The Claws of Axos

The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) takes a break
in the Axons' disco chamber

Four episodes (Episode One, Episode Two, Episode Three, Episode Four)
First broadcast Mar 13 to Apr 3 1971
Average audience for serial: 7.38m

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

Katy Manning (Jo Grant) Born Oct 14 1946 Click here for Katy Manning's entry on Terror of the Autons

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

Richard Franklin (Captain Mike Yates) Jan 15 1936 to Dec 25 2023 Click here for Richard Franklin's entry on Terror of the Autons

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

Roger Delgado (The Master) Mar 1 1918 to Jun 18 1973 (car accident) Click here for Roger Delgado's entry on Terror of the Autons

GUEST CAST

Peter Bathurst (Chinn) May 4 1912 to Jun 1989
Doctor Who credits
Played: Hensell in The Power of the Daleks (1966)
Played: Chinn in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Career highlights
First appearing in The Passing Show (1951) after working in Australia in the 1940s, Peter's work includes The Bell Family (1951, as narrator), Old Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952), Gift Horse (1952), The Quatermass Experiment (1953), John and Julie (1955), Kenilworth (1957), The Army Game (1960), Bootsie and Snudge (1963), R3 (1964), The Murder Game (1965), Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), as Dr Upton in Doctor in the House (1969) and Doctor at Large (1971), War and Peace (1972) and Moonbase 3 (1973).
Facts
In the 1960s Peter (born Apsley Dundas Bathurst) ran a popular coffee bar on London's King's Road, but this business seemed to fall through, as his actress daughter Linda Marlowe said in an interview in 2001: "[It should] have been a goldmine but he was too trusting and was bamboozled by people." Peter's daughter was once married to actor William Marlowe (who appeared in the Doctor Who stories The Mind of Evil and Revenge of the Cybermen).

Kenneth Benda (Minister) Jun 3 1902 to Jul 26 1978
Career highlights
Kenneth's career began in a 1963 episode of No Hiding Place, and he continued in The Saint (1964), Bindle (One of Them Days) (1966), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), The Prisoner (1967), Doctor in the House (1969), Scream and Scream Again (1970), Secrets of Sex (1970), The Search for the Nile (1971), Scoop (1972), Horror Hospital (1973), The Stud (1974), The Pallisers (1974), The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation As We Know It (1977), The Basil Brush Show (1977) and International Velvet (1978).

Royston Farrell (Technician) 1937 to Jan 17 2017
Doctor Who credits
Played: Guardian in The Ark (1966, uncredited)
Played: Elder in The Savages (1966, uncredited)
Played: Technician in The Seeds of Death (1969, uncredited), The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Guard in The Curse of Peladon (1972, uncredited)
Career highlights
Royston's other work includes The Avengers (1965/66/67), a 1968 Play of the Month, Crooks and Coronets (1969), The Gentle Touch (1984) and Never the Twain (1986).
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Royston, along with stuntmen Derek Martin and Roy Scammell, here.

Patricia Gordino (Axon woman)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Axon woman in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Technic in The Sun Makers (1977, uncredited)
Career highlights
Other work include Pegasus (1969), The Culture Vultures (1970), Engelbert with the Young Generation (1972), The Basil Brush Show (1972), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) and Within These Walls (1975).

Paul Grist (Bill Filer) Born Jan 18 1939
Career highlights
Paul's first credit was in The Avengers (1961), followed by The Valiant Varneys (1964), 199 Park Lane (1965), Triton (1968), Pegasus (1969), New Scotland Yard (1972), Survivors (1976), Kidnapped (1978) and Blake's 7 (1979).
Facts
Paul left the acting profession to become a racer and restorer of vintage cars, including Alfa-Romeos and Maseratis, setting up the company Traction-Seabert in 1976. Here's an interesting article about Paul's post-acting career from February 2015 (not sure why he claims he was in two series of Doctor Who though!). Here's Paul with his son Matt pictured in July 2015.

