Full Circle

Marshman selfie

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Oct 25 to Nov 15 1980
Average audience for serial: 5.25m

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

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

Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) Born Dec 19 1961
Doctor Who credits
Played: Adric in Full Circle, State of Decay, Warriors' Gate, The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, Castrovalva, Four to Doomsday, Kinda, The Visitation, Black Orchid, Earthshock, Time-Flight (1980-82). Return appearance in The Caves of Androzani (1984)
Career highlights
Matthew's only other TV work prior to Doctor Who was To Serve Them All My Days (1980) and Top of the Pops (1980, as a guest), and after Doctor Who he appeared in a small part in The Knife Man (1984). After this he pursued a career on the stage, and in 2006 self-published his debut novel, Fates, Flowers: A Comedy of New York. He has since written two more, as well as his autobiography Blue Box Boy (2010).
Facts
Matthew, who started at the BBC as a clerk in the news department, lived in Connecticut, US, between 1998-2017 with his husband, and since 2003 has also worked as a tour guide at the Mark Twain Museum, Hartford, Connecticut. He collects rare books by obscure mid-century poets. Since 2014 Matthew has appeared as Adric in a number of audio productions by Big Finish. Here he is on Twitter.
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Matthew here.

GUEST CAST

Norman Bacon (Marshchild) Died 2020
Doctor Who credits
Played: Rebel in The Sun Makers (1977, uncredited)
Played: Marshchild in Full Circle (1980)
Played: Dalek operator in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
Norman's earliest credit was in William (1962), followed by Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), The First Lady (1969), Out of the Unknown (1971), The Goodies (1977), Blake's 7 (1979), Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), Classic Ghost Stories (1986) and You Rang, M'Lord? (1991). He also appeared in the concert film for the Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams in 1983.

George Baker (Login) Apr 1 1931 to Oct 7 2011 (pneumonia following a stroke)
Career highlights
Bulgaria born George was the son of a British consul, and secured his first acting credit in The Intruder (1953), followed by roles in The Dam Busters (1955), Hell in Korea (1956), The Moonraker (1958), Nick of the River (1959), Sword of Lancelot (1963), Rupert of Hentzau (1964), Curse of the Fly (1965), Undermind (1965), The Prisoner (1967), The Sex Game (1968), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Up Pompeii (1970), The Fenn Street Gang (1971), Bowler (1973), Survivors (1975), I, Claudius (1976), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Ladykillers (1980), The Chinese Detective (1982), Goodbye Mr Chips (1984), The Canterville Ghost (1986), Robin of Sherwood (1984-86), The Charmer (1987), No Job for a Lady (1990-91), Johnny and the Dead (1995), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2001), Coronation Street (2003), Spooks (2005) and New Tricks (2007). He will be best remembered as Detective Chief Inspector Reg Wexford in ITV's adaptation of Ruth Rendell's thrillers between 1987-2000 (three of which he adapted himself). George also had a regular role as David West in ill-fated soap Triangle (1982-83).
Awards
2007: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to charity
Facts
George reportedly submitted a script to the Doctor Who production office in the 1980s. In 1980 he wrote a TV play called Fatal Spring about war poets Vidal Sassoon, Wilfred Owen and Robert Graves, which won a United Nations peace award. He also wrote his own recipe book in 1992, called A Cook for All Seasons. He also did screen tests for the role of Ben-Hur in 1959, as can be seen on the film's DVD extras. His first wife was costume designer Julia Squire, who died in 1989 aged 63 after falling downstairs; his second wife was actress Sally Home, who died of cancer aged 57 in 1992; and his third wife was actress Louie Ramsay, who played his screen wife Dora Wexford in the Ruth Rendell Mysteries, who also predeceased him, aged 81.
This is Your Life: George was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on April 5th, 1995, surprised by host Michael Aspel during a photoshoot on board a boat at Port Solent. Three Doctor Who actors appeared as guests on the show - Sylvia Sims, Peter Sallis and Maureen Lipman. Link to The Big Red Book entry.

James Bree (Nefred) Jul 20 1923 to Dec 1 2008
Doctor Who credits
Played: Security Chief in The War Games (1969)
Played: Nefred in Full Circle (1980)
Played: Keeper of the Matrix in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
James's earliest appearance was in What's in Store (1953), then Give Them a Ring (1954), Stage By Stage: The Relapse, or Virtue in Danger (1954), Just My Luck (1957), Probation Officer (1962), R3 (1965), The Prisoner (1968), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), On the Buses (1971), Ace of Wands (1972), The Donati Conspiracy (1973), I, Claudius (1976), Secret Army (1977), Rumpole of the Bailey (1979), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Galloping Galaxies! (1985-86), Executive Stress (1986), Without a Clue (1988), Anna Lee (1994), Silent Witness (1996) and Ruth Rendell: The Orchard Walls (1998). James also appeared in the Doctor Who fan video spin-off Downtime (1995) and Lust in Space (1998, his final work).
Facts
He was a close friend of Doctor Who film actor Peter Cushing, and read a tribute out at his funeral. James suffered a stroke in 1998 which left him without the power of speech for the rest of his life. James was born as James Rutherfoord Worsfold Thomson, but became Thomson-Bree (just Bree professionally) after inheriting land from his great-uncle, Archdeacon William Bree. Through this inheritance, James became patron of the benefice and rectory of Allesley in Coventry. James's long-time partner, Albert Yates, died in 2006.

Tony Calvin (Dexeter) Mar 27 1931 to Aug 14 1999
Career highlights
Tony first appeared in Z Cars (1962), followed by roles in Suspense (1963), The Counterfeit Constable (1964), A Family At War (1970), Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), John Halifax, Gentleman (1974), Sutherland's Law (1975), Shades of Greene (1975), The Voyage of Charles Darwin (1978), The Professionals (1978), Fox (1980) and The Nation's Health (1983).

Andrew Forbes (Omril) Born Apr 20 1955
Career highlights
South African born Andrew debuted in Crown Court (1979), then appeared in Shoestring (1980), Super Gran (1985), Strike It Rich! (1986-87), Lovejoy (1991), Birds of a Feather (1991), Incognito (1997), The Hello Girls (1996-98), Starhunter (2001), Keen Eddie (2003), Bad Girls (2006), Hollyoaks (2008), Bronson (2008), Poirot (2009), EastEnders (2011), Doctors (2013), Silent Witness (2016) and Coronation Street (2018). Like co-star Bernard Padden, Andrew has also written for Doctors (2004-05).

Adrian Gibbs (Rysik) Born Aug 13 1949
Doctor Who credits
Played: Rysik in Full Circle (1980)
Played: The Watcher in Logopolis (1981, uncredited)
Played: Extra in Black Orchid (1982, uncredited)
Career highlights
South African Adrian had previously appeared in A Bridge Too Far (1977), The Dancing Princesses (1978) and A Man Called Intrepid (1979). He also performed as one of David Bowie's six backing dancers on The 1980 Floor Show (1973).
Facts
Adrian started out as a dancer, training at ballet school and then being taught in jazz by renowned choreographer Arlene Phillips. He was also the "face of Burberry" for a while. In later years, Adrian became a photographer.
In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Adrian here.

Barney Lawrence (Marshman)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Marshman in Full Circle (1980)
Played: Guard in State of Decay (1980, uncredited), Warriors of the Deep (1984, uncredited)
Played: Foster in The Keeper of Traken (1981, uncredited)
Played: Hostage in Kinda (1982, uncredited)
Played: Android in Earthshock (1982, uncredited)
Played: Dave Culshaw in Time-Flight (1982, uncredited)
Played: Royal servant in Snakedance (1983, uncredited)
Played: Sailor in Enlightenment (1983, uncredited)
Played: Trooper in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984, uncredited)
Career highlights
Barney also appeared uncredited in four episodes of Blake's 7 (1978-81).

