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 Caves of Androzani

The Doctor (Peter Davison) protects a
frightened Peri (Nicola Bryant) from
Sharaz Jek (Christopher Gable)

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Mar 8 to 16 1984
Average audience for serial: 7.28m

REGULAR CAST

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

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

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

Martin Cochrane (Chellak) Born May 25 1946
Career highlights
Martin first appeared in 1967's The Revenue Men, after which he appeared in The Long Chase (1972), The View from Daniel Pike (1973), The Haggard Falcon (1974), The Omega Factor (1979), Are You Being Served? (1981), Angels (1983), Taggart (1985), Dear John (1987), No Frills (1988), War and Remembrance (1988), Specials (1991), Patriot Games (1992), The Upper Hand (1993), The Knock (1996), Heartbeat (1997), Run for Your Wife (2012) and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015). Martin also had a regular role as David Drummond in Sutherland's Law (1975-76) and Alan McIntyre in soap Take the High Road (1980).
Facts
Coincidentally, Martin was married to actress Jan Wilson for a time, as was his Caves co-star Maurice Roëves. Martin is now married to Adrienne Burgess (who appeared in The Sun Makers). Martin now works as a freelance performance consultant and has coached actors as well as business figures from Tate and Lyle and the Royal Bank of Canada.
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Martin and his wife Adrienne here.

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

Gerald Flood (Voice of Kamelion) Apr 21 1927 to Apr 12 1989 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: "King John" in The King's Demons (1983)
Played: Voice of Kamelion in The King's Demons (1983), Planet of Fire (1984), The Caves of Androzani (1984)
Career highlights
After debuting in Do-It-Yourself (1957), Gerald found fame as Conway Henderson in the Pathfinders series (in Space, to Mars and to Venus, 1960-61), followed by even more renown as Mark Bannerman in Plateau of Fear and its sequels City Beneath the Sea and Secret Beneath the Sea (1961-63). Later work includes Out of This World (1962), Smokescreen (1964), Callan (1967), Two in Clover (1969), Strange Report (1969), Patton (1970), Steptoe and Son (1970), Tom Brown's Schooldays (1971), Bachelor Father (1970-71), The Main Chance (1972), Second Time Around (1974), Raffles (1977), The Racing Game (1979), Third Time Lucky (1982), Bleak House (1985) and Mornin' Sarge (1989). He also enjoyed regular roles as Colonel Sharif Mahmoud in Crane (1963-65) and Peregrine Smith in The Rat Catchers (1966-67).
Facts
Gerald's grandson is Newcastle and England rugby union player Toby Flood. In June 1984, Gerald was a passenger aboard a sleeper train from Aberdeen to London which came off the rails at Morpeth and crashed. Gerald suffered a massive heart attack in 1984 while appearing in Blithe Spirit at the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon, UK. In his later years Gerald reportedly had a problem with alcohol.

Christopher Gable (Sharaz Jek) Mar 13 1940 to Oct 23 1998 (cancer)
Career highlights
Christopher was a promising ballet star with the Royal Ballet before he was afflicted by osteoarthritis in his feet and moved into acting, portraying Eric Fenby in the Omnibus film on Frederick Delius in 1968, and Richard Strauss in the same strand's Dance of the Seven Veils in 1970. However, he never turned his back on ballet, and in 1982 co-founded the Central School of Ballet in Clerkenwell, London; five years later he became artistic director of the Northern Ballet Theatre. Other screen work included 1969's Women in Love, The Distracted Preacher (1969), The Music Lovers (1970), The Boy Friend (1971), Crown Court (1972), Vienna 1900 (1973-74), The Slipper and the Rose (1976), The Devil's Crown (1978), Tycoon (1978), Wagner (1983), A Woman of Substance (1985), The Lair of the White Worm (1988) and The Rainbow (1989).
Awards
1996: Commander of the order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to British dance
Facts
Much of Christopher's film and TV work was with and for director Ken Russell. Christopher himself directed an adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 1994. The role of Romeo in Kenneth Macmillan's Romeo and Juliet in 1965 was created for Christopher, although Rudolf Nureyev danced the premiere, much to Christopher's chagrin. Christopher suffered from chronic arthritis in his feet and had to quit the Royal Ballet in 1967 to pursue an acting career. In 1982 he co-founded the Central School of Ballet. Christopher's wife was fellow dancer Carole Needham.

Robert Glenister (Salateen) Born Mar 11 1960
Doctor Who credits
Played: Salateen in The Caves of Androzani (1984)
Played: Thomas Edison in Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (2020)
Career highlights
Debuted in Crown Court (1979), then appeared in Escape (1980), The Lonelyheart Kid (1984), Cover Her Face (1985), Blood Rights (1990), Kinsey (1991), Soldier Soldier (1991), Only Fools and Horses (1992), Pie in the Sky (1994), Persuasion (1995), Bramwell (1996), Midsomer Murders (2001), Heartbeat (2002), Roger Roger (2003), Between the Sheets (2003), The Ruby in the Smoke (2006), Jane Hall (2006), Appropriate Adult (2011), The Cafe (2013), Vera (2014), Code of a Killer (2015), Paranoid (2016), Close to the Enemy (2016), Curfew (2019), The Aeronauts (2019) and C.B Strike (2020). Robert has had regular roles as Steve Webber in Sink or Swim (1980-82), Colin Morris in Chancer (1990), Detective Sergeant Terrence Reid in A Touch of Frost (2001-03), the Home Secretary in Spooks (2006-10) and Ash Morgan in Hustle (2004-12). He was also the narrator for Law and Order UK (2009-14).
Facts
Robert was married to actress Amanda Redman until 1992, with whom he had a daughter, Emily, who has also acted on screen. His father is prolific director John Glenister and his brother the actor Philip Glenister (making him the actress Beth Goddard's brother-in-law). In 2019, lawyers acting for a company owned by Robert (Big Bad Wolff) lost an appeal in a long-running battle with HM Revenue and Customs regarding liability for National Insurance contributions. Robert said he would have to sell or remortgage his house as a result, as he faced a bill of £147,000 plus interest.

Roy Holder (Krelper) Jun 15 1946 to Nov 9 2021
Career highlights
Roy debuted as a teenager in Whistle Down the Wind (1961), followed by The Train Set (1961), Dixon of Dock Green (1963), Badger's Bend (1963), Othello (1965), Here We Round the Mulberry Bush (1968), The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Loot (1970), Tom Grattan's War (1970), The Pathfinders (1972), All Our Saturdays (1973), The Land That Time Forgot (1975), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Pennies from Heaven (1978), Penmarric (1979), The Invisible Man (1984), Eh Brian! It's a Whopper (1984), Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest (1986), Star Cops (1987), Mack the Knife (1990), The Les Dennis Laughter Show (1991), Middlemarch (1994), Outside Edge (1994), Bugs (1998), Murder City (2004), Pride and Prejudice (2005), Fantabulosa! (2006), Waking the Dead (2007), Robin Hood (2010), Spilt Milk (2010) and Dark Heart (2018). Roy also had regular roles as Chas Diamond in Ace of Wands (1971-72), Sergeant Bilinski in Spearhead (1978-81) and Frank in the sitcom Sorry! (1981-88).
Facts
He was married to make-up artist Pauline Cox, who worked on Image of the Fendahl and Warriors' Gate.

