Dragonfire

The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) gets more
than he bargained for from well-informed
guard Arnheim (Chris MacDonnell)

Three episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three)
First broadcast Nov 23 to Dec 7 1987
Average audience for serial: 5.07m

REGULAR CAST

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor) Born Aug 20 1943 Click here for Sylvester McCoy's entry on Time and the Rani

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964 Click here for Bonnie Langford's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12

Sophie Aldred (Ace) Born Aug 20 1962
Doctor Who credits
Played: Ace in Dragonfire, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Happiness Patrol, Silver Nemesis, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Battlefield, Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric, Survival (1987-89). Return appearances in Dimensions in Time (1993), The Power of the Doctor (2022) and Tales of the TARDIS (2023).
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Sophie's acting break; her subsequent acting roles have been in Rainbow (1990), Melvin and Maureen's Musicagrams (1992-96), Zzzap! (1999-2001), EastEnders (1993), Shadow Play (2004), The Search for Simon (2013), Shadow Season (2013) and Cops and Monsters (2016). She has also been a TV presenter, often for children, including Corners (1988-90), Playdays (1990), Words and Pictures (1993), Tiny and Crew (1995-99) and It's a Mystery (1996), and has also done voice work for Sergeant Stripes (2003), Noddy in Toyland (2008), Dennis and Gnasher (2008), Bob the Builder (2009-10), Bananas in Pyjamas (2010-13) and Tree Fu Tom (2012-14). Sophie has also appeared in a number of Doctor Who spin-off video productions, such as More Than a Messiah (1992), The Zero Imperative (1994), Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans (1994), Mindgame (1998) and Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor (2019), and Big Finish's audio plays since 2000. In 1996, she wrote a book, Ace!, based on her time in Doctor Who, and in 2020 released the novel At Childhood's End, featuring Ace and the Thirteenth Doctor. She has also presented several BBC Schools radio series, including Singing Together, Music Workshop, Time and Tune and Music Box.
Facts
In 1990, Sophie had an affair with TV actor/ comedian Les Dennis while he was married to his first wife (Dennis documents this in his 2008 autobiography). Les left his wife to be with Sophie, and met Amanda Holden - due to become his second wife - while they were together. In 1997, Sophie married TV quiz show and sports programme presenter Vince Henderson. She shares her birthdate with both Sylvester McCoy and Anthony Ainley, as well as her own mother! Here's Sophie's website and Twitter.

GUEST CAST

Sean Blowers (Zed) Born Jan 12 1961
Career highlights
Sean made his debut in a 1985 episode of CATS Eyes, then appeared in Me and My Girl (1985), To Have and To Hold (1986), Crossroads (1987), Minder (1988), Bluebirds (1989), Tank Malling (1989), The Krays (1990), Black Beauty (1994), First Knight (1995), Staying Alive (1996), Best (2000), Dalziel and Pascoe (2005), Law and Order UK (2009), EastEnders (2014), Jericho (2016), Game of Thrones (2016) and I Am Vengeance (2018). His most famous role was firefighter John Hallam in 87 episodes of London's Burning (1988-96).

Miranda Borman (Stellar) Born Mar 5 1981
Career highlights
Miranda also appeared in Helping Henry (1988) and Playdays (1989).
Facts
Miranda also appeared as Young Cosette in a London West End run of Les Miserables in the 1980s, after which her family moved to Australia where she studied creative arts. It's difficult confirming facts about Miranda as she has in recent years been the subject of a bizarre identity theft in which somebody has been pretending to be her online. However, the real Miranda Borman is now a comedy cabaret performer going by the stage name Mindi Buttons.

Stephanie Fayerman (McLuhan) Born Oct 7 1947
Career highlights
Stephanie made her debut playing Aggie in Backs to the Land (1977-78), then took roles in Rumpole of the Bailey (1979), Bull Week (1980), Juliet Bravo (1980), Agony (1981), Miracles Take Longer (1984), Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987), Thin Air (1988), All Good Things (1991), Mothertime (1997), Ultraviolet (1998), Hearts and Bones (2001), The Brides in the Bath (2003), The Inbetweeners (2010), Doctors (2014), Father Brown (2017), Eaten By Lions (2018), Victoria (2019), Scarborough (2019), Sick of It (2020) and Call the Midwife (2020).

Lynn Gardner (Announcer)
Career highlights
Lynn's also appeared in On the Black Hill (1988), Tagget (1991) and Alleyn Mysteries (1994).
Facts
Lynn was initially cast as Ray in Delta and the Bannermen (1987) but the role had to be recast when she suffered a bad fall in a scooter accident. As recompense, Lynn was given this role in the following story.

Chris MacDonnell (Arnheim) Born Oct 30 1954
Career highlights
Chris's other work includes Out of Order (1987), Soldier Soldier (1991), The Bill (1993), Wycliffe (1996), The Great Dome Robbery (2002), Down to Earth (2003), Skins (2008), Courage, New Hampshire (2012) and Unlucky Charms (2013).
Facts
His late brother John was a BAFTA-winning film editor, while his great-niece Emily Carey is an actress who played a young Diana in Wonder Woman (2017) and a young Lara Croft in Tomb Raider (2018). Here's Chris, on Twitter!

Ian MacKenzie (Anderson)
Career highlights
Other work includes Doomwatch (1971), Within These Walls (1975), Target (1977), Into the Labyrinth (1981), Made in Heaven (1990) and Bookmark (1992).

Leslie Meadows (The Creature) Born Mar 29 1947
Doctor Who credits
Played: Adlon in Delta and the Bannermen (1987)
Played: The Creature in Dragonfire (1987)
Played: Cheetah Person in Survival (1989, uncredited)
Career highlights
Singer and dancer Leslie's further work includes Half a Sixpence (1967), Up the Junction (1968), Doomwatch (1970), Love Thy Neighbour (1972), The Apple (1980), Mack the Knife (1989) and Peak Practice (1995). He also played Alan Parker in Ours is a Nice House (1969-70).

Nigel Miles-Thomas (Pudovkin) Born Jun 23 1958
Career highlights
Nigel debuted uncredited playing a footballer in Carry On Emmannuelle (1978), after which he appeared in The Dick Emery Show (1980), How's Your Father? (1980), Metal Mickey (1981), Minder (1988), Middlemarch (1994) and 14 episodes of Grange Hill as Mr Davies (1995-96).
Facts
Nigel is now artistic director of Edinburgh Festival specialists Fringe Management as well as performance enhancement training company The Garnett Foundation, after having worked for London Full Circle Productions, which produced theatre for dinner occasions. In 1992, Nigel directed Zsa Zsa Gabor as the Fairy Godmother in a production of Cinderella at Los Angeles' University of California (UCLA) which resulted in him putting on a one-man show called Zsa Zsa and Me at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017.

Stuart Organ (Bazin) Nov 8 1951 to Feb 15 2024
Career highlights
Stuart's earliest role was in Those Glory Glory Days (1983), after which he took roles in By the Sword Divided (1983), Bulman (1985), Casualty (1996), This Life (1996), The Waiting Time (1999), London's Burning (2001), Bad Girls (2004), Mile High (2004), New Tricks (2005), Down to Earth (2004-05), Random Quest (2006), Maxwell (2007), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007-08), Crime Stories (2012) and Lucan (2013). He also had a recurring role as Kevin Cross in soap Brookside (1984-89), and provided voices for the English language version of the anime series The Legend of Snow White (1994-95). He will forever be remembered as teacher Peter Robson in more than 260 episodes of children's drama Grange Hill (1988-2003). In recent years Stuart has also provided voices for various video games, including Risen (2009), Dante's Inferno (2010), Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011/14/19) and Assassin's Creed: Unity (2014).

Tony Osoba (Kracauer) Born Mar 15 1947
Doctor Who credits
Played: Lan in Destiny of the Daleks (1979)
Played: Kracauer in Dragonfire (1987)
Played: Duke in Kill the Moon (2014)
Career highlights
Scottish born Tony made his earliest appearance in Antony and Cleopatra (1974), and then Crown Court (1976), Target (1978), Charles Endell Esq (1979-80), Star Games (1980), The Flame Trees of Thika (1981), Educating Marmaldade (1982), The Cleopatras (1983), Brookside (1984), Return to Treasure Island (1986), Gruey (1988), Snakes and Ladders (1989), Making News (1990), Coronation Street (1982/90), Watt on Earth (1991), Between the Lines (1994), Cross Wits (1994, as a team captain), Bugs (1997), The Demon Headmaster (1998), Taggart (1999), Family Affairs (2000), Fran's People (2002), Mersey Beat (2002-03), Dinotopia (2002-03), Revolver (2004), Tanner (2007), The Shadow Line (2011), Extended Rest (2014), Planetfall (2014) and The Widower (2015). He will forever be remembered as Jock McLaren in the hit sitcom Porridge (1974-77) and its spin-off Going Straight (1978). He also had a regular role as Detective Sergeant Chas Jarvis in Dempsey and Makepeace (1985-86).
Facts
Tony's mother Margaret Osoba, a former BBC researcher, popularised the theory that crime writer Agatha Christie "stole" her character Hercule Poirot from thriller writer Frank Howel Evans, who in 1909 published a story featuring a detective named Poiret. Tony is married to the casting director Sally Osoba.
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Tony here.

