The Krotons

Jamie (Frazer Hines) is surprised
 from behind by a terrifying Kroton

Four episodes (Episode One, Episode Two, Episode Three, Episode Four)
First broadcast Dec 28 1968 to Jan 18 1969
Average audience for serial: 8.0m

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

REGULAR CAST

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

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

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

GUEST CAST

Terence Brown (Abu) Sep 30 1938 to Feb 18 2019
Doctor Who credits
Played: Abu in The Krotons (1968-69)
Played: UNIT soldier/ motorcyclist in Day of the Daleks (1972, uncredited)
Career highlights
Other work includes Life with Father (1953) and Over the Bridge (1961).

James Cairncross (Beta) Dec 21 1915 to Dec 17 2009
Doctor Who credits
Played: Lemaitre in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: Beta in The Krotons (1968-69)
Career highlights
Other credits include The Old Lady Shows Her Medals (1952), Kidnapped (1956), Run to Earth (1958), Jango (1961), Ask Mr Pastry (1961), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Tom Jones (1963), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971), Van Der Valk (1972), Slater's Day (1974), Crown Court (1973/75), Sutherland's Law (1975), Airport Chaplain (1980), Small World (1988), Taggart (1988) and The Fool (1990). As well as appearing in various Mr Pastry series, James also wrote many scripts for the character, including Mr Pastry's Progress and Mr Pastry's Pet Shop (both 1962).
Facts
Devout Catholic James made no fewer than 16 appearances at the Edinburgh Festival during his career, and was also a gifted lyricist, instrumental in the success of the musical Salad Days when it debuted in 1954 at the Bristol Old Vic.

James Copeland (Selris) May 1 1918 to Apr 17 2002
Career highlights
Debuting in 1953's Scotch on the Rocks, James has appeared in a great number of productions, including The Maggie (1954), Kidnapped (1956), Redgauntlet (1959), Emergency Ward 10 (1960), Rob Roy (1961), Summerhouse (1961), Kidnapped (1963), The Avengers (1965), The Saint (1965), Ransom for a Pretty Girl (1966), Torture Garden (1967), Dad's Army (1969), The Main Chance (1970), Spy Trap (1972), The Brothers (1972-73), Are You Being Served? (1973), Oil Strike North (1975), The Mackinnons (1977), Doom Castle (1980), Strangers (1979-81), High Road (1980), The Walls of Jericho (1981), The Citadel (1983), The Campbells (1990) and A Rage in Harlem (1991). He also had a regular role as Alec Mcleod in The Flying Doctor (1959).
Facts
James, an expert on Robbie Burns, was also a poet and writer, having penned episodes of Dr Finlay's Casebook and the popular folk song These Are My Mountains. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in 1955, and was also Grampian TV's start-up and continuity announcer in 1961. James's son is well-known actor James Cosmo.

Richard Ireson (Axus) Born Dec 16 1946
Doctor Who credits
Played: Soldier in The Mind Robber (1968)
Played: Axus in The Krotons (1968-69)
Career highlights
Richard's further credits include Dr Finlay's Casebook (1967), The Onedin Line (1972), The Hole in the Wall (1972), Bill Brand (1977), The New Avengers (1977), Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), Juliet Bravo (1984), The New Statesman (1987), The Nineteenth Hole (1989), Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990), The Object of Beauty (1991), Love Hurts (1992), Sharpe's Rifles (1993) and Woof! (1993). He had a regular role as Frank McNab in Hold the Back Page (1985-86) and Reg Sparrow in EastEnders (1987-88). In 1989 he wrote an episode of The Bill.
Facts
In 1986 he set up his own theatrical agency with actor Tim Brown called The Narrow Road Company.

Robert La'Bassiere (Kroton) Born Apr 25 1940
Career highlights
Robert also appeared in The Boy Friend (1971), Moonbase 3 (1973), Great Mysteries (1973), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Arabian Adventure (1979), The Two Ronnies (1979), The Boy Who Never Was (1980) and Into the Night (1985).
Facts
The actor's real name was Robert Grant.