Leonard Maguire (Draith) May 26 1924 to Sep 12 1997
Career highlights
Leonard's earliest acting credit was in Kidnapped (1956), followed by Ivanhoe (1958), Redgauntlet (1959), Rob Roy (1961), Dixon of Dock Green (1962), Tempo (1962-64), Z Cars (1967), Paul Temple (1969), Hine (1971), Emmerdale Farm (1973), Scotch on the Rocks (1973), Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1974), Huntingtower (1978), The Awakening (1980), The Day Christ Died (1980), Icebound in the Antarctic (1983), The Doctor and the Devils (1985), Rockcliffe's Babies (1987), EastEnders (1986-88), The Girl in a Swing (1988), Dodgem (1991), Memento Mori (1992) and Victory (1996). He also hosted the arts programme Tempo between 1962-64, and took part in a number of Scotland on Film productions in the 1950s and 60s.
Facts
Leonard primarily worked in theatre and radio, performing in almost 2,000 plays from the early 1950s to the late 60s. His wife was radio producer Frances Campbell.

Bernard Padden (Tylos) Born Dec 29 1956
Career highlights
Bernard made his debut in The Dustbinmen (1970), and also took roles in How We Used to Live (1975), Emmerdale Farm (1979), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Valentine Park (1987), Binky and Boo (1987), Erik the Viking (1989), England, My England (1995), Grange Hill (1997), Sunnyside Farm (1997), The Dark Room (1999) and Zemanovaload (2005). Since 2003 Bernard has written more than 40 scripts for daytime soap Doctors, and also wrote the 12-minute animated short Binky and Boo (1987).
Facts
Bernard has lectured in scriptwriting at Salford and Stoke Universities.

June Page (Keara) Born 1955
Career highlights
June debuted in Softly Softly (1971), then appeared in Intimate Strangers (1974), Sam and the River (1975), A Place to Hide (1976), Survivors (1976), Somebody's Daughter (1978), Crown Court (1981), Brideshead Revisited (1981), Grange Hill (1983), Relative Strangers (1985), Thin Air (1988), Birds of a Feather (1989), Wild Justice (1993), nine episodes of The Bill (1987-2001) and Bad Girls (2004).
Facts
After meeting on Doctor Who, June married co-star Richard Willis.

Alan Rowe (Garif) Dec 14 1926 to Oct 21 2000
Doctor Who credits
Played: Voice from Space Control in The Moonbase (1967)
Played: Dr Evans in The Moonbase (1967)
Played: Edward of Wessex in The Time Warrior (1973-74)
Played: Skinsale in Horror of Fang Rock (1977)
Played: Garif in Full Circle (1980)
Career highlights
New Zealander Alan's career began with You Never Can Tell (1955), then Sword of Freedom (1957) An Age of Kings (1960), Maigret (1963), The Forsyte Saga (1967), The First Churchills (1969), Heil Caesar! (1973), The XYY Man (1976), Crown Court (1975-79, as Justice Quinlan), Number 10 (1983), Morgan's Boy (1984), Lovejoy (1986), The Manageress (1989-90), Forever Green (1989-92) and Wycliffe (1997).
Facts
He was the long-term partner of actor Geoffrey Bayldon, who appeared in Doctor Who: The Creature from the Pit (1979).

Richard Willis (Varsh) Born Apr 6 1958
Career highlights
Richard's earliest role was in Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973), followed by Soldier and Me (1974), Shadows (1975), A Bunch of Fives (1977), The Doombolt Chase (1978), The Feathered Serpent (1976-78), Rebecca (1979), Diary of a Nobody (1979), The Quiz Kid (1979), Flesh and Blood (1980-82), The Prodigal (1983), The Bill (1989), Maigret (1992), Wycliffe (1997), Law and Order (2005), The Big Bad Swim (2006), Flashpoint (2009), Nikita (2011), Lost Girl (2011) and Dreadful Sorry (2013).
Facts
In 2001 Richard (now known as Richard Sheridan Willis) moved to the US and became a citizen in 2007, although he is now based in Canada. In 2005 Richard performed Shakespeare at the White House for President George W Bush, and later became artistic director of the St Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. After meeting on Doctor Who, Richard married co-star June Page. His second wife, between 1993-96, was Rani actress Kate O'Mara. Here he is on Twitter.

CREW

Andrew Smith (writer) Born Jul 27 1962
Career highlights
Scottish-born Andrew was the first Doctor Who fan to send a script to the production office which was actually made. His early work included scripts for Not the Nine O'Clock News, Radio Scotland's Naked Radio, Radio 4's satirical Week Ending, and a play called Thieves in Scottish Television's Preview series.
Facts
Andrew's subsequent Doctor Who submissions The Secret of Cassius, The First Sontarans and The Torson Triumvirate were not developed, although the Sontaran serial was adapted on audio by Big Finish in 2012, and he has written new audios for them too. He worked for 25 years as part of the British police force's Special Branch. Here he is, on Twitter!
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Andrew here.

Peter Grimwade (director) 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 Z Cars (1973), The Doll (1975), 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, which Peter also wrote). Further writing credits were on Z Cars (1969-71) and Kim & Co (1975-76).
Facts
Peter, who is namechecked in The Robots of Death via "Grimwade's Syndrome", 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 (Resurrection of the Daleks). After Doctor Who, Peter mainly produced industrial training videos. In 1987 he wrote a novel called Robot, which contained several Doctor Who references.

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

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

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

Meglos

There were reports that Tom
Baker could be a bit spiky
on set...

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Sep 27 to Oct 18 1980
Average audience for serial: 4.65m

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

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

GUEST CAST

Bill Fraser (General Grugger) Jun 5 1908 to Sep 5 1987 (emphysema)
Doctor Who credits
Played: General Grugger in Meglos (1980)
Played: Commander Pollock in K-9 & Company (1981)
Career highlights
Bill's first credit was in The Strangler (1941), and later Helter Skelter (1949), Tonight at 8.30 (1952), Terror on a Train (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Fast and Loose (1955), The Tony Hancock Show (1956), Hancock's Half Hour (1957), The Man Who Liked Funerals (1959), Secombe and Friends (1959), What a Crazy World (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), Barney is My Darling (1965-66), The Avengers (1966), Vacant Lot (1967), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Father Dear Father (1969), That's Your Funeral (1970-71), Up Pompeii (1971), The Train Now Standing (1972-73), The Goodies (1973), The Amorous Milkman (1975), The Corn is Green (1979), Ripping Yarns (1979), Doctor's Daughters (1981), Cover Her Face (1985), The Giddy Game Show (1985), Looks Familiar (1986) and Little Dorrit (1988). He also had a regular role as Claude Snudge in The Army Game (1959-60) and its spin-offs Foreign Affairs (1964) and Bootsie and Snudge (1960-63 & 1974), as well as Henry Brassington in Flesh and Blood (1980-82), Judge Roger Bullingham in Rumpole of the Bailey (1978-87) and Bert Baxter in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ (1985) and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (1987).
Awards
1986: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance (When We are Married)
Facts
Bill served in a Royal Air Force Special Liaison Unit, reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant, serving with actor Eric Sykes. His wife was actress Pamela Cundell (best remembered as Mrs Fox in sitcom Dad's Army). During those periods when Bill was not acting, he ran a small sweet shop in Ilford, Essex.
This is Your Life: Bill was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on October 21st, 1981 (just weeks before recording began on K-9 & Company), surprised by host Eamonn Andrews at the Royalty Theatre, London.

Colette Gleeson (Caris) Born Dec 29 1945
Career highlights
Colette's other work includes The Informer (1967), Queen of Hearts (1973), Marti (1977), Hotel du Lac (1986) and sitcom Just Good Friends (1983-86), as Elaine.