Daphne Oxenford (Archivist) Oct 31 1919 to Dec 21 2012
Doctor Who credits
Played: Archivist in Dragonfire (1987)
Played: Elderly Agatha Christie in The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008, deleted scene*)
Career highlights
Daphne's earliest credit was in a 1949 TV movie called Oranges and Lemons, after which she appeared in Family Affairs (1949), For the Children (1950), Skyport (1960), It's a Woman's World (1964), The Villains (1965), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), The Dustbinmen (1970), The Befrienders (1972), Tarbuck's Luck (1972), The Dick Emery Show (1973), Des O'Connor Entertains (1974), The Nearly Man (1975), Yanks Go Home (1976), Rising Damp (1977), Sweet William (1980), Cousin Phillis (1982), That's My Boy (1984), Victoria Wood As Seen on TV (1985), The Children of Green Knowe (1986), Drop the Dead Donkey (1991), Land of Hope and Gloria (1992), The House of Elliot (1994), How to Be a Little Sod (1995), Murder Rooms (2001), Prince William (2002), The Royal (2004), Heartbeat (2005) and Midsomer Murders (2004/06/08). She had recurring roles in a number of series, including Esther Hayes in 63 episodes of Coronation Street (1960-63/71-72), Chrissy's mother in Man About the House (1973-76), Mrs Patterson in To the Manor Born (1979-81) and Miss Denham in Fresh Fields (1984-86). Daphne also provided a variety of voices for the animation The Wind in the Willows (1984-88).
Facts
Between 1950-71 Daphne was the voice of the BBC Home Service's children's slot Listen With Mother (opening each edition with the famous lines: "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin..."), and between 1956-92 provided voiceovers for What the Papers Say. Joyce was great friends with comic actor Joyce Grenfell.
* Daphne recorded scenes as an elderly Agatha Christie for The Unicorn and the Wasp, but these were edited out before transmission (it's on the DVD).

Edward Peel (Kane) Born 1943
Career highlights
Edward's debut came in 1967's The Fellows, followed by Fly Into Danger (1972), Second City Firsts (1973), Treasure Island (1977), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), The Sweeney (1978), A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979), Breakaway (1980), Shogun (1980), Bognor (1981), Strangers (1982), The Fourth Arm (1983), Lassiter (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Truckers (1987), The Castle of Adventure (1990), Underbelly (1992), Hillsborough (1996), Clocking Off (2003), The Royal Today (2008), Hollyoaks (2011), Ripper Street (2013) and Undercliffe (2018). He regularly played Walter Jackman in By the Sword Divided (1983-85), DCI Mark Perrin in Juliet Bravo (1983-85), the Chief Superintendent in Cracker (1993-95) and John Coleman in London's Burning (2000-01). He has also had two regular roles in rural soap Emmerdale Farm - firstly as the second actor to play Tom Merrick (1980-82) and then Anthony Cairns (1997). Between 2007-2020 he provided the voice for the King and admiral in the cartoon Little Princess.

Patricia Quinn (Belazs) Born May 28 1944
Career highlights
Northern Ireland born Patricia made her debut in August for the People (1963), after which she appeared in Where has Poor Mickey Gone? (1964), Parkin's Patch (1969), Up the Chastity Belt (1971), Up the Front (1972), Van der Valk (1972), Rentadick (1972), Shoulder to Shoulder (1974), The Love School (1975), I, Claudius (1976), Sebastiane (1976), Beauty and the Beast (1976), A Christmas Carol (1977), Fox (1980), Hawk the Slayer (1980), Shock Treatment (1981), Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), The Box of Delights (1984), Lost Empires (1986), Fortunes of War (1987), England, My England (1995), Tamara Drewe (2010), Mary Horror (2011) and The Lords of Salem (2012). Her most memorable role is as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - it's Patricia's lips which can be seen in the film's publicity images.
Facts
Patricia was one of the first London Playboy Bunnies in 1963. Her first husband was actor Don Hawkins, while her second was another thespian, Robert Stephens, making her stepmother to his acting sons Toby Stephens (whose wife Anna-Louise Plowman appeared in Dalek) and Chris Larkin (who appeared in The Shakespeare Code). Her marriage to the knighted Robert Stephens leaves her with the title Patricia, Lady Stephens. Her nephew Jonny Quinn is the drummer with the band Snow Patrol, while her other nephew Bradley is the band's official photographer. She had an affair with rocker Meat Loaf while filming The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In 2006, Patricia launched herself as a DJ, hosting the monthly Club Myra night at various venues throughout Central London.

Tony Selby (Glitz) Feb 26 1938 to Sep 5 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sabalom Glitz in The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 & 13-14 (1986), Dragonfire (1987)
Career highlights
Tony debuted at the age of 13 in 1951's Menius Was a Bad Boy, followed by roles in Skippy Smith Goes to the Circus (1953), The Explorer (1955), An Alligator Named Daisy (1955), An Age of Kings (1960), Teletale (1964), Alfie (1966), King of the River (1966), Poor Cow (1967), The Informer (1967), The Avengers (1968), Witchfinder General (1968), According to Dora (1969), Shine a Light (1970), Catweazle (1971), Villain (1971), Ace of Wands (1970-71), Warship (1973), Reg Varney (1974), Moody and Pegg (1974-75), The Good Life (1975-76), Superman (1978), Jack of Diamonds (1983), Give Us a Break (1983-84), Hideaway (1986), The Secret Garden (1987), The World of Lee Evans (1995), Loop (1997), Holby City (1999), Burnside (2000), EastEnders (2002), Dream Team (2006), My Family (2011), Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) and Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016). Tony also regularly played Corporal Percy Marsh in Get Some In! (1975-78), Bert in Mulberry (1992-93), Max Taplow in Love Hurts (1992-94) and Sergeant Nozzer Richardson in The Detectives (1994-97).

Shirin Taylor (Customer) Born 1956
Doctor Who credits
Played: Camper in The Stones of Blood (1978)
Played: Customer in Dragonfire (1987)
Career highlights
Shirin's further credits include Men of Affairs (1974), Crown Court (1982), Nana (1982), The Cleopatras (1983), Give Us a Break (1983-84), Crossroads (1985), I Woke Up One Morning (1985-86), Turn On To T-Bag (1988), Bust (1988), Streetwise (1989), A Touch of Frost (1995), London's Burning (1998), Night and Day (2001), Doctors (2001) and Extended Rest (2014). She may be best remembered as Mike Baldwin's love interest Jackie Ingram (later Baldwin!) in 75 episodes of Coronation Street (1990-92).

CREW

Ian Briggs (writer) Born Oct 31 1958
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: Dragonfire (1987), The Curse of Fenric (1989)
Career highlights
Ian's further screen writing work includes Casualty (1990) and The Bill (1990).

In 2019 Toby Hadoke released the first of a three-part Who's Round interview with Ian here.

Chris Clough (director) Born Mar 9 1951
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-14 (1986), Delta and the Bannermen (1987), Dragonfire (1987), The Happiness Patrol (1988), Silver Nemesis (1988)
Played: Voice of Fifi in The Happiness Patrol (1988, uncredited)
Played: Policeman in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
Further directing work includes Brookside (1982), EastEnders (1985-88), Casualty (1994-95), The Bill (1992-95), Ballykissangel (1996) and Skins (2007). Chris later went into production, handling The Bill (1995-97), Ballykissangel (1998-99), Black Cab (2000), Table 12 (2001), Born and Bred (2003-04), The Ghost Squad (2005), Skins (2007-13), Sirens (2011), Strike Back (2012), Lucan (2013), The Missing (2014), Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016), Rellik (2017), Dark Heart (2018) and World on Fire (2019).
Awards
2019: BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama (Killed By My Debt) - with Joseph Bullman, Tahsin Guner and Aysha Rafaele.

John Nathan-Turner (producer) Aug 12 1947 to May 1 2002 (liver failure) Click here for John Nathan-Turner's entry on The Leisure Hive

Andrew Cartmel (script editor) Born Apr 6 1958 Click here for Andrew Cartmel's entry on Time and the Rani

Delta and the Bannermen

The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) ponders
on Doctor Who fandom's love/ hate
relationship with the story he's in

Three episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three)
First broadcast Nov 2 to 16 1987
Average audience for serial: 5.27m

REGULAR CAST

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor) Born Aug 20 1943 Click here for Sylvester McCoy's entry on Time and the Rani

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964 Click here for Bonnie Langford's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12

GUEST CAST

Clive Condon (Callon) Born 1962
This is Clive's only acting credit. He later became a primary school headteacher in Pembrokeshire.

Richard Davies (Burton) Jan 25 1926 to Oct 8 2015 (Alzheimer's disease)
Career highlights
Richard debuted uncredited in A Run for Your Money (1949), and went on to appear in The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Night My Number Came Up (1955), Medico (1959), The Secret Kingdom (1960), Some People (1962), The Plane Makers (1963), Zulu (1964), Gypsy Girl (1965), The Informer (1967), The Man in the Iron Mask (1968), Two in Clover (1970), The Fenn Street Gang (1971), Suspicion (1971), Under Milk Wood (1972), Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973), Robert's Robots (1973), The Mutations (1974), Rule Britannia! (1975), The Law Centre (1978), Fawlty Towers (1979), To Serve Them All My Days (1981), Hallelujah! (1983), In Loving Memory (1983), Bottle Boys (1984-85), Big Deal (1985), Making Out (1990), One Foot in the Grave (1992), And the Beat Goes On (1996) and 2Point4 Children (1992-93/98). He also had a regular role as Mr Price in the 55 episodes of the sitcom Please, Sir! (1968-72 and its 1971 film version), Idris Hopkins in 45 episodes of Coronation Street (1974-75), Clive in 21 episodes of Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt! (1976-77) and Max Johnson in 26 episodes of Taff Acre (1981).

