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| Bill (Pearl Mackie) meets the Emojibots (Kiran Shah and Craig Garner) |
First broadcast: Apr 22 2017
Average audience for story: 5.98m
REGULAR CAST
Peter Capaldi (The Doctor) Born Apr 14 1958 Click here for Peter Capaldi's entry on The Fires of Pompeii
Matt Lucas (Nardole) Born Mar 5 1974 Click here for Matt Lucas's entry on The Husbands of River Song
Pearl Mackie (Bill Potts) Born May 29 1987 Click here for Pearl Mackie's entry on The Pilot
GUEST CAST
Kaizer Akhtar (Praiseworthy)
Career highlights
Kaizer - also credited as Kaizer Shaan Akhtar - made his debut playing the voice of Isaac in 52 episodes of children's series Baby Jake (2011-12), and has also had work in The Honourable Woman (2014), Tut (2015), Ploey (2018) and Shane the Chef (2018).
Facts
Here he is on Twitter.
Mina Anwar (Goodthing) Born Sep 20 1969
Doctor Who credits
Played: Gita Chandra in The Sarah Jane Adventures: Day of the Clown, The Sarah Jane Adventures: Secrets of the Stars, The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith, The Sarah Jane Adventures: Enemy of the Bane, The Sarah Jane Adventures: Prisoner of the Judoon, The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, The Sarah Jane Adventures: Vault of Secrets, The Sarah Jane Adventures: Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith, The Sarah Jane Adventures: Sky (2008-11)
Played: Goodthing in Smile (2017)
Career highlights
Mina's first high profile role was in the sitcom The Thin Blue Line playing WPC Maggie Habib (1995-96), and her CV also includes 99-1 (1995), Flight (1995), Barbara (1999), Maybe Baby (2000), Always and Everyone (2001), The Bill (2003), Best Friends (2004), Mayo (2006), No Angels (2006), Coronation Street (2005/06), The Invisibles (2008), Scoop (2009-11), The Wright Way (2013), The Slammer (2013), Happy Valley (2014), Remember Me (2014), Marley's Ghosts (2015), Upstart Crow (2016), In the Club (2014-16), Damned (2016), The Worst Witch (2018), When It Rains (2020) and Starstruck (2022). She also played Trudy Rehman in 106 episodes of House of Anubis (2011-13).
Facts
In 1999, trained mezzo-soprano Mina co-founded a company called Aware International with actress Dervla Kirwan, which manufactured underwear called Secretpockets aimed at the discreet use of condoms - the women's were called The Force and men's Downunderwear. Profits were intended for STD clinics, but the company was dissolved in 2003. If you want to read a somewhat awkward interview with Mina with the Northern Echo, click here! Here she is on Twitter.
Kiran L Dadlani (Kezzia) Born 1971
Career highlights
Kiran's earliest credited screen work was on Cold Enough for Snow in 1997, followed by Murder in Mind (2001), Casualty (2002), Doctors (2014), Coronation Street (2013/17), Cold Feet (2020) and Ackley Bridge (2021).
Facts
In 1996, Kiran appeared in the music video for the song Colour of Love by Dutch pop singer Amber (aka Marie Claire Cremers).
Career highlights
Kiran's earliest credited screen work was on Cold Enough for Snow in 1997, followed by Murder in Mind (2001), Casualty (2002), Doctors (2014), Coronation Street (2013/17), Cold Feet (2020) and Ackley Bridge (2021).
Facts
In 1996, Kiran appeared in the music video for the song Colour of Love by Dutch pop singer Amber (aka Marie Claire Cremers).
Craig Garner (Emojibot) Born Jan 7 1985
Career highlights
Craig made his debut in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011), followed by parts in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Filth (2013), Tarzan (2013), Robot Overlords (2014), Get Santa (2014), London Fields (2017) and Hawk (2019). He also performed stunts on The Woman in Black 2 (2014) and Jupiter Ascending (2015) and acted as a stand-in on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017). Craig also took part in Channel 4's documentary series Seven Dwarves (2011).
Facts
Craig, who is 4ft 1in tall, has a rare condition called Moore-Federman Syndrome which gives him his short stature but means he does not have other characteristics of dwarfism, such as short limbs or bowed legs. Here he is on Twitter!
Ralf Little (Steadfast) Born Feb 8 1980
Career highlights
Ralf made his screen debut aged 14 in Sloggers (1994-95), followed by Elidor (1995), Children's Ward (1998), Monkey Trousers (2000), Always and Everyone (2000), Aladdin (2000), 24 Hour Party People (2002), Fat Slags (2004), The Waiting Room (2007), Robin Hood (2007), Massive (2008), Married Single Other (2010), Powder (2011), Death in Paradise (2013), Our Zoo (2014), The Interceptor (2015), Lewis (2015), The A Word (2016-20), Borderline (2016-17, as narrator), Inside No 9 (2020) and Killer Bean (2023). He also played Richard Eustace in Paradise Heights (2002) and The Eustace Bros. (2003), and enjoyed huge success as Jonny Keogh in 55 episodes of sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001-06), Richard Dickens in The Cafe (2011-13) and, most famously of all, Anthony Royle in sitcom The Royle Family (1998-2010). He also took the lead role of Neville Parker in Death in Paradise (2020-22). Ralf also has credits behind the cameras, as executive producer on The Cafe, Borderline and Urban Myths: Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon (2017 - the episode that was pulled from broadcast as it featured a white man playing the late Michael Jackson, which upset, among many others, Jackson's daughter Paris). Ralf has also written for The Ralf Little Show (2002), The Cafe and The Girl Whisperer (2016).