Jacqueline Hill (Lexa) Dec 17 1929 to Feb 18 1993 (bone cancer) For a full career biography for Jacqueline Hill, click here

Crawford Logan (Deedrix)
Career highlights
Crawford's other TV credits were for Secret Army (1978), The Chief (1991) and Outlander (2016), although he has been a prolific radio actor since 1982. He is also an occasional member of the Scottish rock band The Martians, whose musical The Sundowe was staged by Cameron Mackintosh in 2007.
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Crawford here.

Christopher Owen (Earthling) Born Nov 27 19??
Career highlights
Christopher first appeared in a 1966 Out of the Unknown, followed by Paul Temple (1970), Mandog (1972), It's Murder But Is It Art (1972), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974), Lucky Feller (1976), Maggie and Her (1979), The Day of the Triffids (1981), The Old Men at the Zoo (1983), Bad Boyes (1987-88), House of Cards (1990), Selling Hitler (1991), Men Behaving Badly (1992), To Play the King (1993), Sharpe's Honour (1994), The Buccaneers (1995), Life As We Know It (2005) and Unlawful Killing (2011).
Facts
Christopher retired from acting in 2014 and is now a playwright.

Simon Shaw (Tigellan guard) Born Aug 19 1956
Career highlights
Simon worked as a bit part actor until the publication of his first novel, Murder Out of Tune, in 1988, since when he has concentrated mostly on writing and journalism. He is assistant editor of The Week and a regular book reviewer for The Mail on Sunday.

Frederick Treves (Lieutenant Brotadac) Mar 29 1925 to Jan 30 2012
Career highlights
Frederick appeared in a great many productions starting with 1953's Wheel of Fate, and including The Grove Family (1956), The Buccaneers (1957), Yorky (1960), A for Andromeda (1961), Garry Halliday (1962), Emergency Ward 10 (1963), The Avengers (1966), The Railway Children (1968), Doomwatch (1971), Tightrope (1972), The Regiment (1973), Follyfoot (1973), The Naked Civil Servant (1975), The Cedar Tree (1977), Suez 1956 (1979), The Elephant Man (1980), Nighthawks (1981), Educating Marmalade (1981), Stalky and Co (1982), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), CATS Eyes (1985), Brat Farrar (1986), Yes, Prime Minister (1986-87), Game, Set and Match (1988), Bomber Harris (1989), Paper Mask (1990), Drop the Dead Donkey (1991), Downtown Lagos (1992), To Play the King (1993), Lipstick on Your Collar (1993), Just William (1994), The Politician's Wife (1995), Mr Bean (1995), The Ambassador (1998), Sunshine (1999), Longitude (2000), The Cazalets (2001) and Rosemary and Thyme (2003).
Facts
On his first voyage with the Merchant Navy, Frederick's freighter the Waimarama was sunk, and he helped save several of his shipmates. Frederick, then just 17, received the British Empire Medal and the Lloyd's War Medal for his actions. He appeared in the film The Elephant Man and coincidentally shares the same name as the man who took John Merrick to hospital (Dr Frederick Treves, 1853-1923). Dr Treves was Frederick's real life great uncle. His son is actor Simon Treves.

Edward Underdown (Zastor) Dec 3 1908 to Dec 15 1989
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Edward's final screen credit, after a long career, debuting in The Warren Case (1934). He later appeared in Girls Please (1934), Inspector Hornleigh (1939), Mail Train (1941), The October Man (1947), Man on the Run (1949), The Dark Man (1951), Recoil (1953), Beat the Devil (1953), The Camp on Blood Island (1959), The Two-Headed Spy (1958), Call Oxbridge 2000 (1961), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Dr Crippen (1963), Dr Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Thunderball (1965), Khartoum (1966), Oh in Colour (1970), Follyfoot (1971), Sound an Alarm (1971), Dad's Army (1972), Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973), Survivors (1977) and Tarka the Otter (1979).
Facts
Before entering acting, Edward was a jockey and steeplechase rider; in later life he acted as a steward at Newbury racecourse. Edward was author Ian Fleming's first choice to play his creation James Bond in Dr No, but the film's producers never considered him for the role. In 1950 a survey by Kinematograph Weekly named Edward as Britain's Most Promising Screen Newcomer. Edward's mother was the Honorable Rosemary Sybella Violet Grimston, daughter of 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury (deputy speaker of the House of Commons, 1962-64). Edward was reportedly quite ill during the making of Meglos.

CREW

John Flanagan (writer) Born Apr 30 1947
Career highlights
John trained as an actor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, where he became friendly with fellow student Andrew McCulloch. John won his first TV role as the title character in Parkin's Patch (1969-70). He became a journalist for the Granada Reports programme, but continued to act in programmes such as The Lovers (1970), Father Brown (1974), The Sweeney (1975), Man About the House (1976), Softly, Softly (1976), The Medusa Touch (1978), Andy Robson (1982), The Brief (1984), Brazil (1985), Late Starter (1985), Emmerdale (1987), Sleepers (1991), Love Hurts (1992), Stanley's Dragon (1994), Peak Practice (1997), Shipman (2002), The Royal Today (2008), Whitechapel (2012) and Endeavour (2013). He also had a regular role as John Lloyd in Crown Court (1973-84). John began a successful writing partnership with Andrew McCulloch in 1977, and has penned scripts for Boon (1986), Robin of Sherwood (1986), The Good Guys (1992), Pie in the Sky (1994), Margery and Gladys (2003), Murder in Suburbia (2004), Heartbeat (1999-2009) and The Royal (2003-11). In 1992 they were nominated for a Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Sleepers, directed by Doctor Who TV movie helmsman Geoffrey Sax.

Andrew McCulloch (writer) Born Oct 27 1945
Career highlights
Andrew trained as an actor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, where he became friendly with fellow student John Flanagan. Andrew's earliest acting role was in a 1969 Wednesday Play, then Kidnapped (1971), Wessex Tales (1973), The Land That Time Forgot (1975), Nicholas Nickleby (1977), Ladykillers (1980), Priest of Love (1981), The Baker Street Boys (1983), Cry Freedom (1987), Tumbledown (1988), Stay Lucky (1990), The Chief (1991-93), Father Ted (1996), Rebus (2000), Down to Earth (2003), Roger Roger (1999/2003), Messiah (2005) and Holby City (2009). He began a successful writing partnership with John Flanagan in 1977, and has penned scripts for Boon (1986), Robin of Sherwood (1986), The Good Guys (1992), Pie in the Sky (1994), Margery and Gladys (2003), Murder in Suburbia (2004), Heartbeat (1999-2009) and The Royal (2003-11). In 1992 they were nominated for a Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Sleepers, directed by Doctor Who TV movie helmsman Geoffrey Sax.

Terence Dudley (director) Sep 28 1919 to Dec 25 1988 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Directed: Meglos (1980)
Wrote: K-9 & Company (1981), Four to Doomsday (1982), Black Orchid (1982), The King's Demons (1983)
Career highlights
Terence started out in the 1950s as a playwright and soon went into script writing, his early credits including The River Flows East (1962), and then Moonstrike (1963), Detective (1964), Boy Meets Girl (1967), Doomwatch (1970-72), Survivors (1977) and All Creatures Great and Small (1978-80). He became a BBC producer and director in the early 1960s, and in this capacity worked on productions such as The Nightwatchman's Stories (1959), The World of Tim Frazer (1960-61), The Men from Room 13 (1961), Cluff (1964-65), Champion House (1967), Doomwatch (1970-72), Colditz (1972), Survivors (1975-77), Secret Army (1978), To Serve Them All My Days (1980-81), Triangle (1983) and All Creatures Great and Small (1978-83).
Facts
In 1963 he was invited by Doctor Who's original producer, Verity Lambert, to write the very first story (as a replacement for Anthony Coburn's 100,000 BC), but declined. His son is child actor Stephen Dudley, who appeared in over 20 episodes of Survivors (1975-77) as John Millon.