Morgan Deare (Hawk) Born Nov 19 1945
Doctor Who credits
Played: Hawk in Delta and the Bannermen (1987)
Played: Arthur in Rosa (2018)
Career highlights
American Morgan made his debut in The Tumour Principle (1980), then Scream for Help (1984), Star Cops (1987), Small World (1988), Jeeves and Wooster (1992), Mission: Impossible (1996), Wing and a Prayer (1998), United 93 (2006), Hyde Park on Hudson (2012), The Callback Queen (2013), Wild Oats (2015), Harley and the Davidsons (2016), Deep State (2018), Soulmates (2020) and The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022). He also provided the voice of the Editor/ Gorilla in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), meaning that the partnership of Hawk and Weismuller were sort of reunited in this film!
Facts
His wife is actress Mary Healey, who appeared in The Happiness Patrol. Morgan is an accomplished voiceover artist, having provided voices for various animations and perhaps most obscurely, dubbing British TV presenter Melvyn Bragg's English tones into an American accent for the Stateside broadcasts of The South Bank Show. Here he is in a TV commercial for Ikea.

Johnny Dennis (Murray) Aug 13 1940 to Dec 3 2016
Career highlights
Johnny, an enthusiast and performer of live Victorian music hall routines, first appeared in The Devil's Crown (1978), then The Enigma Files (1980), Mitch (1984), Prospects (1986), Rude Health (1987), The Endless Game (1989), Surgical Spirit (1993) and The Bill (1995).
Facts
Cricket-mad Johnny was the PA announcer at Lord's Cricket Ground (known as The Voice of Lord's) for 37 years until he retired due to illness in 2014, after replacing fellow actor Alan Curtis (who appeared in The War Machines) when he was called away for a part in a Carry On film. In his time he presented at 136 Test matches and more than 250 one-day internationals, as well as fulfilling similar duties at Middlesex Cricket Club. Here he is interviewed about the role in 2013. Johnny was also a music hall enthusiast (look for him in the music hall special feature on The Talons of Weng-Chiang DVD) and once ran a theatre company specialising in corporate and music hall work with fellow music hall enthusiast Michael Kilgarriff (who appeared in Doctor Who as the Cyber-Controller and K1 Robot). Johnny was best man at Michael's wedding to his wife Sarah in 1968.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Johnny here.

Ken Dodd (Tollmaster) Nov 8 1927 to Mar 11 2018
Career highlights
Ken was one of the UK's most enduring and prolific live comedians, although his further acting credits include Hamlet (1996), Alice in Wonderland (1999) and The Canterbury Tales (2000). He appeared in many TV shows making people laugh, including Thank Your Lucky Stars (1962-66), Doddy's Music Box (1967-68), Funny You Should Say That (1972), World of Laughter (1974-76), The Ken Dodd Laughter Show (1979), The Good Old Days (1976-80), A Question of Entertainment (1988), Noel's House Party (1992), An Audience with Ken Dodd (1994) and Another Audience with Ken Dodd (2002). He also performed at several Royal Variety Performances.
Awards
1982: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to showbusiness and charity
1993: British Comedy Lifetime Achievement Award
2017: Knight Bachelor for services to showbusiness and charity
Facts
Ken was renowned for the length of his stand-up performances, and during the 1960s earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's longest ever joke-telling session: 1,500 jokes in three and a half hours (7.14 jokes per minute). Even in his eighties his live shows often lasted until well after 1am. Ken, whose trademarks were his buck teeth (caused by a bicycle accident as a child), tickling sticks and fictional Diddymen from Knotty Ash's jam butty mines, was also a seasoned singing star, first hitting the UK singles chart with Love is Like a Violin in 1960, and hitting the top spot in 1965 with the million-selling Tears, still one of the biggest selling singles in British history. Other hits include Happiness (1964), The River (1965), Promises (1966), Let Me Cry on Your Shoulder (1967) and Brokenhearted (1970). Ken was charged with tax evasion in 1989, and during the trial it was revealed he stashed most of his money (all £336,000 of it) in suitcases in his attic! He was acquitted three months later. In 2001, Ken and his partner Anne Jones were the victims of a stalker who sent the comedian nasty letters, and even a dead rat. She even attempted to burn down his house by pushing burning rags through his letterbox. She was eventually convicted of attempted arson and harassment. Ken married Anne, his partner of 40 years, two days before his death.
This is Your Life: Ken was the subject of Thames TV's 500th This is Your Life on May 7th, 1990, surprised by host Michael Aspel during a photoshoot at London's Palladium Theatre.

Martin Geraint (Vinny) Born Jun 30 1963
Career highlights
His only other acting credit is A Mind to Kill (1994).
Facts
Martyn (for that is the proper spelling of his name) is now one of the top children's entertainers in Wales, and has presented a number of programmes on Welsh language channel S4C since 1991. He is also a qualified referee in the Welsh football league, trained as a teacher in the early 1980s, and was a boy soprano with the Welsh National Opera a couple of times in the 1970s. In the 1980s he was one half of Welsh synth-pop band Windows. He has also written books for children, including Stars of the Night and From Another Angle.

Anita Graham (Bollitt) Born Feb 15 1948
Career highlights
Anita had previously appeared in Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1974), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974), The New Avengers (1976), The Benny Hill Show (1977), The Cedar Tree (1977), Let There Be Love (1983), Dempsey and Makepeace (1986), EastEnders (1996), Last of the Summer Wine (2001), Hunted (2008) and Hangman (2018). She had recurring roles as Tina Pillbeam in the sitcom Terry and June (1979-80), Wilma in Keep It in the Family (1982-83) and Zelda Lee in Moon and Son (1992).

Sara Griffiths (Ray) Born Jul 12 1968
Career highlights
Sara's further acting credits include Late Expectations (1987), Emmerdale Farm (1988-89), Gentlemen and Players (1988-89), The Chief (1990-91), Rich Tea and Sympathy (1991), Chiller (1995), A Likeness in Stone (2000), Headless (2000), Holby City (2002/06) and Doctors (2003/14). She regularly played Anita Castle in the short-lived soap Castles (1995).
Facts
Sara dated film actor Joseph Fiennes for most of the 1990s (some reports say she was subsidising him until he found fame). In the 1980s, Sara was a can-can dancer at Paris's Moulin Rouge, but more recently has been a presenter on the QVC shopping channel. Here she is on Twitter!

Don Henderson (Gavrok) Nov 10 1931 to Jun 22 1997 (throat cancer)
Career highlights
Don's earliest role was in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1968, followed by The Protectors (1972), Wessex Tales (1973), Callan (1974), Brannigan (1975), The Ghoul (1975), Poldark (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Star Wars (1977), The Big Sleep (1978), Crossroads (1978), Dick Turpin (1979), Goodbye Darling (1981), The Baker Street Boys (1983), The Boy Who Won the Pools (1983), Spyship (1983), Annika (1984), Brazil (1985), Henry's Leg (1986), Knights of God (1987), Last of the Summer Wine (1988), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), The BFG (1989), Boon (1991), Merlin of the Crystal Cave (1991), Moon and Son (1992), Carry On Columbus (1992), Cracker (1993), Harry (1995), The Famous Five (1996), Red Dwarf (1997) and FairyTale: A True Story (1997). His first long-running role was as MAA Heron in Warship (1973-76), while he also played Frank Kane in The Paradise Club (1989-90), but his most memorable part was as George Bulman in 13 episodes of The XYY Man (1976-77), 30 episodes of Strangers (1978-82) and 20 episodes of Bulman (1985-87) - a total of 63 episodes over three series and 11 years.
Facts
His second wife was actress Shirley Stelfox, best known for her role as Edna Birch in soap Emmerdale. Initially working as both an army dental technician and a police officer, Don's acting career began when he accepted a dare from a friend to audition for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was accepted on the spot, and stayed with the RSC for six years, playing almost all of Shakespeare's lead characters. In 1980, Don underwent treatment for throat cancer which left him with burns that he often hid with a scarf. The cancer, which he overcame until it returned to claim his life in 1997, also meant he spoke in a distinctive hoarse whisper.

Brian Hibbard (Keillor) Nov 25 1946 to Jun 17 2012 (prostate cancer)
Career highlights
Brian's debut came in Brothers and Sisters (1980), then Thompson (1988), The Rainbow Thief (1990), Minder (1993), Blue Heaven (1994), And the Beat Goes On (1996), Satellite City (1996), Twin Town (1997), House of America (1997), The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997), Rancid Aluminium (2000), Barbara (2001), Tales from the Pleasure Beach (2001), The Bench (2001), Emmerdale (2003), Revolver (2005), Funland (2005), Caught in the Act (2008), Flick (2008), EastEnders (2011) and Svengali (2013). Brian also had regular roles as Chunky in 17 episodes of Making Out (1989-91), mechanic Doug Murray in 62 episodes of Coronation Street (1992-93) and Sir John in Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw (2004-06).
Awards
2006: BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actor (Little White Lies)
Facts
He was founder member and lead singer with the band the Flying Pickets, who had a UK number one with Only You in 1983, which was that year's Christmas chart topper and stayed at the top for five weeks. Brian left the band in 1986 to pursue an acting career, but not before the band scored another Top 10 hit with When You're Young and in Love (1984) and become almost as famous for supporting the miners' strikes of the mid-1980s. Brian tried to continue his musical success as part of a duo with fellow ex-Flying Picket Red Stripe, but their single Mr Blue didn't take off. The Flying Pickets are still going to this day, albeit with none of the original band members. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2000, he passed away 12 years later.

