The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve

The Doctor (William Hartnell) and Steven
 (Peter Purves) enjoy a snifter at
a Parisian tavern

Four episodes (War of God, The Sea Beggar, Priest of Death, Bell of Doom)
First broadcast Feb 5 to 26 1966
Average audience for serial: 6.43m

• A pictorial guide to the guest cast can be seen at the bottom of this entry. Read an episode-by-episode review of this story at Time Space Visualiser here.

REGULAR CAST

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.

Peter Purves (Steven Taylor) Born Feb 10 1939 For a full career biography of Peter Purves, click here.

Jackie Lane (Dodo Chaplet) Jul 10 1941 to Jun 7 2021 For a full career biography for Jackie Lane, click here.

GUEST CAST

Leslie Bates (Second guard) Died Jan 14 2014
Doctor Who credits
Played: Shadow [the one cast across the TARDIS at the end of episode 1] in An Unearthly Child (1963, uncredited)
Played: Tribesman in An Unearthly Child (1963, uncredited)
Played: Man at Lop in Marco Polo (1964)
Played: Mongol warrior/ bandit in Marco Polo (1964, uncredited)
Played: Second guard in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Villager at inn/ pirate in The Smugglers (1966, uncredited)
Played: 1862 Confederate soldier in The War Games (1969, uncredited)
Played: BBC3 TV crewmember in The Daemons (1971, uncredited)
Played: Lunar guard in Frontier in Space (1973, uncredited)
Played: Draconian in Frontier in Space (1973, uncredited)
Played: Extra in Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974, uncredited)
Played: Exxilon in Death to the Daleks (1974, uncredited)
Career highlights
Other work includes Barnaby Rudge (1960), The Ghost Sonata (1962), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966) and David Copperfield (1974).

Michael Bilton (Teligny) Dec 14 1919 to Nov 5 1993
Doctor Who credits
Played: Teligny in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Collins in Pyramids of Mars (1975)
Played: Time Lord in The Deadly Assassin (1976)
Career highlights
Michael's first credit is in Sing Along With Me (1952), and over the course of his career he appeared in Quatermass II (1955), A Taste of Honey (1961), The Mind of the Enemy (1965), The Prisoner (1967), The Avengers (1968), Doctor at Large (1971), The Fenn Street Gang (1973), South Riding (1974), The Haunting of Julia (1977), The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1977), Pennies from Heaven (1978), Bognor (1981), Brideshead Revisited (1981), Coronation Street (1983), The Fourth Protocol (1987), The New Statesman (1990) and the Alleyn Mysteries (1993). He had memorable roles as Ned in To the Manor Born (1979-81), Mr Thorpe in Grace and Favour (1992-93) and Basil Makepeace in Waiting for God (1990-93). He may also be remembered for playing an elderly gardener in a TV commercial for Yellow Pages.
Facts
Crippling arthritis prevented him from working on stage toward the end of his career. While serving in World War Two, he was wounded in the stomach at the Battle of El Alamein.

Clive Cazes (Captain of the Guard) Sep 6 1929 to Dec 24 1989
Career highlights
Clive had previously appeared in Dial 999 (1959), and also had roles in Man in a Suitcase (1967), Hadleigh (1969), The Music Lovers (1970), Freewheelers (1971), Jason King (1972) and Just in Time for Christmas (1972).

Erik Chitty (Preslin) Jul 8 1907 to Jul 22 1977
Doctor Who credits
Played: Preslin in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Coordinator Engin in The Deadly Assassin (1976)
Career highlights
Erik's prolific career began with James Simpson (1937) and continued through Alice (1946), The Pickwick Papers (1953), Footsteps in the Fog (1955), Summers Here (1957), The Devil's Disciple (1959), The Strange World of Gurney Slade (1960), Emergency Ward 10 (1960, as Ignatius Small), The Victorians (1963), Danger Man (1965), Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), Casino Royale (1967), Virgin of the Secret Service (1968), Strange Report (1969), Doomwatch (1970), Lust for a Vampire (1971), The Stalls of Barchester (1971), The Vault of Horror (1973), Man About the House (1975), One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975), Midnight is a Place (1977) and A Bridge Too Far (1977). He also had a regular role as Mr Smith in the sitcom Please Sir! (1968-72).
Facts
Erik was a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists and had carried out extensive research into the genealogy of his surname. He was also a founder of the Cambridge University Mummers.

