Shada (unbroadcast)

A Krarg, yet another terrifyingly
realised Season 17 monster

Six episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six)
This serial never completed filming, and was never broadcast, but would have been transmitted between Jan 19 and Feb 23, 1980. Portions of it were used in The Five Doctors (1983), and all remaining footage was released on BBC Video in 1992 and DVD in 2013. A fully restored version combining the live footage and animation was released on BBC DVD in 2017.

REGULAR CAST

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

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

David Brierly (Voice of K-9) 1935 to Jun 10 2008 (cancer) Click here for David Brierly's entry on The Creature from the Pit

GUEST CAST

Victoria Burgoyne (Clare Keightley) Born Apr 3 1953
Career highlights
Victoria's first role was in Doctor in Charge (1972), followed by Naughty Wives (1973), Mr Smith (1976), Death Ship (1980), Doctor's Daughters (1981), Metal Mickey (1981), Game for a Laugh (1981), Give Us a Clue (1981), Ever Decreasing Circles (1987), Hannay (1988), The Bill (1991, as Victoria G Kyng) and Mistress of Suspense (1990). She also had a regular role as Vicki Rockwell in Howards' Way (1989).
Facts
In 1974, she appeared in a TV advert for Head and Shoulders shampoo, saying: "Head and Shoulders: hates your dandruff, loves your hair." In 1980, Victoria wrote a horror novel called Savaged (cover blurb: "Stark terror stalked the streets of London, its maniacal laughter an overture to death!").

Gerald Campion (Wilkin) Apr 23 1921 to Jul 9 2002 (heart-related illness following a bypass)
Career highlights
Gerald began his acting career in various uncredited roles from 1938's The Drum and through the 1940s, securing his first credit as Fatty Mathews in the TV drama Boys in Brown (1947). He hit the big time as the title character in all 49 episodes of Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (1952-61). Other credits include The Pickwick Papers (1952), Fun at St Fanny's (1956), Fair Game (1958), Carry On Sergeant (1958), School for Scoundrels (1960), The Handy Gang (1963), The Comedy Man (1964), The Valiant Varneys (1965), Emergency Ward 10 (1965), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), The Sandwich Man (1966), The Sorcerors (1967), Half a Sixpence (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Department S (1970), Never the Twain (1986), Diamond's Edge (1988), Minder (1989), Up the Garden Path (1990) and Great Expectations (1991).
Facts
Gerald's other career was as a restaurateur and club owner in London's Soho, including the theatrical private member's club Gerry's (set up in 1955), and various French eateries in London and Kent. His father was playwright Cyril Campion, who was most prolific in the 1930s, while Gerald's mother was Blanche Louise Bear - Charlie Chaplin's first cousin. Gerald's daughter Anthea married Hungarian composer and pianist Thomas Rajna.

Denis Carey (Professor Chronotis) Aug 3 1909 to Sep 28 1986
Doctor Who credits
Played: Professor Chronotis in Shada (1980, unbroadcast)
Played: The Keeper in The Keeper of Traken (1981)
Played: Old man in Timelash (1985)
Career highlights
Denis started out as a dancer and choreographer on films such as The Tragical History of Dr Faustus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), The Queen of Spades (1949) and Oh... Rosalinda! (1955), then moved into acting in productions such as Mingo's Mansion (1948), Serjeant Musgrave's Dance (1961 & 65), Champion House (1967-68), A Beast with Two Backs (1968), Codename (1970), Elizabeth R (1971), The Shadow of the Tower (1972), The Day of the Jackal (1973), I, Claudius (1976), Rooms (1977), Blake's 7 (1979), The Borgias (1981), Stalky and Co (1982), Big Deal (1984), Lamb (1986) and Hard Travelling (1986). Denis was also credited with directing The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1952), A Girl called Jo (1956), Romanoff and Juliet (1957) and The Heart's a Wonder (1958).
Facts
His wife was actress Yvonne Coulette.