Philip Madoc (Eelek) Jul 5 1934 to Mar 5 2012 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Brockley in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150AD (1966)
Played: Eelek in The Krotons (1968-69)
Played: War Lord in The War Games (1969)
Played: Solon in The Brain of Morbius (1976)
Played: Fenner in The Power of Kroll (1978-79)
Career highlights
Prolific Philip made his debut in 1961's Amelia and went on to appear in Out of This World (1962), The Monsters (1962), The Scarlet and the Black (1965), A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1965), The Power Game (1966), five episodes of The Avengers (1962-69), Man in a Suitcase (1968), The Tyrant King (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969), Manhunt (1970), UFO (1970-71), Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), Woodstock (1973), Dad's Army (1973), The Inheritors (1974), Barlow At Large (1973-75, as Rizzi), Space: 1999 (1975), Porridge (1975),Survivors (1976), Another Bouquet (1977), Target (1977-78, as DS Tate), Flickers (1980), The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981, as the title character), Rainbow (1981), Ennal's Point (1982), If Tomorrow Comes (1986), The Ronnie Corbett Show (1987), First Born (1988), Moonacre (1994), A Mind to Kill (1991-2002, as Detective Chief Inspector Noel Bain), Best (2000), Spine Chillers (2003), He Knew He Was Right (2004), Peter Ackroyd's London (2004), Midsomer Murders (2007), Y Pris (2007) and Hawk (2011).
Facts
Between 1961-81 he was married to Welsh actress Ruth Madoc (of Hi-De-Hi! and Little Britain fame). In 2001 Philip - who acted as an interpreter in languages such as Welsh, Swedish, German and even Huron Indian and Mandarin before becoming an actor - was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Glamorgan.

Madeleine Mills (Vana) Feb 28 1941 to Aug 18 2010 (cancer)
Career highlights
Madeleine's most high profile role was as Wendy Yapp in Swizzlewick (1964), but she also popped up in The Hellfire Club (1961), The Plane Makers (1963), No Hiding Place (1964), Quick Before They Catch Us (1966), Haunted (1967), Mr Rose (1968), The Adventures of Don Quick (1970), Please, Sir! (1972) and Late Night Drama (1974).
Facts
In the 1950s Madeleine took part in BBC children's programmes as a child performer under the surname Merrington. She was married to fellow actor Simon Brent, who played Howard in Swizzlewick.

Miles Northover (Kroton) Born c.1947
Doctor Who credits
Played: Man carrying caskets in The Invasion (1968, uncredited)
Played: Kroton in The Krotons (1968-69)
These are Miles's sole credits.

Maurice Selwyn (Custodian) Jul 18 1919 to Dec 5 1972
Doctor Who credits
Played: Revolutionary soldier in The Reign of Terror (1964, uncredited)
Played: Custodian in The Krotons (1968-69)
Played: Waxworks visitor/ Auton replica in Spearhead from Space (1970, uncredited)
Career highlights
Maurice (real surname Solomon) had just two other credits in Theatre 625: Parade's End (1964) and Count of Monte Cristo (1964).

Bronson Shaw (Student)
Bronson's only other credits are Etes-vous malades? and 'Kiss' et la theatre de la cruaute (1973).

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

Patrick Tull (Kroton voice) Jul 28 1941 to Sep 23 2006
Career highlights
Patrick's other roles include Z Cars (1962), Sherlock Holmes (1968), Mosquito Squadron (1969), Sentimental Education (1970), Sex Farm (1973), Parting Glances (1986) and Sleepers (1996).
Facts
Patrick was a founder member of Tony Randall's National Actors' Theatre after moving to New York in 1973, and appeared on and off Broadway in many productions. He was a prolific narrator of TV documentaries and talking books, including the 1997/98 US series Sea Tales.

