The Creature from the Pit

"Stop!" exclaimed the Doctor. "This
monster is just too silly!"

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Oct 27 to Nov 17 1979
Average audience for serial: 9.98m

REGULAR CAST

Tom Baker (The Doctor) Born Jan 20 1934 Click here for Tom Baker's entry on Robot

Lalla Ward (Romana) Born Jun 28 1951 Click here for Lalla Ward's entry on The Armageddon Factor

David Brierly (Voice of K-9) Jan 1935 to Jun 10 2008 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Voice of K-9 in The Creature from the Pit, Nightmare of Eden, The Horns of Nimon (1979-80). He also recorded extra dialogue for the VHS release of the unbroadcast Shada (1992)
Career highlights
David's earliest acting credit was on Noddy in Toyland (1957) voicing Jinky, followed by The Voodoo Factor (1959), Emergency Ward 10 (1960), Harpers West One (1961), Calculated Risk (1963), The Valiant Varneys (1964), The Flying Swan (1965), Sex Through the Ages (1974), Escort Girls (1975), Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976), Frankie Howerd Strikes Again (1981), Threads (1984), One By One (1985), The Tripods (1985), Howards' Way (1986) and Blind Justice (1988). He also narrated the 1978 series Planet Water, and provided the voice for K-9 during an appearance on children's show Blue Peter in 1979.
Facts
David was an expert sailor, long-distance runner and keen fell walker.

GUEST CAST

Morris Barry (Tollund) Feb 9 1918 to Nov 20 2000
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Moonbase (1967), The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), The Dominators (1968)
Played: Tollund in The Creature from the Pit (1979)
Career highlights
Morris started out behind the cameras, directing Escape (1957), Barnaby Rudge (1960), Compact (1962), 199 Park Lane (1965), Spy Trap (1972) and Angels (1975), as well as producing The Common Room (1959), Swizzlewick (1964), Compact, The Donati Conspiracy (1973), Spy Trap (1972-75), State of Emergency (1975), Poldark (1975-76) and Count Dracula (1977), but in the 1970s he moved into acting, debuting in Blake's 7 (1979) and including All Creatures Great and Small (1980), Nanny (1983), Hi-De-Hi! (1984) and Mapp and Lucia (1986).
Facts
His wife was actress Sally Lahee.

Geoffrey Bayldon (Organon) Jan 7 1924 to May 10 2017 (respiratory complications)
Career highlights
Geoffrey appeared in a huge amount of productions since debuting in The Stranger Left No Card in 1952, and his career continued with The Merry Wives of Windsor (1955), Horror of Dracula (1958), A Night to Remember (1958), Portrait of a Sinner (1959), An Age of Kings (1960), Bomb in the High Street (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963), The Victorians (1963), The Massingham Affair (1964), King Rat (1965), The Woman in White (1966), Casino Royale (1967, as Q), To Sir, With Love (1967), Inspector Clouseau (1968), A Dandy in Aspic (1968), Journey to the Unknown (1969), Scrooge (1970),  The House That Dripped Blood (1971), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Asylum (1972), Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973), Alice Through the Looking Glass (1973), Edward the King (1975), The Tomorrow People (1976), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), Devenish (1977), The Monster Club (1981), Blott on the Landscape (1985), Star Cops (1987), Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989), TECX (1990), Magic Grandad (1993-94), Pie in the Sky (1995), Peak Practice (1998), Ladies in Lavender (2004), New Tricks (2007), Love/ Loss (2010) and My Family (2010). He also played a waiter in the Marc Bolan documentary film Born to Boogie (1972), directed by Beatle Ringo Starr. His most memorable roles were the title character in Catweazle (1970-71), the Crowman in Worzel Gummidge (1979-81) and the Professor in activity game show Fort Boyard (1998-2001).
Facts
Geoffrey was originally asked to play the Doctor before William Hartnell, and then Patrick Troughton, but he did get his chance in two audio plays produced by Big Finish in 2003-05 (Auld Mortality and A Storm of Angels), playing an alternative Doctor. In interview, Geoffrey said: "I've never been in love with sci-fi. It doesn't terribly interest me. I turned [Doctor Who] down simply because I'd been playing old men and I didn't want to play any more. I didn't read a script so I never turned an offer down – and when I got Catweazle I thought, 'That's why I turned Doctor Who down!' I've played the part on audios since and thoroughly enjoyed doing it." His long-term partner was actor Alan Rowe, who appeared in Doctor Who stories such as Horror of Fang Rock and Full Circle. In 1986 Geoffrey provided vocals for the song The Wizard by Paul Hardcastle, which was subsequently used as the theme for BBC music show Top of the Pops (without the vocals) between 1986-91.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Geoffrey here.

