Inferno

A Primord, yesterday.

Seven episodes (Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7)
First broadcast May 9 to Jun 20 1970
Average audience for serial: 5.57m

An episode-by-episode review of this story can be found at Time Space Visualiser.

REGULAR CAST

Jon Pertwee (The Doctor) Jul 7 1919 to May 20 1996 (heart attack) Click here to see Jon Pertwee's entry on Spearhead from Space

Caroline John (Liz Shaw / Section Leader Elizabeth Shaw) Sep 19 1940 to Jun 5 2012 (cancer) Click here to see Caroline John's entry on Spearhead from Space

Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart / Brigade Leader Lethbridge Stewart) Dec 16 1929 to Feb 22 2011 (cancer) Click here for Nicholas Courtney's entry on The Daleks' Master Plan

GUEST CAST

Christopher Benjamin (Sir Keith Gold) Born Dec 27 1934
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sir Keith Gold in Inferno (1970)
Played: Henry Gordon Jago in The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977)
Played: Colonel Hugh Curbishley in The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008)
Career highlights
Prolific character actor Christopher first appeared in Suspense (1962), and then popped up in The Man in Room 17 (1965), Orlando (1966), The Forsyte Saga (1967), Late Night Horror (1968), Ring of Bright Water (1969), Ace of Wands (1970), Jason King (1971), The Strauss Family (1972), Baffled! (1973), Father Brown (1974), Poldark (1975-76, as Sir Hugh Bodrugan), When the Boat Comes In (1976), Rooms (1977), Dick Turpin (1979-80, as Sir John Glutton), Shoestring (1980), Chintz (1981), Holding the Fort (1980/82, as Colonel Aubrey Sanderson), It Takes a Worried Man (1981/83, as the Old Man), Minder (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1986), The Diary of Anne Frank (1987), Young Charlie Chaplin (1989), Anything More Would Be Greedy (1989), Campion (1990), Maigret (1992), The Tomorrow People (1994), Hard Times (1994), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Treasure Island (1999), Judge John Deed (2003/06, as Steve Gaydon), Angel (2007), The Merry Wives of Windsor (2011) and The Legend of Tarzan (2016).
Facts
Christopher reprised the role of Jago in 2009 for Big Finish audios and has been playing him alongside Trevor Baxter as Litefoot ever since.

Dave Carter (Primord) Click here for Dave Carter's entry on Doctor Who and the Silurians

Sheila Dunn (Petra Williams) Apr 11 1940 to Mar 3 2004
Doctor Who credits
Played: Blossom Lefevre in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Computer voice/ telephone operator in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Petra Williams in Inferno (1970)
Played: Dr Petra Williams in Inferno (1970)
Career highlights
Sheila's other credits include R3 (1965), Z Cars (1967), Mistress of Hardwick (1972), The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1974), Accident (1978), Kessler (1981), The Bill (1997) and Harry Hill (1997-2000, in which she played Harry's mother).
Facts
Sheila was married to director Douglas Camfield, who cast her in three of his Doctor Who stories, and her father was Bill Dunn, inventor of the bullet-proof Spitfire engine and chairman of ICI. In the 1980s and 90s Sheila was a leading light in the Richmond Shakespeare Society (as Sheila Camfield), and popped up on TV in the oddest of places - including playing an old and obese Baby Spice in An Audience with the Spice Girls (1997)!

Ian Fairbairn (Bromley) Sep 17 1931 to Dec 2 2014
Doctor Who credits
Played: Questa in The Macra Terror (1967)
Played: Gregory in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Bromley in Inferno (1970)
Played: Dr Chester in The Seeds of Doom (1976)
Career highlights
Ian's career began with a 1960 episode of Scotland Yard, and then appeared in Emergency Ward 10 (1961-62), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), The Troubleshooters (1969), The Lotus Eaters (1973), The Professionals (1977/80), Dramarama (1986) and Last of the Summer Wine (1991). Self-confessed hoarder Ian, who played Dr Frazer in Timeslip between 1970-71, retained the only original Timeslip scripts known to exist!

Pat Gorman (Primord) May 10 1933 to Oct 9 2018 Click here for Pat Gorman's entry on The Invasion

Walter Henry (Primord) Oct 24 1921 to Feb 21 2005 (heart attack in his sleep)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Extra in The Myth Makers (1965, uncredited), Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970, uncredited)
Played: Primord in Inferno (1970)
Played: Brother in The Masque of Mandragora (1976, uncredited)
Career highlights
Walter's other appearances include Emma (1960), Public Eye (1965), The Goodies (1971), The Troubleshooters (1971), Rumpole of the Bailey (1979), Blake's 7 (1981), Father's Day (1984) and The Whistle Blower (1986).
Facts
Before World War Two, Walter (birthname Israel W Nagelkop!) was employed by the Max Factor cosmetics company, and soon after the war he worked as a film publicist and began to do occasional extra work on films such as 1948's The First Gentleman and 1949's I Was a Male War Bride.