Barbara Kinghorn (Timmin) Born Nov 21 1944
Career highlights
Barbara's other credits include One for the Pot (1968), My Way (1972), Sell a Million (1974), Sorry! (1982), One By One (1984), Kit Curran (1986), Chance in a Million (1986) and Ffizz (1987).
Facts
Barbara was born in South Africa of Scottish descent, becoming South Africa's national champion for Highland Dancing in 1961, and was named South African Actress of the Year in 1973. She emigrated to the UK in 1975 and married actor Paul Jerricho (who played the Castellan in Season 20), becoming a leading light on the Shakespearean stage and establishing a company which took members of the public on backstage tours. An amusing story from News of the Weird says: "In April 1994, assault and indecent exposure charges were filed against Shakespearean actress Barbara Kinghorn in St Joseph, Missouri, after she, naked, allegedly attacked a 52-year-old woman on the indoor track at Northwest Missouri State University. Kinghorn allegedly had first thrown herself at the woman's husband, asking him: 'Can I give it to you?', and when the woman objected, Kinghorn attacked her. Kinghorn was in town to play Lady Macbeth in a local production." Barbara wrote the lively autobiography Miss McKirdy's Daughters Will Now Dance the Highland Fling in 1997.

David Neal (President) Feb 13 1932 to Jun 27 2000 (natural causes)
Career highlights
David's earliest role was in Emergency Ward 10 (1963), then The First Churchills (1969), Julius Caesar (1970), Crown Court (1972), Fall of Eagles (1974), The Flockton Flyer (1977-78), Superman (1978), Noah's Castle (1980), Flash Gordon (1980), Blake's 7 (1981), The Borgias (1981), By the Sword Divided (1983), Hands of a Murderer (1990), Covington Cross (1992), Middlemarch (1994) and Crime Traveller (1997).

John Normington (Morgus) Jan 28 1937 to Jul 26 2007 (pancreatic cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Morgus in The Caves of Androzani (1984)
Played: Trevor Sigma in The Happiness Patrol (1988)
Played: Tom Flanagan in Torchwood: Ghost Machine (2006)
Career highlights
John, who originally trained as an opera singer, debuted in Family Solicitor (1961), then Inadmissable Evidence (1968), Sexton Blake (1968), The Caesars (1968), Canterbury Tales (1969), The Reckoning (1970), On the House (1970-71), The Edwardians (1972), A Day Out (1972), The Song of Songs (1973), Stardust (1974), Rollerball (1975), The Medusa Touch (1978), Life of Shakespeare (1978), Strangers and Brothers (1974), A Private Function (1984), Yes, Prime Minister (1986), My Family and Other Animals (1987), Jack the Ripper (1988), The Paradise Club (1989), In Sickness and in Health (1992), Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996), Coronation Street (1997), David Copperfield (1999), Longitude (2000), Thieves Like Us (2007), Trial and Retribution (2007) and Atonement (2007).
Facts
John was first diagnosed with cancer in 2004, but recovered well enough to continue acting until his death. His longtime partner was theatrical wig maker John Anderson.

Maurice Roëves (Stotz) Mar 19 1937 to Jul 14 2020
Career highlights
Debuted in The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966), then Ulysses (1967), Scobie in September (1969), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), Doomwatch (1970), Paul Temple (1971), Jason King (1972), The Scobie Man (1972), Scotch on the Rocks (1973), Oil Strike North (1975), The Sweeney (1975), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), SOS Titanic (1979), The Nightmare Man (1981), On the Line (1982), Magnum PI (1984), Remington Steele (1984), Days of Our Lives (1986), Tutti Frutti (1987), Bookie (1988), Spender (1991), El CID (1991), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Baywatch (1992), Cheers (1993), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993), Murder, She Wrote (1994), Judge Dredd (1995), Hillsborough (1996), Grafters (1998), Beautiful Creatures (2000), EastEnders (2003), Hallam Foe (2007), Skins (2008), Brighton Rock (2010), Southcliffe (2013), Macbeth (2015), Murder (2016), Two Doors Down (2016) and The Nest (2020). He also played Sergeant James in Danger UXB (1979).
Facts
Maurice, whose Prussian surname is pronounced "roh-eevs", was treated for lung cancer in 2007. His first wife was actress Jan Wilson.

Ian Staples (Soldier)
Career highlights
Ian's other acting credits include Sacred Hearts (1985), A Mind to Kill (1997) and Welsh language programmes such as Pobol y Cwm (2004), Caerdydd (2006) and Y Pris (2007). He more recently became a writer, for Welsh drama series Pam Fi Duw? (1997-2002) and Caerdydd. Ian also works with schools as part of the National Youth Theatre of Wales.

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

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

Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) Born Dec 19 1961 Click here for Matthew Waterhouse's entry on Full Circle

CREW

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

Graeme Harper (director) Born Mar 11 1945

Doctor Who credits

Assistant floor manager: Colony in Space (1971, uncredited), Planet of the Daleks (1973, uncredited), Planet of the Spiders (1974, uncredited)

Production assistant: Colony in Space (1971, uncredited), The Seeds of Doom (1976), Warriors' Gate (1981)

Directed: Warriors' Gate (1981, uncredited), The Caves of Androzani (1984), Revelation of the Daleks (1985), Rise of the Cybermen/ The Age of Steel (2006), Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday (2006), 42 (2007), Utopia (2007), The Sarah Jane Adventures: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? (2007), Time Crash (2007), Planet of the Ood (2008), The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008), Turn Left (2008), The Stolen Earth/ Journey's End (2008), The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith (2008), The Sarah Jane Adventures: Enemy of the Bane (2008), The Waters of Mars (2009).

Career highlights

Graeme actually started out as a child actor, appearing as Moonface, aged 12, in Noddy in Toyland (1957), as well as The Secret Kingdom (1960). His directing credits include Angels (1982-83), Juliet Bravo (1984-85), Star Cops (1987), Boon (1989-91), The New Statesman (1991-92), September Song (1995), The Detectives (1995-97), Babes in the Wood (1999), Grange Hill (2001), EastEnders (2000-02), Byker Grove (2003-05), Robin Hood (2006-09), Dani's House (2009-10), House of Anubis (2012), Coronation Street (2005-13), Holby City (2013-16), Casualty (1996-2015), The Evermoor Chronicles (2016) and Inside No.9 (2016-18).
Awards
2001: BAFTA Children's Award for Best Drama (Custer's Last Stand Up) - with Michael McGowan and Gail Renard
2010: Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation - Short Form (Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars) - with Russell T Davies and Phil Ford
2011: British Soap Award for Spectacular Scene of the Year (Coronation Street: Tram Crash)
Facts
Graeme was slated to be the director on the aborted Doctor Who 30th anniversary story, The Dark Dimension.

In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Graeme here.

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

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

Planet of Fire

A picture to please all persuasions!