Donald Hewlett (Hardiman) Aug 30 1920 to Jun 4 2011 (pneumonia)
Career highlights
Debuting in Orders Are Orders (1954), character actor Donald went on to appear in Dead Giveaway (1957), The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull (1959), Bottoms Up (1960), Compact (1962, which he also wrote for), Hancock (1963), HMS Paradise (1964), Coronation Street (1965), You Can't Win (1966), The Ronnie Barker Playhouse (1968), The Very Merry Widow and How (1969), And Mother Makes Three (1971), Now Look Here (1971-73), Ooh La La! (1973), Carry On Behind (1975), Rogues' Rock (1976), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1977), Come Back Mrs Noah (1977-78), The Dick Emery Show (1981), Andy Robson (1982), Lovejoy (1986), Pulaski (1987), The Russ Abbot Show (1989) and The Upper Hand (1995). Donald's most famous roles were as Colonel Charles Reynolds in 56 episodes of It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974-81) and Lord George Meldrum in 26 episodes of You Rang, M'Lord? (1988-93).
Facts
Donald's daughter is actress Siobhan Hewlett, who for a time was dating X-Factor contender Ben Mills, of whom Donald's third wife, actor Therese McMurray, said: "Ben's gorgeous, a real catch. If he hadn't dated my daughter I'd have asked him to go out with me." Donald's first of three wives was actress Christine Pollon (who provided the Oracle's voice in Underworld (1978)), while his father was Thomas Hewlett, the Conservative MP for Manchester Exchange during World War Two and who also owned the Anchor Chemical Company in the city. Donald's brother, the Conservative politician Thomas Clyde Hewlett, was made Baron Hewlett of Swettenham in 1972, but died in unexplained circumstances aged 56 in 1979. During World War Two Donald served with the Royal Navy as a meteorologist. Donald's last acting turn was on stage with Ronnie Corbett in pantomime Mother Goose in Bromley in 1996, after which he had to retire due to epilepsy, caused by a damaged heart valve, and eventually developed Alzheimer's Disease.

John Hicks (Axon boy) Born 1955
Doctor Who credits
Played: Quark in The Dominators (1968)
Played: Axon boy in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Career highlights
His only other credits include Dixon of Dock Green (1968), Out of the Unknown (1969) and Whack-O! (1972).
Facts
John and fellow Quark actors Gary Smith and Freddie Wilson were school friends. When he was 13, John played the title role in Oliver! at London's Piccadilly Theatre. As an adult, John moved to live in New Zealand and worked for a commercial cleaning company. In an interview in 2000 regarding The Dominators, John said: "In England at the time, Doctor Who was the 'in thing', the ultimate in science fiction. We used to play with the TV cameras [in our lunch breaks] until one day a voice came from nowhere - the control room, I guess - telling us not to move them!"

Bernard Holley (Axon man) Aug 9 1940 to Nov 22 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Peter Haydon in The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
Played: Axon man in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Career highlights
His CV included The Newcomers (1966), Elizabeth R (1971), Please Sir! (1971-2), General Hospital (1974), Carry on Laughing (1975), Rocky O'Rourke (1976), Clayhanger (1976), A Question of Guilt (1980), Mackenzie (1980), The Deceivers (1981), Now and Then (1983-84), The Tripods (1985), Eureka (1982-86), After Henry (1988-89), Surgical Spirit (1990), Taggart (1990), Thatcher: The Final Days (1991), The Knock (1994), Birds of a Feather (1998), Hollyoaks (2001), Sweet Medicine (2003), The Courtroom (2004), Tanner (2007), That's English (2011), A Voice to Die For (2013), Extended Rest (2014), By Lethe Betrayed (2016) and Acting Anecdotes with Jeremy Olivier (2019). Bernard is best known as PC Bill Newcombe in over 270 episodes of Z Cars (1967-71) and A Lot of Fuss About Light (2010), and Mike Turnbull in The Gentle Touch (1982-84) and CATS Eyes (1985).
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Bernard here.