Keith James (Patterson) Dec 10 1937 to Dec 5 1996
Career highlights
Keith first appeared in Maupassant (1963), then The Villains (1964), Dutchman (1967), Coronation Street (1967), Mr Rose (1968), Castle Haven (1969), Paul Temple (1971), Holly (1972), North and South (1975), The Battle of Billy's Pond (1976), Bernie (1978/80), Graham's Gang (1979), Dick Turpin (1979-80, as Davy) and The Chinese Detective (1982). He also wrote a 1968 episode of Coronation Street (as S Keith James), making him one of seven people to both appear in and write for the soap.

John Levene (Benton / Platoon Under Leader Benton) Born Dec 24 1941 Click here for John Levene's entry on The Web of Fear

Derek Newark (Greg Sutton) Jun 8 1933 to Aug 11 1998 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Za in An Unearthly Child (1963)
Played: Greg Sutton in Inferno (1970)
Career highlights
Derek made his screen debut in Out of This World (1962), followed by roles in Redcap (1964), Front Page Story (1965), The Baron (1967), The Caesars (1968), three episodes of The Avengers (1964-68), Fragment of Fear (1970), Dad's Army (1971), Budgie (1971-72), Private Schulz (1981), Travelling Man (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1986), War and Remembrance (1988), The Nineteenth Hole (1989) and 99-1 (1994). Derek is fondly remembered as DI Tucker in Barlow at Large (1974-75), and Detective Chief Superintendent Sullivan in Travelling Man (1984), while he had the memorable role of wrestler tenant Spooner in two episodes of sitcom Rising Damp (1974-75).
Facts
Derek served in the Merchant Navy and Coldstream Guards before becoming a Services DJ in Singapore.

Olaf Pooley (Professor / Director Stahlman) Mar 13 1914 to Jul 14 2015 DOCTOR WHO CENTENARIAN!
Career highlights
Olaf made his acting debut in Penny and the Pownall Case (1948), and then appeared in She Shall Have Murder (1950), The Woman's Angle (1952), Gravelhanger (1954), Leave It to Todhunter (1958), Deadline Midnight (1961), The Password is Courage (1962), The Master (1966), The Assassination Bureau (1969), Doomwatch (1971), Fall of Eagles (1974), Killers (1976), A Horseman Riding By (1978), The Sandbaggers (1978), Scarecrow and Mrs King (1984), MacGyver (1985), Nightmare Classics (1989), LA Law (1992), Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman (1996), Star Trek: Voyager (2000) and Fellini's Donut (2005). Olaf has also written screenplays for The Corpse (1971), The Johnstown Monster (1971, which he also appeared in and directed), The Godsend (1980), Falcon's Gold (1982) and Lifeforce (1985, uncredited).
Facts
Olaf's uncle was Sir Ernest Pooley, who was made a baronet of Westbrook House in 1953 and served as chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain between 1946-53. Ernest was also a professional tennis player, having played two matches at the 1914 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles and two in the Gentlemen's Doubles (partnered with H S Milford). Olaf and his first wife, the actress Irlin Hall, had two children - the actress Kirstie Pooley and the one-time comedian Seyton Pooley. Olaf's second wife Gabrielle Beaumont directed numerous episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. He was a lifetime professionally trained painter, having studied under Marcel Grommaire in Paris, and had an art studio at Santa Monica Airport. Olaf became Doctor Who's second centenarian when she turned 100 years old in 2014. Three months before Olaf died, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to raise money to buy him new dentures. After his death, it became a memorial fund and raised $1,850. Read an interview with Olaf published just weeks before he died on StarTrek.com.

Walter Randall (Harry Slocum) Jun 26 1929 to May 5 2006
Doctor Who credits
Played: Tonila in The Aztecs (1964)
Played: El Akir in The Crusade (1965)
Played: Hyksos in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Patrolman in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Harry Slocum in Inferno (1970)
Played: Guard captain in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Dancer/ actor Walter's long career began in Rock You Sinners (1958), then Nudist Paradise (1959), Man from Interpol (1960), The Hands of Orlac (1961), Ghost Squad (1963), Danger Man (1964), All Gas and Gaiters (1967), Trial (1971), Follyfoot (1973), The Double Dealers (1974), Target (1977), The Professionals (1980) and Yes, Minister (1982).
Facts
Former dancer Walter went into partnership with Jon Pertwee in the 1970s, owning a hamburger diner.

Philip Ryan (Primord) 1921 to 2009
Doctor Who credits
Played: Soldier in The Web of Fear (1968, uncredited)
Played: Redcoat in The Mind Robber (1968)
Played: Primord in Inferno (1970)
Career highlights
Philip's first credit was in The Hands of Orlac (1960), followed by Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Paul Temple (1971), North and South (1975), Shoestring (1979), Sorry! (1985), Dempsey and Makepeace (1986), The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986) and Me and My Girl (1987).

