Dimensions in Time

The Seven Doctors anyone?
Pic: Christopher's Doctor Who Covers

Two episodes (Part One, Part Two)
First broadcast Nov 26 to 27 1993. Note: Part One was broadcast as part of BBC1's Children in Need charity telethon, and Part Two as part of BBC1's Noel's House Party programme
Average audience for serial: 13.7m

DOCTOR WHO CAST

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

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

Peter Davison (The Doctor) Born Apr 13 1951 Click here for Peter Davison's entry on Logopolis

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

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

Carole Ann Ford (Susan) Born Jun 16 1940 For a full career biography for Carole Ann Ford, click here.

Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield) Jan 2 1948 to Jul 21 2017 (lung cancer) Click here for Deborah Watling's entry on The Evil of the Daleks

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

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

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

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Feb 1 1946 to Apr 19 2011 (pancreatic cancer) Click here for Elisabeth Sladen's entry on The Time Warrior

Louise Jameson (Leela) Born Apr 20 1951 Click here for Louise Jameson's entry on The Face of Evil

John Leeson (Voice of K-9) Born Mar 16 1943 Click here for John Leeson's entry on The Invisible Enemy

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

Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) Born Dec 12 1961 Click here for Sarah Sutton's entry on The Keeper of Traken

Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown) Born Oct 11 1960 Click here for Nicola Bryant's entry on Planet of Fire

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 Click here for Sophie Aldred's entry on Dragonfire

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).

Samuel West (Cyrian) Born Jun 19 1966
Career highlights
Sam's acting debut came aged nine in Edward the King (1975, playing a five-year-old!), followed by Nanny (1981), Reunion (1989), Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989), Stanley and the Women (1991), Howards End (1992, for which he was BAFTA-nominated), As Time Goes By (1994), Persuasion (1995), Zoya (1995), Strangers (1996), Jane Eyre (1996), The Ripper (1997), Notting Hill (1999), Longitude (2000), Complicity (2000), Iris (2001), Cambridge Spies (2003), Van Helsing (2004), Random Quest (2006), Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (2008), Desperate Romantics (2009), Dark Relic (2010), Any Human Heart (2010), Eternal Law (2012), Fleming (2014), The Crimson Field (2014), Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2015), The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015), Suffragette (2015), The Hollow Crown (2016), Midsomer Murders (2007/17), Darkest Hour (2017), On Chesil Beach (2017), Trust (2018), Grantchester (2019), The Crown (2019), Death in Paradise (2020), Westworld (2020) and All Creatures Great and Small (2020). He also had a regular role as Frank Edwards in 36 episodes of Mr Selfridge (2013-16).
Awards
2001: London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean Performance (Hamlet)
Facts
Sam is the son of acting legends Timothy West and Prunella Scales, the grandson of actor Lockwood West, and the great-grandson of actor H. Carleton-Crowe. Samuel is a socialist activist and has spoken at a number of political and union rallies. He has been involved in a great number of recitals of both prose and poetry, both with and without choral or orchestral accompaniment, and is a choral singer himself. His partner is playwright Laura Wade. Sam appears in Billy Bragg's 2013 music video for Handyman Blues.

EASTENDERS CAST

Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) Born Nov 14 1967
Career highlights
Letitia's first acting job was the regular role of Lucinda Oliver in school drama Grange Hill (1983-84); she also had roles in soap Brookside (1984) and Relative Strangers (1985) before securing the role of Sharon Watts in EastEnders. At the time of writing, Letitia is still in the soap, having played the character in more than 2,280 episodes since 1985. Other acting credits include Casualty (1995), England, My England (1995), The Hello Girls (1996-98), Doctors (2000) and Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married (1999-2000).
Facts
In 1986, Letitia and EastEnders co-star Paul Medford released a single called Something Outta Nothing which peaked at number 12 in the UK chart. In 2007, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Shobu Kapoor (Gita Kapoor) Born May 28 1961
Doctor Who credits
Played: Gita Kapoor in Dimensions in Time (1993)
Played: Scared woman in Journey's End (2008)
Career highlights
Shobu debuted in Family Pride in 1991, and then secured the role of Gita in EastEnders which she would play in more than 280 episodes between 1993-98. After leaving EastEnders, Shobu found roles in Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Nevermind Nirvana (2004), Chicken Tikka Masala (2005), Banglatown Banquet (2006), Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006), Fair City (2006), Shameless (2007), The Infidel (2010), The Jury (2011), Silent Witness (2012), Some Things (2014), Hank Zipzer (2015), Loaded (2017), The Boy with the Topknot (2017), The Split (2018), Unforgotten (2018), Krypton (2018-19), Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019) and I Hate Suzie (2020). She also had the regular role of Mrs Khan in 33 episodes of the sitcom Citizen Khan (2012-16).
Facts
In 2013 she appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Mastermind, her specialist subject being the author Roald Dahl. Here she is, on Twitter!

Ross Kemp (Grant Mitchell) Born Jul 21 1964
Career highlights
Ross made his TV debut in Emmerdale Farm (1986), followed by roles in Playing Away (1987), The Picnic (1989) and Birds of a Feather (1989). He won the role of Grant Mitchell in EastEnders in 1990 and played him in over 1,000 episodes between 1990-2016. Other acting work includes City Central (1998), In Defence (2000), Without Motive (2000), A Christmas Carol (2000), The Crooked Man (2003), Spartacus (2004), 10 Minute Tales (2009) and Nothing to Declare (2020). He also had a regular role as Henry Garvie in Ultimate Force (2002-06). In recent years Ross has branched out into documentary filmmaking, and has fronted investigative series such as Alive in Alaska (1999), Ross Kemp in Afghanistan (2008), Ross Kemp on Gangs (2007-09), In Search of Pirates (2009), Battle for the Amazon (2010), Extreme World (2011-17) and Britain's Volunteer Army (2020). He has also acted as executive producer on several of these programmes.
Awards
1999: British Soap Award for Best Actor (EastEnders)
2006: British Soap Award for Best Actor (EastEnders)
2007: BAFTA TV Award for Best Factual Series (Ross Kemp on Gangs) - with Amelia Hann and Clive Tulloh
Facts
Between 2002-09 Ross was married to the tabloid journalist Rebekah Wade (who many years later was embroiled in the newspaper phone hacking scandal); in 2005 police were called after Wade (now Brooks) assaulted her husband, but no charges were pursued. It was revealed during the phone hacking court proceedings years later that she had been having an affair with tabloid colleague Andy Coulson between 1998-2007. In 2011 Ross wrote his first novel, Devil to Pay, followed by Moving Target the following year.
This is Your Life: Ross was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on February 3rd, 1997, surprised by host Michael Aspel on the set of soap EastEnders.

Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell) Born Mar 20 1959
Career highlights
Steve made his acting debut in Buster in 1988, followed by roles in Minder (1989) and Bergerac (1990) before winning the role of Phil Mitchell in EastEnders. He has played the role in more than 3,200 episodes since 1990. While most of his career has been spent in the soap, there have been occasional appearances in other productions, such as Kevin and Perry Go Large (2000), Murder in Mind (2001) and Provoked: A True Story (2006).
Awards
2001: British Soap Award for Villain of the Year (EastEnders)
2016: British Soap Award Outstanding Achievement Award (EastEnders)
Facts
In 2014, Steve successfully sued the Metropolitan Police and the News of the World newspaper after a police officer sold details about him to the publication. Between 1999-2003 Steve was in a relationship with EastEnders co-star Lucy Benjamin, who had an uncredited role as the young Nyssa in Mawdryn Undead.

Mike Reid (Frank Butcher) Jan 19 1940 to Jul 29 2007 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Thal in Dr Who and the Daleks (1965, film, uncredited)
Played: Greek soldier in The Myth Makers (1965, uncredited)
Played: Guard in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966, uncredited)
Played: Soldier in The War Machines (1966, uncredited)
Played: Frank Butcher in Dimensions in Time (1993)
Career highlights
Mike started out as a stuntman, working on productions such as Spartacus (1960), The Avengers (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Casino Royale (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and Department S (1969). His second career in the entertainment industry then took off when he became a stand-up comedian in working men's clubs, which soon caught the attention of TV producers. He made his first comedy appearances in The Comedians (1972-74), after which he became a popular face on screen in the 1970s and 80s in The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club (1974), Runaround (1975), The Good Old Days (1977-78), The Mike Reid Show (1976-78), Starburst (1981-83) and Punchlines! (1983-84). His acting career continued in the likes of Steptoe and Son (1972), Yus My Dear (1976), Noah's Castle (1980), Worzel Gummidge (1980), Minder (1982), Big Deal (1986), The Detectives (1995), Underworld (1997), Moussaka and Chips (2005), The Bill (2007), Inferno (2008) and Jack Says (2008). However, it is his role as Frank Butcher in EastEnders for which he will most be remembered, who he played in 720 episodes between 1987-2005. Mike also released several of his live stand-up routines on video, including Live and Uncensored (1992), Alive and Kidding (1998) and Seriously Funny (2000).
Facts
In 1985, Mike's son Mark accidentally shot dead his 17-year-old friend and received a suspended sentence. Five years later Mark, suffering from schizophrenia, committed suicide by setting himself on fire. As if that wasn't tragic enough, within weeks Mark's daughter Kirsty (Mike's granddaughter) died in her cot, aged six months. Ironically, Mike had been given a thorough examination and a clean bill of health just two weeks before he died. At the time of his death he owed £900,000, so creditors took all of his legacy.
This is Your Life: Mike was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on November 16th, 1994, surprised by host Michael Aspel following a stand-up gig at the Lakeside Country Club in Surrey. Fellow EastEnders (and Doctor Who!) actor Barbara Windsor paid tribute on the show.

