Dimensions in Time

The Seven Doctors anyone?
Pic: Christopher's Doctor Who Covers

Two episodes (Part One, Part Two)
First broadcast Nov 26 to 27 1993. Note: Part One was broadcast as part of BBC1's Children in Need charity telethon, and Part Two as part of BBC1's Noel's House Party programme
Average audience for serial: 13.7m

DOCTOR WHO CAST

Jon Pertwee (The Doctor) Jul 7 1919 to May 20 1996 (heart attack) Click here to see Jon Pertwee's entry on Spearhead from Space

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

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

Colin Baker (The Doctor) Born Jun 8 1943 Click here for Colin Baker's entry on Arc of Infinity

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor) Born Aug 20 1943 Click here for Sylvester McCoy's entry on Time and the Rani

Carole Ann Ford (Susan) Born Jun 16 1940 For a full career biography for Carole Ann Ford, click here.

Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield) Jan 2 1948 to Jul 21 2017 (lung cancer) Click here for Deborah Watling's entry on The Evil of the Daleks

Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart) Dec 16 1929 to Feb 22 2011 (cancer) Click here for Nicholas Courtney's entry on The Daleks' Master Plan

Richard Franklin (Captain Mike Yates) Jan 15 1936 to Dec 25 2023 Click here for Richard Franklin's entry on Terror of the Autons

Caroline John (Liz Shaw) Sep 19 1940 to Jun 5 2012 (cancer) Click here to see Caroline John's entry on Spearhead from Space

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Feb 1 1946 to Apr 19 2011 (pancreatic cancer) Click here for Elisabeth Sladen's entry on The Time Warrior

Louise Jameson (Leela) Born Apr 20 1951 Click here for Louise Jameson's entry on The Face of Evil

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

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

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

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

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964 Click here for Bonnie Langford's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12

Sophie Aldred (Ace) Born Aug 20 1962 Click here for Sophie Aldred's entry on Dragonfire

Kate O'Mara (The Rani) Aug 10 1939 to Mar 30 2014 (ovarian cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: The Rani in The Mark of the Rani (1985), Time and the Rani (1987), Dimensions in Time (1993)
Career highlights
Kate's first role was Home and Away (1956, credited as Merrie Carroll), followed by roles in Emergency Ward 10 (1957), Danger Man (1965), Weavers Green (1966), Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), Great Catherine (1968), The Desperados (1969), The Avengers (1969), The Main Chance (1969), The Vampire Lovers (1970), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), Spy Trap (1973), The Tamarind Seed (1974), The Two Ronnies (1977), The Plank (1979), Dempsey and Makepeace (1986), Cluedo (1990), Bad Girls (2001), Absolutely Fabulous (1995/2003), Crossroads (2003), Family Affairs (2005) and Benidorm (2012). Kate had regular roles as Jane Maxwell in The Brothers (1975-76), Katherine Laker in Triangle (1981-82), Cassandra Morrell in US soap Dynasty (1986) and Laura Wilde in Howards' Way (1989-90). In 1971 Kate, who started her career as a speech therapist, appeared in the stage version of The Avengers, playing the villainous Madame Gerda. Kate reprised the role of the Rani in the 2000 audio play The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind, and was expected to do so again for Big Finish in 2014 in the story The Rani Elite, but she died before recording took place. The character was recast in the form of Siobhan Redmond.
Facts
Kate's mother was actress Hazel Bainbridge. Between 1961-76, Kate was married to actor Jeremy Young, who appeared in An Unearthly Child and Mission to the Unknown. In 1965, she had a brief liaison with an actor called David Orchard (he can be seen as the swimmer in the title sequence of the Bond film Thunderball), and as a result had a baby son which she had to have adopted. Her second husband was also a Doctor Who actor: between 1993-96 she was married to Richard Willis (who appeared in Full Circle). Her sister is actress Belinda Carroll, which made her brother-in-law the actor Michael Cochrane (who appeared in Black Orchid and Ghost Light). Belinda was previously married to actor Simon Williams (who appeared in Remembrance of the Daleks), making Simon Kate's ex brother-in-law (are you following this?). Kate founded The British Actors' Theatre Company in 1987, for which her son Dickon Young worked as a set designer. Kate had Dickon following an affair with the actor Ian Cullen (who appeared in The Aztecs), but Dickon was brought up by his stepfather, Jeremy Young. On New Year's Eve 2012, Dickon - who for years had suffered from alcohol and drug abuse, which had worsened since he sustained brain damage after being hit by a car - was found hanged at the family home, aged 48 (Kate was in hospital with double pneumonia at the time so her son's body was not found for three weeks).