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

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

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

The Leisure Hive

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) embarks
upon his last ever TV run of stories

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Aug 30 to Sep 20 1980
Average audience for serial: 5.10m

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

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

GUEST CAST

David Allister (Stimson)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Stimson in The Leisure Hive (1980)
Played: Bruchner in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
After debuting in The Heiress (1969), David got a regular role as Sergeant Jackson in 22 episodes of Softly Softly (1969-71), and then appeared in Budgie (1972), Heil Caesar! (1973), Colditz (1974), The Firefighters (1975), Lillie (1978), Flesh and Blood (1980-82), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), The Jigsaw Man (1984), The Monocled Mutineer (1986), Rockcliffe's Babies (1987), The Franchise Affair (1988), Virtual Murder (1992), The Good Guys (1993), The Uninvited (1997), Anna Karenina (2000) and The Discovery of Heaven (2001).

John Collin (Brock) Oct 18 1928 to Feb 25 1987
Career highlights
John's debut was in The Mad O'Haras (1958), followed by roles in Garry Halliday (1959-60), Deadline Midnight (1961), The Valiant (1962), Dead Man's Chest (1965), Undermind (1965), The Witches (1966), Boy Meets Girl (1967), Star! (1968), Before Winter Comes (1969), The Expert (1969), The Guardians (1971), Crime of Passion (1972), A Raging Calm (1974), Our Mutual Friend (1976), Wuthering Heights (1978), Tess (1979), Coronation Street (1961/69/79), The Guns and the Fury (1981), The Chinese Detective (1982) and All Creatures Great and Small (he actually played the same role of Mr Alderson (James Herriot's father-in-law) in both the 1975 film version and the BBC TV series in 1978 and 1983!). He also played Detective Sergeant Haggar in 50 episodes of Z Cars (1971-78).

Adrienne Corri (Mena) Born Nov 13 1930 to Mar 13 2016 (heart disease)
Career highlights
Born and bred in Scotland by Italian parents, Adrienne's career debut was in The Infernal Machine (1947, as Adrienne Riccoboni, her birthname), followed by appearances in Naughty Arlette (1949), The River (1951), Devil Girl from Mars (1954), The Three Musketeers (1954), Sword of Freedom (1957), The Big Chance (1957), Corridors of Blood (1958), What's My Line? (1958), Epilogue to Capricorn (1959), Dynamite Jack (1961), The Hellfire Club (1961), Doctor Zhivago (1965), A Study in Terror (1965), Bunny Lake is Missing (1965), The Viking Queen (1967), Journey to the Unknown (1968), My Partner the Ghost (1969), A Family at War (1971), A Clockwork Orange (1971), You're Only Young Twice (1971), Vampire Circus (1972), Rosebud (1975), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Love in a Cold Climate (1980), Shades of Darkness (1986) and Lovejoy (1992).
Facts
Adrienne was an expert on 18th century portrait painting and the author of a book about painter Thomas Gainsborough (The Search for Gainsborough (1984)). She was married in the 1960s to actor Daniel Massey (making actor Anna Massey her sister-in-law for a time). Prior to this she had two children out of wedlock with film-maker Patrick Filmer-Sankey.

Martin Fisk (Vargos) Born Apr 28 1946
Career highlights
Martin's further work includes Budgie (1971), Doctor At Large (1971), Poldark (1975-76), The Sweeney (1976), The XYY Man (1977), A Horseman Riding By (1978), Rumpole of the Bailey (1979), Shoestring (1980), Angels (1980), On the Line (1982), Terry on the Fence (1985), Room at the Bottom (1988), London's Burning (1989), Soldier Soldier (1991), Bugs (1998) and Heartbeat (2000).
Facts
In the late 1970s Martin achieved recognition as the Yorkie chocolate bar truck driver in British TV commercials.

David Haig (Pangol) Born Sep 20 1955
Career highlights
David made his debut in 1978's The Moon Stallion and has since become one of the most recognised faces on British TV, appearing in Blake's 7 (1980), Diamonds (1981), Morons from Outer Space (1985), Hannay (1989), Campion (1990), Portrait of a Marriage (1990), Chancer (1991), Soldier Soldier (1991), The Darling Buds of May (1993), Cracker (1993), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Love on a Branch Line (1994), Nice Day at the Office (1994), Never Mind the Horrocks (1996), Keeping Mum (1997-98), Talking Heads 2 (1998), Crime and Punishment (2002), Hustle (2004), A for Andromeda (2006), The 39 Steps (2008), Doc Martin (2009), The Thick of It (2009), Strike Back (2011), Yes, Prime Minister (2013), The Wright Way (2013), Penny Dreadful (2015), Florence Foster Jenkins (2016), The Witness for the Prosecution (2016) and Killing Eve (2018). He also wrote, produced and starred in My Boy Jack (2007). David's best known role will be as Detective Inspector Derek Grim in sitcom The Thin Blue Line (1995-96).
Awards
1988: Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play (Our Country's Good)
2013: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to drama
Facts
His partner is American actress Jane Galloway.

Nigel Lambert (Hardin) May 11 1944 to Sep 2024

Doctor Who credits

Played: Hardin in The Leisure Hive (1980)

Played: Voice of the Priest Triangle in Flux (2021, as Nigel Richard Lambert)
Career highlights
Nigel made his debut in Cry Wolf! (156), followed by Any Old Iron? (1957), 18 episodes of The Thompson Family (1957-58, as Andrew), The Pocket Lancer (1959), Mr Browne Comes Home (1959), Katy (1962), Out of the Unknown (1965), The Further Adventures of the Musketeers (1967), The Avengers (1965/67), Scream and Scream Again (1970), The Onedin Line (1972), Sporting Scenes (1974), The Crezz (1976), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1976), The Fuzz (1977), Touch and Go (1978), Blake's 7 (1978), The History of Mr Polly (1980), Shillingbury Tales (1981), Cuffy (1983), Sob Sisters (1989), The Upper Hand (1992), Married for Life (1996), Heartbeat (1998), The Princess and the Pea (2002), Captain Sabertooth (2003), Noggin (2008), Murder Loves Killers Too (2009), Justin and the Knights of Valour (2013) and The Javone Prince Show (2015). His voice will be best remembered narrating the tongue in cheek comedy series Look Around You (2002), while he also voiced Mr Curry in The Adventures of Paddington Bear (1997-2001).
Facts
In the 1980s Nigel contributed extensively to the magazine partwork Story Teller published by Marshall Cavendish. Consisting of a fortnightly magazine and cassette tape featuring children's stories, Nigel narrated over 30 of the stories onto tape, including Grogre the Ogre and Jester Minute. He was also a presenter on children's series You and Me in 1977, and is the voice of Papa in the UK TV commercials for Dolmio cooking sauces.

Andrew Lane (Foamasi) Feb 8 1947 to Dec 10 1999
Career highlights
Further credits include Z Cars (1967), David Copperfield (1974), The Lady of the Camellias (1976), Silver Bears (1978) and Yes Minister (1980). Doctor Who was his final screen credit.

Roy Montague (Guide)
Roy's only other credits are Yesterday's Hero (1979), Only a Game (1981) and Private Schulz (1981).

Clifford Norgate (Voice of the Generator) Jul 31 1941 to Jan 4 2024
Doctor Who credits
Played: Voice of the Nimon in The Horns of Nimon (1979-80)
Played: Voice of the Generator in The Leisure Hive (1980)
Career highlights
Clifford's other credits include Adventure Weekly (1969), Dial M for Murder (1974), The Saliva Milkshake (1975) and 20 episodes of the children's computer game show Knightmare (1989-94) as Hordriss, as well as various other characters.
Facts
Clifford also read talking books for children, and sometimes visited primary schools as a storyteller.