Roy Scammell (RSF sentry) Jul 28 1932 to May 15 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Soldier in The Ambassadors of Death (1970, uncredited)
Played: Technician in The Ambassadors of Death (1970)
Played: RSF sentry in Inferno (1970)
Stunt arranger: Terror of the Autons (1971, uncredited), Delta and the Bannermen (1987, uncredited)
Played: Prison officer in The Mind of Evil (1971, uncredited)
Played: UNIT motorcyclist in The Mind of Evil (1971, uncredited)
Career highlights
Debuting in Circus of Fear (1966), stuntman Roy's other credits include The Dirty Dozen (1967), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Onedin Line (1971-72), The Benny Hill Show (1972), Psychomania (1973), The Sexplorer (1975), Rollerball (1975), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Midnight Express (1978), The World is Full of Married Men (1979), Alien (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Into the Labyrinth (1981-82), Nuns on the Run (1990), Goldeneye (1995), Do Not Disturb (1999), Ultra Obscura (2008), Tell Him Next Year (2010) and Seize the Night (2015).
Facts
Roy's extensive daredevil career has taken in acting, stuntwork, ice skating (which he did for the Festival of Britain in 1951), roller skating, hockey, gymnastics - and lithographic printing.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Roy, along with stuntmen Royston Farrell and Derek Martin, here.

David Simeon (Private Latimer) Born May 17 1943
Doctor Who credits
Played: Private Latimer in Inferno (1970)
Played: Alastair Fergus in The Daemons (1971)
Career highlights
Debuting in Sexton Blake (1967), David went on to appear in Paul Temple (1970), The Liver Birds (1972/76), Casanova (1973), Fawlty Towers (1975), The Dick Emery Show (1976), The Other One (1977), Sykes (1979), End of Part One (1979-80, as a celebrity impersonator), Vice Versa (1981), The New Adventures of Lucky Jim (1982), Angels (1978-80/83), The Lenny Henry Show (1984), Ever Decreasing Circles (1986), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Moon and Son (1992), Woof! (1994), An Independent Man (1995), The Grand (1997), Silent Witness (2000), Tipping the Velvet (2002), Eat Yourself Slim (2005) and Doctors (2005). He also had regular roles as Detective Constable Mickey Finn in Hunter's Walk (1973-76), Richard Woodford in The Many Wives of Patrick (1976-78) and David Farrell in Jury (1983) and Ken Kennedy in Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married (1999-2000).
Facts
His wife in the 1970s was actress Elizabeth Counsell, best known for playing Veronica Bainbridge in sitcom Brush Strokes. You can listen to an audio interview conducted with David in 2006 for the British Library's Theatre Archive Project.

Peter Thompson (Primord) 1925 to 1999
Doctor Who credits
Played: Workman in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Primord in Inferno (1970)
Career highlights
Peter made his debut in Stranger on the Shore (1961), and then popped up in Z Cars (1964), Six Shades of Black (1965), Frankie Howerd (1966), Ollie and Fred's Five O'Clock Club (1966), Freewheelers (1968), Kemek (1970), Twins of Evil (1971), Plugg (1975), High Rolling (1977), Prisoner: Cell Block H (1979/80), The Other Woman (1981), Channel Chaos (1984) and Neighbours (1986).

Derek Ware (Private Wyatt) Feb 27 1938 to Sep 22 2015 (cancer) Click here for Derek Ware's entry on The Crusade

CREW

Don Houghton (writer) Feb 2 1930 to Jul 2 1991
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: Inferno (1970), The Mind of Evil (1971)
Career highlights
Paris-born Don's other writing work included 38 episodes of Emergency Ward 10 (1965-67), Ace of Wands (1970), The Flaxton Boys (1969-70, which he also script edited), Dracula AD 1972 (1972), New Scotland Yard (1972-73), The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973, which he also produced), The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974, also a producer), Shatter (1974), The Doombolt Chase (1978), The Professionals (1978-79), Sapphire & Steel (1981), Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984, which he also script edited) and CATS Eyes (1985). He also created the Scottish soap Take the High Road (1980-2003), and wrote five scripts for it (1980).
Facts
Don was married to actress Pik-Sen Lim, who appeared in The Mind of Evil, while their daughter is actress Sara Houghton (who appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2011). He also wrote novels, including Column of Thieves and Blood Brigade, and the Take the High Road spin-off Summer's Gloaming.

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

Barry Letts (director (uncredited) and producer) Mar 26 1925 to Oct 9 2009 (cancer) Click here for Barry Letts's entry on The Enemy of the World

Terrance Dicks (script editor) Apr 14 1935 to Aug 29 2019 Click here for Terrance Dicks's entry on The Invasion