Samuel West (Cyrian) Born Jun 19 1966
Career highlights
Sam's acting debut came aged nine in Edward the King (1975, playing a five-year-old!), followed by Nanny (1981), Reunion (1989), Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989), Stanley and the Women (1991), Howards End (1992, for which he was BAFTA-nominated), As Time Goes By (1994), Persuasion (1995), Zoya (1995), Strangers (1996), Jane Eyre (1996), The Ripper (1997), Notting Hill (1999), Longitude (2000), Complicity (2000), Iris (2001), Cambridge Spies (2003), Van Helsing (2004), Random Quest (2006), Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (2008), Desperate Romantics (2009), Dark Relic (2010), Any Human Heart (2010), Eternal Law (2012), Fleming (2014), The Crimson Field (2014), Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2015), The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015), Suffragette (2015), The Hollow Crown (2016), Midsomer Murders (2007/17), Darkest Hour (2017), On Chesil Beach (2017), Trust (2018), Grantchester (2019), The Crown (2019), Death in Paradise (2020), Westworld (2020) and All Creatures Great and Small (2020). He also had a regular role as Frank Edwards in 36 episodes of Mr Selfridge (2013-16).
Awards
2001: London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean Performance (Hamlet)
Facts
Sam is the son of acting legends Timothy West and Prunella Scales, the grandson of actor Lockwood West, and the great-grandson of actor H. Carleton-Crowe. Samuel is a socialist activist and has spoken at a number of political and union rallies. He has been involved in a great number of recitals of both prose and poetry, both with and without choral or orchestral accompaniment, and is a choral singer himself. His partner is playwright Laura Wade. Sam appears in Billy Bragg's 2013 music video for Handyman Blues.

EASTENDERS CAST

Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) Born Nov 14 1967
Career highlights
Letitia's first acting job was the regular role of Lucinda Oliver in school drama Grange Hill (1983-84); she also had roles in soap Brookside (1984) and Relative Strangers (1985) before securing the role of Sharon Watts in EastEnders. At the time of writing, Letitia is still in the soap, having played the character in more than 2,280 episodes since 1985. Other acting credits include Casualty (1995), England, My England (1995), The Hello Girls (1996-98), Doctors (2000) and Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married (1999-2000).
Facts
In 1986, Letitia and EastEnders co-star Paul Medford released a single called Something Outta Nothing which peaked at number 12 in the UK chart. In 2007, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Shobu Kapoor (Gita Kapoor) Born May 28 1961
Doctor Who credits
Played: Gita Kapoor in Dimensions in Time (1993)
Played: Scared woman in Journey's End (2008)
Career highlights
Shobu debuted in Family Pride in 1991, and then secured the role of Gita in EastEnders which she would play in more than 280 episodes between 1993-98. After leaving EastEnders, Shobu found roles in Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Nevermind Nirvana (2004), Chicken Tikka Masala (2005), Banglatown Banquet (2006), Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006), Fair City (2006), Shameless (2007), The Infidel (2010), The Jury (2011), Silent Witness (2012), Some Things (2014), Hank Zipzer (2015), Loaded (2017), The Boy with the Topknot (2017), The Split (2018), Unforgotten (2018), Krypton (2018-19), Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019) and I Hate Suzie (2020). She also had the regular role of Mrs Khan in 33 episodes of the sitcom Citizen Khan (2012-16).
Facts
In 2013 she appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Mastermind, her specialist subject being the author Roald Dahl. Here she is, on Twitter!

Ross Kemp (Grant Mitchell) Born Jul 21 1964
Career highlights
Ross made his TV debut in Emmerdale Farm (1986), followed by roles in Playing Away (1987), The Picnic (1989) and Birds of a Feather (1989). He won the role of Grant Mitchell in EastEnders in 1990 and played him in over 1,000 episodes between 1990-2016. Other acting work includes City Central (1998), In Defence (2000), Without Motive (2000), A Christmas Carol (2000), The Crooked Man (2003), Spartacus (2004), 10 Minute Tales (2009) and Nothing to Declare (2020). He also had a regular role as Henry Garvie in Ultimate Force (2002-06). In recent years Ross has branched out into documentary filmmaking, and has fronted investigative series such as Alive in Alaska (1999), Ross Kemp in Afghanistan (2008), Ross Kemp on Gangs (2007-09), In Search of Pirates (2009), Battle for the Amazon (2010), Extreme World (2011-17) and Britain's Volunteer Army (2020). He has also acted as executive producer on several of these programmes.
Awards
1999: British Soap Award for Best Actor (EastEnders)
2006: British Soap Award for Best Actor (EastEnders)
2007: BAFTA TV Award for Best Factual Series (Ross Kemp on Gangs) - with Amelia Hann and Clive Tulloh
Facts
Between 2002-09 Ross was married to the tabloid journalist Rebekah Wade (who many years later was embroiled in the newspaper phone hacking scandal); in 2005 police were called after Wade (now Brooks) assaulted her husband, but no charges were pursued. It was revealed during the phone hacking court proceedings years later that she had been having an affair with tabloid colleague Andy Coulson between 1998-2007. In 2011 Ross wrote his first novel, Devil to Pay, followed by Moving Target the following year.
This is Your Life: Ross was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on February 3rd, 1997, surprised by host Michael Aspel on the set of soap EastEnders.

Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell) Born Mar 20 1959
Career highlights
Steve made his acting debut in Buster in 1988, followed by roles in Minder (1989) and Bergerac (1990) before winning the role of Phil Mitchell in EastEnders. He has played the role in more than 3,200 episodes since 1990. While most of his career has been spent in the soap, there have been occasional appearances in other productions, such as Kevin and Perry Go Large (2000), Murder in Mind (2001) and Provoked: A True Story (2006).
Awards
2001: British Soap Award for Villain of the Year (EastEnders)
2016: British Soap Award Outstanding Achievement Award (EastEnders)
Facts
In 2014, Steve successfully sued the Metropolitan Police and the News of the World newspaper after a police officer sold details about him to the publication. Between 1999-2003 Steve was in a relationship with EastEnders co-star Lucy Benjamin, who had an uncredited role as the young Nyssa in Mawdryn Undead.

Mike Reid (Frank Butcher) Jan 19 1940 to Jul 29 2007 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Thal in Dr Who and the Daleks (1965, film, uncredited)
Played: Greek soldier in The Myth Makers (1965, uncredited)
Played: Guard in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (1966, uncredited)
Played: Soldier in The War Machines (1966, uncredited)
Played: Frank Butcher in Dimensions in Time (1993)
Career highlights
Mike started out as a stuntman, working on productions such as Spartacus (1960), The Avengers (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Casino Royale (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and Department S (1969). His second career in the entertainment industry then took off when he became a stand-up comedian in working men's clubs, which soon caught the attention of TV producers. He made his first comedy appearances in The Comedians (1972-74), after which he became a popular face on screen in the 1970s and 80s in The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club (1974), Runaround (1975), The Good Old Days (1977-78), The Mike Reid Show (1976-78), Starburst (1981-83) and Punchlines! (1983-84). His acting career continued in the likes of Steptoe and Son (1972), Yus My Dear (1976), Noah's Castle (1980), Worzel Gummidge (1980), Minder (1982), Big Deal (1986), The Detectives (1995), Underworld (1997), Moussaka and Chips (2005), The Bill (2007), Inferno (2008) and Jack Says (2008). However, it is his role as Frank Butcher in EastEnders for which he will most be remembered, who he played in 720 episodes between 1987-2005. Mike also released several of his live stand-up routines on video, including Live and Uncensored (1992), Alive and Kidding (1998) and Seriously Funny (2000).
Facts
In 1985, Mike's son Mark accidentally shot dead his 17-year-old friend and received a suspended sentence. Five years later Mark, suffering from schizophrenia, committed suicide by setting himself on fire. As if that wasn't tragic enough, within weeks Mark's daughter Kirsty (Mike's granddaughter) died in her cot, aged six months. Ironically, Mike had been given a thorough examination and a clean bill of health just two weeks before he died. At the time of his death he owed £900,000, so creditors took all of his legacy.
This is Your Life: Mike was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on November 16th, 1994, surprised by host Michael Aspel following a stand-up gig at the Lakeside Country Club in Surrey. Fellow EastEnders (and Doctor Who!) actor Barbara Windsor paid tribute on the show.