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Feb 23 to Mar 2 1984
Average audience for serial: 7.0m

REGULAR CAST

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

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

Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown) Born Oct 11 1960
Doctor Who credits
Played: Peri Brown in Planet of Fire, The Caves of Androzani, The Twin Dilemma, Attack of the Cybermen, Vengeance on Varos, The Mark of the Rani, The Two Doctors, Timelash, Revelation of the Daleks, The Trial of a Time Lord (1984-86). Return appearances in Dimensions in Time (1993) and Tales of the TARDIS (2023).
Nicola also played Peri in the BBC Radio story Slipback (1985)
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Nicola's first acting role, after which she was cast in Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988), The Biz (1995), The 10 Percenters (1996), Animal Ark (1998), Parting Shots (1998), Casualty (2000), Holby City (2007/10), My Family (2009/10), Doctors (2000/10), Scoop (2010), Unlawful Killing (2011), New Blood (2016) and Star Trek Continues (2017). She also appeared in a number of fan spin-off videos between 1992-93, and Big Finish audios as Peri since 1999.
Facts
Nicola was encouraged to audition for the role of Peri by agent Terry Carney, who was First Doctor William Hartnell's son-in-law! Nicola is also a songwriter, and occasionally pops up in television commercials, such as for Nurofen. Here she is, on Twitter!
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Nicola here.

GUEST CAST

Dallas Adams (Professor Howard Foster) Feb 17 1947 to Aug 29 1991 (AIDS-related illness)
Career highlights
Dallas debuted in a 1967 Wednesday Play called Days in the Trees, then took roles in Strange Report (1969), The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971), Frankenstein: The True Story (1973), From Beyond the Grave (1974), The Fortunes of Nigel (1974), Space: 1999 (1976), The Lost Tribe (1980), Nancy Astor (1982), King's Royal (1983), Robin of Sherwood (1984), Gulag (1985), Pulaski (1987) and King Ralph (1991).
Facts
In the early 1980s, Dallas was the winner of the largest gay palimony lawsuit in English legal history. During the filming of Planet of Fire a tabloid journalist was attempting to get a story on the fact a gay actor was working on a "children's programme". Producer John Nathan-Turner made sure the story never emerged.

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

John Alkin (Lomand) Born Jan 17 1947
Career highlights
John debuted in Happy Ever After (1970), then Timeslip (1970), Emma (1972), Yes, Honestly (1976), No Longer Alone (1978), The Lady Vanishes (1979), The Sandbaggers (1980), Grandad (1980), Angels (1982) and Minder (1985). He also played George Hackett in Albert and Victoria (1970-71), Frank Cox in A Family at War (1970-71), Barry Deeley in Crown Court (1972-74), and Detective Sergeant Tom Daniels in The Sweeney (1975-78), and the films Sweeney! (1977) and Sweeney 2 (1978).
Facts
John retired from acting in the 1980s after helping open the Bayswater House of Spirit in 1982. In 2000 he opened the Obsidian College, a spiritual healing centre, with his wife Lee Everett (nee Middleton), the ex-wife of DJ and comedian Kenny Everett. John had been involved with colour healing and meditation since the 1960s.

Max Arthur (Zuko) Feb 25 1939 to May 2 2019 (leukaemia)
Career highlights
Max's only other credits include Grange Hill (1980) and The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare (1980).
Awards
2013: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to military history
Facts
Max later became an acclaimed author and war historian, writing books on events such as the Manchester United air crash, as well as histories of the RAF and Royal Navy.

Michael Bangerter (Curt) 1936 to Aug 25 2016 (cancer)
Career highlights
Michael's other work includes Young Woodley (1960), Boyd QC (1961), Emerald Soup (1963), The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling (1964), Champion House (1967), Colditz (1972), Menace (1973), O Lucky Man! (1973), And Mother Makes Five (1975), Frankie Howerd's Tittertime (1975), The Naked Civil Servant (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Leap in the Dark (1980), Big Deal (1986) and Capital City (1989).
Facts
Michael was also a published poet, playwright, songwriter and reviewer. At the time of filming Planet of Fire, Michael and his family (his wife was Hammer actress Katya Wyeth) were already living on the island: "We were living there at the time restoring an ancient house. We were there on and off for almost five years. We lived in the old capital - a large village really, with five churches. We were the only foreigners in the place apart from a half-Spanish half-Swiss genius; he had been a scientist and an inventor and he spoke seven languages including Latin and Greek. My wife and two children were extras on the production - an added bonus."

James Bate (Amyand) Apr 10 1945 to May 19 1992 (cancer)
Career highlights
James debuted in The Intruder (1972), then The Regiment (1973), The Stars Look Down (1975), When the Boat Comes In (1976), Winterspelt (1979), The Gentle Touch (1982), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1986) and Spender (1991). He also regularly played Mark Warrington in The Spoils of War (1980-81).
Facts
James (real name Anthony) died while undergoing surgery.

Jonathan Caplan (Roskal) Born Apr 26 1959
Career highlights
Jonathan's further credits include Home Movies (1979), Coronation Street (1980), Metal Mickey (1981/82), The Young Ones (1984), Thin Air (1988), The Bill (1990), Scrappers (2000) and Blue Light Bandits (2009). He had a regular role as drug-dealing hairdresser Brian Kennedy in the soap Brookside between 1992-93 (he also wrote for the show). Jonathan also wrote sketches for Not the Nine O'Clock News in the 1970s.

Gerald Flood (Voice of Kamelion) Apr 21 1927 to Apr 12 1989 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: "King John" in The King's Demons (1983)
Played: Voice of Kamelion in The King's Demons (1983), Planet of Fire (1984), The Caves of Androzani (1984)
Career highlights
After debuting in Do-It-Yourself (1957), Gerald found fame as Conway Henderson in the Pathfinders series (in Space, to Mars and to Venus, 1960-61), followed by even more renown as Mark Bannerman in Plateau of Fear and its sequels City Beneath the Sea and Secret Beneath the Sea (1961-63). Later work includes Out of This World (1962), Smokescreen (1964), Callan (1967), Two in Clover (1969), Strange Report (1969), Patton (1970), Steptoe and Son (1970), Tom Brown's Schooldays (1971), Bachelor Father (1970-71), The Main Chance (1972), Second Time Around (1974), Raffles (1977), The Racing Game (1979), Third Time Lucky (1982), Bleak House (1985) and Mornin' Sarge (1989). He also enjoyed regular roles as Colonel Sharif Mahmoud in Crane (1963-65) and Peregrine Smith in The Rat Catchers (1966-67).
Facts
Gerald's grandson is Newcastle and England rugby union player Toby Flood. In June 1984, Gerald was a passenger aboard a sleeper train from Aberdeen to London which came off the rails at Morpeth and crashed. Gerald suffered a massive heart attack in 1984 while appearing in Blithe Spirit at the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon, UK. In his later years Gerald reportedly had a problem with alcohol.

Edward Highmore (Malkon) Born Apr 3 1961
Career highlights
Edward made his acting debut in Doctor Who, then Lame Ducks (1984), The Tripods (1985), Heidi (1993), Love Hurts (1994), Willie's War (1994), The Politician's Wife (1995), No Child of Mine (1997), Elizabeth (1998), The 10th Kingdom (2000) and Ali G Indahouse (2002). His most memorable role was as Leo Howard in 78 episodes of Howards' Way (1985-90).
Facts
Edward's son is actor Freddie Highmore, who became a child star in films such as Finding Neverland (2004) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and in 2013 secured a lead role as the young Norman Bates in the TV series Bates Motel. Edward's wife is talent agent Sue Latimer.