Laurence Payne (Morix) Jun 5 1919 to Feb 23 2009 (vascular dementia)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Johnny Ringo in The Gunfighters (1966)
Played: Morix in The Leisure Hive (1980)
Played: Dastari in The Two Doctors (1985)
Career highlights
Laurence's further credits include Till Tomorrow (1948), Train of Events (1949), The Face of Love (1954), The Three Musketeers (1954), Ill Met by Moonlight (1957), The Trollenberg Terror (1958), Moonstrike (1963), The Midnight Men (1964), The Saint (1966), Vampire Circus (1972), The Hanged Man (1975), The Sandbaggers (1978), Airline (1982) and Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992). He became well known for playing the title character in Sexton Blake (1967-71).
Facts
Between 1962-93, Laurence wrote 11 detective novels, the first of which (The Nose on My Face) was adapted into the film Girl in the Headlines aka The Model Murder Case (1963). A sword-fighting accident while filming Sexton Blake in 1968 cost him the sight in his left eye. Laurence's first wife (of three) was actress Sheila Burrell, cousin to Sir Laurence Olivier. In a 1998 interview with Edinburgh's Evening News, Laurence said: "Dr Who was great fun. I was one of the villains in the second series with that strange elderly man as Dr Who. We did about ten weeks filming at a time, and then had a break. I got on very well with the boy playing Dr Who's grandson. I wasn't in any of the ones with those robots [Daleks] in, thank God! I think I would have laughed!" In the 1990s Laurence contracted septicaemia, causing some brain damage, and the last three years of his life were spent in a nursing home suffering from vascular dementia.

Harriet Reynolds (Tannoy voice) Sep 13 1944 to Jun 18 1992 (cancer)
Career highlights
Harriet made her debut in Abigail's Party (1977, as Susan), then Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1978), Agony (1980), Butterflies (1980), Pig in the Middle (1980), I Remember Nelson (1982), Ever Decreasing Circles (1984), Are You Being Served? (1985), Sorry! (1986), The New Statesman (1990), Lovejoy (1991), The Law Lord (1991) and Jeeves and Wooster (1992).

Ian Talbot (Klout) Born Dec 19 1942
Doctor Who credits
Played: Travis in Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970)
Played: Klout in The Leisure Hive (1980)
Career highlights
Debuted in Champion House (1968), then Up the Front (1972), The Jensen Code (1973), Drowning By Numbers (1988), Spatz (1991), Terry and Julian (1992), Degrees of Error (1995), As Time Goes By (1996), Midsomer Murders (2005) and Run for Your Wife (2012).
Awards
2008: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama
Facts
Until her death in 1996, Ian was married to actress Liz Gebhardt, best known for playing Maureen Bullock in the sitcoms Please, Sir! and The Fenn Street Gang (1968-73). Ian was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 for Best Director, and was artistic director of the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park in London between 1987-2007.
In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Ian here.

CREW

David Fisher (writer) Apr 13 1929 to Jan 10 2018
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Stones of Blood (1978), The Androids of Tara (1978), The Creature from the Pit (1979), The Leisure Hive (1980), and provided the original concept for what became City of Death (1979).
Career highlights
David's other writing work includes Between the Lines (1965), This Man Craig (1966-67), Orlando (1967), Dixon of Dock Green (1969), Crime of Passion (1971), The Troubleshooters (1969-71), The Lotus Eaters (1972), Sutherland's Law (1973), Crown Court (1972-75), General Hospital (1975-77), The Mackinnons (1977), Hammer House of Horror (1980) and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984). David also wrote several non-fiction books about World War Two with Anthony Read, his sometime script editor on Doctor Who.
Facts
He submitted a script entitled A Gamble with Time for Doctor Who's 17th season, but due to a tricky divorce he had to withdraw, and the concept became City of Death, one of the series' best loved stories.

Lovett Bickford (director) Apr 8 1942 to Jul 29 2018
Doctor Who credits
Assistant floor manager: The War Machines (1966, uncredited), The Moonbase (1967, uncredited)
Directed: The Leisure Hive (1980)
Career highlights
His other directing work includes Z Cars (1978), Angels (1979), The History of Mr Polly (1980), The Enigma Files (1980), The Olympian Way (1981) and Emmerdale Farm (1983), while has also worked as assistant floor manager on series such as The Pallisers (1974), Poldark (1977) and All Creatures Great and Small (1978).
Facts
In the 1980s, Lovett worked in theatre, often on pantomimes produced by Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner.

John Nathan-Turner (producer) Aug 12 1947 to May 1 2002 (liver failure)
Doctor Who credits
Floor assistant: The Space Pirates (1969, uncredited)
Assistant floor manager: The Ambassadors of Death (1970, uncredited), Colony in Space (1971, uncredited)
Production unit manager: Horror of Fang Rock, The Invisible Enemy, Image of the Fendahl, The Sun Makers, Underworld, The Invasion of Time, The Ribos Operation, The Pirate Planet, The Stones of Blood, The Androids of Tara, The Power of Kroll, The Armageddon Factor, Destiny of the Daleks, City of Death, The Creature from the Pit, Nightmare of Eden, The Horns of Nimon, Shada (unbroadcast) (1977-80)
Produced: The Leisure Hive, Meglos, Full Circle, State of Decay, Warriors' Gate, The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, K-9 & Company, Castrovalva, Four to Doomsday, Kinda, The Visitation, Black Orchid, Earthshock, Time-Flight, Arc of Infinity, Snakedance, Mawdryn Undead, Terminus, Enlightenment, The King's Demons, The Five Doctors, Warriors of the Deep, The Awakening, Frontios, Resurrection of the Daleks, 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, Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers, Delta and the Bannermen, Dragonfire, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Happiness Patrol, Silver Nemesis, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Battlefield, Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric, Survival (1980-89), plus Dimensions in Time (1993)
Wrote: Dimensions in Time (1993), plus scripts for the Years Tapes (1991-94)
Career highlights
John started out as an assistant floor manager on Doctor Who, and also worked as a production assistant on programmes such as The Pallisers (1974), Barlow (1975), How Green Was My Valley (1975-76) and Nicholas Nickleby (1977). He soon graduated to become production unit manager on Doctor Who, as well as on series such as All Creatures Great and Small (1978-80) and Flesh and Blood (1980). After Doctor Who was taken off air in 1989, John maintained his links with the series by producing a number of special video releases, such as The Years Tapes which included various single episodes from partly lost 1960s stories, as well as the 1992 release of Shada.
Facts
John's long-time partner was Gary Downie, who acted as production manager on some of the 1980s serials. In the 2013 book The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner, author Richard Marson alleges that John and partner Gary "preyed" sexually on young male teenage Doctor Who fans. John added "Nathan" (as in Johnathan) to his surname to avoid confusion with the actor John Turner.

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

Christopher H Bidmead (script editor) Born Jan 18 1941
Doctor Who credits
Script edited: The Leisure Hive, Meglos, Full Circle, State of Decay, Warriors' Gate, The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis (1980-81)
Wrote: Logopolis (1981), Castrovalva (1982), Frontios (1984)
Career highlights
Christopher originally trained as an actor and enjoyed roles in series such as Emergency Ward 10 (1965) and Crime of Passion (1970). After that he moved into script writing, on series such as Harriet's Back in Town (1973) and Rooms (1975), and then started writing for scientific journals, something he continues to do, particularly on the magazines Wired and PC Plus.
Facts
The H stands for Hamilton. Christopher's father-in-law was vaudevillian actor Freddie Earlle, who appeared in Warriors' Gate. Here he is, on Twitter.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Christopher here.

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).

