970-88 Hywel was married to Cathy McGowan, best known as the presenter of the 1960s pop show Ready, Steady, Go!. His brother was fellow actor Alun Lewis (best known for playing Vic Windsor in Emmerdale), while he was godfather to Crispian Mills (son of actress Hayley Mills and lead singer of the band Kula Shaker). You can see Hywel in the music video for Bonnie Tyler's Loving You's a Dirty Job (But Somebody's Gotta Do It) (1986). In 1986, Hywel sought rehab for alcoholism at The Priory. In 2004, a tabloid newspaper reported that Hywel was living in Deal, Kent, and had become known by locals as something of an unpleasant drunk, including "abusive, erratic behaviour". He had been banned from two pubs. Hywel retired from acting in 2007 due to being diagnosed with a heart condition.

Vivienne Bennett (Queen Elizabeth I) July 29th 1905 to November 11th 1978
Career highlights
Prolific Shakespearean stage actor Vivienne debuted on screen in Night Must Fall (1937), followed by roles in Almost a Honeymoon (1938), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1946), Edward II (1947), The Mollusc (1949), The House in Paris (1952), No Hiding Place (1959), The Plane Makers (1963), Dixon of Dock Green (1969), Love Story (1973) and The Dick Emery Show (1974).
Facts
Vivienne was for a time married to actor Godfrey Kenton.

David Blake Kelly (Captain Benjamin Briggs) February 17th 1916 to January 21st 1993
Doctor Who credits
Played: Captain Benjamin Briggs in The Chase (1965)
Played: Jacob Kewper in The Smugglers (1966)
Career highlights
He started his acting career as Diarmuid Kelly, debuting in I Killed the Count (1948), followed by Someone at the Door (1949), Treasure Island (1950), The Anatomist (1956) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957), after which he anglicised his name and appeared in William Tell (1959), Sergeant Cork (1964), Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), Spy Trap (1975), The Cherry Orchard (1981), Miss Marple: Nemesis (1987), Jeeves and Wooster (1990) and House of Cards (1990).
Facts
Often mistaken for another actor called David Kelly, who often played stereotypical Irish characters (such as in Fawlty Towers and Robin's Nest), but they are different actors. David was married to Royal Ballet dancer Jill Gregory.

Patrick Carter (Bosun)
Career highlights
Debuted in Quatermass II (1955), then Suspense (1960), The Plane Makers (1963), Sergeant Cork (1964), The Likely Lads (1966), Blue Blood (1973), The Devil's Crown (1978), The Old Curiosity Shop (1980), The Cleopatras (1983), Charters and Caldicott (1985), Howards' Way (1985/86), Hannay (1989), EastEnders (1992) and Between the Lines (1993).

Dennis Chinnery (Albert C Richardson) May 14th 1927 to February 29th 2012
Doctor Who credits
Played: Albert C Richardson in The Chase (1965)
Played: Gharman in Genesis of the Daleks (1975)
Played: Professor Sylvest in The Twin Dilemma (1984)
Career highlights
Dennis's career began with White Fire (1953), then Great Scott, It's Maynard (1956), Mostly Maynard (1957), Hancock's Half Hour (1957-59), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), The Avengers (1967), Orlando (1966-68), Hadleigh (1969), Harriet's Back in Town (1973), Survivors (1975), Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), The Bill (1989) and The Right Impression (2005).
Facts
The character of the accident-prone vet in BBC comedy The League of Gentlemen was named Mr Chinnery after Dennis. In 1998, Dennis gained the unlikely distinction of having appeared in Doctor Who fandom's best and worst stories ever, as voted by Doctor Who Magazine readers (Genesis of the Daleks and The Twin Dilemma).

Richard Coe (TV announcer)
Career highlights
Richard's CV includes Treasure Island (1957), Little Women (1958), Emergency Ward 10 (1961), Let's Go Out (1965), Man in a Suitcase (1968), Strange Report (1969) and The House That Dripped Blood (1971).

Roslyn De Winter (Grey lady) Born October 5th 1938
Doctor Who credits
Played: Vrestin in The Web Planet (1965)
Insect movement: The Web Planet (1965)
Played: Grey lady in The Chase (1965)
Career highlights
Australian mime artiste Roslyn's other work includes The Big Day (1959), Anthony and Cleopatra (1959), Day of the Drongo (1964), Interlude (1968), Champion House (1968), Homicide (1970), The Long Arm (1970), Dimboola: the Stage Play (1973), Cash and Company (1975), Mouth to Mouth (1978), Against the Wind (1978), Special Squad (1984) and All the Rivers Run II (1990).