Norman Claridge (Priest) Aug 29 1903 to Jun 11 1985
Career highlights
Norman's CV begins with Dance Pretty Lady (1932), then The Ringer (1938), The Small Voice (1948), Crow Hollow (1952), Womaneater (1958), Garry Halliday (1962), Ghost Squad (1963), They Came from Beyond Space (1967), Z Cars (1967), Gazette (1968), Clegg (1970), The Edwardians (1972) and Brothers and Sisters (1980).

Cynthia Etherington (Old woman) Jun 19 1926 to May 26 2020
Career highlights
Further credits include Compact (1963), The Massingham Affair (1964), Angel Pavement (1967), Pere Goriot (1968), The First Churchills (1969), The Moonstone (1972), Angels (1976), All Creatures Great and Small (1978) and The Squad (1980).

Edwin Finn (Landlord) Nov 18 1910 to Feb 2 1995
Career highlights
Edwin's career began in Armchair Theatre (1961) and saw roles in The Midnight Men (1964), Oliver! (1968), Loot (1970), Julius Caesar (1970), The Hole in the wall (1972), All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Time Bandits (1981) and Coming Out of the Ice (1982).

Reginald Jessup (Servant) Feb 8 1920 to Feb 1 2000 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Servant in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Lord Savar in The Invasion of Time (1978)
Career highlights
Debuted in Puck of Pook's Hill (1951), then Quatermass II (1955), Silent Evidence (1962), The Saint (1964), Gideon's Way (1965-66), The Avengers (1968), The Signalman (1976), Target (1978), Shine On Harvey Moon (1984) and The Bill (1990/91/96).
Facts
Reginald was married to actor Janet Brandes until her death in 1983.

Barry Justice (Charles IX) Aug 18 1940 to Aug 6 1980 (suicide)
Career highlights
Indian born Barry also made appearances in No Hiding Place (1961), Emergency Ward 10 (1963), The Ordeal of Richard Feveral (1964), The Mill on the Floss (1965), David Copperfield (1966), The Vortex (1969), Doctor in the House (1969), The Pallisers (1974), Lillie (1978) and The Enigma Files (1980). He also played Dr Bill Conrad in 76 episodes of The Doctors (1969-71).

Andre Morell (Marshal Tavannes) Aug 20 1909 to Nov 28 1978 (lung cancer)
Career highlights
Andre's career began way back in 1938's Pride and Prejudice, and he went on to become one of the most prolific actors around, appearing in Three Silent Men (1940), The Merchant of Venice (1947), Flesh and Blood (1951), They Can't Hang Me (1955), Zarak (1956), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Camp on Blood Island (1958), Ben-Hur (1959), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Shadow of the Cat (1961), The Human Jungle (1963), The Moon-Spinners (1964), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), The Vengeance of She (1968), The Caesars (1968), 10 Rillington Place (1971), The Adventurer (1972), Edward the Seventh (1975), The Slipper and the Rose (1976), Life of Shakespeare (1978), The Lord of the Rings (1978) and The First Great Train Robbery (1979). Andre is best remembered as Professor Bernard Quatermass in Quatermass and the Pit (1958-59).
Facts
He was married to actress Joan Greenwood, while his son is actor Jason Morell, who appeared in Doctor Who's Christmas special The Next Doctor in 2008. Between 1973-74 Andre served as president of actors' union Equity, a time rife with controversy as Laurence Olivier was quoted as being interested in forming a breakaway actors union. Equity threatened to expel Olivier. Andre died of lung cancer after smoking up to 60 cigarettes a day until he quit in 1976.

Annette Robertson (Anne) Born 1940
Career highlights
Annette's first role was in Police Surgeon (1960), followed by Four Winds Island (1961), The Young Ones (1961), A Kind of Loving (1962), The Larkins (1963), Sanctuary (1967), Coronation Street (1968), The Woodlanders (1970), Couples (1976), Angels (1976), The Light Princess (1978), Shroud for a Nightingale (1984) and Boon (1988).
Facts
Annette was married to War Doctor actor John Hurt between 1962-64. He apparently married her in the mistaken belief that she was pregnant. The marriage collapsed soon after, mainly owing to the fact Annette reportedly had an affair with the film director Ken Russell.