Stubby Kaye (Weismuller) Nov 11 1918 to Dec 14 1997 (lung cancer)
Career highlights
Doctor Who was one of New Yorker Stubby's last jobs, after a career which began with Hi-Ho Hollywood (1938, as Tiny Kaye), and taking in Taxi (1953), Guys and Dolls (1955), You Can't Run Away from It (1956), Hansel and Gretel (1958), Li'l Abner (1959), The Millionaire (1960), The Cool Mikado (1963), Burke's Law (1963), Sex and the Single Girl (1964), Cat Ballou (1965), The Way West (1967), The Monkees (1968), Sweet Charity (1969), It's Tommy Cooper (1970), The Dirtiest Girl I Ever Met (1970), Sixpack Annie (1975), Flying High (1978), Laverne and Shirley (1981), Ellis Island (1984), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and The Big Knife (1988). He found sitcom success playing Stubby Wilson in Love and Marriage (1959-60) and Marty Scott in My Sister Eileen (1960-61), and was a regular panellist on What's My Line? (1956-57) and Stump the Stars (1958-70).
Facts
Born Bernard Katzin on the final day of World War One, tenor Stubby kept his real name a secret until the day he died. He toured as a vaudeville comedian in the 1940s before hitting the big time on Broadway as Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls (1950), and then Marryin' Sam in Li'l Abner (1956). Stubby became prolific on the musical stage and US TV, and later moved to the UK and married Sunday Night at the London Palladium's Beat the Clock host Angela Bracewell. In the 1960s he had his own children's series called Stubby's Silver Star Show, and also hosted children's game show Shenanigans (1964-65 - here's a clip of him with Buster the chimp and Brenda the bear).

David Kinder (Billy) Born May 29 1964
Career highlights
David's other work includes Aldo! (1985), Killing American Style (1988), Casualty (1989), The Natural History of Parking Lots (1990) and The Wounded (2003). He also had a recurring role as John (Calley's boyfriend) in children's drama Grange Hill (1990).

Hugh Lloyd (Goronwy) Apr 22 1923 to Jul 14 2008
Career highlights
Hugh made his name playing various characters alongside Tony Hancock in Hancock's Half Hour (1957-60) and Hancock (1961), but also appeared in Great Scott, It's Maynard (1956-57), Mostly Maynard (1957), My Pal Bob (1958), Sykes and a... (1960-61), Citizen James (1961), Benny Hill (1962), Comedy Bandbox (1963), The Punch and Judy Man (1963), The Gnomes of Dulwich (1969), The Virgin Fellas (1972), Lollipop (1971-72), White Cargo (1973), Till Death Us Do Part (1975), Lord Tramp (1977, which he also created and wrote), Quadrophenia (1979), Last of the Summer Wine (1983), That's My Boy (1984), The Clairvoyant (1986), Victoria Wood As Seen on TV (1986), Mr Majeika (1988), Victoria Wood (1989), Woof! (1990), Blue Heaven (1994), Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1997), Alice in Wonderland (1999), Great Expectations (1999), Oliver Twist (1999), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000), My Hero (2000), Foyle's War (2002), Doc Martin (2005) and My Family (2002/06). Hugh also appeared in a number of his own shows, such as Hugh and I (1962-67) and Hugh and I Spy (1968), and also had recurring roles as Gerald Sadler in Jury (1983), Mr Carey in In Sickness and in Health (1990-92) and Selfridge in You Rang, M'Lord? (1991/93).
Awards
2005: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to drama and charity
Facts
Before becoming an actor Hugh spent three years as a reporter on the Chester Chronicle during World War Two. He was turned down with a job with the RAF as he suffered from hay fever, and turned down for a job with MI5 as he was too young at the time. Just five months after Hugh died (at the age of 85) his fourth wife, the journalist Shan Davies, died, aged 55.

Belinda Mayne (Delta) Born Oct 2 1954
Career highlights
Belinda debuted in When Mother Went on Strike in 1974, after which she took roles in Strangers (1974), Star Maidens (1976), The Upchat Connection (1978), Flashpoint Africa (1980), Hart to Hart (1980), Solo (1982), Krull (1983), Lassiter (1984), Fatal Beauty (1987), Peter Strohm (1991), Riders (1993), Der Bergdoktor (1997) and I'm Here (2016).
Facts
In 1977, Belinda was one of the assistants on the panel game Whose Baby?, in which celebrities met the child of another famous person and had to guess whose it was. She is named after the musical in which her parents met, Belinda Fair - her father being German actor Ferdy Mayne (who fled Germany in 1932 to settle in the UK, where he also acted as an informant for MI5).

Leslie Meadows (Adlon) Born Mar 29 1947
Doctor Who credits
Played: Adlon in Delta and the Bannermen (1987)
Played: The Creature in Dragonfire (1987)
Played: Cheetah Person in Survival (1989, uncredited)
Career highlights
Singer and dancer Leslie's further work includes Half a Sixpence (1967), Up the Junction (1968), Doomwatch (1970), Love Thy Neighbour (1972), The Apple (1980), Mack the Knife (1989) and Peak Practice (1995). He also played Alan Parker in Ours is a Nice House (1969-70).

Richard Mitchley (Arrex) Born Apr 29 1954
Career highlights
Further credits include The Black Adder (1983) and High Hopes (2007), as well as a wide range of Welsh language television; he also regularly played a German worker in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983).
Facts
Richard reads for audiobooks (including the Torchwood release Golden Age), has read continuity links for Channel 4, S4C and BBC2, has recited on stage at the Hay Literary Festival, and is also a choral singer.

Tim Scott (Chima)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Chima in Delta and the Bannermen (1987)
Played: Forum doorman in The Happiness Patrol (1988)
Tim has no other acting credits, but did later set up his own actors' management company.

The Lorells:

Robin Aspland Born Dec 6 1961
Pianist Robin also appears as a member of the Italian jazz band in The Talented Mr Ripley (1999). Robin is well known in British live jazz circles, having performed with Cleo Laine, Johnny Dankworth, Ronnie Scott, Van Morrison, Curtis Stigers, Georgie Fame and Jane Horrocks (on her 2000 album The Further Adventures of Little Voice).

Justin Myers
This is Justin's only credit.

Ralph Salmins Born Jun 4 1964
Drummer and percussionist Ralph's services can also be seen and heard in Evita (1996), My Son the Fanatic (1997), The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000), Gosford Park (2001), The Mother (2003), De-Lovely (2004), Looking for Eric (2009), Fantastic Mr Fox (2009), Locke (2013) and A Dark Reflection (2015). Session musician Ralph has played live and in studio with a huge amount of people, including the Count Basie Orchestra, Bjork, Robbie Williams, Van Morrison, Tom Jones, Tori Amos, Madonna, Lulu, Everything But the Girl, the Spice Girls, Mariah Carey, Alanis Morissette, Josh Groban, the Waterboys and Elton John. In 1994, he was a member of the Guy Barker International Quintet, subsequently nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. In 1986, Ralph was awarded the Philip Jones Percussion Prize for his final recital and has three times since been nominated for the British Jazz Awards. In 2012, he acted as consultant for the London Olympics Opening Ceremony, coordinating 1,000 drummers with whom he performed to a worldwide audience of over one billion people. He now works as a professor at the Royal College of Music. Here he is on Twitter!

Jodie Wilson Born Aug 31 1964
Australian singer Jodie also performed in Memphis Belle (1990), and went on to become one of the hostesses on the game show Take Your Pick in 1992. She is now known as Jodie Brooke Wilson and has had several albums released; she also writes songs, most notably for the Scary Movie soundtrack (Show Me Now, 2000). In 2003 Jodie released her own album, Halfway to Paradise, which enjoyed success in the Far East. She also wrote the song I Want What She's Got for Eye Q, which was a hit in Denmark in 2002, and Higher Than Heaven for Bardot, which reached number one in Australia and was used as the theme for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Jodie has also written songs for the band Hear'Say (the 2001 B-side Look Inside Yourself) and Louise Redknapp's Love Will Bring You Back to My Heart. Her sister is Tracey Wilson (see below). Jodie was chat show star and singer Des O'Connor's partner since 1990; they met on Take Your Pick, got engaged in 2003, had a baby in 2004, and married in 2007. Des died in 2020.

Tracey Wilson Born Nov 15 1961
Australian Tracey has also appeared in Blue City Slammers (1988) and The Bill (1990). Vocalist and tap dancer Tracey has performed in countless stage musicals in these capacities, and for the film Stepping Out (1991) dubbed the tap sounds for Liza Minnelli and Julie Walters. She choreographed the Australian tour of Billy Elliott - The Musical, and produced and directed the short Step in Time, which was awarded Best Musical at the New York Film and Video Festival in 2005. Nowadays she teaches for the Sydney Dance Company. Her sister is Jodie Brooke Wilson (see above), widow of singer and chat show king Des O'Connor...

Credited for playing the various ages of the Chimeron princess were Jessica McGough, Amy Osborn, Laura Collins (born 1978 - she was reported by Doctor Who Magazine in 1990 as having died, but this is incorrect) and Carley Joseph (born Jul 1 1974).