James Coombes (Voice of the Krargs) Born Oct 8 1956
Doctor Who credits
Played: Voice of the Krargs in Shada (1980, unbroadcast)
Played: Paroli in Warriors of the Deep (1984)
Played: Voice of sentinel 6 in Warriors of the Deep (1984, uncredited)
Career highlights
Doctor Who gave James his first work, after which he appeared in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady (1983), Murder with Mirrors (1984), Minder on the Orient Express (1985), Robin of Sherwood (1986), A Vote for Hitler (1988), Howards' Way (1990), High Road (1993), Drop the Dead Donkey (1993), Bugs (1995), Canary Wharf (1996), A Knight in Camelot (1998), Monarch (2000), Starhunter (2001), Keen Eddie (2004), Jericho (2005), Cardinal Burns (2012) and Knightfall (2018). He had a regular role as Dr Clive Aikens in Dinosapien (2007), but his biggest claim to fame is being the second ever Milk Tray Man in the TV commercials, taking over from Gary Myers in 1987.
Facts
James's father-in-law is actor Frank Finlay, while his son Josh is in the band Tigress.

Shirley Dixon (Voice of Skagra's ship) Born Jun 19 1933
Career highlights
Shirley debuted as a dancer in The White Falcon (1956), then became an actor in Rendezvous (1959), The Heiress (1969), Doomwatch (1970), The Sextet (1972), The Regiment (1973), Carrie's War (1974), Within These Walls (1975-78, as Mrs Phillips), Enemy at the Door (1980), Agony (1980), Break in the Sun (1981), Flesh and Blood (1982), Coronation Street (1982), The December Rose (1986), Pulaski (1987), Andy Capp (1988), High Street Blues (1989), The Manageress (1990), A Fatal Inversion (1992), Mersey Beat (2002), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Emmerdale (2004/06), Ultimate Force (2005), Babel (2006), United (2011), Doctors (2004/07/12), Code of a Killer (2015), Bridget Jones's Baby (2015) and EastEnders (2017). Shirley also played Jenny Dale in the BBC radio soap Mrs Dale's Diary in the 1950s.
Facts
Her first husband was actor Nigel Bellairs, and her second is actor Valentine Palmer, who appeared in Day of the Daleks.

John Hallet (Policeman)
Career highlights
Further credits include Suspense (1962), Z Cars (1971), The Regiment (1973), Survivors (1975, as the ill-fated Barney), Carry On Emmannuelle (1978) and Call Me Mister (1986).

Daniel Hill (Chris Parsons) Born Feb 6 1956
Career highlights
Daniel's career began with 1971's Tom Brown's Schooldays, followed by Forget-Me-Not Lane (1975), Wings (1978), The Devil's Crown (1978), Accident (1978-79), Minder (1980), Tenko (1981), Blake's 7 (1981), Brookside (1982), Skorpion (1983), No Place Like Home (1983-84), The Bretts (1987-88), Only Fools and Horses (1989), Border (1998), Welcome to Orty-Fou (1999-2000), Hope and Glory (2000), Rose and Maloney (2002), Bad Girls (2005), Midsomer Murders (2008), Identity (2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), United (2011), Mothers, Murderers and Mistresses (2013), Foyle's War (2013), 24: Live Another Day (2014), Broadchurch (2015), Ghost Stories (2017) and The Bromley Boys (2018). He will be most remembered as care home manager Harvey Bains in sitcom Waiting for God (1990-94), and a regular role as Simon Norwalk in Judge John Deed (2003-07). His voice could also be heard as the narrator of the 2001 talent show Popstars.
Facts
Daniel's wife is Olivia Hill (nee Bazalgette), a former BBC production manager who worked on Shada. Their son Sebastian Hill is also an actor. Here he is, on Twitter!
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Daniel here.