Leonard Sachs (Admiral de Coligny) Sep 26 1909 to Jun 15 1990
Doctor Who credits
Played: Admiral de Coligny in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Borusa in Arc of Infinity (1983)
Career highlights
South African born Leonard's acting career stems back as far as 1936 with Secret of Stamboul, and he took roles in The Ringer (1946), Richard II (1950), Robin Hood (1953), The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954), Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), White Hunter (1958), Hancock's Half Hour (1959), Oscar Wilde (1960), Konga (1961), The Plane Makers (1963), Thunderball (1965), Sexton Blake (1967), Elizabeth R (1971), Coronation Street (1974), Victorian Scandals (1976), Pig in the Middle (1983) and Late Starter (1985). He was perhaps best known for hosting music hall variety show The Good Old Days (1955-83).
Facts
In 1937 Leonard helped found an old time music hall venue named the Players' Theatre in London; it closed in 2002. In 1984 Leonard was fined £75 for importuning men for immoral purposes in a public toilet. His son was the late actor Robin Sachs (who appeared in Torchwood: Miracle Day in 2011), and he was married to actress Eleanor Summerfield. He and his wife were poles apart in their political support, so they agreed to differ. As a result, each election the windows on the left side of their home were adorned with Vote Labour posters and the right hand side with Vote Conservative.

John Slavid (Officer) Oct 28 1931 to Dec 30 2002
Doctor Who credits
Played: Officer in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Man in telephone box in The War Machines (1966)
Career highlights
John's other credits include A Hundred Years Old (1952), Danger Man (1960), Crossroads (1964), The Gamblers (1967), Madame Sin (1972), Upstairs, Downstairs (1972), Life and Death of Penelope (1976), When the Boat Comes In (1981) and Executive Stress (1987). John specialised in playing croupiers, a credit he had on 16 different productions.

Ernest Smith (Second man)
This is Ernest's only credit.

Will Stampe (First man) Oct 7 1920 to Sep 1 1981
Career highlights
Other credits include Loss of Innocence (1961), The Main Chance (1964), Cluff (1965), Hereward the Wake (1965), Gentleman Jim (1967), Inspector Clouseau (1968), The Flaxton Boys (1969), Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971), Rentadick (1972), Thursday's Child (1973), Notorius Woman (1974), A Christmas Carol (1977), Wings (1977), Pennies from Heaven (1978), The Professionals (1979), Cream in my Coffee (1980), Bernie (1980) and Shillingbury Tales (1981). He also had a regular role as Fred the barman in Til Death Us Do Part (1966-74).
Facts
Will (born Bernard Cohen) was married to actor Julie May.

Jack Tarran (First guard)
This is Jack's only credit.

Eric Thompson (Gaston) Nov 9 1929 to Nov 30 1982 (pulmonary embolism)
Career highlights
Eric's other acting credits include Pool of London (1951), The Black Arrow (1958), The Lost King (1958), The Avengers (1961), Crying Down the Lane (1962), The Villains (1965), Out of the Unknown (1965), The Jokers (1967), Man in a Suitcase (1967), The Challengers (1972), Ego Hugo (1973) and The Italian Way (1975). Eric is best remembered for presenting the children's series Playschool in the 1960s and narrating The Magic Roundabout (1965-77) and The Magic Ball (1971-72), writing English scripts based on the French visuals from Le Manege Enchente.
Facts
He had two children with actress Phyllida Law (who appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures): actresses Emma Thompson and Sophie Thompson.

John Tillinger (Simon) Born Jun 28 1938
Career highlights
After appearing first in Espionage (1964), Iranian born John went on to appear in Hit and Run (1965), The Adams Chronicles (1976), Resurrection (1980) and Hello Again (1987). He also directed an episode of Monsters in 1991, and was nominated for Broadway's 1986 Tony Award as Best Director (Play) for a revival of Joe Orton's Loot.
Facts
He is now a busy theatre director in the United States. In the 1970s John was married to American actress Dorothy Lyman. Their daughter Emma Tillinger Koskoff is now an Oscar-nominated film producer.

Christopher Tranchell (Roger) Born Apr 13 1941
Doctor Who credits
Played: Roger in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Jenkins in The Faceless Ones (1967)
Played: Andred in The Invasion of Time (1978)
Career highlights
Christopher's other credits include The Whisperers (1961), 199 Park Lane (1965), Out of the Unknown (1971), Churchill's People (1975), Survivors (1975-76, as Paul Pitman), County Hall (1981), Casualty (1992/93), Between the Lines (1993) and The Bill (1987/96), and he also presented Playschool (1976-84).