CREW

Malcolm Kohll (writer) Born Nov 5 1953
Career highlights
Doctor Who was South African born Malcolm's first TV writing credit, which he followed with The Fourth Reich (1990), The Bone Snatcher (2003) and Triompf (2008). He has more recently become a producer, of The Fourth Reich and The Bone Snatcher, as well as Secret Society (2000), The 51st State (2001), Chemical Wedding (2008), Surviving Evil (2009) and SAF3 (2013).
Facts
Malcolm trained as a journalist in South Africa before moving to the UK in 1977 for political reasons. Together with his producing partner David Pupkewitz, Malcolm received the 2001 Scouseology Award for Film, bestowed by the City of Liverpool. In 1996, he was contacted by the makers of the Doctor Who TV movie to ask if he had an interest in being involved (he didn't).

Chris Clough (director) Born Mar 9 1951
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-14 (1986), Delta and the Bannermen (1987), Dragonfire (1987), The Happiness Patrol (1988), Silver Nemesis (1988)
Played: Voice of Fifi in The Happiness Patrol (1988, uncredited)
Played: Policeman in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
Further directing work includes Brookside (1982), EastEnders (1985-88), Casualty (1994-95), The Bill (1992-95), Ballykissangel (1996) and Skins (2007). Chris later went into production, handling The Bill (1995-97), Ballykissangel (1998-99), Black Cab (2000), Table 12 (2001), Born and Bred (2003-04), The Ghost Squad (2005), Skins (2007-13), Sirens (2011), Strike Back (2012), Lucan (2013), The Missing (2014), Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016), Rellik (2017), Dark Heart (2018) and World on Fire (2019).
Awards
2019: BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama (Killed By My Debt) - with Joseph Bullman, Tahsin Guner and Aysha Rafaele.

John Nathan-Turner (producer) Aug 12 1947 to May 1 2002 (liver failure) Click here for John Nathan-Turner's entry on The Leisure Hive

Andrew Cartmel (script editor) Born Apr 6 1958 Click here for Andrew Cartmel's entry on Time and the Rani

Paradise Towers

The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) dreams
of a time when he'll get better guest actors

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Oct 5 to 26 1987
Average audience for serial: 4.93m

REGULAR CAST

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor) Born Aug 20 1943 Click here for Sylvester McCoy's entry on Time and the Rani

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964 Click here for Bonnie Langford's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12

GUEST CAST

Julie Brennon (Fire Escape) Born Jul 14 1960
Career highlights
Julie's other TV credits include medical soap Angels (1983), The Front Line (1984-85), Strike It Rich! (1987) and Flying Lady (1987). She had a regular role as Alison Caswell in 48 episodes of soap Emmerdale Farm (1984-85).
Facts
Julie was once married to Mark Strickson, who played companion Turlough in Doctor Who. In 1988, they moved to Australia together.

Richard Briers (Chief Caretaker) Jan 14 1934 to Feb 17 2013 (cardiac arrest caused by emphysema)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Chief Caretaker in Paradise Towers (1987)
Played: Henry Parker in Torchwood: A Day in the Death (2008)
Career highlights
Richard debuted in She Stoops to Conquer (1956), followed by roles in Girls At Sea (1958), Murder She Said (1961), Brothers in Law (1962), The Bargee (1964), Charley's Aunt (1965), Rookery Nook (1970), Birds on the Wing (1971), Rentadick (1972), Watership Down (1978), Goodbye, Mr Kent (1982), Minder (1988), Mr Bean (1990), Peter's Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), If You See God, Tell Him (1993), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Down to Earth (1995), Hamlet (1996), Spice World: The Movie (1997), Victoria and Albert (2001), Peter Pan (2003), Dad (2005), New Tricks (2006), Holby City (2007), Kingdom (2008), Run for Your Wife (2012), Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) and Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time (2012). Richard had very many regular leading roles as one of the UK's most respected and popular actors. His earliest headlining series was The Marriage Lines (1961-66) in which he played George Starling, followed by Reg in The Norman Conquests (1977), Tom Good in The Good Life (1975-78), Stephen Potter in One-Upmanship (1976-78), Ralph Tanner in The Other One (1977-79), Reverend Philip Lambe in All in Good Faith (1985-88), Martin Bryce in Ever Decreasing Circles (1984-89) and Hector MacDonald in Monarch of the Glen (2000-02). As well as live action comedy and drama series, Richard's voice was used on many animated series, including Roobarb (1974) and Roobarb and Custard Too (2005), Noddy (1975), Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk (1976), Alias the Jester (1985), Little Red Tractor Stories (1993) and Bob the Builder (2005-07). He may also be remembered by British readers as the voice of the Midland Bank's Griffin in TV commercials.
Awards
1989: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama
2003: Commander of the order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to drama
Facts
Richard was married to actress Ann Davies (who appeared in The Dalek Invasion of Earth); their daughter is actress Lucy Briers. Richard's second cousin was film star Terry-Thomas. Richard claimed to have smoked more than half a million cigarettes in his lifetime until, in 2001, a routine chest x-ray suggested he would soon be in a wheelchair, and he quit.
This is Your Life: Richard was twice the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life, firstly on May 3rd, 1972, and secondly on March 9th, 1994 during an interview at the UK Living studios.

Brenda Bruce (Tilda) Jul 7 1919 to Feb 19 1996
Career highlights
Brenda's earliest appearance was in Laugh With Me (1938), then They Came to a City (1944), A Yank in London (1945), Night Boat to Dublin (1946), When the Bough Breaks (1947), The Final Test (1954), I Spy (1958), Mary Britten, MD (1958), Peeping Tom (1960), Nightmare (1964), The First Lady (1968), The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Budgie (1971), Country Matters (1972), Cheri (1973), Alice Through the Looking Glass (1973), Swallows and Amazons (1974), The Man in the Iron Mask (1977), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1978), Quiet as a Nun (1978), The Home Front (1983), The Mad Death (1983), Connie (1985), Steaming (1985), David Copperfield (1986), The Return of the Antelope (1988), Jeeves and Wooster (1990), December Bride (1990), The New Statesman (1991), Harnessing Peacocks (1993), Growing Rich (1992), Riders (1993), Men of the World (1994-95), The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd (1995) and The Vet (1996). In 1957, Brenda co-hosted a chat show called Rich and Rich with her first husband, Roy Rich. Brenda also appeared as a panellist on the series Why? (1953) and The Name's the Same (1953-54).
Awards
1963: BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress
1985: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama
Facts
Brenda's first husband was Roy Rich, one of the BBC's pioneering radio presenters, while her second husband was actor Clement McCallin. She adopted a son with McCallin, but he died of asthma in childhood. Both her husbands died of cancer. Before breaking into screen acting, Brenda was a chorus girl.

Simon Coady (Video commentary) 1949 to sometime after 2008
Career highlights
Simon's other credits include The Man with Two Heads (1972), State of Emergency (1975), The Mouse and the Woman (1980), Elizabeth Alone (1981), Giro City (1982), Milwr Bychan (1986), The Angry Earth (1989), Inspector Morse (1991), Civvies (1992) and Holding On (1997).
Facts
There are reports that Simon died sometime after 2008 (the date of the last electoral roll he was listed on).

Howard Cooke (Pex) Born Sep 29 1960
Career highlights
Howard's only other credits are Pythons on the Mountain (1985), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985) and The Face of Trespass (1988).
Facts
Howard is now a theatrical agent.

Judy Cornwell (Maddy) Born Feb 22 1940
Career highlights
Judy debuted in Friends and Neighbours (1959), followed by a 1960 episode of Dixon of Dock Green, The Younger Generation (1961), The River Flows East (1962), Paris 1900 (1964), Dr Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Mickey Dunne (1967), Cry Wolf (1968), Every Home Should Have One (1970), Wuthering Heights (1970), Man of Straw (1972), Cakes and Ale (1974, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA), Supernatural (1977), The Mill on the Floss (1978-79), The Good Companions (1980-81), Good Behaviour (1983), Jane Eyre (1983), Santa Claus: The Movie (1985, as Mrs Claus), The December Rose (1986), Farrington of the F.O (1987), Cry Freedom (1987), Nice Town (1992), Persuasion (1995), The Bill (1998), Mad Cows (1999), David Copperfield (2000), The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003), The Royal (2003) and Birds of a Feather (2014). She had a regular role as Daphne Pegg in Moody and Pegg (1974-75) and Queenie in EastEnders (2007-08), but will always be recognised as Daisy in 44 episodes of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990-95).
Facts
She has written several novels, including Cow and Cow Parsley (1985), Fishcakes at the Ritz (1989) and The Seventh Sunrise (1996), and an autobiography in 2005 called Adventures of a Jelly Baby. In the late 1950s Judy worked as a dancer and comedienne at the Windmill Theatre in London ("amongst the nudes"!). Judy was a close friend of Doctor Who's first producer, Verity Lambert.

Catherine Cusack (Blue Kang leader) Born Dec 21 1968
Career highlights
Catherine's first role was in Doctor Who, after which she appeared in The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987), Sophia and Constance (1988), The Chief (1994), Cadfael (1997), Boxed (2002), Finding Neverland (2004), Doctors (2008/10/12), The Last Days of Anne Boleyn (2013) and Hollyoaks (2019). She also had a recurring role as Frankie Sullivan in Ballykissangel (1999-2001) but will be best remembered as "nanny from hell" Carmel Finnan in soap Coronation Street (1992-93).
Facts
Catherine comes from the prolific Cusack acting family - her father was Cyril, while Sinead, Sorcha and Niamh are her half-sisters, and Padraig her half-brother (as Sinead is married to actor Jeremy Irons, this makes their son, actor Max Irons, Catherine's nephew). Her own husband is actor Alex Palmer.