The Horns of Nimon

The Nimon. And so soon after Erato
and the Mandrels...

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Dec 22 1979 to Jan 12 1980
Average audience for serial: 8.75m

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

Bob Appleby (Nimon) Jun 10 1944 to Feb 2 2015
Doctor Who credits
Played: Nimon in The Horns of Nimon (1979-80)
Played: Vervoid in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
Bob's other work includes Tucker's Luck (1984), Grange Hill (1985), The Lenny Henry Show (1987), A Taste for Death (1988), You Rang, M'Lord? (1988), The Tall Guy (1989), Sketch Pad (1989), One Foot in the Grave (1990) and The Bill (1996).

Facts

In the December 12th 1974 edition of the Bristol Evening Post, it was reported that Robert Hallas-Appleby (his real name) was fined £20 with £5 costs after assaulting his wife, running away, being caught by a police officer, then punching him twice in the stomach. Bob's wife declined to take any further action, and he was fined reflecting his previous good character.

John Bailey (Sezom) Jun 26 1912 to Feb 18 1989
Doctor Who credits
Played: Commander in The Sensorites (1964)
Played: Edward Waterfield in The Evil of the Daleks (1967)
Played: Sezom in The Horns of Nimon (1979-80)
Career highlights
Debuted as Till the End of Time (1946), then enjoyed roles in Romeo and Juliet (1947), It Happened in Soho (1948), The Night Won't Talk (1952), The Granville Melodramas (1955-56), The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1957), Ivanhoe (1958/59), Ghost Squad (1963), Quick Before They Catch Us (1966), The Forsyte Saga (1967), The Champions (1969), Journey to the Unknown (1969), Steptoe and Son (1970), Van der Valk (1973), Thriller (1976), Return of the Saint (1978), Tales of the Unexpected (1983) and Personal Services (1987).
Facts
Alison Bailey has compiled a professional history for John (who was her father's first cousin) here.

Graham Crowden (Soldeed) Nov 30 1922 to Oct 19 2010
Career highlights
Graham's career stems from his appearance in Such is Life (1950), followed by appearances in The Last of Mrs Cheyney (1956), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957), Destination Downing Street (1957), Charlesworth at Large (1958), The Eustace Diamonds (1959), Harpers West One (1961), One Way Pendulum (1964), HMS Paradise (1964), Dr Finlay's Casebook (1964-65), If... (1968), Jackanory (1969), Two in Clover (1970), Catweazle (1971), Up the Chastity Belt (1971), Casanova (1971), The Last Days of Man on Earth (1973), Rooms (1974), Star Maidens (1976), The Camerons (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), The Cleopatras (1983), The Company of Wolves (1984), Out of Africa (1985), A Handful of Dust (1988), Thacker (1992), Love on a Branch Line (1994), Vanity Fair (1998), The 10th Kingdom (2000), Dr Terrible's House of Horrible (2001), Possession (2002), Calendar Girls (2003) and Foyle's War (2008). His most famous role was as Tom Ballard in the sitcom Waiting for God (1990-94), as well as Dr Jock McCannon in A Very Peculiar Practice (1986-88).
Facts
Graham (first name Clement) was originally offered the role of the Fourth Doctor but declined as he didn't want to be committed to one role. His wife was actor Phyllida Hewat, and their daughter is actress Sarah Crowden, who appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2007. Graham was invalided out of the Royal Scots Youth Battalion in 1942 after being accidentally shot by his platoon sergeant. In the early 2000s he was involved in an accident while cycling with his wife on the car-free island of Sark, and despite suffering a stroke in later life, Graham remained active, particularly in Equity affairs.

Janet Ellis (Teka) Born Sep 16 1955
Career highlights
Janet's acting work is minimal, her other roles being in The Spencer Side (1978), The Sweeney (1978), The Deceivers (1981), Waking the Dead (2001), Hotel Babylon (2009) and Different for Girls (2018). Janet is best known as a TV presenter, most notably on children's magazine programme Blue Peter (1983-87), but she also appeared on Jigsaw (1979-83). She went on to present Open Air for the BBC, and has since presented a huge range of programmes on topics such as gardens, cars, holidays, cookery and childcare, including Great Garden Challenge (2005) and Housebusters (2003-05).
Awards
2016: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to charities and theatre
Facts
Janet's father was Mike Ellis, who worked as a visual effects designer for the BBC and was jointly responsible for the design, build and operation of the L1 robot in The Trial of a Time Lord. Janet's first husband was programme maker Robin Bextor, with whom she had a daughter, pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor (who is married to Richard Jones, bassist with band The Feeling). Janet's second husband is TV producer John Leach, whose son Jackson Leach was a child actor in the late 1990s, and daughter Martha Ellis-Leach is an art historian. In 2007 Janet appeared on the BBC's song-and-dance celebrity show Just the Two of Us, partnered with Alexander O'Neal.

Simon Gipps-Kent (Seth) Oct 25 1958 to Sep 16 1987 (morphine poisoning)
Career highlights
Simon started out as a child actor in O Fat White Woman (1971), then Thursday's Child (1972-73), Lost Hearts (1973), The Tomorrow People (1974), Great Expectations (1974), Edward the King (1975), The Firefighters (1975), Westway (1976), The Emigrants (1976), Midnight is a Place (1977-78), Orion (1977), A Traveller in Time (1978), Enemy at the Door (1978), The Devil's Crown (1978), Quadrophenia (1979), Kids (1979), Noah's Castle (1980), The Gentle Touch (1980), To Serve Them All My Days (1980), The Deceivers (1981), Metal Mickey (1982), The Black Adder (1982, the unaired pilot) and Eureka (1983). Simon, who auditioned for the role of Adric, also played Kenton Archer in BBC Radio's The Archers for a time.
Facts
Simon died of a drug overdose at the age of 28, recorded by the coroner as "misadventure". In 2012, Australian clairvoyant Alex Fulford claimed to have been contacted numerous times by Simon's spirit, which claimed he did not commit suicide, but was taking morphine for back pain. Fulford claimed to "see" an image of a man around Simon's age injecting the actor with a "powerful drug", then waiting in Simon's flat until he'd passed away (this man is apparently also "in spirit" with Simon). There are some unpleasant rumours on the internet involving Simon and his links with the actor Peter Arne, but I am uncomfortable about linking to them here.

Trevor St John Hacker (Nimon) Born 1945
Career highlights
Trevor's other credits include Romeo and Juliet (1976), Tucker's Luck (1985), Bluebell (1986), French Fields (1990), Red Dwarf (1992), Strange But True? (1995) and Firelight (1997).

Bob Hornery (Pilot) May 28 1931 to May 26 2015 (cancer)
Career highlights
Australian Bob debuted in Burst of Summer (1961), followed by Personally Yours (1962), The Magic Boomerang (1965), George and the Dragon (1966), Orlando (1968), The Ugliest Girl in Town (1969), Dad's Army (1973), Shelley (1979), Sapphire and Steel (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1995), Mercury (1996), Thunderstone (1999), Virtual Nightmare (2000), Something in the Air (2000), Blue Heelers (1995-2002), Crackerjack (2002) and Legacy of the Silver Shadow (2002). He has also appeared in Australian soap Neighbours as Tom Kennedy (Karl's father) on and off between 1996-2007.
Facts
In 2010 Bob received the Australian Equity Lifetime Achievement Award.

Clifford Norgate (Voice of the Nimon) Jul 31 1941 to Jan 4 2024
Doctor Who credits
Played: Voice of the Nimon in The Horns of Nimon (1979-80)
Played: Voice of the Generator in The Leisure Hive (1980)
Career highlights
Clifford's other credits include Adventure Weekly (1969), Dial M for Murder (1974), The Saliva Milkshake (1975) and 20 episodes of the children's computer game show Knightmare (1989-94) as Hordriss, as well as various other characters.
Facts
Clifford also read talking books for children, and sometimes visited primary schools as a storyteller.