Douglas Ditta (Willoughby) Born 1938
Career highlights
After debuting in Emergency Ward 10 (1962), Douglas appeared in Dr Finlay's Casebook (1965), This Man Craig (1966), The Troubleshooters (1967), The Saint (1968), Edna the Inebriate Woman (1971) and All Creatures Great and Small (1990).
Facts
Scotsman Douglas's son is screenwriter Ash Ditta, who has worked on series such as No Angels, Scenes of a Sexual Nature, The Catherine Tate Show and Mr Sloane. Other than acting, Douglas's other roles have included managing Ipswich Arts Centre, and being head of drama at the King's School, Ely.

Arne Gordon (Guide) Died 2004
Doctor Who credits
Played: Hrostar in The Web Planet (1965)
Played: Guide in The Chase (1965)
Career highlights
After debuting in Doctor Who as a humanoid butterfly, Arne went on to appear in No Hiding Place (1966), Virgin of the Secret Service (1968), Judge Dee (1969), Van der Valk (1973), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985) and Around the World in 80 Days (1989).
Facts
In his 2013 memoir Before Mandela's Rainbow, South African director and writer Edward Joffe recalls that Arne was a close friend of stuntman Jack Sholomir and used to hang out at the Yeoville swimming baths in Johannesburg in the 1950s.

David Graham (Dalek voice & Mechanoid voice) July 11th 1925 to September 20th 2024 Click here for David Graham's entry on The Daleks

Murphy Grumbar (Mechanoid operator) August 16th 1928 to May 5th 1991 Click here for Murphy Grumbar's entry on The Daleks (as Peter Murphy)

Roger Hammond (Francis Bacon) March 21st 1936 to November 8th 2012 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Francis Bacon in The Chase (1965)
Played: Dr Runciman in Mawdryn Undead (1983)
Career highlights
Roger's prolific career began in The Villains (1964), and saw appearances in You Can't Win (1966), The Avengers (1967), The First Churchills (1969), Casanova (1971), The Onedin Line (1972), Churchill's People (1975), When the Boat Comes In (1976), The Duchess of Duke Street (1976), Emmerdale (1980), Airline (1982), The Tripods (1984), Miss Marple: Nemesis (1987), One Foot in the Grave (1990), Campion (1990), the Uncle Jack... series (1991-93, playing M), Orlando (1992), The Madness of King George (1994), Kavanagh QC (1997), Bedazzled (2000), Rome (2005), Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006), City of Vice (2008) and The King's Speech (2010).
Facts
Between 1968-75 Roger was married to actress Helen Weir, best remembered as Pat Sugden in soap Emmerdale.

Peter Hawkins (Dalek voice) April 3rd 1924 to July 8th 2006 (pneumonia) Click here for Peter Hawkins's entry on The Daleks

Robert Jewell (Dalek operator) January 20th 1920 to May 10th 1998 Click here for Robert Jewell's entry on The Daleks

Kevin Manser (Dalek operator) February 16th 1929 to December 21st 2001 (bowel cancer) Click here for Kevin Manser's entry on The Daleks

Robert Marsden (Abraham Lincoln) August 22nd 1921 to April 5th 2007
Doctor Who credits
Played: Abraham Lincoln in The Chase (1965)
Played: Prisoner in The Mind of Evil (1971, uncredited)
Played: UNIT soldier in The Mind of Evil (1971, uncredited)
Career highlights
Debuted in The Cruise of the Toytown Belle (1950), followed by roles in The Tempest (1951), Emil and the Detectives (1952), Treasure Island (1957), The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1958) and Licensed to Kill (1965).
Facts
Robert, who lost an eye in a schoolboy accident, was primarily a stage and radio actor, and was also a drama coach until failing eyesight (caused by glaucoma) in the 1960s led to his retirement. Robert specialised in portrayals of Abraham Lincoln, hence his choice for this brief appearance. He was a professional contemporary and friend of acting greats John Gielgud, Edith Evans and Peter Ustinov, and was also a prolific performer of children's songs and recitals on the radio.