Gilbert Wynne (Thara) Born 1934
Career highlights
Gilbert first appeared in Studio 4 (1962), followed by Teletale (1964), Sinking Fish Move Sideways (1968), Uncle Silas (1968), Night After Night After Night (1969), Clegg (1970), Permissive (1970), Hawkeye, the Pathfinder (1973), Follow You Follow Me (1979), Coronation Street (1981, as Maurice Dodds), Bergerac (1985), The District Nurse (1987), Prime Suspect 3 (1993), Kavanagh QC (1998), The Courtroom (2004), The Duchess (2008), Torchwood (2011) and Da Vinci's Demons (2013). He also had a long-running role as Detective Constable Reg Dwyer in Softly Softly (1966-67).
Facts
Gilbert played the main dance judge in Geri Halliwell's It's Raining Men music video in 2001.

CREW

Robert Holmes (writer) Apr 2 1926 to May 24 1986 (chronic liver ailment)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Krotons (1968-69), The Space Pirates (1969), Spearhead from Space (1970), Terror of the Autons (1971), Carnival of Monsters (1973), The Time Warrior (1973-74), The Ark in Space (1975), Pyramids of Mars (1975, uncredited), The Brain of Morbius (1976, uncredited), The Deadly Assassin (1976), The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977), The Sun Makers (1977), The Ribos Operation (1978), The Power of Kroll (1978-79), The Caves of Androzani (1984), The Two Doctors (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (episodes 1-4 & 13, 1986)
Script edited: Death to the Daleks (uncredited), Robot, The Ark in Space (uncredited), The Sontaran Experiment, Genesis of the Daleks, Revenge of the Cybermen, Terror of the Zygons, Planet of Evil, Pyramids of Mars, The Android Invasion, The Brain of Morbius, The Seeds of Doom, The Masque of Mandragora, The Hand of Fear, The Deadly Assassin, The Face of Evil, The Robots of Death, The Talons of Weng-Chiang (uncredited), Horror of Fang Rock, The Invisible Enemy, Image of the Fendahl, The Sun Makers (uncredited) (1974-78)
Career highlights
He began writing for TV as early as Knight Errant Limited (1960), and went on to write scripts for Deadline Midnight (1961), Ghost Squad (1962), 36 episodes of Emergency Ward 10 (1962-63), Dr Finlay's Casebook (1964-65), Undermind (1965), No Hiding Place (1965-67), Public Eye (1965-68), Mr Rose (1967-68), The Saint (1968), Doomwatch (1971), Spyder's Web (1972), The Regiment (1973), Dixon of Dock Green (1974), Jukes of Piccadilly (1980), The Nightmare Man (1981), Blake's 7 (1979/81), Into the Labyrinth (1981-82), Miracles Take Longer (1984) and Bergerac (1983-87). He was also story editor on Armchair Thriller and Shoestring, both in 1980.
Awards
1975: Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Children's Drama Script (Season 11, shared with Terry Nation, Malcolm Hulke, Brian Hayles and Robert Sloman)
Facts
In 1944, aged 18, Robert was the youngest ever commissioned officer in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (as well as the entire British Army), serving in Burma. After he left the Army he joined the police force, then became a journalist and sports writer - he was the last ever editor of British lifestyle publication John Bull Magazine, which began in 1820 and ran until 1964 until it was merged with Weekend magazine. He was originally going to write Doctor Who's 20th anniversary tale in 1983, but when he found the numerous elements he'd been asked to incorporate unworkable, he was replaced by Terrance Dicks. Robert died while writing the final two episodes of The Trial of a Time Lord, and due to tensions in the Doctor Who production office at the time, his original ending for the story had to be changed and written afresh by Pip and Jane Baker. His face was also one of those seen during the Time Lord mind battle in The Brain of Morbius.

David Maloney (director) Dec 14 1933 to Jul 18 2006 (cancer) Click here for David Maloney's entry on The Mind Robber

Peter Bryant (producer) Oct 27 1923 to May 19 2006 (cancer) Click here for Peter Bryant's entry on The Faceless Ones

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