Wendy Richard (Pauline Fowler) Jul 20 1943 to Feb 26 2009 (breast cancer)
Career highlights
Wendy made her acting debut in the 1961 series Saturday Spectacular, followed by roles in Hugh and I (1962-66, as Hugh's daughter), The Arthur Haynes Show (1962), Harpers West One (1962), HMS Paradise (1964), The Day of Ragnarok (1965), The Sullavan Brothers (1965), The Likely Lads (1965), Weavers Green (1966), Up Pompeii! (1970), On the Buses (1971), Please Sir! (1971), Both Ends Meet (1972), Bless This House (1972), Not On Your Nellie (1975), Spooner's Patch (1979) and Function Room (1985). Wendy's first brush with fame came playing Joyce Harker in soap The Newcomers between 1965-67, and later as blonde bombshell Miss Shirley Brahms in 69 episodes of the department store sitcom Are You Being Served? (1972-85) and its sequel Grace and Favour (1992-93), as well as the 1977 film version. During the 1970s Wendy also had a couple of recurring roles in sitcom Dad's Army, as Edith Parish in 1970 and then as Shirley in 1972-73. Also in the 1970s Wendy became a secondary regular member of the Carry On comedy team, appearing in Carry On Matron (1972, as Miss Willing) and Carry On Girls (1973, as the amusingly named Ida Downs) as well as the 1970 TV Christmas special. In 1985, Wendy secured the role for which she will be most remembered, Pauline Fowler in the soap EastEnders, who she played in 2,054 episodes between 1985-2006. After leaving the soap, Wendy took roles in Benidorm, Agatha Christie's Marple and Here Comes the Queen (all 2008).
Awards
2000: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to television drama
2007: British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
Facts
In 1962, Wendy joined Mike Sarne on the number one UK hit single Come Outside. She was a collector of ornamental frogs, which numbered more than 1,000. Wendy beat cancer twice - in 1996 and in 2002 - before it spread in 2008.

Nicola Stapleton (Mandy Salter) Born Aug 9 1974
Career highlights
Nicola began as a child actor, her first work being uncredited in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), after which she had roles in Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Hansel and Gretel (1987), Snow White (1987), Hannay (1988), Courage Mountain (1990) and the regular character of Sally in Simon and the Witch (1987-88). Nicola joined EastEnders as Mandy in 1992, and played her for almost 200 episodes between 1992-94 and 2011-12. Work outside EastEnders has included The Thin Blue Line (1995), Urban Ghost Story (1998), The Killing Zone (1999), Audrey and Friends (2000), Chunky Monkey (2001), Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001), South West 9 (2001), Holby City (2004), The Commander (2007), Hollyoaks Later (2009), Postcode (2011), Blood and Carpet (2015), The Rise of the Krays (2015), The Fall of the Krays (2016), Dusty and Me (2016), White Gold (2017), Intruders (2017) and London Kills (2019). She also had the recurring role of Janine Nebeski in Bad Girls (2005-06) and Danielle Hutch in Emmerdale (2008-09), but more recently is known for voicing the character of Rosie in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (2017-20).
Facts
In 2001, Nicola's father Vincent was jailed for five years for his part in an £11m VAT computer chip fraud. Her brother was also fined £10,000 for helping in the fraudulent business, which involved importing VAT-exempt microchips from the EU and selling them to firms with added VAT, before claiming money back from the Government. In 2008, Nicola battled against the Customs Prosecution Office at the High Court in order to keep her property in London, which she had purchased from her father for £175,000 before his imprisonment. The prosecution claimed the house had originally been purchased from "ill-gotten gains" and wanted to seize the property as part of the confiscation order. Nicola maintained she bought the property out of her earnings as an actress in 2000 and the court found in her favour.

Pam St Clement (Pat Butcher) Born May 11 1942
Career highlights
Debuted in Doomwatch (1972), then The Fenn Street Gang (1973), All Our Saturdays (1973), Hedda (1975), A Horseman Riding By (1978), Emmerdale Farm (1980), The Bunker (1981), Angels (1981), Scrubbers (1982), Bottle Boys (1984), The Tripods (1985) and CATS Eyes (1986). Former teacher Pam won the role of Pat in 1986, and went on to play her in more than 2,500 episodes until 2012. After leaving the soap, Pam appeared in Leonardo (2012) and Casualty (2016-17).
Awards
2012: British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
Facts
Bisexual Pam is an avid campaigner for both gay rights and animal welfare.

Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Beale) Born Aug 14 1955
Career highlights
Gillian's acting debut came in Eleanor (1974), after which she appeared in Zigger Zagger (1975), Somebody's Daughter (1978), The Rag Trade (1977-78), Thundercloud (1979), Watch This Space (1980), The Long Good Friday (1980), Sink or Swim (1981), On Safari (1982-84), The Gentle Touch (1984) and Stars of the Roller State Disco (1985). She won the role of Kathy Beale in EastEnders in 1985, and she has played the part in more than 1,600 episodes since. Her later work includes Big Cat (1998), The Knock (2000), Messiah (2001/03), The House That Jack Built (2002), Jane Hall (2006) and Missing (2010). Regular roles have included Jackie Webb in 38 episodes of Footballers' Wives (2002-06), Sergeant Nikki Wright in 56 episodes of The Bill (2006-08) and Sandy Roscoe in 161 episodes of soap Hollyoaks (2013-15). Gillian also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant in 2008, and on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013.
Facts
Her sister Kim Taylforth is also an actor. In 1994, Gillian was involved in a high-profile court case when she sued The Sun newspaper for libel after it ran a story claiming she and her then partner Geoff Knights had performed sexual acts on a slip road on the A1 in their vehicle. Gillian claimed her partner had suffered an attack of pancreatitis and she was merely massaging his stomach to soothe his abdominal pain; however, a police officer claimed she was performing fellatio. In the case, the jury returned a verdict in favour of The Sun.

Deepak Verma (Sanjay Kapoor) Born Feb 11 1969
Career highlights
Deepak debuted in Taggart in 1992 before securing the role of Sanjay in EastEnders which he would play for more than 360 episodes between 1993-98. After leaving EastEnders, Deepak appeared in Empty Mirror (2000), Holby City (2001), White Teeth (2002), All About Me (2003), 5 Aside (2014), Dominion (2015), City of Tiny Lights (2016), The Good Karma Hospital (2017) and Emergency: LA (2021). He also appeared in almost 400 episodes of the Hindi comedy drama Kyunki... Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi between 2000-02.
Awards
2017: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the arts
Facts
Deepak runs his own production company, Pukkanasha Films.

Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) Born Jun 28 1968
Career highlights
Adam's acting debut came playing Shiner in The Baker Street Boys (1983), after which he took the role of Dave Firkettle in 1983's The Witches and the Grinnygog. His third acting job was playing Ian Beale in EastEnders, which he joined in 1985 and has played in more than 3,900 episodes to date.
Awards
2013: British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (EastEnders)
2015: British Soap Awards Best On-Screen Partnership (EastEnders) - with Laurie Brett
Facts
Between 1983-85 Adam trained as a butcher in Wales. Here he is, on Twitter!

CREW

David Roden (writer)
Career highlights
At the time that he helped John Nathan-Turner write the script for Dimensions in Time, David was researcher on productions such as Derek Jarman's Wittgenstein and Blue. After this he became a production assistant on French Film (2008), a script editor on Casualty (2009-10) and Coronation Street (2013-14), a director on Doctors (2013), and a director and producer on Irish drama Red Rock (2015-17).
Facts
David used to run the BBC's Writers Academy, which trained writers to work on the BBC's continuing drama shows, and now runs his own screenwriting courses. He also wrote the schools version of the musical We Will Rock You. David also wrote several works of fiction for the Doctor Who Magazine Yearbooks in the 1990s, as well as the 2009 BBC audio adventure The Nemonite Invasion and one quarter of the 2008 BBC novel The Story of Martha. In 2013, David was on the cusp of being awarded a top drama producer's job at the BBC, but when allegations of sexual abuse against young men were highlighted by police, the job offer was withdrawn. No charges were subsequently brought against Roden by either accusers or police. Roden challenged the BBC's conduct in an employment tribunal in 2014. The case failed, but Roden was granted anonymity, which was subsequently overturned in 2015 after an appeal by the BBC.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with David here.