John Scott Martin (Dalek & Mechanoid operator) April 1st 1926 to January 6th 2009 (Parkinson's Disease) Click here for John Scott Martin's entry on The Web Planet

John Maxim (Frankenstein['s monster]) July 20th 1925 to January 20th 1990 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Frankenstein['s monster] in The Chase (1965)
Played: Cyberman in The Moonbase (1967 - as John Wills)
Career highlights
Australian John's acting career began with Dracula (1958), followed by parts in Ivanhoe (1958), William Tell (1959), Deadline Midnight (1961), Consider Your Verdict (1963), The Big Spender (1965), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) and The Prisoner (1967).

Jack Pitt (Mire beast, cabin steward, fungoid and Mechanoid operator) July 15th 1940 to May 26th 2003 (bronchial pneumonia)

Doctor Who credits
Played: Zarbi in The Web Planet (1965)
Played: Mire beast in The Chase (1965)
Played: Cabin steward in The Chase (1965)

Played: Fungoid in The Chase (1965)
Played: Mechanoid in The Chase (1965)
Played: Dalek in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Gearon in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66, uncredited)
Career highlights
Jack's only other credited work was playing Horatio in Nelson: A Study in Miniature (1966).

Al Raymond (Prondyn)

Doctor Who credits

Played: Revolutionary soldier in The Reign of Terror (1964, uncredited)

Played: Prondyn in The Chase (1965)

Career highlights

Al's other known work includes Maigret (1962/63), Isadora (1966) and Return to Campus (1975).

Malcolm Rogers (Count Dracula) September 19th 1929 to November 25th 2022
Doctor Who credits
Played: Count Dracula in The Chase (1965)
Played: Second policeman in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Career highlights
Other credits include One Man Absent (1958), then Compact (1964), The Big Spender (1965), Privilege (1967), The Blood Beast Terror (1968), Napoleon and Love (1972), The Legend of Robin Hood (1975), Out (1978), Pink Floyd's The Wall (1982, as the Teacher), Ever Decreasing Circles (1986), Rumpole of the Bailey (1988), Cold Lazarus (1996), Pure Wickedness (1999), The Sleeping Dictionary (2003), Dirty Filthy Love (2004), Casualty (2006), Psychoville (2009) and The Man Who Married Himself (2010).

Gerald Taylor (Dalek operator) October 11th 1940 to December 4th 1994 Click here for Gerald Taylor's entry on The Daleks

Ian Thompson (Malsan) August 11th 1939 to July 16th 2022
Doctor Who credits
Played: Hetra in The Web Planet (1965)
Played: Malsan in The Chase (1965)
Career highlights
Ian's prolific career began with 1956's David Copperfield, followed by roles in The Old Curiosity Shop (1962), Albert! (1970), The Persuaders (1972), Crown Court (1974), Sam (1975), Couples (1975), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1976), Blake's 7 (1978), Thomas and Sarah (1979), County Hall (1982), Freud (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Inside Story (1986), Bergerac (1987), Andy Capp (1988), Moon and Son (1992), Our Friends in the North (1996), Midsomer Murders (1999), Poirot (2001), Down to Earth (2004), Wire in the Blood (2005) and The All Together (2007). He had the regular role of John Porter in A Family at War (1970-72), and toward the end of his career provided the voice of Big Hat Logan in the Dark Souls videogames (2011-12).

Ken Tyllsen (Mechanoid operator) 1939 to June 11th 2014
Doctor Who credits
Played: First Sensorite/ Scientist in The Sensorites (1964)
Played: Mechanoid operator in The Chase (1965)
Played: Dalek operator in The Evil of the Daleks (1967)
Career highlights
Ken's other credited TV work included Rex Milligan (1956), Dixon of Dock Green (1962/63), Taxi! (1963), , The Airbase (1965) and Doctor in the House (1970), but he also worked for the Royal Ballet and National Theatre.
Facts
Since the 1980s Ken was a member and vice-president of the Adlerian Society, the Institute for Individual Psychology and Counselling, and worked closely with the mental health charity MIND. There are some lovely tributes to Ken from fellow Adlerians here.

Hugh Walters (William Shakespeare) March 2nd 1939 to February 13th 2015
Doctor Who credits
Played: William Shakespeare in The Chase (1965)
Played: Commentator Runcible in The Deadly Assassin (1976)
Played: Vogel in Revelation of the Daleks (1985)
Career highlights
Other credits include The Larkins (1963, as Georgie), Nicholas Nickleby (1968), Ivanhoe (1970), Never Say Die (1970), Doctor at Large (1971), The Fenn Street Gang (1971-72), Jason King (1972), Survivors (1975), Clayhanger (1976), Thomas and Sarah (1979), Holding the Fort (1982), Miss Marple: The Body in the Library (1984), Chance in a Million (1986), The Russ Abbot Show (1991), The Brittas Empire (1996), Bernard's Watch (1999), Cor Blimey! (2000, as Charles Hawtrey), Doctors (2006), Sold (2007) and M.I High (2011). He also wrote for and played Peter Pringle in the series The Train Now Standing (1973).