Michael Osborne (Sorak) Born Nov 13 1947
Doctor Who credits
Played: Extra in The Myth Makers (1965, uncredited)
Played: Guardian in The Ark (1966, uncredited)
Played: Sorak in The Horns of Nimon (1979-80)
Career highlights
Michael made his debut in Softly Softly (1968), then Dad's Army (1968), Sinister Street (1969), The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), Crossroads (1971), Whodunnit? (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Edward the King (1975), Couples (1975-76), Clayhanger (1976), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Secret Army (1979), The Latchkey Children (1980), Grandad (1980), Bergerac (1981), On the Line (1982), Grange Hill (1984) and In Sickness and in Health (1985). He also had a regular role as PC Newton in Dixon of Dock Green (1970-72).

Robin Sherringham (Nimon)
Career highlights
Robin's other credits are Out of the Unknown (1967, incidentally as the black version of the White Robots which would eventually turn up in The Mind Robber (1968)), The Edwardians (1973) and Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974).

Malcolm Terris (Co-pilot) Jan 11 1941 to Jun 6 2020
Doctor Who credits
Played: Etnin in The Dominators (1968)
Played: Co-Pilot in The Horns of Nimon (1979-80)
Career highlights
Malcolm's extensive career began with 1965's Othello, and includes The Informer (1967), Six Days of Justice (1972), Fall of Eagles (1974), Rooms (1974), The Stars Look Down (1975), The First Great Train Robbery (1979), Juliet Bravo (1981), By the Sword Divided (1983), Bleak House (1985), The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986), The Monocled Mutineer (1986), Chaplin (1992), Coronation Street (1994-98, as Eric Firman), Our Friends in the North (1996), Underworld (1997), Family Affairs (1998-99), ChuckleVision (2002), Emmerdale (2004), Elizabeth I (2005), Doctors (2008) and Midsomer Murders (2011). He also had a long-running role as Matt Headley in When the Boat Comes In (1976-77). Before going into acting, Malcolm was a reporter for a newspaper in Sunderland.

CREW

Anthony Read (writer) Apr 21 1935 to Nov 21 2015 Click here for Anthony Read's entry on Underworld

Kenny McBain (director) Jul 28 1946 to Apr 22 1989 (Hodgkin's disease)
Career highlights
Kenny's other directing work included A Family Affair (1979), The Omega Factor (1979), Mackenzie (1980), The Walls of Jericho (1981), Coronation Street (1981), Grange Hill (1983) and Why Do They Call It Good Friday? (1985), while he produced Maggie (1981), Grange Hill (1983-84), Boon (1986) and Inspector Morse (1987-88). Kenny was the man who instigated and developed the Morse adaptations for TV, as well as The Blackheath Poisonings (1992), broadcast posthumously.
Facts
In 1984 he was nominated for Best Children's Programme at the BAFTAs for Grange Hill. As a student Kenny was a gifted clarinet player and pianist and took a first degree in music at Harvard University.

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

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

Nightmare of Eden

Looks like this Mandrel needs a bib

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Nov 24 to Dec 15 1979
Average audience for serial: 9.33m

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

Barry Andrews (Stott) Born 1944
Career highlights
Barry's debut was in a 1968 ITV Playhouse, after which he appeared in Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), The Saint (1969), The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), Rentadick (1972), I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight (1976), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), The XYY Man (1977), Two's Company (1979), Harry's Game (1982) and The Bill (1989/93).
Facts
In 1993, Barry's 17-year-old heroin addict son Eyjolfur was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering Amaranath Bandaratilleka during a robbery at a newsagent's in Hammersmith, London (he shot him in the stomach with a sawn-off shotgun when he handed over just 26p). In 2001, Eyjolfur's sentence was reduced so that he became eligible for parole in 2002 due to the progress he'd made in prison.

Richard Barnes (Crewman)
Career highlights
Richard's CV also has entries for Count Dracula (1977), Orion (1979), Tales of the Unexpected (1980/81) and The Winds of War (1983).

Geoffrey Bateman (Dymond) Born 1948
Career highlights
Geoffrey's first role was in She Stoops to Conquer (1971), and then Public Eye (1973), Dead Cert (1974), Coronation Street (1976), The New Avengers (1976), The Legend of King Arthur (1979), Miracles Take Longer (1984), Lovejoy (1986), Pulaski (1987), Eurocops (1988), Making News (1990), House of Cards (1990), Emmerdale (1994), Buffalo Girls (1995), Highlander (1997), Vatel (2000), Manderlay (2005), The Avignon Prophecy (2007), The Whistleblowers (2007) and Happiness Never Comes Alone (2012). Geoffrey might best be remembered as James Hooperman in This Life (1996-97), or Bossuet in 16 episodes of Versailles (2015-18).
Facts
Now living in Paris, Geoffrey has appeared in many French language films, and his distinctive tones are also used in a number of video games, including Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006).

Peter Craze (Costa) Aug 27 1946 to Dec 30 2020
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dako in The Space Museum (1965)
Played: Du Pont in The War Games (1969)
Played: Costa in Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Career highlights
Peter, who was the younger brother of actor Michael Craze (who played Doctor Who companion Ben Jackson), debuted in Probation Officer (1962), followed by Martin Chuzzlewit (1964), If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them (1968), The Beast in the Cellar (1970), My Old Man (1975), The Professionals (1978), Blake's 7 (1978/81), Bergerac (1983), The Dreamstone (1990), EastEnders (1998), Dangerous Parking (2007) and Limbo (2012). He also regularly played Kevin Barford in the soap United! (1965).
Facts
Peter went on to become a drama teacher, and was Principal of Drama Studio London between 2003-2012. His wife was actor Illona Linthwaite.

David Daker (Captain Rigg) Born Sep 29 1935
Doctor Who credits
Played: Irongron in The Time Warrior (1973-74)
Played: Rigg in Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Career highlights
David's first credit was in Detective (1964), after which his prolific career took in King of the River (1966), Parkin's Patch (1970), Trial (1971), Villains (1972), Hadleigh (1973), The Black Windmill (1974), Stardust (1974), Daft as a Brush (1975), Aces High (1976), Porridge (1977), Rising Damp (1977), Holocaust (1978), Two People (1979), Time Bandits (1981), Britannia Hospital (1982), Only Fools and Horses (1982), Give Us a Break (1983), Hallelujah! (1983-84), The Woman in Black (1989), I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle (1990), The Vet (1996), Dangerfield (1997), Hearts and Bones (2001), The Last Detective (2004) and Holby City (2004/09). David has also enjoyed a number of running roles, as PC Culshaw in Z Cars (1967-68), Captain Spiker in Dick Turpin (1979-82), Gordon Lewis in Coronation Street (1981-85), Ben Campbell in Crown Prosecutor (1995) and Harry Crawford in Boon (1986-95).

Lewis Fiander (Tryst) Jan 12 1938 to May 24 2016 (stroke)
Career highlights
Australian Lewis debuted in Miss Mabel (1958), then The Password is Courage (1962), Redcap (1966), Pride and Prejudice (1967), I Start Counting (1969), Smith (1970), Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), Dr Phibes Rises Again (1972), The Liver Birds (1974), Notorious Woman (1974), If There Weren't Any Blacks, You'd Have to Invent Them (1976), Island of the Damned (1976), The Sweeney (1976), Target (1978), Ladykillers (1980-81), That Beryl Marston...! (1981), Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House (1982), Poor Little Rich Girls (1984), The Doctor and the Devils (1985), Lytton's Diary (1985-86), Tanamera - Lion of Singapore (1989), Bangkok Hilton (1989), The Feds (1993), The Genie from Down Under (1996), Halifax FP (1997), the Oscar-nominated The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005) and, posthumously, Two Moments in Time (2018).
Facts
Lewis moved from Melbourne to London in the early 1960s and was a prolific performer on both the British and Australian stage in dramatic and musical roles (he returned to Australia in the 1980s).