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

Stuart McDonald (director) Died Apr 12 2021 (car accident)
Career highlights
Stuart directed variety and entertainment shows since the 1980s, including Top of the Pops, That's Life!, morning television, Stars in Their Eyes, The National Lottery, Before They Were Famous, Robot Wars (for which he also provided the robot voices and announcements), Trisha, Tomorrow's World, BAFTA Tributes, Royal Variety Performance, The Two Ronnies Sketchbook, Test the Nation, Parkinson, Gladiators, Pointless, The Chase, The Apprentice: You're Fired!, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and Question Time. He started out as a vision mixer on series such as Chockablock and Bellamy's Backyard Safari in 1981. Stuart did not leave his experience with 3D television behind either, as he also pioneering 3D TV broadcasting with Sky.

The Five Doctors

The Five Doctors in an alternative
universe perhaps? Pic: Whopix blog

One episode (The Five Doctors)
First broadcast Nov 23 1983 - on PBS in the USA; two days later in the UK
Average audience for serial: 7.7m

REGULAR CAST

Peter Davison (The Doctor) Born Apr 13 1951 Click here for Peter Davison's entry on Logopolis

Janet Fielding (Tegan) Born Sep 9 1953 Click here for Janet Fielding's entry on Logopolis

Mark Strickson (Turlough) Born Apr 6 1959 Click here for Mark Strickson's entry on Mawdryn Undead

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

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

David Banks (Cyber Leader) Born Sep 24 1951
Doctor Who credits
Played: Cyber Leader in Earthshock (1982), The Five Doctors (1983), Attack of the Cybermen (1985), Silver Nemesis (1988)
Career highlights
David, 6ft 3in, made his acting debut in Keep It in the Family (1980), then made appearances in Bret Maverick (1981/82), The Bill (1991), A Time to Dance (1992), EastEnders (1994), Canary Wharf (1996) and Doctors (2006). Between 1991-92 he had a regular role in soap Brookside as Graeme Curtis.
Facts
In 1989 he played Karl the mercenary in the stage play Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure (a role he reprised for an audio adaptation in 2007). On April 29th 1989, Pertwee fell ill and was replaced for two performances by David, who wore a white suit, t-shirt and Panama hat as the Doctor. In the late 1980s David got involved with Cyber-lore, writing the biographical work Doctor Who - Cybermen in 1988, which he adapted into audio cassettes and narrated as Origins of the Cybermen (1989-90). In 1984 David submitted a script to the Doctor Who production team called FlipBack which was steeped in Cyber-continuity, and was ultimately developed into his New Adventure novel Iceberg in 1993. David would have been cast as the Auton leader if the aborted Season 23 Doctor Who story Yellow Fever and How to Cure It had been filmed.

Stuart Blake (Commander) Born Sep 2 1950
Doctor Who credits
Played: Zoldaz in State of Decay (1980)
Played: Commander in The Five Doctors (1983)
Played: Scibus in Warriors of the Deep (1984)
Career highlights
Other work includes A Bridge Too Far (1977), Flash Gordon (1980), King Lear (1982), Metal Mickey (1982), The Fourth Arm (1983) and Amy (1984).
Facts
Stuart gave up acting in 1987 and is now a "communications designer", principally for social media and live events. Stuart has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London for his part in the 800th anniversary celebrations of the London Mayoralty.

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

Ray Float (UNIT Sergeant) Born 1949
Career highlights
Ray's further credits include How We Used to Live (1981), All for Love (1982), Juliet Bravo (1983), 'Allo 'Allo! (1984) and By the Sword Divided (1985).

Carole Ann Ford (Susan) Born Jun 16 1940 For a full career biography for Carole Ann Ford, click here.

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

Mark Hardy (Cyber Lieutenant)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Cyber Lieutenant in Earthshock (1982), The Five Doctors (1983), Silver Nemesis (1988)
Career highlights
Mark's other credits include A Coming-Out Party (1961), Carry On Cleo (1964), The Corridor People (1966), The Orchard End Murder (1980), Personal Services (1987), Who's the Boss? (1987), Friendships Field (1995) and Bright Young Things (2003). It is unclear whether these are all the same actor (it's a common name!).

William Hartnell (The Doctor) Jan 8 1908 to Apr 23 1975 (heart failure after a series of strokes) For a full career biography for William Hartnell, click here.

Frazer Hines ("Jamie McCrimmon") Born Sep 22 1944 Click here for Frazer Hines's entry on The Highlanders

Keith Hodiak (Raston robot) Born 1950
Career highlights
Trained dancer Keith's other credits include The Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Fox (1980), Wood and Walters (1981), The Chinese Detective (1981), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Are You Being Served? (1985, as semi-regular Seymour), Full Metal Jacket (1987), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988) and EastEnders (1992). Guyanese Keith now runs adult ballet classes in London.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Keith here.

Richard Hurndall (The Doctor) Nov 3 1910 to Apr 13 1984 (heart attack)
Career highlights
Richard began acting on the stage in 1930, but his first screen appearance was in Adventure Story (1946), followed by parts in 1066 and All That (1947), The Middle Watch (1948), Emma (1948), The Good Companions (1949), Two of Everything (1953), Portrait of Man (1960), The Last Man Out (1962), No Hiding Place (1964), Take It or Leave It (1964-65), United! (1966), Breaking Point (1966), Haunted (1967), The Paradise Makers (1967), Spindoe (1968), The Avengers (1968), Some Girls Do (1969), The Power Game (1969), Manhunt (1970), Steptoe and Son (1970), Zeppelin (1971), I, Monster (1971), It's Murder But Is It Art (1972), Doctor in Charge (1972), War and Peace (1972-73), Gawain and the Green Knight (1973), The Inheritors (1974), The Brothers (1974), The Rough with the Smooth (1975), Oil Strike North (1975), Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977), Running Blind (1979), Ripping Yarns (1979), Love in a Cold Climate (1980), Blake's 7 (1981), Rep (1982), Nanny (1983) and Bergerac (1983).
Facts
Richard's middle name was Gibbon. Richard was a member of the BBC Radio repertory company between 1949-52 and in the late 1950s worked for both Radio Luxembourg and the BBC (playing Sherlock Holmes). His third wife was actress Margaret Ward. Sadly, Richard died just four and a half months after The Five Doctors aired - reportedly before he'd even been paid for playing the role of the First Doctor.

Paul Jerricho (Castellan) Born Nov 18 1948
Doctor Who credits
Played: Castellan in Arc of Infinity, The Five Doctors (both 1983)

Played: Alfie in Lucky Day (2025)
Career highlights
Paul, who was brought up in the Caribbean, debuted in Clayhanger in 1976, followed by roles in Space: 1999 (1977), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Grange Hill (1981), The Biko Inquest (1984), Knights of God (1987), Cry Freedom (1987), Howards' Way (1990), Love Hurts (1993), The Ice House (1997), Mosley (1998), A Likeness in Stone (2000), Footballers' Wives (2004), Look Around You (2005), Jericho (2005), EastEnders (2009), The Whistleblower (2010), Lewis (2012) and Casualty (2014). He also had a regular role as Charles Woodhouse in 78 episodes of the soap Triangle (1981-83).
Facts
Until 1984, Paul was married to actress Barbara Kinghorn, the only guest star to survive the Doctor Who story The Caves of Androzani (1984). His current partner is actress Helena Little.

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

William Kenton (Cyber scout) Jun 9 1944 to Nov 2 2021

Career highlights

His CV also includes Russian Roulette (1973), By the Sword Divided (1983) and Big Deal (1984). He was also credited as a poker advisor on Big Deal (1984-86; William also worked as a croupier) and a boat wrangler on Rosie & Jim (1991; he was also a merchant seaman).

Facts

His parents were actors Godfrey and Mary Kenton (incidentally, Godfrey's third wife, after Mary, was Vivienne Bennett, who played Queen Elizabeth I in The Chase).