Barbara Shelley (Sorasta) Feb 13 1932 to Jan 3 2021 (coronavirus)
Career highlights
Barbara made her debut (under her birthname, Barbara Kowin) in Man in Hiding (1953), then went on to appear in a number of Italian films until her English language breakthrough in Cat-Girl (1957). She subsequently appeared in many films, specialising in horror and thrillers, including The Camp on Blood Island (1958), Blood of the Vampire (1958), Invisible Man (1959), Village of the Damned (1960), The Shadow of the Cat (1961), Postman's Knock (1962), Stranglehold (1962), The New Phil Silvers Show (1963), Rupert of Hentzau (1964), The Gorgon (1964), Man in the Dark (1965), The Man from UNCLE (1965), Juke Box Jury (1960-65), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966), Five Million Years to Earth (1967), A Cuckoo in the Nest (1970), Dixon of Dock Green (1974), Oil Strike North (1975), People Like Us (1978), Tycoon (1978), Pride and Prejudice (1980), Blake's 7 (1981), The Borgias (1981), Maigret (1988), EastEnders (1988) and Uncle Silas (1989). Her final acting role was in the Doctor Who fan spin-off video More Than a Messiah in 1992, after which she gave up acting to become an interior decorator.
Facts
In 2007, Barbara suffered a stroke and later became associated with The Stroke Association.

Simon Sutton (Lookout)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Crewmember in Nightmare of Eden (1979, uncredited)
Played: Lookout in Planet of Fire (1984)
Career highlights
Further work includes Cowboys (1980), Housewarming (1982), Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984), Tripper's Day (1984) and Theatre Night: The Miser (1988).

Peter Wyngarde (Timanov) Aug 23 1928 to Jan 15 2018
Career highlights
French-born Peter's credited debut came with 1952's The Dybbuk, after which he appeared in Liebelei (1954), Alexander the Great (1956), A Tale of Two Cities (1957), The Adventures of Ben Gunn (1958), The Dark is Light Enough (1958), The Innocents (1961), Night of the Eagle (1962), Rupert of Hentzau (1964), Lucy in London (1966), The Avengers (1966/67), The Revenue Men (1967), The Prisoner (1967), Flash Gordon (1980), Crown Court (1984), Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984), Bulman (1985), Tank Malling (1989), The Lenny Henry Show (1994) and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994). However, Peter will forever be indelibly linked with the iconic ITC role of Jason King in Department S (1969-70) and its spin-off Jason King (1971-72).
Facts
Peter (whose birthname was the rather less actorly Cyril Goldbert) was for a time married to actress Dorinda Stevens. To cash in on Peter's fame as Jason King, RCA allowed him to record a spoken word album entitled When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head in 1970; tracks included Rape, Hippie and the Skinhead and Try to Remember to Forget - it truly is an appallingly distasteful record. Peter's career never quite recovered from his arrest in 1975 for "cottaging" in Gloucester bus station's toilets with a truck driver. He was found guilty of gross indecency and fined £75 (this followed him having been cautioned for a similar offence in Birmingham in 1974). Despite Jason King being a serial womaniser, Peter was known in acting circles to be gay. Indeed, between 1956-66 he had a relationship with fellow actor Alan Bates. During the 1980s, Peter filed for bankruptcy twice: at the first hearing it was stated that Peter's 200-year-old farmhouse in the Cotswolds had been repossessed, that he had no assets, and was living on unemployment benefit. Peter's uncle was French theatre and screen director Louis Jouvet. At the age of eight Peter found himself in Lung Hau concentration camp in Shanghai as a prisoner of the Imperial Japanese Army, alongside future author J G Ballard.

CREW

Peter Grimwade (writer) Jun 8 1942 to May 15 1990 (leukaemia)
Doctor Who credits
Production assistant: Spearhead from Space (1970, uncredited), The Daemons (1971, uncredited), Robot (1974-75), Pyramids of Mars (1975), The Robots of Death (1977), Horror of Fang Rock (1977)
Directed: Full Circle (1980), Logopolis (1981), Kinda (1982), Earthshock (1982)
Wrote: Time-Flight (1982), Mawdryn Undead (1983), Planet of Fire (1984)
Career highlights
Peter also worked as production assistant on Five Red Herrings (1975), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979) and All Creatures Great and Small (1978-80). Further directing work was on The Omega Factor (1979) and a Dramarama story in 1986 entitled The Come-Uppance of Captain Katt, a thinly veiled attack on his former producer John Nathan-Turner (he also wrote it).
Facts
Peter was originally going to direct a Dalek story for Season 20 entitled The Return, but when the story was delayed a year due to industrial strikes, he lost the remount to Matthew Robinson. After Doctor Who, Peter mainly produced industrial training videos.

Fiona Cumming (director) Oct 9 1937 to Jan 1 2015
Doctor Who credits
Assistant floor manager: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966, uncredited)
Production assistant: The Highlanders (1966-67), The Seeds of Death (1969, uncredited), The Mutants (1972, uncredited)
Directed: Castrovalva (1982), Snakedance (1983), Enlightenment (1983), Planet of Fire (1984)
Played: Tourist in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
Fiona started as an actress and continuity announcer in Scotland, then became an assistant floor manager or production assistant, later graduating to directing. She directed The Master of Ballantrae (1975), Z Cars (1974-77), Angels (1978), The Omega Factor (1979), God's Wonderful Railway (1980), Blake's 7 (1980), The Walls of Jericho (1981), Emmerdale Farm (1984), Take the High Road (1987-90, which she also produced over 40 episodes of), Eldorado (1992) and Machair (1993).
Facts
Fiona's husband was Doctor Who production manager Ian Fraser, who worked on five stories between 1986-89. He was also an uncredited tourist at Windsor Castle, along with his wife, in Silver Nemesis (1988).
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Fiona here.

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

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

Resurrection of the Daleks

Davros (Terry Molloy) did like a nice
Dalek marshmallow

Two episodes (Part One, Part Two)
First broadcast Feb 8 to 15 1984
Average audience for serial: 7.65m

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

Chloe Ashcroft (Professor Laird) Born Jul 7 1942
Career highlights
Although best known for her television presenting duties on Play School and Play Away in the 1970s and 80s, Chloe has enjoyed a few dramatic roles, notably in The Scheme (1963), Much Ado About Nothing (1967), Out of the Unknown (1969), Softly Softly: Task Force (1970), Edward the King (1975) and Pie in the Sky (1986, a series she devised with her husband co-star).
Facts
Chloe is married to actor (and fellow Play School presenter) David Hargreaves, and is the niece of acting legend Peggy Ashcroft.

John Adam Baker (Crewmember [Baz])
John's other credits were in The Cleopatras (1983), London's Burning (1989) and The Bill (1991). John was also a member of the dance troupe Zoo, which performed on Top of the Pops between 1981-82.