Clive Merrison (Deputy Chief Caretaker) Born Sep 15 1945
Doctor Who credits
Played: Jim Callum in The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
Played: Deputy Chief Caretaker in Paradise Towers (1987)
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Clive's first TV credit, after which he appeared in Frontier (1968), Counterstrike (1969), Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), The Glittering Prizes (1976), A Christmas Carol (1977), Prince Regent (1979), The Borgias (1981), Maybury (1981), The Kit Curran Radio Show (1984), Shine on Harvey Moon (1984-85), The District Nurse (1987), The Labours of Erica (1989-90), Chancer (1990), Heavenly Creatures (1994), Space Precinct (1995), The Tomorrow People (1995), An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), The English Patient (1996), Lexx (2001), The Brief (2004-05), The History Boys (2006), Monday Monday (2009), Peep Show (2010), Bert & Dickie (2012), Lewis (2014), The Lady in the Van (2015), Midsomer Murders (2003/2016) and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018). He also had the role of Damien Appleby in The Kit Curran Radio Show (1984) and Kit Curran (1986).
Facts
Clive played the role of Sherlock Holmes on BBC Radio against Michael Williams and Andrew Sachs as Watson more than 75 times between 1989-2010, and is the only actor ever to play the detective in all of Conan Doyle's stories. Until she died in 2003, Clive was married to the actor Gillian Barge. Here he is on Twitter.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Clive here.

Astra Sheridan (Yellow Kang) Born Aug 25 1964
Career highlights
Astra's only other appearances are SWALK (1982), Miss Marple: The Body in the Library (1984) and Dramarama: Tam (1987).
Facts
Astra married in 1989, quit acting and became Astra Rogers; she is now a director of Sound Impressions Ltd (with her husband Mark), which provides vocal coaching and confidence to performers.

Elizabeth Spriggs (Tabby) Sep 18 1929 to Jul 2 2008 (complications following surgery)
Career highlights
Debuting in Lysistrata (1964), Elizabeth's extensive CV took in All's Well That Ends Well (1968), Work is a 4-Letter Word (1968), Three Into Two Won't Go (1969), Black and Blue (1973), Village Hall (1974), The Glittering Prizes (1976), The Dybbuk (1980), Richard's Things (1980), Bognor (1981), Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981), An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1982), The Haunting of Cassie Palmer (1982), Frost in May (1982), Bergerac (1985), Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (1990), The Old Devils (1992), Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992), The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992), Jeeves and Wooster (1993), Middlemarch (1994), Takin' Over the Asylum (1994), Martin Chuzzlewit (1994), The Tomorrow People (1995), Sense and Sensibility (1995, for which she received a BAFTA nomination), The Snow Queen's Revenge (1996), Alice in Wonderland (1999), A Christmas Carol (1999), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000), Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (2001), The Royal (2003-04), Jericho (2005), Love Soup (2008) and Is Anybody There? (2008). She has also enjoyed regular roles as Connie Fox in Fox (1980), the Witch in Simon and the Witch (1987-88), Aunty Peggy in Watching (1988-91), Nan in Shine On Harvey Moon (1982-85/95), Mrs Mullen in Playing the Field (1998-2002) and Toni's mother in Swiss Toni (2003-04). Elizabeth also wrote and adapted a handful of plays for TV, including Miss Julie (1956/65/66) and The Dance of Death (1966).
Facts
The role of the cannibal Chessene in The Two Doctors was originally written for her, but in the end she played a cannibal in another story instead! Elizabeth, who trained as a mezzo-soprano but had to give up singing due to suffering bronchial asthma, was also a respected stage and Shakespearean actress. She was nominated for Broadway's 1975 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for London Assurance. Her second of three husbands was Marshall Jones, best known as Cyril Watkins in Crossroads (1979).
This is Your Life: Elizabeth was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on November 23rd, 1998, surprised by host Michael Aspel on set for Alice in Wonderland at Shepperton Studios. Doctor Who actor James Ellis paid tribute to her on the show.

Joseph Young (Young caretaker) Born Jun 26 1960
Career highlights
Joseph's only other credit is Lytton's Diary (1986).
Facts
These days, Joseph sometimes goes by the name of Giuseppe Marinetti, and is a composer and sound designer, writing electro-acoustic soundtracks for theatre, TV and film productions, as well as sound-based art installations. His work has been seen (or heard!) at the Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Joseph is a founder member of the Neo-Futurist Collective, which celebrates urban noise in all its forms. Here's his website and Twitter, and you can listen to his work here.

Annabel Yuresha (Bin Liner) Born Jul 30 1962
Annabel's only other credit was Unmasked Part 25 (1988).
Facts
Annabel's parents were both ballet dancers: mum Belinda Wright was a prima ballerina, working for companies such as Rambert, Royal Ballet and Ballet de Paris, while Jelko Yuresha was a Croatian born ballet dancer who toured with his wife in the 1960s as the British Government's Ambassadors of Dance. Here they are in 1967.

CREW

Stephen Wyatt (writer) Born Feb 4 1948
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: Paradise Towers (1987), The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1988-89)
Career highlights
Stephen's other writing work includes the Sunday Premiere Claws (1987), The House of Eliott (1994), soap Family Affairs (1997) and several episodes of Casualty (1990-97). He started out in children's and community theatre, and now works predominantly in radio.
Awards
2007: Tinniswood Award for Best Original Radio Script (Memorials to the Missing)
2008: Sony Radio Academy Silver Award for Best Drama (Memorials to the Missing)
2011: Tinniswood Award for Best Original Radio Script (Gerontius)

Nicholas Mallett (director) May 6 1945 to Jan 30 1997 (AIDS-related illness)
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 (1986), Paradise Towers (1987), The Curse of Fenric (1989)
Career highlights
Nicholas started out as a production assistant on series such as Oppenheimer (1980) and Icebound in the Antarctic (1982) but then graduated to directing on series such as Late Starter (1985), Black Silk (1985), Crossroads (1987-88), Children's Ward (1989), Ruby (1991), The Bill (1993-95) and Take the High Road (1993-95).

John Nathan-Turner (producer) Aug 12 1947 to May 1 2002 (liver failure) Click here for John Nathan-Turner's entry on The Leisure Hive

Andrew Cartmel (script editor) Born Apr 6 1958 Click here for Andrew Cartmel's entry on Time and the Rani

Time and the Rani

The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)
looks rightfully annoyed that the script
for his first story was awful. The Rani
(Kate O'Mara) and Mel (Bonnie Langford)
were oblivious.

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Sep 7 to 28 1987
Average audience for serial: 4.63m

REGULAR CAST

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor) Born Aug 20 1943
Doctor Who credits
Played: The Doctor in Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers, Delta and the Bannermen, Dragonfire, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Happiness Patrol, Silver Nemesis, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Battlefield, Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric, Survival (1987-89). Return appearances in Dimensions in Time (1993), Doctor Who (1996), Death Comes to Time (webcast, 2001), The Power of the Doctor (2022) and Tales of the TARDIS (2023).
Career highlights
Sylvester - birth name Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith - started out as a variety performer and comedian, appearing on shows such as Vision On (as Pepe, who lived in a mirror) in the late 1970s and early 80s, as well as Robert's Robots, Tiswas, Eureka, No 73, What's Your Story? and Jigsaw (as one of the two O-Men, with David Rappaport). Acting roles include Lucky Feller (1975), For the Love of Albert (1977), Dracula (1979), All the Fun of the Fair (1979), Big Jim and the Figaro Club (1979-81), Electric in the City (1980), Starstrider (1984), Dramarama: Frog (1985), The Last Place on Earth (1985), Three Kinds of Heat (1987), Jackanory (1979/93), The Airzone Solution (1993), Frank Stubbs Promotes (1994), Leapin' Leprachauns! (1995), Rab C Nesbitt (1996), Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprachauns (1996), Ghostlands (1996), The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997), Beyond Fear (1997), The Mumbo Jumbo (2000), See It Saw It (1999/2001), Hollyoaks (2002), Still Game (2004), Griffin (2004), Mayo (2006), The Bill (2002/06), Doctors (2008), Casualty (2001/08), Punk Strut: The Movie (2010), The Christmas Candle (2014), Crims (2015), Slumber (2017), When the Devil Rides Out (2017), Sense8 (2017-18), Holby City (2018), Zapped (2017-18), The Circuit (2019) and Conjuring: The Book of the Dead (2020). Aside from the Doctor, his other memorable role is Radagast the Brown in the three Hobbit films - An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies (2012-14). He also appeared in The Secret Policeman's Ball in 1981, on Comic Relief in 1988, Space Cadets in 1997, Hell's Kitchen in 2004 and Tiswas Reunited in 2007. He has regularly played his Doctor in a number of fan audio adventures since 1999.
Facts
Before becoming an actor, he trained as a priest (1955-59), sold insurance and acted as a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones. Sylvester was second choice for the role of Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the early 1990s Sylvester was to play Governor Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl when the film was to be made by Steven Spielberg, but Disney refused permission and made it a decade later with Jonathan Pryce in the role. His stage name originates from when he was a part of Ken Campbell's variety roadshow, playing a stuntman by the same name (the name was dreamed up by roadshow colleague, actor Brian Murphy).