Philip Latham (Lord President Borusa) Jan 17 1929 to Jun 20 2020
Career highlights
Philip's first credit was in A Rubovian Legend (1955), followed by Huntingtower (1957), The Moonstone (1959), The Army Game (1959), The Treasure Seekers (1961), The Andromeda Breakthrough (1962), Harpers West One (1962), The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964), The Secret of Blood Island (1964), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Middlemarch (1968), UFO (1971), No Exit (1972), Seeing and Believing (1961-75), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), From a Far Country (1981), The Fourth Arm (1983), Leaving (1985), Murder of a Moderate Man (1985) and The Man from the Pru (1990). Philip's most famous roles were as Willy Izard in 110 episodes of The Troubleshooters (1965-72), Plantagenet in 26 episodes of The Pallisers (1974) and Arthur Bourne in 75 episodes of The Cedar Tree (1976-77).

John Leeson (Voice of K-9) Born Mar 16 1943 Click here for John Leeson's entry on The Invisible Enemy

John Scott Martin (Dalek operator) Apr 1 1926 to Jan 6 2009 (Parkinson's Disease) Click here for John Scott Martin's entry on The Web Planet

Richard Mathews (Rassilon) Dec 11 1914 to Oct 15 1992
Career highlights
Richard's earliest credit was in No Medals (1948), after which he secured roles in ...And Humanity (1958), Emergency Ward 10 (1961), Thorndyke (1964), The Baron (1966), The Caesars (1968), Z Cars (1967/70), Crown Court (1972), The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), The Adams Chronicles (1976), Children of the Stones (1977), Beryl's Lot (1977), The Walls of Jericho (1981), The Forgotten Story (1983) and Harnessing Peacocks (1992). He also narrated the 1976 paranormal series Beyond Belief.

Stephen Meredith (Technician)
Career highlights
Stephen's other work includes The Enchanted Castle (1979) and A Little Silver Trumpet (1980).

Wendy Padbury ("Zoe Heriot") Born Dec 7 1947 Click here for Wendy Padbury's entry on The Wheel in Space

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

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

Dinah Sheridan (Chancellor Flavia) Sep 17 1920 to Nov 25 2012
Career highlights
Debuted at the age of 17 in Landslide (1937), followed by roles in Irish and Proud of It (1938), Full Speed Ahead (1940), Get Cracking (1943), Murder in Reverse (1945), The Hills of Donegal (1947), Dark Secret (1949), Ivory Hunter (1951), Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952), Genevieve (1953), The Contact (1968), The Railway Children (1970), Call My Bluff (1969-71), Ooh La La! (1973), Zodiac (1974), Marked Personal (1974), Village Hall (1975), Whodunnit? (1977), Sykes (1979), Sink or Swim (1981), All for Love (1983), The Winning Streak (1985), Blankety Blank (1981-87), Cross Wits (1990), Keeping Up Appearances (1991), Just Us (1992), Lovejoy (1992), Countdown (1988-93), All Night Long (1994) and Jonathan Creek (1999). Dinah found early recognition playing Paul Temple's wife Steve in the late 1940s, and found renewed fame as Angela Latimer in 38 episodes of the sitcom Don't Wait Up (1983-90).
Facts
Dinah was one of the first actresses to appear on BBC Television in 1936 when she was interviewed for Picture Page. Dinah's parents were photographers to the Royal family, by appointment to the Queen and Queen Mother. Dinah retired from acting in 1954 after marrying second husband Sir John Davis, president of the Rank Organisation (it was his condition she gave up acting if they wed), but returned following their divorce. Dinah's first husband was actor Jimmy Hanley, with whom she had three children - one died in infancy, while the other two are Jenny Hanley, best remembered as presenter of children's show Magpie in the 1970s, and Sir Jeremy Hanley, former Conservative MP and British foreign minister and Conservative Party chairman in the 1990s. Her third (of four) husband was Canadian actor John Merivale, who in 1970 was given 10 years to live due to a previously undiagnosed hereditary kidney condition. When he married Dinah in 1986 she learnt how to administer kidney dialysis at home, until he passed away in 1990.
This is Your Life: Dinah was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on March 28th, 1979, surprised by host Eamonn Andrews dressed as a porter at Heathrow Airport. Link to The Big Red Book entry.

Roy Skelton (Dalek voice) Jul 20 1931 to Jun 8 2011 (pneumonia following a stroke) Click here for Roy Skelton's entry on The Ark

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Feb 1 1946 to Apr 19 2011 (pancreatic cancer) Click here for Elisabeth Sladen's entry on The Time Warrior

John Tallents (Guard) Born Jan 11 1947
Career highlights
Further credits include Nancy Astor (1982), The Fourth Arm (1983), Diana (1984) and Island at War (2004).
Facts
John started out studying law, as he comes from a continuous line of solicitors dating back to 1780, but changed his career when he got a job at auctioneers Sotheby's specialising in ceramics. He didn't decide to go into acting until the late 1970s. Nowadays he performs as Charles Dickens on reading tours around the UK and beyond, much like we see Dickens doing in The Unquiet Dead.

Patrick Troughton (The Doctor) Mar 25 1920 to Mar 28 1987 (heart attack) See Patrick Troughton's entry on The Power of the Daleks

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

CREW

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

Peter Moffatt (director) Aug 15 1922 to Oct 21 2007
Doctor Who credits
Directed: State of Decay (1980), The Visitation (1982), Mawdryn Undead (1983), The Five Doctors (1983), The Twin Dilemma (1984), The Two Doctors (1985)
Played: Man outside restaurant in The Two Doctors (1985, uncredited)
Played: Tourist in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
His training to become an actor was disturbed by the outbreak of World War Two, during which he became a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 3 in Germany. After the war he went back into acting in programmes such as Emil and the Detectives (1952) and Tales from Soho (1956), but then turned to directing, working on Small Time (1960), Tales of Mystery (1961), It Happened Like This (1963), Crane (1963-64), Seven Deadly Sins (1966-67), Sexton Blake (1968), Hadleigh (1969), Big Brother (1970), Crime of Passion (1971-72), New Scotland Yard (1972), Melissa (1974), Rooms (1974-77), The Camerons (1979), The Gentle Touch (1980), Juliet Bravo (1980/82), EastEnders (1986) and All Creatures Great and Small (1978-88).
Facts
He was married to actress/ director/ producer Joan Kemp-Welch.

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

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

Planet of the Spiders

A tear, Sarah Jane...?

Six episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six)
First broadcast May 4 to Jun 8 1974
Average audience for serial: 9.02m

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

REGULAR CAST

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

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Feb 1 1946 to Apr 19 2011 (pancreatic cancer) Click here for Elisabeth Sladen's entry on The Time Warrior

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

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

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

GUEST CAST

Ralph Arliss (Tuar) Born Sep 11 1947
Career highlights
Ralph made his earliest appearance in Paul Temple (1970), followed by roles in The Troubleshooters (1972), The Asphyx (1973), The Sweeney (1976), Survivors (1977), Love for Lydia (1977), The Devil's Crown (1978), Quatermass IV (1979), The Day Christ Died (1980), The Lost Tribe (1980), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Boon (1992), Retrace (1996-98), The Bill (1999), Grange Hill (2002) and Leonardo's Dream Machines (2003).
Facts
Ralph is also involved in political training for the UK Green Party. In 2003 Ralph was involved in a failed campaign to make Dorset a Genetically-Modified (GM) crop free zone. Ralph stood for the party in Dorset North in the 2005 UK General Election, coming fifth with 2.1% of the vote. His wife is actor Belinda Davison.

Christopher Burgess (Barnes) Dec 15 1926 to Aug 25 2013
Doctor Who credits
Played: Swann in The Enemy of the World (1967-68)
Played: Professor Philips in Terror of the Autons (1971)
Played: Barnes in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Christopher's first credited role was in In a Backward Country (1958), followed by Who Killed Menna Lorraine? (1960), Suspense (1963), This Man Craig (1966), Sherlock Holmes (1968), Menace (1970), Crown Court (1973), The Growing Pains of PC Penrose (1975, as Inspector Fox), Treasure Island (1977), Danger UXB (1979), Together (1980), Jane Eyre (1983), Jossy's Giants (1986-87, as Albert Hanson), Shadow of the Noose (1989) and Can You Hear Me Thinking? (1990).
Facts
Christopher spent his final years as one of 40 male pensioners (or "Brothers") living at the London Charterhouse almshouse.

Ysanne Churchman (Spider voice [Lupton's spider]) May 14 1925 to Jul 4 2024
Doctor Who credits
Played: Alpha Centauri (voice) in The Curse of Peladon (1972), The Monster of Peladon (1974), Empress of Mars (2017)
Played: Spider voice in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Ysanne made her debut aged 13 in Gallows Glorious (1938), followed by roles in Craven House (1950), Murder in the Cathedral (1951), The Railway Children (1951 & 1957), Sara and Hoppity (1962), Space Patrol (1964), Swizzlewick (1964), Rainbow City (1967), Z Cars (1968), Sadie, It's Cold Outside (1975), Madame Bovary (1975), Beasts (1976), 1990 (1978), Artemis 81 (1981), Ghost in the Water (1982), Alice in Wonderland (1986), Starlings (1988), Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) and Oliver Twist (1999). She is a prolific voice artiste best known for playing Grace Archer in radio soap The Archers (1952-55), as well as being the voice for Children's Hour on BBC Radio.