Rodney Bewes (Stien) Nov 27 1937 to Nov 21 2017
Career highlights
Rodney's earliest acting credit was in The Pickwick Papers in 1952, after which he took roles in Dixon of Dock Green (1962), A Prize of Arms (1962), Billy Liar (1963), Cluff (1964), San Ferry Ann (1965), Hicks and Stokes (1967), Father Dear Father (1968), Spring and Port Wine (1970), Shirley's World (1971), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972), Jonah and the Whale (1975), Jabberwocky (1977), The Wildcats of St Trinian's (1980), Just Liz (1980), The Adventures of a Lady (1987), Spender (1993), Revolver (2004) and Heartbeat (2009). He also had a regular role as "Mr Rodney" in The Basil Brush Show between 1968-69, and played the title character in the sitcom Dear Mother... Love Albert (1969-72, which he also wrote and produced in its entirety), but will forever be synonymous with the part of Bob Ferris in the sitcom The Likely Lads (1964-66) and its sequel series Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973-74), the 1976 film version and the radio versions (1967-68/75).
Facts
Famously, Rodney had a long-standing (and one-sided) rift with his Likely Lads co-star James Bolam, who Rodney said in his 2005 autobiography hadn't spoken to him since they filmed the 1976 movie. This apparently stems from when Bolam's wife became pregnant and Rodney revealed the fact in a press interview. The intensely private Bolam was so annoyed with his co-star that he never spoke to or met Rodney since, and has even been known to block repeats of The Likely Lads which Rodney claimed would give him much-needed income to pay his debts and mortgage. It was one of the most infamous celebrity feuds in UK showbiz, although Bolam denied the rift, claiming their "busy schedules" were to blame for the lack of contact, and that he had nothing but fond memories of Bewes. In 1997 Rodney won the Stella Artois Price at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his one-man rendition of Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. In the 1970s Rodney was the commercial face of the British Onion Marketing Board (or, amusingly, BOMB), and in one newspaper advert he said: "I had the most delicious baloney sandwich today with red onions and field greens on very fresh bread. I was shocked how good it was."
This is Your Life: Rodney was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on December 10th, 1980, surprised by host Eamonn Andrews in central London.

Toby Byrne (Dalek operator)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dalek operator in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), Revelation of the Daleks (1985)
Career highlights
Further work includes The Last Window Cleaner (1979), Blake's 7 (1979/81), The Hard Word (1983), Crossfire (1988), Children of the North (1991) and Beyond Reason (1995).

Maurice Colbourne (Lytton) Sep 24 1939 to Aug 4 1989 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Lytton in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), Attack of the Cybermen (1985)
Career highlights
Maurice's debut came in Cry of the Banshee (1970), then Churchill's People (1975), The Littlest Horse Thieves (1976), The Duellists (1977), Bloodline (1979), The Onedin Line (1979), Hawk the Slayer (1980), Strangers (1980), The Day of the Triffids (1981), Johnny Jarvis (1983) and Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil (1985). He secured early success playing John Kline in the Play for Today Gangsters (1975) and its resultant series (1976-78), but found his biggest fame as Tom Howard in 61 episodes of the maritime drama Howards' Way (1985-89).
Facts
Before becoming an actor Maurice (born Roger Middleton) was a ghost train operator in Manchester and a waiter in London. He adopted his stage name after seeing an obituary (in 1965) for an actor called Maurice Colbourne, who coincidentally shared his birthdate. In 1972 Maurice co-founded the Half Moon Theatre Company (named after an alley near the rented building they used), but the company folded in 1990 (a Wetherspoon's pub is named after it, the Half Moon in Stepney Green, London. Maurice died in his wife's arms in Brittany, while there renovating a holiday home, shortly after returning from a sailing trip. He was due to return to the UK the following week to complete filming series five of Howards' Way (his character's disappearance was explained as a sailing accident).

Roger Davenport (Trooper) Born Oct 4 1946
Career highlights
Roger's other credits include Softly Softly: Task Force (1974), Brassneck (1975), Henry V (1979), Good Behaviour (1983), My Parents are Aliens (2005) and The Library of Burned Books (2013). Roger has another string to his bow, as a writer, having penned for Bergerac (1985), Indelible Evidence (1987), All Creatures Great and Small (1989-90), Growing Pains (1993), The Bill (1993-94) and The Double Life of Saki (2007).
Facts
Roger's wife is actress Joanna McCallum (whose parents were the actors John McCallum and Googie Withers), while his father was Observer literary critic John Davenport and his grandmother was the singer and actress Muriel George. Roger quit acting in the 1980s and went into advertising (for Unilever) and theatre management before returning to the boards and taking up writing books for children, such as 1989's Onlooker, Out of His Mind (1996) and Wanderer (2013).

Jim Findley (Mercer)
Career highlights
Trinidad-born Jim debuted in The Zoo (1980), after which he took roles in Britannia Hospital (1982), Johnny Jarvis (1983), Playboy of the West Indies (1985), Playing Away (1987), Cry Freedom (1987), Lazarus and Dingwall (1991), Paradise Heights (2002), The Crooked Man (2003), Dalziel and Pascoe (2005), The Chase (2007), Let's Bring Back Sophie (2016) and Pitching In (2019).
Facts
Here's a lovely video with Jim from 2013 in which he is interviewed about his appearance in Doctor Who by his son.

Leslie Grantham (Kiston) Apr 30 1947 to Jun 15 2018 (lung cancer)
Career highlights
Leslie's earliest credited role was in 1982's Jake's End, after which he took roles in Goodnight and God Bless (1983), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Morons from Outer Space (1985), Bulman (1985), Winners and Losers (1989), The Nightwatch (1989), The Good Guys (1992), The Detectives (1993), Cluedo (1993), Wycliffe (1997), The Uninvited (1997), Urban Gothic (2000), Heartbeat (2002), DeadTime (2012), The Factory (2013), Mob Handed (2016) and The Krays: Dead Man Walking (2018). Leslie also enjoyed a lead role in the series The Paradise Club (1989-90) and 99-1 (1994-95), and was the presenter for a time of game show Fort Boyard (1998-2001). However, it is the iconic role of "Dirty" Den Watts in more than 550 episodes of soap EastEnders between 1985-89 and 2003-05 that he will be best known for.
Facts
Leslie was until 2013 married to Australian born actress Jane Laurie. While he was in the Army, in 1966, Leslie was convicted of murdering a West German taxi driver who he shot in the back of the head while attempting to rob him in Osnabruck. Handed a life sentence, he served 10 years in prison, and it was while at Leyhill Prison in Gloucestershire that he met actress and part-time prison visitor Louise Jameson (aka Leela) who persuaded him to pursue acting. In 2004 Leslie was mixed up in a tabloid scandal when a Sunday newspaper printed pictures of him exposing himself and masturbating on MSN Instant Messenger via a webcam with an undercover reporter. In the 2006 Doctor Who episode Army of Ghosts, the Doctor watches an edition of EastEnders in which it is said the ghost of Den Watts was returning to the soap's pub, the Queen Vic, but it is told to leave before the channel is changed.

Sneh Gupta (Osborn) Born May 12 1957
Career highlights
Kenyan-born Sneh debuted in Angels in 1979, then appeared in The Mystery of the Disappearing Schoolgirls (1980), Kelly Monteith (1982), Octopussy (1983), The Far Pavilions (1984), Kim (1984), Rainbow (1986), The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987), Tandoori Nights (1987) and The Peacock Spring (1996). Before she was an actor, Sneh was a hostess on the game show Sale of the Century (1977-78).
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Sneh here.