John Bryans (Torvin) Died Mar 2 1989
Career highlights
John debuted in The Verdict (1964), then took roles in Martin Chuzzlewit (1964), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1965), Take a Pair of Private Eyes (1966), Kenilworth (1967), Nana (1968), The Contenders (1969), Roads to Freedom (1970), The House That Dripped Blood (1971), Cousin Bette (1971), Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), Rock Follies (1976), London Belongs to Me (1977), Backs to the Land (1978), The Glums (1979), Thomas and Sarah (1979), Blake's 7 (1978-80), The Borgias (1981), Nanny (1982-83), Only Fools and Horses (1983) and Me and My Girl (1985). He played Clerk of Chambers/ William Corletti in 21 episodes of Justice between 1973-74.

Philip Denyer (Guard)
This was Oxford graduate Philip's only credit, although in 2008 he was an usher at the funeral of theatre director John Chilvers.

Myra Frances (Lady Adrasta) Apr 13 1942 to Mar 30 2021 (cancer)
Career highlights
Myra first appeared in The Newcomers (1968), followed by The Ha Ha (1969), A Present for Dickie (1970), The Ten Commandments (1971), Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1973), Men of Affairs (1973), Intimate Strangers (1974), Second City Firsts (1974), Heidi (1974), Survivors (1975), Hadleigh (1976), Crown Court (1976/82), Red Shift (1978), Very Like a Whale (1980), Remembrance (1982) and The Gentle Touch (1984).
Facts
Myra performed, with Alison Steadman, the first lesbian kiss on British TV in Second City Firsts. Myra married actor Peter Egan, of Ever Decreasing Circles fame, in 1977, and their actress daughter is Rebecca Egan.

Edward Kelsey (Edu) Jun 4 1930 to Apr 23 2019
Doctor Who credits
Played: Slave buyer in The Romans (1965)
Played: Resno in The Power of the Daleks (1966)
Played: Edu in The Creature from the Pit (1979)
Career highlights
Debuted in Mary Britten MD (1958), then The Men from Room 13 (1961), The Avengers (1962), St Ives (1967), The Saint (1968), Doomwatch (1970), Cranford (1972), Shoestring (1979), Minder (1982), Anna of the Five Towns (1985), Casualty (1987), The Vicar of Dibley (1994), Brush with Fate (2003) and Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005). Edward also memorably provided the voice of Baron Silas Greenback and Colonel K in the cartoon series Danger Mouse (1981-92). Since 1985 he also played Joe Grundy on BBC Radio 4's long-running soap The Archers.

Tim Munro (Ainu) Born Jun 8 1951
Doctor Who credits
Played: Ainu in The Creature from the Pit (1979)
Played: Sigurd in Terminus (1983)
Career highlights
Tim's first TV role was Only the Other Day in 1974, followed by The Anatomist by James Bridie (1980), Nanny (1981), Great Expectations (1981), A Christmas Carol (1984), Running Loose (1988), EastEnders (1991), Minder (1994), Dangerfield (1995), The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999), The Alchemists (1999), Casanova's Last Stand (2007), Holby Blue (2008), Casualty (2014) and Murder Maps (2016). He also had a regular role as Norman Children in Judge John Deed (2001-06), and in 1990 wrote an episode of Boon.
Facts
Tim's grandfather was veteran actor Ivor Barnard, his parents were actors Hugh Munro and Pamela Barnard, and his brother was the late director David Munro (making Tim a sometime brother-in-law of fellow Doctor Who guest actors Susan Penhaligon and Sharon Duce!).