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964 Click here for Bonnie Langford's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12

GUEST CAST

Karen Clegg (Sarn) Born Oct 18 1966
Karen's only other roles were in Out of Sight (1997) and Casualty (2005). She started out as a child performer on Junior Showtime at the age of four, and has since appeared in West End musicals such as Cats and 42nd Street. More recently she entertained the elderly in residential homes and hospitals by singing music from the 1940s.

Richard Gauntlett (Urak) Born Sep 9 1963
Career highlights
Richard made his debut in Barnum! (1986), and later took roles in Motormouth (1990), Pigsty (1990), The Grand (1998), Shakespeare 4 Kidz (2003) and Dealers (2012). He has also written several episodes of children's series Sooty! (2013-18), and appeared as Bob Hoskins's stunt double in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988).
Facts
Richard performs widely on the stage as an actor, entertainer and comedian, including in musicals and variety shows, and also writes and provides pantomime scripts. He has a particular interest in music hall and silent film. Here he is, on Twitter!

Mark Greenstreet (Ikona) Born Apr 19 1960
Career highlights
Mark made his debut in Family Ties Vacation (1985), followed by roles in Time for Murder (1985), Brat Farrar (1986), Pulaski (1987), Dream Demon (1988), The Bill (1989) and Freddie and Max (1990). He finally found the leading role he sought playing Mike Hardy in the horse racing series Trainer (1991-92), after which he quit acting and moved behind the camera to write and direct Caught in the Act (1997) and Silent Hours (2017) - both of which he also wrote.
Facts
Mark - whose great-uncle was the actor Sydney Greenstreet - is married to assistant director Emma Pounds, who has worked on productions such as Mrs Dalloway and Human Traffic. In 1986, Mark was shortlisted for the role of James Bond in the 007 films, but the role ultimately went to Timothy Dalton.

Kate O'Mara (The Rani) Aug 10 1939 to Mar 30 2014 (ovarian cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: The Rani in The Mark of the Rani (1985), Time and the Rani (1987), Dimensions in Time (1993)
Career highlights
Kate's first role was Home and Away (1956, credited as Merrie Carroll), followed by roles in Emergency Ward 10 (1957), Danger Man (1965), Weavers Green (1966), Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), Great Catherine (1968), The Desperados (1969), The Avengers (1969), The Main Chance (1969), The Vampire Lovers (1970), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), Spy Trap (1973), The Tamarind Seed (1974), The Two Ronnies (1977), The Plank (1979), Dempsey and Makepeace (1986), Cluedo (1990), Bad Girls (2001), Absolutely Fabulous (1995/2003), Crossroads (2003), Family Affairs (2005) and Benidorm (2012). Kate had regular roles as Jane Maxwell in The Brothers (1975-76), Katherine Laker in Triangle (1981-82), Cassandra Morrell in US soap Dynasty (1986) and Laura Wilde in Howards' Way (1989-90). In 1971 Kate, who started her career as a speech therapist, appeared in the stage version of The Avengers, playing the villainous Madame Gerda. Kate reprised the role of the Rani in the 2000 audio play The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind, and was expected to do so again for Big Finish in 2014 in the story The Rani Elite, but she died before recording took place. The character was recast in the form of Siobhan Redmond.
Facts
Kate's mother was actress Hazel Bainbridge. Between 1961-76, Kate was married to actor Jeremy Young, who appeared in An Unearthly Child and Mission to the Unknown. In 1965, she had a brief liaison with an actor called David Orchard (he can be seen as the swimmer in the title sequence of the Bond film Thunderball), and as a result had a baby son which she had to have adopted. Her second husband was also a Doctor Who actor: between 1993-96 she was married to Richard Willis (who appeared in Full Circle). Her sister is actress Belinda Carroll, which made her brother-in-law the actor Michael Cochrane (who appeared in Black Orchid and Ghost Light). Belinda was previously married to actor Simon Williams (who appeared in Remembrance of the Daleks), making Simon Kate's ex brother-in-law (are you following this?). Kate founded The British Actors' Theatre Company in 1987, for which her son Dickon Young worked as a set designer. Kate had Dickon following an affair with the actor Ian Cullen (who appeared in The Aztecs), but Dickon was brought up by his stepfather, Jeremy Young. On New Year's Eve 2012, Dickon - who for years had suffered from alcohol and drug abuse, which had worsened since he sustained brain damage after being hit by a car - was found hanged at the family home, aged 48 (Kate was in hospital with double pneumonia at the time so her son's body was not found for three weeks).

Donald Pickering (Beyus) Nov 15 1933 to Dec 19 2009
Doctor Who credits
Played: Eyesen in The Keys of Marinus (1964)
Played: Captain Blade in The Faceless Ones (1967)
Played: Beyus in Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
Donald's prolific career began with an appearance in Woman in a Dressing Gown (1956), after which he took roles in Sykes in a ... (1964), Gideon's Way (1965), A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967), Barlow At Large (1971), The Pallisers (1974), Wings (1977-78), Zulu Dawn (1979), Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1980, as Watson to Geoffrey Whitehead's Holmes), The Professionals (1982), Yes, Prime Minister (1986), Executive Stress (1986-87), The Camomile Lawn (1992), Lovejoy (1994), The Brittas Empire (1997), Heartbeat (2001) and Holby City (2004).
Facts
Donald once said in an interview that he did not recall ever working on The Keys of Marinus!

John Segal (Lanisha)
Career highlights
Debuted in People Like Us (1978), followed by Inseminoid (1981), Secret Places (1984), Slaughter High (1986), The New Statesman (1989) and Eldorado (1992). John changed his stage name to John Walf and was subsequently credited on The Weight of Water (2000), Footsteps (2003), That's What She Said (2017), Augury (2018) and Meeting (2020).

Peter Tuddenham (Brain voice) Nov 27 1918 to Jul 9 2007
Doctor Who credits
Played: Computer voice in The Ark in Space (1975)
Played: Mandragora Helix Titan voice in The Masque of Mandragora (1976)
Played: Brain voice in Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
Peter's earliest role was in An English Summer (1949), followed by roles in Our Marie (1953), The Granville Melodramas (1955), followed by roles in Musical Playhouse (1959), The Valiant Varneys (1965), Weavers Green (1966), Nearest and Dearest (1968), The Nine Tailors (1974), Quiller (1975), The Expert (1976), Backs to the Land (1977-78), The Onedin Line (1980), Nanny (1981-82), Maelstrom (1985), Only Fools and Horses (1986), Campion (1989), The Camomile Lawn (1992), Waiting for God (1993), One Foot in the Grave (1995) and The Bill (1995). Peter's most famous role was voicing ship computers Zen and Slave, as well as the mobile computer Orac, in 49 episodes of sci-fi series Blake's 7 (1978-81) - and he reprised the role of Orac in 2004 for the Blake's 7 spoof Blake's 7 Junction.
Facts
Prolific voice actor Peter was an authority on the East Anglian dialect, and coached performers in the Suffolk accent for Glyndebourne operas.

Wanda Ventham (Faroon) Born Aug 5 1935
Doctor Who credits
Played: Jean Rock in The Faceless Ones (1967)
Played: Thea Ransome in Image of the Fendahl (1977)
Played: Faroon in Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
Wanda is a stalwart of British TV and film, first appearing in 1956's Teenage Bad Girl. Over her long career she popped up in The Navy Lark (1959), Carry On Cleo (1964), Hit and Run (1965), The Likely Lads (1965), The Avengers (1965), Death is a Woman (1966), The Prisoner (1967), Carry On Up the Khyber (1968), The Blood Beast Terror (1968), A Family at War (1970-71), The Troubleshooters (1967-71), Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974), Rutland Weekend Television (1975), Emmerdale Farm (1976), Fallen Hero (1978-79), The Two Ronnies (1980), Union Castle (1982), Don't Wait Up (1987), Executive Stress (1986-87), Capstick's Law (1989), Only Fools and Horses (1989-92, as Rodney's mother-in-law (coincidentally, her husband in this is played by Denis Lill, who she plays against in Image of the Fendahl)), Next of Kin (1995-96), Heartbeat (1996-97), Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1998), Coupling (2001), Oscar Charlie (2001-02), Mrs Caldicott's Cabbage War (2002), Lewis (2007), Run for Your Wife (2012), Sherlock (2014/17, as Sherlock's mum - which she is, of course!), Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016), Father Brown (2018), Holby City (2018), Departure (2019) and Penance (2020). She regularly played Shirley in The Rag Trade (1962-63), Virginia Lake in UFO (1970-73) and Ann Shepherd in The Lotus Eaters (1972-73).
Facts
Wanda's son is actor Benedict Cumberbatch (best known for Sherlock), and her husband actor Timothy Carlton. Wanda is a collector of barn owl memorabilia.

Jacki Webb (Brain voice)
Career highlights
Jacki's other work includes Champion House (1967), The Death Wheelers (1973), The Brothers (1975), The Enigma Files (1980), Angels (1983), Juliet Bravo (1985), Knights of God (1987), Soldier Soldier (1992), Little Lord Fauntleroy (1995), Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1998) and Heartbeat (1996/2005).