Facts
Ralf's younger brother is Ross Little. Ralf is also a semi-professional footballer, having played for Maidstone United, Staines Town, Edgware Town, Chertsey Town, Stone Dominoes, Manchester United (testimonial match) and the Principality of Sealand. His great-grandfather was Welsh international footballer Albert Lockley.
Career highlights
Craig made his debut in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011), followed by parts in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Filth (2013), Tarzan (2013), Robot Overlords (2014), Get Santa (2014), London Fields (2017) and Hawk (2019). He also performed stunts on The Woman in Black 2 (2014) and Jupiter Ascending (2015) and acted as a stand-in on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017). Craig also took part in Channel 4's documentary series Seven Dwarves (2011).
Facts
Craig, who is 4ft 1in tall, has a rare condition called Moore-Federman Syndrome which gives him his short stature but means he does not have other characteristics of dwarfism, such as short limbs or bowed legs. Here he is on Twitter!
Ralf Little (Steadfast) Born Feb 8 1980
Career highlights
Ralf made his screen debut aged 14 in Sloggers (1994-95), followed by Elidor (1995), Children's Ward (1998), Monkey Trousers (2000), Always and Everyone (2000), Aladdin (2000), 24 Hour Party People (2002), Fat Slags (2004), The Waiting Room (2007), Robin Hood (2007), Massive (2008), Married Single Other (2010), Powder (2011), Death in Paradise (2013), Our Zoo (2014), The Interceptor (2015), Lewis (2015), The A Word (2016-20), Borderline (2016-17, as narrator), Inside No 9 (2020) and Killer Bean (2023). He also played Richard Eustace in Paradise Heights (2002) and The Eustace Bros. (2003), and enjoyed huge success as Jonny Keogh in 55 episodes of sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001-06), Richard Dickens in The Cafe (2011-13) and, most famously of all, Anthony Royle in sitcom The Royle Family (1998-2010). He also took the lead role of Neville Parker in Death in Paradise (2020-22). Ralf also has credits behind the cameras, as executive producer on The Cafe, Borderline and Urban Myths: Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon (2017 - the episode that was pulled from broadcast as it featured a white man playing the late Michael Jackson, which upset, among many others, Jackson's daughter Paris). Ralf has also written for The Ralf Little Show (2002), The Cafe and The Girl Whisperer (2016).
Facts
Ralf's younger brother is Ross Little. Ralf is also a semi-professional footballer, having played for Maidstone United, Staines Town, Edgware Town, Chertsey Town, Stone Dominoes, Manchester United (testimonial match) and the Principality of Sealand. His great-grandfather was Welsh international footballer Albert Lockley.
Kiran Shah (Emojibot) Born Sep 28 1956
Doctor Who credits
Played: Figure in Listen (2014)
Played: Emojibot in Smile (2017)
Career highlights
Born in Kenya, Kiran made his screen acting debut with The People That Time Forgot (1977), followed by roles in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Dark Crystal (1982), Return of the Jedi (1983, as an Ewok), Legend (1985), Gothic (1986), Bullseye! (1990), Space Precinct (1995), The Biggest Step (2002), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Shameless (2007), Trapped! (2010), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Force Awakens (2015, as Teedo), Game of Thrones (2016), Star Wars: Rogue One (2016, as Oolin Musters), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars: Solo (2018), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Dracula (2020), Worzel Gummidge (2019/21) and Dr Spiderwack's Mind-boggling Compendium of Fantastic Urban Beasts (2023). Kiran has also performed stuntwork on productions such as Candleshoe (1977), Superman (1978), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Krull (1983), Aliens (1986), Braveheart (1995), Titanic (1997), Spice World (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999), The Hobbit trilogy (2012-14) and The Turning (2020). He is also a member of the team who create parody films with such titles as The Throbbit, Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise and The Dork of the Rings.
Awards
2003: Guinness World Record for the world's shortest stunt performer
2010: Guinness World Record for the world's shortest wing walker
Doctor Who credits
Played: Figure in Listen (2014)
Played: Emojibot in Smile (2017)
Career highlights
Born in Kenya, Kiran made his screen acting debut with The People That Time Forgot (1977), followed by roles in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Dark Crystal (1982), Return of the Jedi (1983, as an Ewok), Legend (1985), Gothic (1986), Bullseye! (1990), Space Precinct (1995), The Biggest Step (2002), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Shameless (2007), Trapped! (2010), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Force Awakens (2015, as Teedo), Game of Thrones (2016), Star Wars: Rogue One (2016, as Oolin Musters), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars: Solo (2018), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Dracula (2020), Worzel Gummidge (2019/21) and Dr Spiderwack's Mind-boggling Compendium of Fantastic Urban Beasts (2023). Kiran has also performed stuntwork on productions such as Candleshoe (1977), Superman (1978), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Krull (1983), Aliens (1986), Braveheart (1995), Titanic (1997), Spice World (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999), The Hobbit trilogy (2012-14) and The Turning (2020). He is also a member of the team who create parody films with such titles as The Throbbit, Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise and The Dork of the Rings.