Debbie Lee London (Axon girl) Born Jul 5 1957
Career highlights
Along with Jeffrey Dobinson, Debbie Lee was the 1976 World Amateur Latin Dance champion for England. Now known as Debbie-Lee Bailey, she has become a qualified dance and fitness and Pilates instructor (having previously dabbled in West End performances in the musical Cats). See what she's up to now on Twitter!

Fernanda Marlowe (Corporal Bell) Born 1942
Doctor Who credits
Played: Corporal Bell in The Mind of Evil, The Claws of Axos (both 1971)
Career highlights
Fernanda's other credits include Ghost Squad (1963), My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen (1963) and Dixon of Dock Green (1965).

David G Marsh (Second radar operator) Feb 18 1925 to Aug 25 1999
Career highlights
David (sometimes credited as David March) also took roles in As You Like It (1946), A Bullet in the Ballet (1947), A Man for All Seasons (1957), The Adventures of Alice (1960), The Power Game (1966), Seeing and Believing (1966-67), The Benny Hill Show (1968), The First Churchills (1969), Eric Robinson Presents (1969-70), The Expert (1971), The Basil Brush Show (1973), Warship (1974), Survivors (1975), Captain Zep: Space Detective (1983) and Zig Zag (1987/93).
Awards
1985: Sony Award for Best Radio Actor (Mr Norris Changes Trains)
Facts
David nursed his partner Derek Lewis, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease, in the final years of his life.

Tim Pigott-Smith (Captain Harker) May 13 1946 to Apr 7 2017 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Captain Harker in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Marco in The Masque of Mandragora (1976)
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Tim's first TV job (he was paid £60). Further credits include Boswell's Life of Johnson (1971), The Regiment (1972), North and South (1975), The Lost Boys (1978), Hannah (1980), Clash of the Titans (1981), I Remember Nelson (1982), Struggle (1983-84), The Jewel in the Crown (1984, as Ronald Merrick), The Challenge (1986), The Remains of the Day (1993), Dr Terrible's House of Horrible (2001), Kavanagh QC (2001), Spooks (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), Johnny English (2003), Alexander (2004), V for Vendetta (2005), Normal for Norfolk (2006), Holby Blue (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (2011/13), The Hour (2011), Downton Abbey (2012), The Bletchley Circle (2014), 37 Days (2014), Houdini (2014), Jupiter Ascending (2015), Lewis (2015), Decline and Fall (2017), King Charles III (2017) and Victoria and Abdul (2017). He regularly played John Stafford in The Chief (1990-93) and Frank Vickers in The Vice (2001-03).
Awards
1985: BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor (The Jewel in the Crown)
2017: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama
Facts
Tim graduated from the University of Bristol and frequently lectured at its drama department. Tim's voice was often heard on programme voiceovers and audiobooks. His wife was actress Pamela Miles, while his son Tom is a concert solo violinist. Spookily, Tim died on the very same day as Christopher Morahan, who directed him in The Jewel in the Crown, for which they each won a BAFTA.

David Savile (Winser) Born Nov 3 1936
Doctor Who credits
Played: Lieutenant Carstairs in The War Games (1969)
Played: Winser in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Crichton in The Five Doctors (1983)
Career highlights
David's career has been busy since he made his first appearance in a 1965 episode of Out of the Unknown, including Pride and Prejudice (1967), The Power Game (1969), Hell Boats (1970), The Man Who Was Hunting Himself (1972), The Big Sleep (1978), Out (1978), Kinvig (1981), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Shine On Harvey Moon (1985), Howards' Way (1988), Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992), The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995), Peak Practice (1999), Cambridge Spies (2003), New Tricks (2004) and Tan Lines (2005). He also regularly played Lieutenant Commander Beaumont in over 30 episodes of Warship (1973-76) and Max Barker in Kinsey (1991-92).
Facts
He was once married to actress Lois Baxter, who appeared in The Androids of Tara (1978).