Del Henney (Colonel Archer) Jul 24 1935 to Jan 14 2019
Career highlights
Debuting in United! (1965), Del's further work includes The Revenue Men (1968), Parkin's Patch (1970), Straw Dogs (1971), The Mad Trapper (1972), Brannigan (1975), Wings (1978), Fallen Hero (1978-79), A Woman of Substance (1985), Resnick (1992-93), Jonathan Creek (1997), North Square (2000), The Brief (2004), Devil's Playground (2010) and A Confession (2015).
Facts
Del was married to fellow actor Rosemary McHale.

Rula Lenska (Styles) Born Sep 30 1947
Career highlights
Her earliest credit was on The Doctors (1971), after which she appeared in Special Branch (1974), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Royal Flash (1975), Alfie Darling (1976), Queen Kong (1976), The Cuckoo Waltz (1980), Take a Letter Mr Jones (1981), Robin of Sherwood (1984), Cluedo (1991), Kappatoo (1992), Stay Lucky (1993), One Foot in the Grave (1996), EastEnders (2002), Doctors (2006), Grandpa in My Pocket (2009), Ideal (2011), Bait (2014), Inside No 9 (2016) and The Exorcism of Karen Walker (2018). She enjoyed regular roles as Nancy Cunard de Longchamps in Rock Follies (1976-77) and Claudia Colby in soap Coronation Street (2009-11 & 2017-19). In 2006 she was one of the contestants on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, a career move that attracted substantial controversy and criticism when she took part in a task with British politician George Galloway which saw him pretend to be a cat and lick milk from Rula's cupped hands. Rula was the third celeb to be voted out.
Facts
Rula's full birth name is Countess Roza-Marie Leopoldnya Lubienska, but she was actually born in unassuming St Neots in Cambridgeshire, UK, the daughter of Polish immigrant parents (her father was the head of Poland's Radio Free Europe and one-time adjutant to the Polish Prime Minister in exile during World War Two). Rula has since renounced her title. Between 1977-87 Rula was married to actor Brian Deacon (not the one from Queen; this one's the brother of actor Eric Deacon, who appeared in the Doctor Who story Timelash), and between 1987-98 she was married to actor Dennis Waterman, who in 2012 admitted to hitting Rula. However, his comment was controversial: "It's not difficult for a woman to make a man hit her. She certainly wasn't a beaten wife, she was hit and that's different." In the United States she became known for her appearances in TV commercials for Alberto VO5 shampoo in the 1970s and 80s, in which she was hailed as internationally renowned but was actually unheard of in the US. This "celebrity endorsement" led to Rula being ridiculed on shows like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Saturday Night Live. In 2009 Rula began to seek £1m compensation from the Polish government for its seizure of her family's estate. This was still ongoing as of 2017 ("It’s important for honour, not for money. The stately home my mother was born in still exists. It looks the same on the outside. But it was taken over by the Communists and turned into an agricultural college and the inside was destroyed. Thousands of acres of land belonged to the property, it was in my family for generations, there were churches on the land and carp lakes and schools. Compensation from the government for loss of the property and lands is a possibility.")
This is Your Life: Rula was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on January 10th, 1996, surprised by host Michael Aspel during the curtain call of a pantomime at Redhill's Harlequin Theatre.
In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Rula here.

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

Philip McGough (Sergeant Calder) Born 1950
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sergeant Calder in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984)
Played: Alien voices in The Stolen Earth (2008, scene cut)
Career highlights
Philip's earliest role was in Dixon of Dock Green (1975), after which he appeared in Rooms (1977), Muck and Brass (1982), Oxbridge Blues (1984), Brookside (1986), The Monocled Mutineer (1986), Only Fools and Horses (1989), A Sense of Guilt (1990), The Manageress (1990), Chancer (1991), French Fields (1991), Forever Green (1989/92), Nightingales (1993), Eye of the Storm (1993), The Magician (1993), So Haunt Me (1994), Bugs (1995), And the Beat Goes On (1996), Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1999), Ultimate Force (2003), Keen Eddie (2004), The Illusionist (2006) and Canoe Man (2010). Regular roles include Dr Malcolm Nicholson in Bad Girls (2000-05) and Dr Charlie Bradfield in daytime soap Doctors (2010).
Facts
For 12 years in the 1960s and 70s Philip trained to be a monk, during which he spent 12 months in almost complete silence. However, he left the order after being subjected to beatings and going through "some awful times".

Brian Miller (Dalek voice) Born Apr 17 1941
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dugdale in Snakedance (1983)
Played: Dalek voice in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)
Played: Harry in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Mad Woman in the Attic (2009)
Played: Barney in Deep Breath (2014)
Career highlights
Brian started out on Compact in 1964, followed by Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life the year after, after which he appeared in Mr Rose (1968), The Dustbinmen (1970), Hey Brian! (1973), A Raging Calm (1974), Sam (1975), Out of Bounds (1977), The Devil's Crown (1978), Blake's 7 (1979), Ladykillers (1980), Angels (1981), Eh Brian! It's a Whopper (1984), Brazil (1985), Alice in Wonderland (1986), Strike It Rich! (1986-87), Grange Hill (1991), Stay Lucky (1993), The Ghost of Greville Lodge (2000), Line of Duty (2012), Wizards vs Aliens (2012) and Loose Ends (2017).
Facts
Brian was married to Doctor Who's very own Sarah Jane Smith, Elisabeth Sladen, from 1968 until her death in 2011. Their daughter Sadie Miller appeared as Natalie Redfern in Big Finish's Sarah Jane Smith audio series, and wrote the book Moon Blink for Candy Jar's Lethbridge-Stewart series. Sadie also appeared, aged eight, with her mother in the 1993 documentary Thirty Years in the TARDIS, wearing a replica of her mum's costume as seen in The Hand of Fear.
In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Brian here.

Royce Mills (Dalek voice) May 12 1942 to May 21 2019
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dalek voice in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), Revelation of the Daleks (1985), Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)
Career highlights
Debuted in Charley's Aunt (1969), then Coppers End (1971), Up Pompeii! (1971), Queenie's Castle (1972), The Kids from 47A (1974), The Tomorrow People (1977), Marti (1977), The Rather Reassuring Programme (1977), Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas (1977), Come Back, Lucy (1978), Bernie (1978), Sykes (1979), Mike Yarwood In Persons (1977/79), Rings on Their Fingers (1978/80), The Jim Davidson Show (1980), The Cut Price Comedy Show (1982-83), See How They Run (1984), Alice in Wonderland (1985), The Kenny Everett Television Show (1982-83/86), Edward and Friends (1987), Never the Twain (1990), Fiddlers Three (1991), Polterguests (1999), Bernard's Watch (2001) and Run for Your Wife (2012). Royce also had the occasional role of Andrew in Minder (1984-85/89).
Facts
Royce initially qualified in fine art to become a theatre set designer before branching in front of the cameras and on stage.

Terry Molloy (Davros) Born Jan 4 1947
Doctor Who credits
Played: Davros in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), Revelation of the Daleks (1985), Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)
Played: Russell in Attack of the Cybermen (1985)
Career highlights
Debuted in God's Wonderful Railway (1980), then Radio Phoenix (1982), Connie (1985), Oliver Twist (1985), A Sort of Innocence (1987), Crossroads (1987), French and Saunders (1988), Tales of Sherwood Forest (1989), Chalkface (1991), Dangerfield (1998), Urban Gothic (2000), Kingdom (2008), In Love with Alma Cogan (2012), Kosmos (2015), ChickLit (2016) and Anoraks (2017). Terry has been playing Davros for Big Finish audio productions since 2003. His voice will be well-known to fans of BBC Radio 4 soap The Archers as that of Mike Tucker since 1973.
Facts
In the 1960s, Terry played saxophone in a soul band called The T-Bunkum Band in Liverpool, even appearing at famous Beatles venue The Cavern Club.