Awards
2003: Guinness World Record for the world's shortest stunt performer
2010: Guinness World Record for the world's shortest wing walker
2024: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the film industry
Facts
Kiran, who is 4ft 1in tall, was the scale double for Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. He can also be seen in the music video for Jamie T's Calm Down Dearest (2007). Kiran originally auditioned for the role of R2-D2 in Star Wars, but lost out to Kenny Baker. Kiran has also worked with stage magician Simon Drake, entertaining celebrities on tour, performing as musician Julian Lennon's support act, and performing at Tina Turner's 50th birthday party. Kiran will also forever be immortalised as the Tango Man in the controversial (and sometimes banned) TV commercials for Tango ("You've been Tangoed!"). He's on Twitter.
Facts
Kiran, who is 4ft 1in tall, was the scale double for Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. He can also be seen in the music video for Jamie T's Calm Down Dearest (2007). Kiran originally auditioned for the role of R2-D2 in Star Wars, but lost out to Kenny Baker. Kiran has also worked with stage magician Simon Drake, entertaining celebrities on tour, performing as musician Julian Lennon's support act, and performing at Tina Turner's 50th birthday party. Kiran will also forever be immortalised as the Tango Man in the controversial (and sometimes banned) TV commercials for Tango ("You've been Tangoed!"). He's on Twitter.
Kalungi Ssebandeke (Nate)
Career highlights
Kalungi's only other acting work has been in the 2013 short film Columbite Tantalite, Cucumber (2015) and the short film Marriage Plan, which he also wrote and directed. He is also a playwright, having been selected for the BBC Writers Room London Voices scheme. His brother is filmmaker Moses Ssebandeke. Here he is on Twitter.
CREW
Frank Cottrell-Boyce (writer) Born Sep 23 1959
Doctor Who credits
Writer: In the Forest of the Night (2014), Smile (2017)
Career highlights
Screenwriter and novelist Frank started out writing for TV soap Brookside (1987/89) and its spin-off Damon and Debbie (1987), and continued to write for television programmes and films such as The Real Eddy English (1989), In Suspicious Circumstances (1992), Crime Story (1992), A Woman's Guide to Adultery (1993), Coronation Street (1991-95), New York Crossing (1996), Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), Hilary and Jackie (1998), 24 Hour Party People (2002), Grow Your Own (2007), Framed (2009), The Railway Man (2013), Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017), Sometimes Always Never (2018) and Stephen (2021). Frank also wrote the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, Isles of Wonder, and has written several books for young readers, including Millions (2004), The Unforgotten Coat (2011), three sequels to Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2011-13), Runaway Robot (2019) and Noah's Gold (2021).
Awards
2004: Carnegie Medal (Millions)
Doctor Who credits
Writer: In the Forest of the Night (2014), Smile (2017)
Career highlights
Screenwriter and novelist Frank started out writing for TV soap Brookside (1987/89) and its spin-off Damon and Debbie (1987), and continued to write for television programmes and films such as The Real Eddy English (1989), In Suspicious Circumstances (1992), Crime Story (1992), A Woman's Guide to Adultery (1993), Coronation Street (1991-95), New York Crossing (1996), Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), Hilary and Jackie (1998), 24 Hour Party People (2002), Grow Your Own (2007), Framed (2009), The Railway Man (2013), Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017), Sometimes Always Never (2018) and Stephen (2021). Frank also wrote the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, Isles of Wonder, and has written several books for young readers, including Millions (2004), The Unforgotten Coat (2011), three sequels to Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2011-13), Runaway Robot (2019) and Noah's Gold (2021).
Awards
2004: Carnegie Medal (Millions)
Lawrence Gough (director)
Doctor Who credits
Directed: Friend from the Future (2016), The Pilot (2017), Smile (2017)
Career highlights
Lawrence's first directing work was on a series of short films, including 2003's Beating the Dog, The Replacement (2005) and Gatecrash (2009). He has also worked on Salvage (2009), Maru (2009-11), Saor Sinn o Olc (2011), Hollyoaks (2012-13), Misfits (2013), Atlantis (2015), The Aliens (2016), Snatch (2017), Bancroft (2020) and The Last Bus (2022). He has also written many of the short films he's directed, as well as episodes of Maru and Saor Sinn o Olc.
Peter Bennett (producer) Click here for Peter Bennett's entry on The Beast Below
Nick Lambon (script editor) Click here for Nick Lambon's entry on Under the Lake
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