George Cormack (K'anpo) Aug 8 1907 to May 27 1983
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dalios in The Time Monster (1972)
Played: K'anpo in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Scotsman George's earliest credit was in Count Albany (1938), followed by The Smallest Show on Earth (1957), Robbery Under Arms (1957), A Matter of WHO (1961), The Massingham Affair (1964), The Walrus and the Carpenter (1965), The Borderers (1970), Paul Temple (1971), Adam Smith (1972), Demons of the Mind (1972), Victorian Scandals (1976), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978), The Feathered Serpent (1976-78) and Penmarric (1979).

John Dearth (Lupton) Oct 16 1920 to Mar 17 1984
Doctor Who credits
Played: Voice of BOSS in The Green Death (1973)
Played: Lupton in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
John's career began with The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956), then Onion Boys (1957), Look Back in Anger (1958), The Voodoo Factor (1959), The World of Tim Frazer (1960), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Strongroom (1962), The Runaway (1963), Esther Waters (1964), Mr Rose (1968), Vienna 1900 (1973), Angels (1976), Treasure Island (1977) and Kessler (1981).
Facts
His daughter was the late actor Lynn Dearth (Sons and Lovers, 1981), who was married to fellow actor David Gwillim.

Kismet Delgado (Spider voice [Queen]) Sep 27 1929 to Aug 18 2017
Career highlights
Kismet also appeared as a hotel receptionist in a 1975 episode of Dixon of Dock Green, but also performed under her maiden name of Shahani in Bikini Baby (1951), The Alien Sky (1956) and The Three Princes (1959).
Facts
Kismet was Master actor Roger Delgado's wife for 17 years until his tragic death in 1973, after which she married another actor, William Marlowe, who appeared in The Mind of Evil (1971) and Revenge of the Cybermen (1975).

Max Faulkner (Guard captain) 1931 to Feb 13 2010 Click here for Max Faulkner's entry on The Ambassadors of Death

Stuart Fell (Tramp) Born 1942 Click here for Stuart Fell's entry on The Curse of Peladon

Carl Forgione (Land) May 3 1944 to Sep 10 1998 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Land in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Played: Nimrod in Ghost Light (1989)
Career highlights
Cricket fan Carl's earliest role was in The Wars of the Roses (1965), followed by Dixon of Dock Green (1972), Big Zapper (1973), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Blake's 7 (1978), Don't Forget to Write! (1979), The Borgias (1981), Sorry! (1986), Star Cops (1987), South of the Border (1990), Coronation Street (1991), The Day Today (1994), Fist of Fun (1995), Knowing Me, Knowing You (1994-95) and The Moonstone (1996).
Facts
Carl (real name Carlo, due to his Italian father) was first diagnosed with cancer in 1995. There is a lovely tribute site to Carl by his school friend Harper John here.

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

Gareth Hunt (Arak) Feb 7 1942 to Mar 14 2007 (pancreatic cancer)
Career highlights
Gareth's earliest role was in Frontier (1968), followed by For the Love of Ada (1972), Harriet's Back in Town (1973), Bless This House (1974), Space: 1999 (1975), The World is Full of Married Men (1979), That Beryl Marston! (1981), Minder (1982), Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984), Gabrielle and the Doodleman (1984), The Lady and the Highwayman (1989), The Castle of Adventure (1990), Side By Side (1992-93), Sooty & Co. (1994), Fierce Creatures (1997), Animal Ark (1997-98), Parting Shots (1998), EastEnders (2001), Powers (2004), New Tricks (2006) and The Riddle (2007). Gareth is best known for his role as Mike Gambit in The New Avengers (1976-77), as well as footman Frederick Norton in Upstairs, Downstairs (1974-75) and various TV commercials for Nescafe coffee in the 1980s in which he famously shook coffee beans in his hand.
Facts
In 1957 Gareth (born Alan) joined the Merchant Navy, but after six years he jumped ship while in New Zealand and worked in a car plant for 12 months before the law caught up with him and he was jailed for three months in a military prison. His aunt was actress Martita Hunt, best known for playing Miss Havisham in the 1946 adaptation of Great Expectations. Gareth suffered a heart attack in December 1999, and collapsed while performing on stage in July 2002, before being diagnosed with cancer in 2005.

John Kane (Tommy) Born Oct 27 1945
Career highlights
John was the youngest actor ever to become an Associate Member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1965, aged 20. His career has taken in acting, writing and teaching drama. His first acting credit was in 1972's Villains, followed by roles in Son of the Bride (1973), The Gathering Storm (1974), Z Cars (1975), Devenish (1977), Rings on Their Fingers (1978-79), The Dick Emery Christmas Show (1980), The House on the Hill (1981), Paradise Postponed (1986), Prick Up Your Ears (1987), A Cowboy on Jupiter (1989), The Chief (1994), Pie in the Sky (1995), Bob Martin (2000), Seven Wonders of the Industrial World (2003) and Foyle's War (2007). He also had a regular role as Dr Andrew Mackenzie in the sitcom Doctor on the Go (1975-77). His writing work includes Scott On... (1972), The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972), Funny Ha-Ha (1974), The Kids from 47A (1973-74), A Little Bit of Wisdom (1974-76), Four Idle Hands (1976), The Feathered Serpent (1976-78), Marti (1977), Cloppa Castle (1978-79), Smuggler (1981), Dick Turpin (1980/82), Me and My Girl (1984-85), Never the Twain (1983-88), Terry and June (1979-87, which he also created), The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986), All in Good Faith (1985-88), Daisies in December (1995) and The Murder in China Basin (1999).
Facts
He has also acted as publicist on various productions, and wrote the novel on which the 2000 production Best Actress was based. His children include actress Susy Kane and comedy writer Simon Kane, and his wife is opera singer Alison Warner.
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with John here.

Jenny Laird (Neska) Feb 13 1912 to Oct 31 2001
Career highlights
By the time Jenny was in Doctor Who she was already an acting veteran of some 40 years, having debuted in The Morals of Marcus (1935), followed by Passenger to London (1937), Hay Fever (1938), Murder on the Second Floor (1939), Just William (1940), The Lamp Still Burns (1943), Black Narcissus (1947), The Long Dark Hall (1951), Gilbert Harding Speaking of Murder (1954), Face in the Night (1957), Village of the Damned (1960), The Forsyte Saga (1967), The Onedin Line (1972), 1990 (1978), The Masks of Death (1984) and Inspector Morse (1991). Jenny also wrote a comedy play called And No Birds Sing, which was adapted for TV twice, in 1951 and 1958.
Facts
Jenny was married to American actor and director John Fernald (son of Broadway star C B Fernald), and together they had a daughter, actress Karin Fernald. Until 1965, RADA awarded a Jenny Laird Prize for acting in a minor role, which one year was won by one Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), and another by Jan Chappell (Cally in Blake's 7).

Kevin Lindsay (Cho-je) Apr 17 1924 to Apr 26 1975 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Linx in The Time Warrior (1973-74)
Played: Cho-je in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Played: Styre in The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
Played: The Marshal in The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
Career highlights
Australian Kevin's earliest credit was in One Got Fat (1963), followed by roles in Love Story (1966), Mr Rose (1968), Paul Temple (1969), War and Peace (1972) and Eleanor (1974). Kevin died of a long-standing heart condition nine days after his 51st birthday, and less than two months after his appearance as Styre in Doctor Who.

Terence Lodge (Moss) Nov 10 1936 to Jan 21 2022
Doctor Who credits
Played: Medok in The Macra Terror (1967)
Played: Orum in Carnival of Monsters (1973)
Played: Moss in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
His CV also includes An Age of Kings (1960), The Avengers (1963/64), The Baron (1966), Germinal (1970), Jason King (1972), Barlow at Large (1975), Angels (1983), David Copperfield (1986), Hands of a Murderer (1990), The Bill (1995) and London's Burning (1995).
Facts
His birthname was Terry Ronald John Michael Stockting (incidentally, a Terence Stockting wrote a few episodes of TV soap Compact in 1964 - could that have been the same man?). Terence, who in 1959 wrote a stage play called Who's Who performed at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, briefly left the acting industry in the mid-1970s, but returned in the early 1980s. He finally retired in the late 1990s, reportedly after a negative experience on the soap Family Affairs.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Terence here.