William Sleigh (Galloway) May 23 1941 to Jun 25 2023
Career highlights
6ft 3in William debuted in Marie Curie in 1977, then appeared in Arabian Adventure (1979), Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), Bad Boyes (1987), Bellman and True (1987), Gems (1988), Sleepers (1991), Tipping the Velvet (2002), Shadowmen (2015) and Gangster Kittens (2016).
Facts
This unbeatable trivia appeared on William's IMDb profile: "Played Gandalf in a theatre production of The Hobbit. One night a pyrotechnic went wrong and he set fire to a Hobbit."

Tony Starr (Dalek operator) Died Jan 6 2015
Doctor Who credits
Played: British soldier in The War Games (1969, uncredited)
Played: Dalek operator in Planet of the Daleks (1973, uncredited), Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), Revelation of the Daleks (1985), Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)
Career highlights
Tony's other screen work includes The Boys of San Francisco (1981), Little Miss Perkins (1982), Russ Abbot's Saturday Madhouse (1982) and Couchers (2012).
Facts
Tony was also a singer and songwriter. In 1964 he wrote and recorded two rare, collectible singles for Decca, I'll Take a Rocket to the Moon and The Next Train Leaving from Platform 2. He was a contemporary of music promoter Joe Meek in the 1960s, and also wrote the song What Am I To Do for the Wildwoods in 1966.

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

Linsey Turner (Crewmember [Zena]) Born c.1961
Career highlights
This is Linsey's only acting credit, but she went on to become a talented session singer, working with singer/ songwriter Rod Taylor after they met in a BBC studio in 1983 (was it Doctor Who?).

CREW

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

Matthew Robinson (director) Born Jul 27 1944
Doctor Who credits
Directed: Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), Attack of the Cybermen (1985)
Career highlights
Matthew started out directing Beryl's Lot (1975), Z Cars (1975-76), Crown Court (1976/79), Sally Ann (1979), Angels (1980-81), Coronation Street (1977/82), The Practice (1986), Howards' Way (1987), EastEnders (1985-87), Byker Grove (1989-92) and Taste of Life (2004). He also graduated into producing, such as Byker Grove, EastEnders (1998-2000), Servants (2003) and AirWaves (2010).
Awards
1999: BAFTA TV Award for Best Soap (EastEnders)
1999: British Soap Award for Best Storyline (EastEnders) - shared with Martine McCutcheon
2000: BAFTA TV Award for Best Soap (EastEnders)
Facts
Matthew's brother is musician, DJ and former gay activist Tom Robinson. Matthew was head of drama for BBC Wales between 2000-03. In 2003 his career took him to Cambodia, where he subsequently set up a film and TV production company in Phnom Penh called Khmer Mekong Films. He even has his own poetry website.

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

Frontios

The Doctor's new companion had trouble
operating the TARDIS controls, what with
his cumbersome flippers and all...

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Jan 26 to Feb 3 1984
Average audience for serial: 6.80m

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

Richard Ashley (Orderly)
Career highlights
Richard's other credits include Moonfleet (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Rumpole of the Bailey (1987), The Vampyr: A Soap Opera (1992), EastEnders (1987), Sanhedrin (2004) and O Sole Mio (2013). He also gave his vocal talent to The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (1976).

William Bowen (Tractator)
Career highlights
William was actually credited incorrectly on Frontios as his real surname was Bower. William was previously production assistant on 1979's H.O.T.S.

George Campbell (Tractator)
Career highlights
Dancer George also appeared in Centre Play Showcase: The Squad in 1976.

Lesley Dunlop (Norna) Born Mar 10 1956
Doctor Who credits
Played: Norna in Frontios (1984)
Played: Susan Q in The Happiness Patrol (1988)
Career highlights
Debuting in A Little Princess aged 17, Lesley's CV includes roles in Crown Court (1973), Oranges and Lemons (1973), The Adventures of Black Beauty (1974), South Riding (1974), Haunted (1974), My Brother's Keeper (1975), Our Mutual Friend (1976), The Onedin Line (1977), A Little Night Music (1978), Penmarric (1979), Dick Turpin (1979), The Elephant Man (1980), The Monster Club (1981), Smuggler (1981), Waters of the Moon (1983), Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Capstick's Law (1989), Silent Witness (1996), Wokenwell (1997), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1997), My Uncle Silas (2000/03), The Many Lives of Albert Walker (2002) and Casualty (2007). Between 2000-06 Lesley appeared as Anna Kirkwall in the drama Where the Heart Is, after first achieving recognition as Zoe Callender in the sitcom May to December (1990-94). Since 2008, she has been playing Brenda Walker in soap Emmerdale.
Facts
Lesley was once married to actor Christopher Guard, who appeared in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy in 1988/89 (this also made her sister-in-law to actor Dominic Guard, who appeared in Terminus, and his wife, actress Sharon Duce, who was in Ghost Light). She is now married to fellow Emmerdale star Chris Chittell. Lesley's father was TV writer Pat Dunlop, who contributed uncredited to the script for The War Machines. Lesley's face is also associated with Kleenex toilet tissue in the UK due to her TV commercials in the 1990s (directed by Mike Leigh).

John Gillett (The Gravis)
Career highlights
John debuted in A Last Visitor for Mr Hugh Peter (1981), and then appeared in Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime (1983), Juliet Bravo (1985), Resort to Murder (1995), EastEnders (1997), Doctors (2003), Hustle (2004) and Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict (2013).
Facts
Acting teacher John wrote the book Acting on Impulse: Reclaiming the Stanislavski Approach in 2007, revised in 2014 as Acting Stanislavski.

Peter Gilmore (Brazen) Aug 25 1931 to Feb 3 2013
Career highlights
German-born Peter debuted in All on a Summer's Day (1953), and went on to appear in Ivanhoe (1958), If the Crown Fits (1961), Moody in... (1961), The Rag Trade (1961), Bomb in the High Street (1961), Master Spy (1964), Seaside Swingers (1965), The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966), I've Gotta Horse (1966), Doctor in Clover (1966), Oh! What a Lovely War(1969), The Doctors (1971), The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971), Warlords of Atlantis (1978), The Manions of America (1981), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987), Casualty (1992), Heartbeat (1993) and On Dangerous Ground (1996). Peter appeared in 11 Carry On films between 1963-92, but made his name playing James Onedin in over 90 episodes of the drama series The Onedin Line (1971-80) and Ben Bishop in One By One (1985).
Facts
Before becoming an actor, Peter was a singer, a member of the George Mitchell Singers (aka the Glee Club). In 1961 he recorded an album of the musical Bye, Bye Birdie, along with co-stars Sid James, Joyce Blair and Dean Rogers. His Onedin Line success made him very popular in maritime circles, and in 1974 he released a solo album entitled Songs of the Sea, followed by 1977's Peter Gilmore Sings Gently. All three of his wives were actresses: Una Stubbs (between 1958-69), Jan Waters (1970-76) and Onedin Line co-star Anne Stallybrass (married 1987).