Edmund Warwick (Robot Dr Who) July 15th 1907 to December 21st 1989 (respiratory problems)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Darrius in The Keys of Marinus (1964)
Played: Dr Who in The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964, uncredited)
Played: Robot Dr Who in The Chase (1965)
Career highlights
Edmund appeared in Sherlock Holmes (1951), Cash on Delivery (1956), The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956), The Buccaneers (1957), numerous times in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957-60), Moonstrike (1963), Z Cars (1963), R3 (1964), Quick Before They Catch Us (1966), The Stud (1978) and Angel in the House (1978).
Facts
Apparently Edmund (birthname Clowes) complained about not being cast as the First Doctor in The Five Doctors (1983), as the actor often doubled for William Hartnell when the star was on holiday or ill. Edmund's third wife was actor Lynette Mills, who divorced him when she found out he'd committed adultery. Edmund remained a lifelong Doctor Who fan, watching every episode until the very end (although he wasn't a fan of the Sylvester McCoy era). He died just two weeks after the last ever episode of the classic series (Survival).

CREW

Terry Nation (writer) August 6th 1930 to March 9th 1997 (emphysema) Click here for Terry Nation's entry on The Daleks

Richard Martin (director) Born January 3rd 1935 Click here for Richard Martin's entry on The Daleks

Verity Lambert (producer) November 27th 1935 to November 22nd 2007 (cancer) Click here for Verity Lambert's entry on An Unearthly Child

Dennis Spooner (story editor) December 1st 1932 to September 20th 1986 (heart attack) Click here for Dennis Spooner's entry on The Reign of Terror

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

The Space Museum

The Doctor (William Hartnell) ignores
the "look but don't touch" rule at the
Space Museum's Dalek exhibition.

First broadcast Apr 24 to May 15 1965

1. The Space Museum (10.5m)

2. The Dimensions of Time (9.2m)

3. The Search (8.5m)

4. The Final Phase (8.5m)
Average audience for serial: 9.18m

• Read an episode-by-episode review of this story on Time Space Visualiser here!

REGULAR CAST

William Hartnell (The Doctor) January 8th 1908 to April 23rd 1975 (heart failure after a series of strokes) For a full career biography for William Hartnell, click here.

William Russell (Ian Chesterton) November 19th 1924 to June 3rd 2024 For a full career biography for William Russell (aka Russell Enoch), click here.

Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) December 17th 1929 to February 18th 1993 (bone cancer) For a full career biography for Jacqueline Hill, click here.

Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) Born June 29th 1943 For a full career biography of Maureen O'Brien, click here.

CREDITED GUEST CAST

Jeremy Bulloch (Tor) February 16th 1945 to December 17th 2020 (Parkinson's Disease)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Tor in The Space Museum (1965)
Played: Hal in The Time Warrior (1973-74)
Career highlights
Jeremy enjoyed a long and varied career, beginning in Violent Playground (1958). He had roles in Carry On Teacher (1959), Counter-Attack! (1960), Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (1961), Summer Holiday (1963), The Newcomers (1965-67, as Phillip Cooper), Hoffman (1970), The Pathfinders (1972), Man About the House (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Agony (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), Chocky (1984), Chocky's Children (1985), Robin of Sherwood (1984-86, as Edward of Wickham), Sloggers (1994), Maisie Raine (1999), Spooks (2002), Bonekickers (2008), Law and Order: UK (2009), Starhyke (2009) and That's English (2011). Jeremy's most famous role was as bounty hunter Boba Fett in the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), as well as the 2015 short Bulloch Fett, while he also played Captain Colton in Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Facts
Jeremy's strong links with the Star Wars franchise may be down to the fact his half-brother was Robert Watts, co-producer on Empire and Jedi. Jeremy's sister was Sally Bulloch, who appeared in The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960) and later ran the Athenaeum Hotel in London for 25 years. His grandfather was Walter Meade, who wrote screenplays for films such as Scott of the Antarctic (1948) and Brandy for the Parson (1952). Jeremy was also distantly related to former US President Theodore Roosevelt.
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Jeremy here.