Dave Redgrave (Guard)
Career highlights
Dave's further credits include Poppyland (1985), Defrosting the Fridge (1989), The Chief (1991), London's Burning (1996) and The Last Horror Movie (2003).

David Telfer (Huntsman)
Career highlights
David's first role was in Target (1978), followed by Bognor (1981), Britannia Hospital (1982), The Whistle Blower (1986), Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1990), Spender (1991), Kappatoo (1992), The Famous Five (1995), Accused (1996), Trial and Retribution (1997), EastEnders (1998), At Home with the Braithwaites (2000), The Royal (2003) and Heartbeat (1999/2003). He also played the semi-regular character Councillor Ecclestone in soap Emmerdale (2000/02).
Facts
David is married to actress Alison Ambler (whose sister is actress Rachel Ambler - both Amblers made their name in the history series How We Used to Live in the 1970s/80s).

Terry Walsh (Doran) May 5 1939 to Apr 21 2002 (cancer) Click here for Terry Walsh's entry on Terror of the Autons

Eileen Way (Karela) Sep 2 1911 to Jun 16 1994
Doctor Who credits
Played: Old Mother in An Unearthly Child (1963)
Played: Old Woman in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD (film, 1966)
Played: Karela in The Creature from the Pit (1979)
Career highlights
Eileen's long CV stretches back to The Gay Lord Quex (1938), with subsequent roles in The Happy Family (1952), They Who Dare (1954), Barbie (1955), The Vikings (1958), The Singer Not the Song (1961), Vendetta for the Saint (1968), Poldark (1977), Sphinx (1981), The Rainbow (1988), Birds of a Feather (1991), Century Falls (1993, in which she played Alice Harkness - the series was written by Russell T Davies!) and Sean's Show (1992-93, as Mrs Pebbles). A recurring role was as Minty in By the Sword Divided (1983-85).
Facts
Eileen was married to psychiatrist Felix Brown until his death in 1972, and with her husband took part in the Aldermaston anti-nuclear marches in the 1950s and 60s.

Tommy Wright (Guardmaster) Jul 12 1926 to May 5 1999
Career highlights
Tommy made his debut in Steppin' Out (1959), then 1961's Cinderella, Stars and Garters (1964-65), The Mini-Mob (1967), Frustrated Wives (1973), The Optimists of Nine Elms (1973), Dial M for Murder (1974), The Brothers (1975), Sykes (1976), The Quiz Kid (1979), The Elephant Man (1980), Young At Heart (1980-81), The Boys in Blue (1982), Bread (1987), The Phantom of the Opera (1989), Drop the Dead Donkey (1991), Chaplin (1992), Frankenstein (1994), Soldier Soldier (1997) and Home Farm Twins (1999).

CREW

David Fisher (writer) Apr 13 1929 to Jan 10 2018
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Stones of Blood (1978), The Androids of Tara (1978), The Creature from the Pit (1979), The Leisure Hive (1980), and provided the original concept for what became City of Death (1979).
Career highlights
David's other writing work includes Between the Lines (1965), This Man Craig (1966-67), Orlando (1967), Dixon of Dock Green (1969), Crime of Passion (1971), The Troubleshooters (1969-71), The Lotus Eaters (1972), Sutherland's Law (1973), Crown Court (1972-75), General Hospital (1975-77), The Mackinnons (1977), Hammer House of Horror (1980) and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984). David also wrote several non-fiction books about World War Two with Anthony Read, his sometime script editor on Doctor Who.
Facts
He submitted a script entitled A Gamble with Time for Doctor Who's 17th season, but due to a tricky divorce he had to withdraw, and the concept became City of Death, one of the series' best loved stories.

Christopher Barry (director) Sep 20 1925 to Feb 7 2014 (following a fall) Click here for Christopher Barry's entry on The Daleks

Graham Williams (producer) May 24 1945 to Aug 17 1990 (shooting incident) Click here for Graham Williams's entry on Horror of Fang Rock

Douglas Adams (script editor) Mar 11 1952 to May 11 2001 (heart attack) Click here for Douglas Adams's entry on The Pirate Planet