Hedi Khursandi (Tractator) Born Jul 19 1953
Career highlights
This is Hedi's only screen credit. Iranian born Hedi, more recently based in Miami, is a Royal Academy trained dancer who has worked with the Vienna Festival Ballet and worked with Rudolph Nureyev. He has taught ballet in Australia, Orlando, Alabama and Florida. Of his time wearing a Tractator suit on Doctor Who, Hedi said: "It was very tedious. But on TV, it was very effective. I still get mail asking for my autograph."

William Lucas (Range) Apr 14 1925 to Jul 8 2016
Career highlights
Prolific William's first credit was in 1954's Isidor Comes to Town, followed by Portrait of Alison (1955), Postmark for Danger (1955), The Strange World of Planet X (1956), X: The Unknown (1956), Crime of the Century (1956-57), Solo for Canary (1958), The Infamous John Friend (1959), Sons and Lovers (1960), I Promised to Pay (1961), The Shadow of the Cat (1961), Sir Francis Drake (1962), United! (1965), Night of the Big Heat (1967), The Sky Bike (1967), Parkin's Patch (1970), Doomwatch (1970), Doctor At Large (1971), Horror on Snape Island (1972), The Hanged Man (1975), Squadron (1982), Vampire Cop (1990), On the Up (1990), Last of the Summer Wine (2003) and The Bill (2005). William found fame playing Dr James Gordon in 52 episodes of The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972-74) and 26 episodes of The New Adventures of Black Beauty (1990-92), but may also be remembered as George Hayward in The Spoils of War (1980-81) and Stanley Webb in 91 episodes of the soap Eldorado (1992-93).
Facts
William's appearance in Frontios was a long time coming - he'd previously been shortlisted for roles in Doctor Who in 1964 (Barrett in The Rescue), 1977 (Dr Fendleman in Image of the Fendahl) and 1983 (Hedin in Arc of Infinity). However, he only got this role after the actor first cast, Peter Arne, was murdered in August 1983, following his costume fitting for Range. William's birth name was Clucas.

Michael Malcolm (Tractator)
Career highlights
Dancer Michael's only other credit was in Gnaw: Food of the Gods II (1989).

Raymond Murtagh (Retrograde)
Career highlights
Raymond's other acting roles were in Crown Court (1978), Taggart (1983), Juliet Bravo (1985) and Coronation Street (1990), while he also wrote the TV play Requiem Apache (1994).

Maurice O'Connell (Cockerill) Born Jan 8 1941
Career highlights
Maurice's CV stems from his debut in 1972's Villains, after which he appeared in The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), The Protectors (1974), The Sweeney (1975), Van der Valk (1977), The New Avengers (1977), The Medusa Touch (1978), Out (1978), The Bitch (1979), Angels (1981), The Borgias (1981), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Tucker's Luck (1984), Inspector Morse (1987) and Zorro (1990). He also played Harry Rawlins in Widows and Widows II (1983-85).
Facts
In 2016, an appeal went out to locate Maurice on Missing-You.net, but this does not automatically mean he is a missing person.

Jeff Rawle (Plantagenet) Born Jul 20 1951
Doctor Who credits
Played: Plantagenet in Frontios (1984)
Played: Mr Harding in The Sarah Jane Adventures: Mona Lisa's Revenge (2009)
Played: Mervyn Pinfield in An Adventure in Space and Time (2013)
Career highlights
Jeff is one of the busiest actors in the UK, having debuted in the title role of Billy Liar in 1973, after which he took roles in Bedtime Stories (1974), Van der Valk (1977), A Hitch in Time (1978, alongside a very Doctorish Patrick Troughton), Home Before Midnight (1979), Crystal Gazing (1982), Angels (1983), Remington Steele (1985), The Doctor and the Devils (1985), Fortunes of War (1987), The Gift (1990), Rides (1992), Moon and Son (1992), The Chief (1994), Take a Girl Like You (2000), Blackball (2003), William and Mary (2004), Spooks (2005), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Sea of Souls (2006), The Last Detective (2007), Fear, Stress and Anger (2007), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2008), My Family (2011), The Charles Dickens Show (2012), You, Me and Them (2013), Redistributors (2015), Steptoe and Son (2016), The Crucifixion (2017), A Modern Tale (2017), Peterloo (2018), Father Brown (2019), The Durrells (2016-19) and State of the Union (2019). Jeff's other memorable roles include Paul Cooper in Faith in the Future (1995-98), George Dent in satirical show Drop the Dead Donkey (1990-98/2008), the narrator of children's series Budgie the Little Helicopter (1994-96), Colin in Microsoap (1998-2000), Roger Fenn in Doc Martin (2004-07) and Silas Blissett in soap Hollyoaks (2010-12/16). He also put pen to paper to write The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995), Mrs Meitlemeihr (2002) and The Charles Dickens Show.
Facts
Jeff's brother is artist and writer Graham Rawle, who for many years produced the Lost Consonants column in The Guardian. His wife is actress Nina Marc.

Alison Skilbeck (Deputy) Born May 6 1945
Career highlights
Debuting in Clayhanger (1976), Alison's further credits include Revolting Women (1981, which she also wrote for), Crown Court (1984), The Beiderbecke Affair (1985), Lovejoy (1986), The Fear (1988), Head Over Heels (1993), No Bananas (1996), Soldier Soldier (1996), Peak Practice (1998), He Knew He Was Right (2004), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), New Tricks (2006), Law and Order UK (2009), Wimpole Street (2013) and Call the Midwife (2018).
Facts
Alison began her professional career presenting a BBC Spanish language programme called Zarabanda. As well as being an actor, Alison gives workshops all over the globe, and is also a member of the audition panel for RADA.

Stephen Speed (Tractator) Nov 6 1955 to Nov 11 2014
Career highlights
Professional ballet dancer Stephen was chosen by none other than Rudolph Nureyev to be the Little Drummer Boy in a production of The Nutcracker, and he also worked with Margot Fonteyn, Wayne Sleep and Natalia Makarova. Stephen worked extensively in musical theatre and for the English National Opera and was a dedicated revival choreographer for The Mikado worldwide.

CREW

Christopher H Bidmead (writer) Born Jan 18 1941 Click here for Christopher H Bidmead's entry on The Leisure Hive

Ron Jones (director) Aug 6 1945 to Jul 9 1993
Doctor Who credits
Directed: Black Orchid (1982), Time-Flight (1982), Arc of Infinity (1983), Frontios (1984), Vengeance on Varos (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
Starting out as a BBC Radio studio manager in the 1960s, Ron worked for a time as a researcher and writer for the children's show Blue Peter, before acting as an assistant floor manager and production manager on series such as Bergerac and Secret Army. Ron's few other directing credits include Juliet Bravo (1985), the German soap Lindenstraße (1987-88) and the TV movie Burg Wutzenstein (1988). In the 1970s Ron worked as a researcher and writer on the children's show Blue Peter. Ron's partner was Gordon Elsbury, who directed shows such as Are You Being Served?, Top of the Pops and Spitting Image (he was also production assistant on the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest).

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 on Castrovalva