Billy Cornelius (Morok guard) Born August 18th 1934
Doctor Who credits
Stunts: Stunt double for Derek Newark in An Unearthly Child (1963, uncredited)

Stunts: Stunt double for William Russell in The Aztecs (1964, uncredited)

Played: Man-at-arms in The Crusade (1965)
Played: Morok guard in The Space Museum (1966)
Career highlights
Prolific stuntman Billy debuted in Very Important Person (1961), followed by roles in No Hiding Place (1963), Dave's Kingdom (1964), Redcap (1965), The Avengers (1965/68), The Ronnie Barker Playhouse (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1970), When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), Sam and the River (1975), Law and Order (1978), The Long Good Friday (1980) and The Nightmare Man (1981). Carry On fans will also know Billy from his numerous appearances in the franchise between 1964-75, most memorably as hairy Oddbod Junior in Carry On Screaming! (1966).

Facts

Billy's older brother was fellow stuntman Joe Cornelius. After his stunt career ended, Billy became a pub landlord.

Peter Craze (Dako) August 27th 1946 to December 30th 2020
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dako in The Space Museum (1965)
Played: Du Pont in The War Games (1969)
Played: Costa in Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Career highlights
Peter - who was the younger brother of actor Michael Craze (who played companion Ben Jackson) - debuted in Probation Officer (1962), followed by Martin Chuzzlewit (1964), If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them (1968), The Beast in the Cellar (1970), My Old Man (1975), The Professionals (1978), Blake's 7 (1978/81), Bergerac (1983), The Dreamstone (1990), EastEnders (1998), Dangerous Parking (2007) and Limbo (2012). He also regularly played Kevin Barford in the soap United! (1965).
Facts
Peter went on to become a drama teacher, and was Principal of Drama Studio London between 2003-2012. His wife was actor Illona Linthwaite.

Lawrence Dean (Morok guard) July 21st 1929 to April 14th 2014
Lawrence's only other credit was an episode of Taxi! (1964).

Peter Diamond (Morok technician/ guard) August 10th 1929 to March 27th 2004 (stroke) Click here for Peter Diamond's entry on The Romans

Michael Gordon (Xeron) November 2nd 1947 to January 2nd 2018
His only credit.

Edward Granville (Xeron) Born September 30th 1946
Doctor Who credits
Played: Xeron in The Space Museum (1965)
Played: Tavern customer in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966, uncredited)
Career highlights
His only other credit is No Hiding Place (1965).

Facts

Edward is from a theatrical family, his grandfather being a theatre owner and his grandmother a playwright. His mother was actor Ursula Granville (mostly bit-parts on TV, including with her son in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve). In 1970, Edward moved out to Australia where he worked at the Tasmanian Theatre Company, until he retired in 2011.

Murphy Grumbar (Dalek operator) August 16th 1928 to May 5th 1991 Click here for Peter Murphy's entry on The Daleks (as Peter Murphy)

Peter Hawkins (Dalek voice) April 3rd 1924 to July 8th 2006 (pneumonia) Click here for Peter Hawkins' entry on The Daleks

Ken Norris (Morok guard) Died 2008

Doctor Who credits

Played: Morok guard in The Space Museum (1965)

Played: Soldier in The Myth Makers (1965, uncredited)
Career highlights
Ken also appeared in Taxi! (1964), Front Page Story (1965), Octopussy (1983) and Too Scared to Scream (1985). He was the stunt double for Bond actor Roger Moore, stemming back to the actor's days in The Saint (1962-69). He was also an uncredited stunt double in Carry On Doctor (1967).

Ivor Salter (Morok commander) August 22nd 1925 to June 21st 1991
Doctor Who credits
Played: Morok commander in The Space Museum (1965)
Played: Odysseus in The Myth Makers (1965)
Played: Sergeant Markham in Black Orchid (1982)
Career highlights
Ivor's career began in The Adventures of Peter Simple (1957), and went on to appear in The Heart Within (1957), Police Surgeon (1960), The Six Proud Walkers (1962), Dog Eat Dog (1964), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Here Come the Double Deckers! (1970), In for a Penny (1972), Westway (1976), All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Crossroads (1979-80, as Reg Cotterill), The Invisible Man (1984), In Loving Memory (1986) and Executive Stress (1987).

Peter Sanders (Sita) Died 2019
Career highlights
Other credits include Fact and Fiction (1960), Z Cars (1965), Dixon of Dock Green (1963-65) and The Dick Emery Show (1969).