Joanna Monro (Rega) Born Jul 26 1956
Career highlights
Debuted in The View from Daniel Pike in 1973, followed by The Brontes of Haworth (1973), Monster Cafe (1994), Dream Team (1998-99), People Like Us (1999), Emmerdale (2001), Confessions of a Diary Secretary (2007), Doctors (2010), Sink (2017) and Not Going Out (2018). She also had regular roles as Anna Newcross in over 100 episodes of medical drama Angels (1978-81), and appeared in many episodes of children's sketch series Fast Forward (1984-86). Joanna was also one of the presenters on light-hearted consumer programme That's Life! between 1982-84, recognition from which saw her make appearances on game shows such as Punchlines (1984), Blankety Blank (1984), The Adventure Game (1986) and Weakest Link (2008, in which she proved herself to be the strongest link and won over £14,000 for breast cancer research).
Facts
She is married to actor Granville Saxton, and her parents were actors Sonnie Hale and Frances Bennett.
In 2018 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Joanna here.

Geoffrey Morris (Sabor) Jun 28 1902 to Mar 1 1989
Career highlights
Debuting in Jean's Plan (1946), Geoffrey's CV includes Once Upon a Dream (1949), African Gold (1965), Detective (1968), Clinic Exclusive (1971), New Scotland Yard (1972), War and Peace (1972) and Fawlty Towers (1975), A Portrait of Nadine Gordimer (1976), as well as playing the vet in a number of episodes of Follyfoot (1972-73).

Maureen Morris (Spider voice [Great One]) Born Sep 17 1941
Career highlights
Maureen's earliest credit was for The Newcomers (1967), after which she appeared in Middlemarch (1968), The First Churchills (1969), The Moonstone (1972), Within These Walls (1975), Famous Five (1978), The Omega Factor (1979), The Tripods (1985), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988) and Strathblair (1993).
Facts
Maureen is married to George Gallaccio, who was a production manager on Doctor Who between 1974-76 and went on to become a prolific drama producer. The couple's daughter, Anya Gallaccio, is an award-winning artist who was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2003 (the year Grayson Perry won), and who in 2006 was on the Independent newspaper's Pink Power list of 100 most influential gay and lesbian people.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Maureen here.

Chubby Oates (Policeman) Dec 23 1942 to Nov 10 2006 (stroke*)
Career highlights
Chubby's other credits include Adventure Weekly (1968), Dixon of Dock Green (1973/75), Killer's Moon (1978), The Famous Five (1978), Cribb (1980) and Mornin' Sarge (1989).
Facts
After leaving school, Chubby (real name Arthur) worked as a reporter on the South London Observer where he shared an office with a young Kelvin MacKenzie, future editor of The Sun, and taught the budding journalist to type. In 1968 he co-wrote A Pictorial History of Female Impersonation. Chubby, who in 1997 suffered a stroke while on stage in Margate but bravely recovered, was a well known pantomime dame and "ugly sister" and was also well established as a comic on the London Soho clubland circuit.
*Some sources claim Chubby died of diabetic complications and a heart attack after performing at a showbiz luncheon, but his obituary in The Stage cites a stroke.

Michael Pinder (Hopkins) Born March 10th 1940
This is Michael's only known acting work. He was actually the owner of the hovercraft used in this story, and doubled for Jon Pertwee in scenes involving the Doctor driving the craft. As owner of Pindair Ltd, he designed, developed, produced and marketed various small hovercraft in the 1970s and 80s for both military and commercial use. He also invented a way to move giant oil tanks using air cushions, and built single seat hovercraft for use on turbulent waters in Nepal and Bhutan.

Walter Randall (Guard captain) June 26th 1919 to May 5th 2008
Doctor Who credits
Played: Tonila in The Aztecs (1964)
Played: El Akir in The Crusade (1965)
Played: Hyksos in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Patrolman in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Harry Slocum in Inferno (1970)
Played: Guard captain in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Dancer/ actor Walter's long career began in Rock You Sinners (1958), then Nudist Paradise (1959), Man from Interpol (1960), The Hands of Orlac (1961), Ghost Squad (1963), Danger Man (1964), All Gas and Gaiters (1967), Trial (1971), Follyfoot (1973), The Double Dealers (1974), Target (1977), The Professionals (1980) and Yes, Minister (1982).
Facts
Former dancer Walter went into partnership with Jon Pertwee in the 1970s, owning a hamburger diner called Pertwee's Takeaway for five years. In the late 60s and early 70s, Walter also ran nightclubs and restaurants in London, including the Fiasco Club, Davina's Place, CW's, the 606 Club and Tweedledum.

Cyril Shaps (Professor Clegg) Oct 13 1923 to Jan 1 2003
Doctor Who credits
Played: John Viner in The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
Played: Lennox in The Ambassadors of Death (1970)
Played: Professor Clegg in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Played: Archimandrite in The Androids of Tara (1978)
Career highlights
Prolific character actor Cyril's first credit was in 1955's The Vale of Shadows, followed by Quatermass II (1955), Miracle in Soho (1957), Follow That Horse! (1960), Supercar (1961-62, as the voices of Professor Popkiss and Masterspy), The Third Man (1965), Man in a Suitcase (1967), Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1967-70), Please Sir! (1971), The Liver Birds (1971-72), The Onedin Line (1971/73), Freewheelers (1973), Porridge (1975), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Holocaust (1978), Private Schulz (1981), The Young Ones (1982), Running Scared (1986), Dark Season (1991), The Madness of King George (1994), Our Mutual Friend (1998), Doctors (2000), Murder Rooms (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) and The Pianist (2002).
Facts
Starting out as a child radio broadcaster at the age of 12, Cyril was also one of the voices of Mr Kipling in those "exceedingly good" cake commercials. One of Cyril's children was Simon Shaps, a sometime director of programmes for London Weekend Television and Granada.

Andrew Staines (Keaver) Feb 11 1937 to Sep 16 2016
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sergeant to Benik in The Enemy of the World (1967-68)
Played: Goodge in Terror of the Autons (1971)
Played: Captain in Carnival of Monsters (1973)
Played: Keaver in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Andrew's only other screen credits are on Justice (1971) and The Woman in White (1982), although he worked extensively in theatre.
Facts
Andrew was Doctor Who producer Barry Letts' nephew. In 2008 Andrew was interviewed for the British Library's Theatre Archive Project, and had this to say about his time on Doctor Who: "I was in one - Pertwee had been the Doctor for several episodes then - but he had a change of personnel and had Katy Manning as his female sidekick and Roger Delgado as the Master, and then I was in two or three others after that, and then there I was in Jon's final one. They got Tom Baker in on the last day of rehearsal so that he could be transformed from Jon Pertwee - I was very interested, standing on the sidelines and watching them do it. I rather regret that I never went on to do an episode with Tom Baker." A transcript of the full interview can be found here.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Andrew here.

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

CREW

Robert Sloman (writer) Jul 18 1926 to Oct 24 2005
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Daemons (1971, under the pseudonym Guy Leopold), The Time Monster (1972), The Green Death (1973), Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Starting out as an actor, Robert subsequently worked for the Sunday Times's circulation department, eventually becoming distribution manager. Robert also co-wrote the play The Tinker, on which the 1962 film The Wild and the Willing, starring (War Doctor) John Hurt and Ian McShane, was based.
Facts
He was a close friend of Doctor Who producer Barry Letts. One Sloman script which never saw the light of day was called The Daleks in London, intended to close Season 9 in 1972, but which was dropped for being too similar to The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964).

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

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

The Monster of Peladon

Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen),
Eckersley (Donald Gee) and
Alpha Centauri (Stuart Fell) watching
episode 1 of Robot, incredulous at
 Eckersley's similarity to the Fourth Doctor

Six episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six)
First broadcast Mar 23 to Apr 27 1974
Average audience for serial: 7.70m

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

REGULAR CAST

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

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Feb 1 1946 to Apr 19 2011 (pancreatic cancer) Click here for Elisabeth Sladen's entry on The Time Warrior

GUEST CAST

Alan Bennion (Azaxyr) Apr 18 1930 to Jul 27 2018
Doctor Who credits
Played: Slaar in The Seeds of Death (1969)
Played: Izlyr in The Curse of Peladon (1972)
Played: Azaxyr in The Monster of Peladon (1974)
Career highlights
Alan made his debut in 1967's Send Foster before going on to appear in Sexton Blake (1967, as the Scorpion), The Troubleshooters (1970), Psychomania (1971), Thriller (1974), The Wilde Alliance (1978), Juliet Bravo (1981), Oliver Twist (1985), Sorry! (1986), Spatz (1992), B&B (1992) and Holding the Baby (1997).
Facts
A nod to Alan is included in Gary Russell's 1994 Doctor Who novel Legacy, in which it is said Supreme Lord Izlyr retired to the planet Bennion.