Michael Walker (First radar operator)
Doctor Who credits
Played: First radar operator in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Miseus in The Time Monster (1972)
Career highlights
Starting out as a child actor, Michael's other credits include Bob's Your Uncle (1949), Chu Chin Chow On Ice (1953), Family Portrait  (1955), Dead Giveaway (1957), Crossroads (1973), Target (1977), The Onedin Line (1979), Terry and June (1981), Cold Warrior (1984), Howards' Way (1988), Coronation Street (1997) and Jericho (2000).

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

CREW

Bob Baker (writer) Jul 26 1939 to Nov 3 2021
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Claws of Axos (1971), The Mutants (1972), The Three Doctors (1972-73), The Sontaran Experiment (1975), The Hand of Fear (1976), The Invisible Enemy (1977), Underworld (1978), The Armageddon Factor (1979), Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Career highlights
With writing partner Dave Martin, Bob wrote eight Doctor Who serials, and a ninth on his own. Bob's writing career began with Doctor Who, followed by stints on Thick as Thieves (1971), Pretenders (1972), Arthur of the Britons (1972), Z Cars (1974), Public Eye (1975), Sky (1976), Machinegunner (1976), King of the Castle (1977), Follow Me (1977), Scorpion Tales (1978), Target (1977-78), Shoestring (1979), Into the Labyrinth (1981-82), Jangles (1982), Bergerac (1981/83), Call Me Mister (1986), Succubus (1987), The Jazz Detective (1992), Kipper (1997) and The Mysti Show (2004). As co-creator of the Doctor's robot dog K9, Bob was also series producer and one of the writers of the 2009 spin-off series K9. In recent years he has enjoyed international success as writer of the Wallace and Gromit Aardman animations, including The Wrong Trousers (1993), A Close Shave (1995), The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008) and Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention (2010, which he also produced). Bob also acted as script editor on Pretenders, Shoestring, Jangles, Into the Labyrinth, Call Me Mister and Peace One Day (2004), and was producer on Function Room (2004).
Awards
2009: BAFTA Film Award for Best Short Animation (A Matter of Loaf and Death) - shared with Steve Pegram and Nick Park
Facts
The character of Baker Bob in A Matter of Loaf and Death is named after Bob. Bob also helped create some of the animations for the BBC children's series Vision On in the late 1960s.
In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Bob here.

Dave Martin (writer) Jan 1 1935 to Mar 30 2007 (lung cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Claws of Axos (1971), The Mutants (1972), The Three Doctors (1972-73), The Sontaran Experiment (1975), The Hand of Fear (1976), The Invisible Enemy (1977), Underworld (1978), The Armageddon Factor (1979)
Career highlights
With writing partner Bob Baker, Dave wrote eight Doctor Who serials. Dave's writing career began with Doctor Who, followed by stints on Thick as Thieves (1971), Pretenders (1972), Arthur of the Britons (1972), Z Cars (1974), Late Night Drama (1974), Public Eye (1975), Sky (1976), Machinegunner (1976), King of the Castle (1977), Follow Me (1977), Scorpion Tales (1978), Target (1977-78), Into the Labyrinth (1981-82) and Succubus (1987). He was also story editor, along with Bob Baker, on Pretenders. Dave also wrote a 1986 Doctor Who 'choose your own adventure' book, entitled Search for the Doctor, featuring several of his previous inventions, including K9, Omega and Drax.
Facts
Dave and co-writer Bob were inspired to create K9 by the death of Dave's pet dog in a road accident. His second wife Celia was the daughter of prolific TV script writer Denis Constanduros.

Michael Ferguson (director) Jun 14 1937 to Oct 4 2021 Click here for Michael Ferguson's entry on The War Machines

Barry Letts (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