CREW

Pip Baker (writer) Jan 3 1929 to Apr 14 2020 (coronavirus)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (episodes 9-12 & 14, 1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Pip co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Pip was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Make Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000, Pip and Jane resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.
Facts
Pip was named after the Dickens character in Great Expectations. He suffered a fall early in 2020 and was ill for some time before being admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties shortly before he died.

Jane Baker (writer) Dec 30 1924 to Aug 29 2014
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Jane co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Jane was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Choose Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000 Jane and Pip resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.

Andrew Morgan (director) Born Oct 20 1942
Doctor Who credits
Directed: Time and the Rani (1987), Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)
Played: Windsor Castle tourist in Silver Nemesis (1988)
Career highlights
Andrew's career began as a production assistant on 1974's The Gathering Storm, followed by similar work on The Onedin Line (1976), Wings (1977) and Who Pays the Ferryman? (1977). His first directing job was on The Onedin Line, followed by Sutherland's Law (1975), Everyday Maths (1978-79), Blake's 7 (1980), Triangle (1981), King's Royal (1982-83), Swallows and Amazons Forever! (1984, which was BAFTA-nominated), One By One (1987, which he also produced), Knights of God (1987), Hard Cases (1989), Casualty (1989-90), Rides (1992-93), EastEnders (1993-94), The Famous Five (1995), The Prince and the pauper (1996, which was BAFTA-nominated), Children of the New Forest (1998), Urban Gothic (2000), The Worst Witch (1998-2000), Harry and the Wrinklies (2000-02), Heartbeat (2003-09) and That's English (2011-14).
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Andrew here.

John Nathan-Turner (producer) Aug 12 1947 to May 1 2002 (liver failure) Click here for John Nathan-Turner's entry on The Leisure Hive

Andrew Cartmel (script editor) Born Apr 6 1958
Doctor Who credits
Script edited: Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers, Delta and the Bannermen, Dragonfire, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Happiness Patrol, Silver Nemesis, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Battlefield, Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric, Survival (1987-89)
Career highlights
Andrew's other TV work includes script editing Casualty (1990) and Dark Knight (2001), after which he left the industry to work on several computing magazines. He has also written comic strips for Doctor Who Magazine (1990-93) and Judge Dredd Megazine (1995), as well as Doctor Who novels (1992-2005) and audios (2000/11).
Facts
Here he is, on Twitter, and here's his film review blog. Andrew also writes a series of crime novels featuring The Vinyl Detective, writing four so far between 2016-19.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Andrew here.

The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 13-14 (aka The Ultimate Foe)

The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) gets
that sinking feeling you have when you
get to the end of a season and wonder
if you'll get another one...

Two episodes (of a total of 14) (Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen)
First broadcast Nov 29 to Dec 6 1986
Average audience for serial: 5.0m

REGULAR CAST

Colin Baker (The Doctor) Born Jun 8 1943 Click here for Colin Baker's entry on Arc of Infinity

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964 Click here for Bonnie Langford's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12

Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor) May 31 1948 to Oct 19 2014 (colon cancer) Click here for Lynda Bellingham's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

Michael Jayston (The Valeyard) Oct 29 1935 to Feb 5 2024 Click here for Michael Jayston's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

GUEST CAST

Anthony Ainley (The Master) Aug 20 1932 to May 3 2004 (cancer) Click here for Anthony Ainley's entry on The Keeper of Traken

James Bree (Keeper of the Matrix) Jul 20 1923 to Dec 1 2008
Doctor Who credits
Played: Security Chief in The War Games (1969)
Played: Nefred in Full Circle (1980)
Played: Keeper of the Matrix in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
James's earliest appearance was in What's in Store (1953), then Give Them a Ring (1954), Stage By Stage: The Relapse, or Virtue in Danger (1954), Just My Luck (1957), Probation Officer (1962), R3 (1965), The Prisoner (1968), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), On the Buses (1971), Ace of Wands (1972), The Donati Conspiracy (1973), I, Claudius (1976), Secret Army (1977), Rumpole of the Bailey (1979), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Galloping Galaxies! (1985-86), Executive Stress (1986), Without a Clue (1988), Anna Lee (1994), Silent Witness (1996) and Ruth Rendell: The Orchard Walls (1998). James also appeared in the Doctor Who fan video spin-off Downtime (1995) and Lust in Space (1998, his final work).
Facts
He was a close friend of Doctor Who film actor Peter Cushing, and read a tribute out at his funeral. James suffered a stroke in 1998 which left him without the power of speech for the rest of his life. James was born as James Rutherfoord Worsfold Thomson, but became Thomson-Bree (just Bree professionally) after inheriting land from his great-uncle, Archdeacon William Bree. Through this inheritance, James became patron of the benefice and rectory of Allesley in Coventry. James's long-time partner, Albert Yates, died in 2006.

Geoffrey Hughes (Mr Popplewick) Feb 2 1944 to Jul 27 2012 (prostate cancer)
Career highlights
Geoffrey made his acting debut as Podge in The Likely Lads (1966), after which he found work in The Bofors Gun (1968), Yellow Submarine (1968, as the voice of Paul McCartney), The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Curry and Chips (1969), Up Pompeii! (1970), Carry On at Your Convenience (1971), Dad's Army (1972), Crown Court (1974), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Nijinsky (1980), The Bright Side (1985), Flying Lady (1989), Spender (1991), The Upper Hand (1993), Flick (2008), Skins (2007-09) and The History of Stand-Up Comedy (2010). Geoffrey had four long-running roles which he will forever be remembered for: Eddie Yeats in over 160 episodes of soap Coronation Street (1974-83/87), Onslow in 44 episodes of sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990-95), Vernon Scripps in 88 episodes of Heartbeat (2001-07) and Twiggy in eight episodes of sitcom The Royle Family (1998-2008).
Facts
Geoffrey was first diagnosed with cancer in 1996, but beat it; sadly, it returned in 2010 and he had to give up acting. In 2009, he was appointed Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the Isle of Wight (where he lived), making him the official link between the island and royalty at formal engagements. He was also the Honorary Squire of the Dartington Morris Men and made an appearance at the Dartington Morris Ring meeting in 2008. His musical interests included English folk-rock, which led to him compering at Fairport Convention's annual Copredy festival several times.
This is Your Life: Geoffrey was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on February 14th, 2001, surprised by host Michael Aspel during filming of the drama Heartbeat in Yorkshire.

Tony Selby (Glitz) Feb 26 1938 to Sep 5 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sabalom Glitz in The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 & 13-14 (1986), Dragonfire (1987)
Career highlights
Tony debuted at the age of 13 in 1951's Menius Was a Bad Boy, followed by roles in Skippy Smith Goes to the Circus (1953), The Explorer (1955), An Alligator Named Daisy (1955), An Age of Kings (1960), Teletale (1964), Alfie (1966), King of the River (1966), Poor Cow (1967), The Informer (1967), The Avengers (1968), Witchfinder General (1968), According to Dora (1969), Shine a Light (1970), Catweazle (1971), Villain (1971), Ace of Wands (1970-71), Warship (1973), Reg Varney (1974), Moody and Pegg (1974-75), The Good Life (1975-76), Superman (1978), Jack of Diamonds (1983), Give Us a Break (1983-84), Hideaway (1986), The Secret Garden (1987), The World of Lee Evans (1995), Loop (1997), Holby City (1999), Burnside (2000), EastEnders (2002), Dream Team (2006), My Family (2011), Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) and Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016). Tony also regularly played Corporal Percy Marsh in Get Some In! (1975-78), Bert in Mulberry (1992-93), Max Taplow in Love Hurts (1992-94) and Sergeant Nozzer Richardson in The Detectives (1994-97).

CREW

Robert Holmes (writer, Part 13) Apr 2 1926 to May 24 1986 (chronic liver ailment) Click here to see Robert Holmes's entry on The Krotons

Pip Baker (writer, Part 14) Jan 3 1929 to Apr 14 2020 (coronavirus)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (episodes 9-12 & 14, 1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Pip co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Pip was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Make Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000, Pip and Jane resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.
Facts
Pip was named after the Dickens character in Great Expectations. He suffered a fall early in 2020 and was ill for some time before being admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties shortly before he died.

Jane Baker (writer, Part 14) Dec 30 1924 to Aug 29 2014
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Jane co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Jane was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Choose Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000 Jane and Pip resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.

Chris Clough (director) Born Mar 9 1951
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-14 (1986), Delta and the Bannermen (1987), Dragonfire (1987), The Happiness Patrol (1988), Silver Nemesis (1988)
Played: Voice of Fifi in The Happiness Patrol (1988, uncredited)
Played: Policeman in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
Further directing work includes Brookside (1982), EastEnders (1985-88), Casualty (1994-95), The Bill (1992-95), Ballykissangel (1996) and Skins (2007). Chris later went into production, handling The Bill (1995-97), Ballykissangel (1998-99), Black Cab (2000), Table 12 (2001), Born and Bred (2003-04), The Ghost Squad (2005), Skins (2007-13), Sirens (2011), Strike Back (2012), Lucan (2013), The Missing (2014), Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016), Rellik (2017), Dark Heart (2018) and World on Fire (2019).
Awards
2019: BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama (Killed By My Debt) - with Joseph Bullman, Tahsin Guner and Aysha Rafaele.

Eric Saward (script editor, Part 13) Born Dec 9 1944 Click here for Eric Saward's entry on on Castrovalva

John Nathan-Turner (producer, and (uncredited) script editor, Part 14) Aug 12 1947 to May 1 2002 (liver failure) Click here for John Nathan-Turner's entry on The Leisure Hive