Sonny Caldinez (Sskel) Jul 1 1932 to Apr 12 2022
Doctor Who credits
Played: Kemel in The Evil of the Daleks (1967)
Played: Turoc in The Ice Warriors (1967)
Played: Ice Warrior in The Seeds of Death (1969)
Played: Ssorg in The Curse of Peladon (1972)
Played: Sskel in The Monster of Peladon (1974)
Career highlights
Trinidadian Sonny's other appearances include Scott On... (1964), Virgin of the Secret Service (1968), The Spy Killer (1969), White Cargo (1973), The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), Mind Your Language (1978), Sexton Blake and the Demon God (1978), Arabian Adventure (1979), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1988) and The Fifth Element (1997).
Facts
Sonny, who is 6ft 4in, emigrated to the UK in 1952 and started working on the railways and as a wrestler, before moving into stuntwork and acting. He also worked for a time as bodyguard for music legend Michael Jackson. He moved to Spain in 2005.

Ysanne Churchman (Voice of Alpha Centauri) May 14 1925 to Jul 4 2024
Doctor Who credits
Played: Alpha Centauri (voice) in The Curse of Peladon (1972), The Monster of Peladon (1974), Empress of Mars (2017)
Played: Spider voice in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Ysanne made her debut aged 13 in Gallows Glorious (1938), followed by roles in Craven House (1950), Murder in the Cathedral (1951), The Railway Children (1951 & 1957), Sara and Hoppity (1962), Space Patrol (1964), Swizzlewick (1964), Rainbow City (1967), Z Cars (1968), Sadie, It's Cold Outside (1975), Madame Bovary (1975), Beasts (1976), 1990 (1978), Artemis 81 (1981), Ghost in the Water (1982), Alice in Wonderland (1986), Starlings (1988), Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) and Oliver Twist (1999). She is a prolific voice artiste best known for playing Grace Archer in radio soap The Archers (1952-55), as well as being the voice for Children's Hour on BBC Radio.

Michael Crane (Blor) 1937 to Apr 18 2009
Doctor Who credits
Played: Blor in The Monster of Peladon (1974)
Played: Extra in Genesis of the Daleks (1975, uncredited)
Career highlights
Michael's other work includes Leo the Last (1970), The Onedin Line (1972), Big Zapper (1973), Gawain and the Green Knight (1973), From Beyond the Grave (1974), At the Earth's Core (1976), Blake's 7 (1980), Hawk the Slayer (1980), Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1980), The Two Ronnies (1985), Defrosting the Fridge (1989) and Rumble (1995).

Graeme Eton (Preba) Sep 28 1936 to Apr 19 2016
Career highlights
Debuting in A Picture of Katherine Mansfield (1973), New Zealander Graeme regularly played Lieutenant Wakelin in Warship (1973-77), followed by roles in Shoestring (1980), The Professionals (1982), The Bretts (1987), London's Burning (1990), Gone to the Dogs (1991), Backup (1995), My Hero (2002), EastEnders (2004), Derailed (2005) and Doctors (2009).
Facts
Graeme was also an acting tutor, most notably working for Teach Yourself Acting, set up and run by fellow Doctor Who alumnus Ellis Jones.

Roy Evans (Miner) Born 1930
Doctor Who credits
Played: Trantis in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Bert in The Green Death (1973)
Played: Miner in The Monster of Peladon (1974)
Career highlights
After debuting in Touch of Death (1961), Roy went on to appear in Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), Oliver! (1968), Budgie (1971), Poldark (1975), Jabberwocky (1977), Dick Turpin (1979), The Elephant Man (1980), The Black Adder (1983), Porterhouse Blue (1987), Only Fools and Horses (1989), Forever Green (1992), Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997), Children of the New Forest (1998), Fortysomething (2003) and Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher (2003); he also appeared in Global Conspiracy (2004), an extra on the DVD for The Green Death in which he played the brother of the character he originally played.
Facts
Roy started out as a professional ballet dancer.

Max Faulkner (Miner) 1931 to Feb 13 2010 Click here for Max Faulkner's entry on The Ambassadors of Death

Stuart Fell (Alpha Centauri) Born 1942 Click here for Stuart Fell's entry on The Curse of Peladon

Frank Gatliff (Ortron) Dec 31 1927 to Jun 23 1990
Career highlights
Australian Frank's first credited role was in Captain Carvallo (1958), after which he appeared in Emergency (1959), Antony and Cleopatra (1959), Police Surgeon (1960), Crooks Anonymous (1962), Teletale (1963), The Ipcress File (1965), Till Death Us Do Part (1966), The Projected Man (1966), Department S (1969), Hark at Barker (1969-70, as Badger the butler, a role he reprised in the series His Lordship Entertains in 1972), Bless This House (1973), Ooh La La! (1973), Zodiac (1974), Whodunnit? (1974), Microbes and Men (1974), Rising Damp (1974), The Tomorrow People (1975), The Good Life (1975), The Molly Wopsies (1976), The New Avengers (1976), The Onedin Line (1976-77, as Harris), The Many Wives of Patrick (1976-78, as John Carnaby), Thundercloud (1979, as Dr Smith), Blake's 7 (1980), Then Churchill Said to Me (1982), The Cleopatras (1983), The Gentle Touch (1984), Miss Marple: Nemesis (1987) and CAB (1986-89, as Mr Hellman).

Donald Gee (Eckersley) Sep 28 1937 to Jan 14 2022
Doctor Who credits
Played: Major Ian Warne in The Space Pirates (1969)
Played: Eckersley in The Monster of Peladon (1974)
Career highlights
Donald debuted in 1965's Ferry Cross the Mersey, and later went on to appear in Z Cars (1965, as PC Walker), The Forsyte Saga (1967), The Avengers (1968), The Expert (1971), Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973), If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them (1974), Churchill's People (1975), One-Upmanship (1976-78), 1990 (1977), The Olympian Way (1981), Driving Ambition (1984), Wish Me Luck (1989), Coronation Street (1994-95, as Roger Crompton), Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1996), Doctors (2001) and Killing Me Softly (2002). Donald also had a regular role as village shopkeeper Mr Boynton in Born and Bred (2002-05).
Facts
Donald was married to award-winning stage and radio playwright Shirley Gee (nee Thieman).

Nick Hobbs (Aggedor) Feb 24 1946 to Dec 29 2024 Click here for Nick Hobbs's entry on The Curse of Peladon

Rex Robinson (Gebek) Jun 26 1926 to Apr 13 2015
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dr Tyler in The Three Doctors (1972-73)
Played: Gebek in The Monster of Peladon (1974)
Played: Dr Carter in The Hand of Fear (1976)
Career highlights
Debuting in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1955), Rex's other work includes Champion Road (1958), The Big Pull (1962), The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne (1965), Mrs Thursday (1967), Brett (1971), Warship (1973), Six Days of Justice (1973-75), Within These Walls (1978), Terry and June (1980), Just Good Friends (1984), Superman IV (1987), Bread (1987) and Shadow of the Noose (1989).
Facts
Rex was married to his The Three Doctors co-star Patricia Prior.
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Rex, and his wife Patricia Prior, here.

Gerald Taylor (Vega Nexos) Oct 11 1940 to Dec 4 1994 Click here for Gerald Taylor's entry on The Daleks

Nina Thomas (Thalira) Born Jul 25 1952
Career highlights
Nina made her debut in First Sight (1972), and has since appeared in Public Eye (1973), The Fortunes of Nigel (1974), Dead Cert (1974), Flame (1975), The Prince and the Pauper (1976), The Sweeney (1976), Rooms (1977), Thomas and Sarah (1979), The History of Mr Polly (1980), The Last Song (1981), Brookside (1989), Boon (1990), The Upper Hand (1992), Wilderness (1996), Peter Ackroyd's London (2004) and Doctors (2004).

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

Ralph Watson (Ettis) Jan 20 1936 to Jun 20 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Technician in The Underwater Menace (1967)
Played: Captain Knight in The Web of Fear (1968)
Played: Ettis in The Monster of Peladon (1974)
Played: Ben in Horror of Fang Rock (1977)
Career highlights
His first credit was Front Page Story (1965), then The Three Musketeers (1966), The Anniversary (1968), Barlow at Large (1973), Edward the Seventh (1975), Battle of the Sexes (1976), When the Boat Comes In (1976), Dave Allen At Large (1976-78), Hazell (1979), One By One (1985), Prospects (1986), Boon (1989), Spender (1992), The Glass Virgin (1995), Shooting Fish (1997), A Soldier's Tunic (2004) and Casualty (2007).
Facts
In the early 1980s Ralph worked as a teacher in London.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Ralph here.