David Weston (Nicholas) Born Jul 28 1938
Doctor Who credits
Played: Nicholas in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966)
Played: Biroc in Warriors' Gate (1981)
Career highlights
David first appeared in An Age of Kings (1960), then Tales of Mystery (1962), That Kind of Girl (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), UFO (1971), The Tomorrow People (1973), Minder (1984), Lovejoy (1993), Barbara (1999), Doctors (2005) and King Lear (2008).
Facts
David is married to the actor Dora Reisser. In 2011 he wrote a book called Covering McKellen, all about being Ian McKellen's understudy, while in 2013 he published his first novel, The Further Adventures of the Artful Dodger.
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with David here.

Joan Young (Catherine de Medici) Feb 1 1900 to Oct 9 1984
Career highlights
Joan was the daughter of music hall performers and was a favourite of Allied troops both on stage and on the radio during World War Two. Her career started in Victoria the Great (1937), and also included roles in School for Secrets (1946), Trottie True (1949), Anne of Green Gables (1952), Child's Play (1954), Tons of Money (1954), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), Carry on Constable (1960), Dr Kildare (1963), Danger Man (1964), The Plank (1967), The Sex Game (1968), Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971), The Chiffy Kids (1978) and All Creatures Great and Small (1980).

CREW

John Lucarotti (writer) May 20 1926 to Nov 20 1994 (spinal cancer) Click here for John Lucarotti's entry on Marco Polo

Donald Tosh (writer (episode 4) and script editor) Mar 16 1935 to Dec 3 2019 Click here for Donald Tosh's entry on The Time Meddler

Paddy Russell (director) Jul 4 1928 to Nov 2 2017
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966), Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974), Pyramids of Mars (1975), Horror of Fang Rock (1977)
Career highlights
Paddy had worked in the 1950s as production assistant on various Rudolph Cartier shows, as well as the Quatermass serials and the 1954 adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. Paddy also directed for Compact (1963), The Massingham Affair (1964), The Mind of the Enemy (1965), Out of the Unknown (1965), The Newcomers (1966-67), Late Night Horror (1968), Little Women (1970), The Moonstone (1972), Harriet's Back in Town (1973), My Old Man (1974-75), Z Cars (1967-76), Within These Walls (1975-76), 3-2-1 (1979-80), The Omega Factor (1979), Emmerdale (1976-80), The Squad (1980) and Pick of the Week (1988), as well as various editions of the Yorkshire TV regional news programme Calendar in the 1980s. Paddy also produced a handful of the shows she directed, and had small acting parts in two 1950 BBC Sunday Night Theatres, and as a crash site onlooker in The Quatermass Experiment.
Facts
Along with Julia Smith (who directed two Doctor Who stories in 1966/67), Paddy was one of the first female directors for the BBC (and its very first female floor manager). After she retired, Paddy moved to the Yorkshire Moors and lived in relative seclusion, but worked for various cat charities.

John Wiles (producer) Sep 20 1925 to Apr 5 1999 Click here for John Wiles's entry on The Myth Makers

Gerry Davis (script editor) Feb 23 1930 to Aug 31 1991
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Celestial Toymaker (episode 1, 1966, uncredited), The Tenth Planet (1966), The Highlanders (1966-67), The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), Revenge of the Cybermen (1975)
Script edited: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (episode 4), The Ark, The Celestial Toymaker, The Gunfighters, The Savages, The War Machines, The Smugglers, The Tenth Planet, The Power of the Daleks, The Highlanders, The Underwater Menace, The Moonbase, The Macra Terror, The Faceless Ones, The Evil of the Daleks (episodes 1-3) (1966-67)
Career highlights
Gerry started out writing for the soaps Coronation Street and 199 Park Lane in the early 1960s, and also wrote for United! (1966), The First Lady (1968), Doomwatch (1970, which he also helped devise and script edited), The Bionic Woman (1976), Vega$ (1979), The Final Countdown (1980), Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future (1987) and Deadly Nightmares (1989). He was also a script editor on The First Lady and Softly Softly: Task Force (1971-72). Gerry had a couple of appearances before the cameras too, in Out of the Unknown and Bachelor Father (both 1971).
Facts
In the 1970s, Gerry co-wrote three science-fiction novels with Dr Kit Pedler (Mutant 59: The Plastic Eaters, Brainrack, and The Dynostar Menace), and after moving to the USA in the 1970s teamed up with Dalek creator Terry Nation in an unsuccessful bid to buy the rights to make Doctor Who after the BBC ceased its production in 1989. He also taught screenwriting at the UCLA film school in the 1980s. Gerry died within days of Doctor Who colleague Innes Lloyd.

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