Richard Shaw (Lobos) November 19th 1920 to April 11th 2010
Doctor Who credits
Played: Lobos in The Space Museum (1965)
Played: Cross in Frontier in Space (1973)
Played: Lakh in Underworld (1978)
Career highlights
Brazilian-born Richard's career began uncredited in Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946) and included roles in Black Orchid (1953), Man from Tangier (1957), Quatermass and the Pit (1958), Sir Francis Drake (1962), 633 Squadron (1964), Carry On Don't Lose Your Head (1966), Market in Honey Lane (1968-69), The Onedin Line (1976), The Sandbaggers (1978), Coronation Street (1980), Matlock (1987) and Young Toscanini (1988). He regularly played Dermot Ryan in Freewheelers (1971).
Facts
In 1959, Richard married beauty queen Marilyn Davies, recent winner of Miss Blackpool. In an interview, Richard said: "Bill Hartnell was a long standing friend and we had worked together many times. When I played Lobos I sustained a severe blow to my left eye which caused some problems for the first episodes, but we had to carry on." Two years after Richard's death, someone called Sven posted a comment on Toby Hadoke's obituary of him claiming he knew Richard in the 1960s, and that the actor claimed he'd witnessed ritual worship of alien creatures when he was a boy, and that the Quatermass and the Pit story was based on real events, when a UFO crashed in Victorian London...

Bill Starkey (Xeron)
This is Bill's only credit.

Salvin Stewart (Morok) September 9th 1924 to September 20th 1993

Doctor Who credits

Played: Morok in The Space Museum (1965)

Played: Voices of armoury computer; relief guard; B Division commander; K Division commander in The Space Museum (1965, all uncredited)
Career highlights
Other credits include As I Was Saying (1955), Passport to Treason (1956), The Worker (1965), The Power Game (1966), Virgin of the Secret Service (1968), Treasure Island (1968), The Expert (1971), The Lotus Eaters (1973), Henry IV, Part II (1979) and The House of Eliott (1991).

David Wolliscroft (Xeron) March 6th 1942 to September 16th 2005 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Xeron in The Space Museum (1965)
Played: UNIT soldier in The Time Warrior (1973-74, uncredited - as David Cleeve)
Played: Ice Warrior in The Monster of Peladon (1974, uncredited - as David Cleeve)
Played: Thal soldier/guard in Genesis of the Daleks (1975, uncredited - as David Cleeve)
Played: Radiation suit man in The Android Invasion (1975, uncredited - as David Cleeve)
Played: An other in The Sun Makers (1977, uncredited - as David Cleeve)
Played: Deon guard in Meglos (1980, uncredited - as David Cleeve)
Career highlights
Using the name David Cleeve, he also made small appearances in Z Cars (1971), Bless Me Father (1978) and Two People (1979).
Facts
David, who began his career as a child star on the radio in the 1950s, was the long-time partner of actor Charles Pemberton (who appeared in The Tomb of the Cybermen and The War Games).

CREW

Glyn Jones (writer) April 27th 1931 to April 2nd 2014 (heart condition leading to organ failure)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Space Museum (1965)
Played: Krans in The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
Career highlights
Glyn's screen acting credits include Queen's Champion (1958), then The Secret Kingdom (1960), Strange Report (1969), Barlow (1974), Breakaway Girls (1978) and Bognor (1981), while he has written for A King's Story (1965), The Magnificent Six and a Half (1968-69), The Gold Robbers (1969), Here Come the Double Deckers! (1970-71, for which he was also script editor), The Chiffy Kids (1976) and Metal Matters (1978). In 1965, Glyn supplied the narration script for the documentary film A King's Story, which went on to be nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar.
Facts
South African Glyn is one of only a handful of people to have both written and appeared in Doctor Who credited (along with Victor Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Toby Whithouse). Glyn also acted and directed in the United States and at the London Fringe, and released a book of children's poetry called Hildegarde H and Her Friends. In 2006, he created a new private eye named Thornton King, and wrote six books featuring his exploits. In 2008, he released his autobiography, No Official Umbrella.
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Glyn here.

Mervyn Pinfield (director) February 28th 1912 to May 20th 1966 Click here for Mervyn Pinfield's entry on An Unearthly Child

Verity Lambert (producer) November 27th 1935 to November 22nd 2007 (cancer) Click here for Verity Lambert's entry on An Unearthly Child

Dennis Spooner (story editor) December 1st 1932 to September 20th 1986 (heart attack) Click here for Dennis Spooner's entry on The Reign of Terror