CREW

Brian Hayles (writer) Mar 7 1931 to Oct 30 1978 Click here for Brian Hayles's entry on The Celestial Toymaker

Lennie Mayne (director) Nov 8 1927 to May 20 1977 (drowned)
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Curse of Peladon (1972), The Three Doctors (1972-73), The Monster of Peladon (1974), The Hand of Fear (1976)
Career highlights
Lennie also directed series such as Mickey Dunne (1967), Vendetta (1968), The First Lady (1969), The Borderers (1970), The Troubleshooters (1969-70), Brett (1971), Doomwatch (1971-72), Warship (1973), The Brothers (1974-75) and The Onedin Line (1976-77). He also choreographed for shows such as Rush Hour (1958), Cribbins (1965) and Call It What You Like (1965), and was credited as a dancer performing on 1960's Dial for Music.
Facts
Australian Lennie, who was married to actress Frances Pidgeon (who appeared in The Hand of Fear), was tragically drowned in a boating accident soon after finishing The Hand of Fear, when a dinghy he was using on the English Channel with two other yachtsmen (one of whom was actor Ian McCulloch, who was in Warriors of the Deep (1984)) was capsized by a freak wave, and the search-and-rescue team were unable to find him. It is his whistling you can hear in Sarah Jane actress Elisabeth Sladen's final scene in The Hand of Fear, as Sladen couldn't whistle.

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

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

Death to the Daleks

The Exxilons knew how
 to keep warm in winter

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Feb 23 to Mar 16 1974
Average audience for serial: 9.40m

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

REGULAR CAST

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

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Feb 1 1946 to Apr 19 2011 (pancreatic cancer) Click here for Elisabeth Sladen's entry on The Time Warrior

GUEST CAST

John Abineri (Richard Railton) May 18 1928 to Jun 29 2000 (motor-neurone disease)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Van Lutyens in Fury from the Deep (1968)
Played: General Carrington in The Ambassadors of Death (1970)
Played: Richard Railton in Death to the Daleks (1974)
Played: Ranquin in The Power of Kroll (1978-79)
Career highlights
John's first credit was in The Children of the New Forest (1955), and later appeared in The Third Man (1959), Formula for Danger (1960), The Odd Man (1962), Redcap (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966), The Witch's Daughter (1971), The Last of the Mohicans (1971), General Hospital (1972), The Legend of Robin Hood (1975), The Moon Stallion (1978), Blake's 7 (1979), A Tale of Two Cities (1980), Jamaica Inn (1983), Maelstrom (1985), Red Dwarf (1988, as Rimmer's father), The Godfather Part III (1990), Seaforth (1994), Wycliffe (1995) and The Window Bed (1999). John also had regular roles as Hubert Goss in Survivors (1976-77) and Herne the Hunter in Robin of Sherwood (1984-86); he was also the butler in the original series of Ferrero Rocher advertisements.
Facts
John's son Daniel is an actor and voiceover artist who claims to have discovered Russell Crowe (Daniel is married to TV producer Claudia Rosencrantz). John's other son Sebastian is also an actor. When actor Duncan Lamont died during the filming of the 1979 Blake's 7 episode Hostage, John took over the role (both had co-starred in the Doctor Who story Death to the Daleks (1974)). In 1973 John was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for playing Chingachgook in Last of the Mohicans and Hawkeye, the Pathfinder (he lost to Anthony Murphy).

Mostyn Evans (High Priest) Jul 7 1923 to Nov 23 1990
Doctor Who credits
Played: Extra in Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970, uncredited)
Played: Dai Evans in The Green Death (1973)
Played: High Priest in Death to the Daleks (1974)
Career highlights
Mostyn's small CV began with Espionage (1964) and took in Brett (1971), Man About the House (1975), Killers (1976), Grange Hill (1983) and The District Nurse (1984).

Julian Fox (Peter Hamilton) Born Apr 13 1938
Career highlights
Julian's first credit was playing a constable in 20 episodes of No Hiding Place (1959-60), followed by work in It Happened Like This (1963), Mr Rose (1968), The Troubleshooters (1971), Colditz (1972), The Naked Civil Servant (1975), Stand Up Virgin Soldiers (1977), Secret Army (1979), Blood Money (1981), The Nation's Health (1983), Drummonds (1987), The Charmer (1987), Gems (1988), The Chief (1991), Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992) and The Wingless Bird (1997).
Facts
Julian has also worked as a tour guide in Switzerland.

Murphy Grumbar (Dalek operator) Aug 16 1928 to May 5 1991 Click here for Murphy Grumbar's entry on The Daleks (as Peter Murphy)

Joy Harrison (Jill Tarrant)
Career highlights
Other credits on Joy's CV include Love Story (1967), The Venturers (1972), Harriet's Back in Town (1973), Second Time Around (1974), Escort Girls (1975), The Bill (1995), The Heart Surgeon (1997), Colour Blind (1998), Oliver Twist (1999) and Silent Witness (2003).
Facts
Joy now lives in Canada.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Joy here.

Roy Heymann (Gotal) Sep 11 1941 to Feb 23 1996
Doctor Who credits
Played: Alien priest in Colony in Space (1971)
Played: Gotal in Death to the Daleks (1974)
Career highlights
Roy's only other credit is a 1962 edition of Dixon of Dock Green.
Facts
If you've ever wondered what the human face is beneath the masks of the alien priest or Gotal, you can see Roy's picture on his Brazilian travel documents from 1963/4 here!

Duncan Lamont (Dan Galloway) Jun 17 1918 to Dec 19 1978 (heart attack)
Career highlights
Portuguese-born Duncan's first credit was 1950's She Shall Have Murder, followed by roles in The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Quatermass Experiment (1953, as Victor Carroon), Meet Mr Malcolm (1954), The Other Man (1956), Dial 999 (1958), I Was Monty's Double (1958), The Texan (1958-60), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), Murder at the Gallop (1963), The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964), Arabesque (1966), The Witches (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), Quatermass and the Pit (1967), The Avengers (1969), Battle of Britain (1969), The Persuaders! (1971), Man About the House (1973-74), The Creeping Flesh (1973), Poldark (1975), Our Mutual Friend (1976), Secret Army (1978) and The Case of Cruelty to Prawns (1979). Duncan also had a regular role as Sgt Bob Cooper in Dixon of Dock Green (1965-68).
Facts
Duncan died while filming the Blake's 7 episode Hostage; his role was taken over by John Abineri, ironically his co-star in Death to the Daleks. He was married to actress Patricia Driscoll, best known as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957-60). Duncan was a member of the Lamont clan, the oldest registered clan in Scotland. Future Prime Minister Edward Heath was head boy at the school in Ramsgate, UK, where he was educated.

John Scott Martin (Dalek operator) Apr 1 1926 to Jan 6 2009 (Parkinson's Disease) Click here for John Scott Martin's entry on The Web Planet

Neil Seiler (Commander Stewart) Sep 2 1925 to Feb 14 2003
Doctor Who credits
Played: Radio operator in The Sea Devils (1972)
Played: Commander Stewart in Death to the Daleks (1974)
Career highlights
After taking up acting in 1948, Neil made appearances in The Villains (1964), Crown Court (1972), Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974), Marked Personal (1974) and Days of Hope (1975).
Facts
Neil was for a time married to actress Irene Inescort, most famous as Aunt Edie in Aussie soap Neighbours. Neil had to retire from acting early because of ill-health.

Cy Town (Dalek operator) Feb 17 1931 to Mar 26 2024 Click here for Cy Town's entry on Frontier in Space

Michael Wisher (Dalek voice) May 19 1935 to Jul 21 1995 (heart attack) Click here for Michael Wisher's entry on The Ambassadors of Death

Arnold Yarrow (Bellal) Born Apr 17 1920 to Dec 9 2024 DOCTOR WHO CENTENARIAN!
Career highlights
Multi-talented 5ft 3in Arnold's other acting credits include Over to William (1956), Doomsday for Dyson (1958), The Roving Reasons (1960), The Andromeda Breakthrough (1962), Coronation Street (1965), The Man in the Mirror (1966), Dr Finlay's Casebook (1968), Mahler (1974), The Onedin Line (1980), Cold Warrior (1984) and Genghis Cohn (1993); he had a regular role as Jewish bricklayer Benny Bloom in soap EastEnders (1988-89), a potential husband for Ethel Skinner. Behind the camera, Arnold acted as script editor on almost 80 episodes of Softly Softly (1968-71) and a handful of Barlow At Large (1971) and Second Verdict (1976), while also writing scripts for Suspense (1960), Warship (1973), Crown Court (1974) and EastEnders (1992-94).

CREW

Terry Nation (writer) Aug 6 1930 to Mar 9 1997 (emphysema) Click here for Terry Nation's entry on The Daleks

Michael Briant (director) Born Feb 14 1942 Click here for Michael Briant's entry on Colony in Space

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

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