Christopher Neame (Skagra) Born Sep 12 1947
Career highlights
Christopher's career has been prolific since he debuted in No Blade of Grass (1970), appearing in Lust for a Vampire (1971), Dracula AD 1972 (1972), Napoleon and Love (1974), Edward the King (1975), Blake's 7 (1981), The A Team (1985), The Fall Guy (1986), Days of Our Lives (1986), Beauty and the Beast (1989), Licence to Kill (1989), Ghostbusters II (1989), LA Law (1990), Superboy (1990), Suburban Commando (1991), Still Not Quite Human (1992), Hellbound (1994), Northern Exposure (1994), Babylon 5 (1994), Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Earth 2 (1995), Murder She Wrote (1993/95), Sliders (1996), Killer Net (1998), Martial Law (2000), Star Trek: Enterprise (2004), The Prestige (2006), Vanished (2006) and House of the Gorgon (2019). He also had regular roles as Dick Player in Colditz (1972-74), John Curtis in Secret Army (1977), Hamilton Stone in Dynasty (1988-89) and Gustav Hellstrom in Dallas (1989).
Facts
Christopher may be the first male actor to do a nude scene on the small screen, in 1973's A Point in Time. His second wife is fellow actor Terrence O'Connor (no, that's not a mistake, you read it right!).
In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Christopher here.

Derek Pollitt (Dr Caldera) Dec 16 1926 to Jul 11 2010
Doctor Who credits
Played: Driver Evans in The Web of Fear (1968)
Played: Private Wright in Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970)
Played: Professor Caldera in Shada (1980, untransmitted)
Career highlights
Further work included Such is Life (1950), Strife (1960), Coronation Street (1966), The Body Stealers (1969), Bread (1971) and The Onedin Line (1978).
Facts
Derek sadly went blind in 1997 and moved into an RNIB hostel, but this didn't stop him raising money for a hospice in Llandudno, North Wales, by walking from John O'Groats to Land's End for a penny a mile (raising £1,301). His brother was fellow actor Clyde Pollitt, who appeared in two Doctor Who stories - The War Games (1969) and The Three Doctors (1972-73). His mother was Betty (Lloyd-) Davies, who was also a noted Welsh bard called Branwen Ellis. In 1955, Derek and his wife formed the Galleon touring theatre company, and ran two others with his brothers Brian and Clyde.

CREW

Douglas Adams (writer script editor) Mar 11 1952 to May 11 2001 (heart attack) Click here for Douglas Adams's entry on The Pirate Planet

Pennant Roberts (director) Dec 15 1940 to Jun 22 2010 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Face of Evil (1977), The Sun Makers (1977), The Pirate Planet (1978), Shada (1980, unfinished), Warriors of the Deep (1984), Timelash (1985)
Career highlights
Pennant's directing career began with Doomwatch in 1972, followed by work on The Regiment (1973), Sutherland's Law (1974), Oil Strike North (1975), Survivors (1975-76), Blake's 7 (1978), The Onedin Line (1979), Juliet Bravo (1980), Tenko (1981), Cold Warriors (1984), Howards' Way (1985), The Snow Spider (1988, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Children's Drama), The Bubblegum Brigade (1989), Emlyn's Moon (1990), The Chestnut Soldier (1991), Crime Story (1992), Wycliffe (1993) and The Sherman Plays (1993-97). He also acted as producer on a handful of these latter series.
Facts
Pennant was also chairman of the Directors' and Producers' Rights Society (now Directors UK), vice-president of the Strasbourg European Film Forum, chair of Media Skills Wales, a governor of the Welsh College of Music and Drama, and a board member of Sgrîn, the Welsh audiovisual media agency. He campaigned for many years for the rights of actors and directors to receive fees when programmes are repeated on television.

Graham Williams (producer) May 24 1945 to Aug 17 1990 (shooting incident) Click here for Graham Williams's entry on Horror of Fang Rock

Note: The producer for the 1992 BBC Video presentation was John Nathan-Turner. The serial was also adapted into a BBCi audio adventure in 2003 featuring Eighth Doctor Paul McGann, Lalla Ward as Romana, and K-9 (voiced this time by John Leeson), the producer for which was Gary Russell. The producer of the 2017 animated version was Charles Norton (this version also restored David Brierly as the voice of K-9).