Geoffrey Hinsliff (Fisk) Nov 23 1937 to Sep 15 2024
Doctor Who credits
Played: Jack Tyler in Image of the Fendahl (1977)
Played: Fisk in Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Career highlights
Geoffrey's earliest role was in Suspense (1963), later taking roles in Cluff (1965), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), A Family at War (1970), The Dragon's Opponent (1973), Couples (1976), Striker (1975-76), I, Claudius (1976), Accident (1978), Angels (1983), First Among Equals (1986), CATS Eyes (1987), Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1998), Doctors (2002), Heartbeat (2003) and Holby City (2010). He will forever be remembered for his regular roles as George Fairchild in the comedy drama Brass (1983-84) and especially as Don Brennan in over 400 episodes of soap Coronation Street (1987-97).
Facts
His daughter is journalist Gaby Hinsliff, who was the youngest political editor (at the age of 33) of a newspaper when she was promoted into the position at the Observer in 2004. Gaby is married to James Clark, former press secretary to Labour MP Des Browne.

Stephen Jenn (Secker) Mar 30 1950 to Feb 26 2012 (brain tumour)
Career highlights
After debuting in Marked Personal in 1974, Stephen moved on to roles in Blake's 7 (1980), To Serve Them All My Days (1980), The Keep (1983), Space (1985), Castaway (1986), The Dog It Was That Died (1989), The Rainbow Thief (1990), 99-1 (1995), Oktober (1998), Ticks (1999), Cleopatra (1999) and Offending Angels (2000).
Facts
You can read many tributes to Stephen here.

Jennifer Lonsdale (Della) Born Jul 17 1953
Career highlights
Jennifer had first appeared (playing Erotica!) in Further Up Pompeii (1975), and her CV also includes roles in Are You Being Served? (1977), The XYY Man (1977), Come Back Mrs Noah (1977-78), Love in a Cold Climate (1980) and Kelly Monteith (1982). She had long-running roles as Anne Bourne in The Cedar Tree (1976), and Angie Price in 37 episodes of the sitcom That's My Boy (1981-86).
Facts
Jennifer was the second wife of Conservative politician Derek Coombs, MP for Birmingham Yardley 1970-74 (incidentally, Coombs' first wife was actor Peter O'Toole's sister). Jennifer and Derek had two children together - Jack and Adam - but in 2010 Adam died of an accidental drug overdose in India while travelling on a gap year. Since then, Jennifer (now Coombs) and Jack have worked to provide for children in India, helping to finance and build a school where Adam taught children during his time there. Derek Coombs was also a noted businessman who, in the 1950s, tried but failed to acquire the rights to make films of four James Bond novels. Coombs also tried to buy the New Statesman magazine, and in 1995 co-founded the intellectual monthly magazine Prospect. The Coombs family still maintains ownership of loan and insurance provider S&U PLC and engineering firm Metalrax. Jennifer has been a member of the Royal Geographical Society since 1975, founded the Dorset branch of Yehudi Menuhin's Live Music Now music outreach charity, has been vice-president of Dorset Opera, and an ambassador for Dorset Community Foundation since 2014. She was also High Sheriff of Dorset in 2015/16, after which she went travelling, sailing from the Falklands to South Georgia, and visiting the indigenous bush people of Africa. She has an appreciation group on Facebook! In 1978 she appeared in this TV advert for Mackintosh's Prize chocolate bar.

Annette Peters (Passenger)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Operation Golden Age extra in Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974, uncredited)
Played: Citizen in The Pirate Planet (1978, uncredited)
Played: Passenger in Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Played: Argolin guide and attendant in The Leisure Hive (1980, uncredited)
Played: Lazar in Terminus (1983, uncredited)
Career highlights
Annette also appeared in Within These Walls (1975), Fawlty Towers (1975), The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976), Bless Me Father (1978), Father Charlie (1982), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), 1919 (1985) and Keeping Up Appearances (1991). She also made 20 uncredited appearances as a POW in Tenko (1981-82).

Maggie Petersen (Passenger)
Career highlights
Maggie's other credits include Morning Story (1970), Public Eye (1971), Marquis de Sade's Justine (1977), The Old Curiosity Shop (1979), A Little Silver Trumpet (1980) and People from the Forest (1981).

Eden Phillips (Crewman) Born Jul 11 1949
Career highlights
Eden's other work includes Crown Court (1972), Potter's Picture Palace (1976-78), Shortland Street (1996) and Five Good Reasons (2008). Eden later made over 1,500 appearances as Narrator in the musical Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat before becoming a popular children's lyricist, writing well over 100 different songs, and also writing a number of musical adaptations, such as Alfie: The Musical and Love in a Cold Climate. He also runs his own design business, Edenco Creative.

Peter Roberts (Passenger)
His only other credit was The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1978).

Lionel Sansby (Passenger) Jul 14 1938 to Mar 30 1983
Doctor Who credits
Played: UNIT soldier in Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970, uncredited)
Played: Passenger in Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Played: Krarg in Shada (1980, unbroadcast, uncredited)
Played: Man in market in Snakedance (1983, uncredited)
Career highlights
Lionel's other roles were in The Goodies (1970), Doomwatch (1971), Villains (1972), Blake's 7 (1978), Funny Man (1981) and The Home Front (1983).

Sebastian Stride (Crewman) Jul 12 1955 to Feb 12 2021 (lung cancer)
Career highlights
Calcutta-born Sebastian's only other credits were for The Citadel (1983) and The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1988). Here he is, singing I'll Never Be the Same in 2010. When educated in Calcutta, Sebastian was taught for a time by Mother Teresa. In later life, Sebastian ran popular open-mic sessions in pubs around Richmond Upon Thames.

CREW

Bob Baker (writer) Jul 26 1939 to Nov 3 2021 Click here for Bob Baker's entry on The Claws of Axos

Alan Bromly (director) Sep 13 1915 to Sep 1995
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Time Warrior (1973-74), Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Career highlights
Alan started out as an actor in productions such as The Queen's Husband (1946), Little Women (1950-51), The Railway Children (1951), The Six proud Walkers (1954), The Long Chase (1972) and Crown Court (1973), but he soon moved behind the camera as both a director and producer. Alan directed At Your Service Ltd (1951), Panorama (1953-54, including its first ever episode), The Other Man (1956), Little Women (1958), The Scarf (1959), The World of Tim Frazer (1960), Suspense (1962), A Man Called Harry Brent (1965), The Big M (1967), Justice (1973), Great Mysteries (1973), The Swiss Family Robinson (1974-76), Crown Court (1972-77), Crossroads (1977-78) and Coronation Street (1977-80). As producer, he worked on many of the same series he directed, as well as The Powder Monkey (1951), Parent-Craft (1951), BBC Sunday Night Theatre (1955-59), Little Women (1958), Compact (1962), Legend of Death (1965), Watch the Birdies (1966), This Way for Murder (1967), Paul Temple (1969-70) and Out of the Unknown (1969-71). He also wrote the 1952 TV film Postman's Knock and adapted for TV the Sunday Night Theatre production of The Powder Monkey. Alan had also been a radio commentator since World War Two.
Facts
Alan directed Nightmare of Eden when in semi-retirement (at the age of 65), but the technical demands - along with Tom Baker's "demanding" personality - seemed beyond him, and producer Graham Williams replaced him as director for the story's final recording day. Alan's wife was actress June Ellis (best known as Kate Balfour in Paul Temple (1969-70) and Fletcher's wife Isobel in Porridge (1974)).

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

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