Wendy Richard (Pauline Fowler) Jul 20 1943 to Feb 26 2009 (breast cancer)
Career highlights
Wendy made her acting debut in the 1961 series Saturday Spectacular, followed by roles in Hugh and I (1962-66, as Hugh's daughter), The Arthur Haynes Show (1962), Harpers West One (1962), HMS Paradise (1964), The Day of Ragnarok (1965), The Sullavan Brothers (1965), The Likely Lads (1965), Weavers Green (1966), Up Pompeii! (1970), On the Buses (1971), Please Sir! (1971), Both Ends Meet (1972), Bless This House (1972), Not On Your Nellie (1975), Spooner's Patch (1979) and Function Room (1985). Wendy's first brush with fame came playing Joyce Harker in soap The Newcomers between 1965-67, and later as blonde bombshell Miss Shirley Brahms in 69 episodes of the department store sitcom Are You Being Served? (1972-85) and its sequel Grace and Favour (1992-93), as well as the 1977 film version. During the 1970s Wendy also had a couple of recurring roles in sitcom Dad's Army, as Edith Parish in 1970 and then as Shirley in 1972-73. Also in the 1970s Wendy became a secondary regular member of the Carry On comedy team, appearing in Carry On Matron (1972, as Miss Willing) and Carry On Girls (1973, as the amusingly named Ida Downs) as well as the 1970 TV Christmas special. In 1985, Wendy secured the role for which she will be most remembered, Pauline Fowler in the soap EastEnders, who she played in 2,054 episodes between 1985-2006. After leaving the soap, Wendy took roles in Benidorm, Agatha Christie's Marple and Here Comes the Queen (all 2008).
Awards
2000: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to television drama
2007: British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
Facts
In 1962, Wendy joined Mike Sarne on the number one UK hit single Come Outside. She was a collector of ornamental frogs, which numbered more than 1,000. Wendy beat cancer twice - in 1996 and in 2002 - before it spread in 2008.

Nicola Stapleton (Mandy Salter) Born Aug 9 1974
Career highlights
Nicola began as a child actor, her first work being uncredited in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), after which she had roles in Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Hansel and Gretel (1987), Snow White (1987), Hannay (1988), Courage Mountain (1990) and the regular character of Sally in Simon and the Witch (1987-88). Nicola joined EastEnders as Mandy in 1992, and played her for almost 200 episodes between 1992-94 and 2011-12. Work outside EastEnders has included The Thin Blue Line (1995), Urban Ghost Story (1998), The Killing Zone (1999), Audrey and Friends (2000), Chunky Monkey (2001), Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001), South West 9 (2001), Holby City (2004), The Commander (2007), Hollyoaks Later (2009), Postcode (2011), Blood and Carpet (2015), The Rise of the Krays (2015), The Fall of the Krays (2016), Dusty and Me (2016), White Gold (2017), Intruders (2017) and London Kills (2019). She also had the recurring role of Janine Nebeski in Bad Girls (2005-06) and Danielle Hutch in Emmerdale (2008-09), but more recently is known for voicing the character of Rosie in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (2017-20).
Facts
In 2001, Nicola's father Vincent was jailed for five years for his part in an £11m VAT computer chip fraud. Her brother was also fined £10,000 for helping in the fraudulent business, which involved importing VAT-exempt microchips from the EU and selling them to firms with added VAT, before claiming money back from the Government. In 2008, Nicola battled against the Customs Prosecution Office at the High Court in order to keep her property in London, which she had purchased from her father for £175,000 before his imprisonment. The prosecution claimed the house had originally been purchased from "ill-gotten gains" and wanted to seize the property as part of the confiscation order. Nicola maintained she bought the property out of her earnings as an actress in 2000 and the court found in her favour.

Pam St Clement (Pat Butcher) Born May 11 1942
Career highlights
Debuted in Doomwatch (1972), then The Fenn Street Gang (1973), All Our Saturdays (1973), Hedda (1975), A Horseman Riding By (1978), Emmerdale Farm (1980), The Bunker (1981), Angels (1981), Scrubbers (1982), Bottle Boys (1984), The Tripods (1985) and CATS Eyes (1986). Former teacher Pam won the role of Pat in 1986, and went on to play her in more than 2,500 episodes until 2012. After leaving the soap, Pam appeared in Leonardo (2012) and Casualty (2016-17).
Awards
2012: British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
Facts
Bisexual Pam is an avid campaigner for both gay rights and animal welfare.

This is Your Life: Pam was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on September 20th, 1995, surprised by host Michael Aspel while filming a scene for EastEnders. Other notable guests from the world of Doctor Who included Mike Reid, Tony Caunter, Isla Blair, Simon Williams, Anna Wing, June Brown and Ian McKellen.

Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Beale) Born Aug 14 1955
Career highlights
Gillian's acting debut came in Eleanor (1974), after which she appeared in Zigger Zagger (1975), Somebody's Daughter (1978), The Rag Trade (1977-78), Thundercloud (1979), Watch This Space (1980), The Long Good Friday (1980), Sink or Swim (1981), On Safari (1982-84), The Gentle Touch (1984) and Stars of the Roller State Disco (1985). She won the role of Kathy Beale in EastEnders in 1985, and she has played the part in more than 1,600 episodes since. Her later work includes Big Cat (1998), The Knock (2000), Messiah (2001/03), The House That Jack Built (2002), Jane Hall (2006) and Missing (2010). Regular roles have included Jackie Webb in 38 episodes of Footballers' Wives (2002-06), Sergeant Nikki Wright in 56 episodes of The Bill (2006-08) and Sandy Roscoe in 161 episodes of soap Hollyoaks (2013-15). Gillian also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant in 2008, and on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013.
Facts
Her sister Kim Taylforth is also an actor. In 1994, Gillian was involved in a high-profile court case when she sued The Sun newspaper for libel after it ran a story claiming she and her then partner Geoff Knights had performed sexual acts on a slip road on the A1 in their vehicle. Gillian claimed her partner had suffered an attack of pancreatitis and she was merely massaging his stomach to soothe his abdominal pain; however, a police officer claimed she was performing fellatio. In the case, the jury returned a verdict in favour of The Sun.

This is Your Life: Gillian was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on January 16th, 2003, surprised by host Michael Aspel while filming a scene for Footballers' Wives at the National Maritime Museum. Among those paying tribute were Doctor Who alumni Anna Wing, Shobu Kapoor, Mona Hammond, Anita Dobson and Michelle Collins.

Deepak Verma (Sanjay Kapoor) Born Feb 11 1969
Career highlights
Deepak debuted in Taggart in 1992 before securing the role of Sanjay in EastEnders which he would play for more than 360 episodes between 1993-98. After leaving EastEnders, Deepak appeared in Empty Mirror (2000), Holby City (2001), White Teeth (2002), All About Me (2003), 5 Aside (2014), Dominion (2015), City of Tiny Lights (2016), The Good Karma Hospital (2017) and Emergency: LA (2021). He also appeared in almost 400 episodes of the Hindi comedy drama Kyunki... Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi between 2000-02.
Awards
2017: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the arts
Facts
Deepak runs his own production company, Pukkanasha Films.

Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) Born Jun 28 1968
Career highlights
Adam's acting debut came playing Shiner in The Baker Street Boys (1983), after which he took the role of Dave Firkettle in 1983's The Witches and the Grinnygog. His third acting job was playing Ian Beale in EastEnders, which he joined in 1985 and has played in more than 3,900 episodes to date.
Awards
2013: British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (EastEnders)
2015: British Soap Awards Best On-Screen Partnership (EastEnders) - with Laurie Brett
Facts
Between 1983-85 Adam trained as a butcher in Wales. Here he is, on Twitter!

CREW

David Roden (writer)
Career highlights
At the time that he helped John Nathan-Turner write the script for Dimensions in Time, David was researcher on productions such as Derek Jarman's Wittgenstein and Blue. After this he became a production assistant on French Film (2008), a script editor on Casualty (2009-10) and Coronation Street (2013-14), a director on Doctors (2013), and a director and producer on Irish drama Red Rock (2015-17).
Facts
David used to run the BBC's Writers Academy, which trained writers to work on the BBC's continuing drama shows, and now runs his own screenwriting courses. He also wrote the schools version of the musical We Will Rock You. David also wrote several works of fiction for the Doctor Who Magazine Yearbooks in the 1990s, as well as the 2009 BBC audio adventure The Nemonite Invasion and one quarter of the 2008 BBC novel The Story of Martha. In 2013, David was on the cusp of being awarded a top drama producer's job at the BBC, but when allegations of sexual abuse against young men were highlighted by police, the job offer was withdrawn. No charges were subsequently brought against Roden by either accusers or police. Roden challenged the BBC's conduct in an employment tribunal in 2014. The case failed, but Roden was granted anonymity, which was subsequently overturned in 2015 after an appeal by the BBC.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with David here.

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

Stuart McDonald (director) Died Apr 12 2021 (car accident)
Career highlights
Stuart directed variety and entertainment shows since the 1980s, including Top of the Pops, That's Life!, morning television, Stars in Their Eyes, The National Lottery, Before They Were Famous, Robot Wars (for which he also provided the robot voices and announcements), Trisha, Tomorrow's World, BAFTA Tributes, Royal Variety Performance, The Two Ronnies Sketchbook, Test the Nation, Parkinson, Gladiators, Pointless, The Chase, The Apprentice: You're Fired!, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and Question Time. He started out as a vision mixer on series such as Chockablock and Bellamy's Backyard Safari in 1981. Stuart did not leave his experience with 3D television behind either, as he also pioneering 3D TV broadcasting with Sky.

The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 13-14 (aka The Ultimate Foe)

The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) gets
that sinking feeling you have when you
get to the end of a season and wonder
if you'll get another one...

Two episodes (of a total of 14) (Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen)
First broadcast Nov 29 to Dec 6 1986
Average audience for serial: 5.0m

REGULAR CAST

Colin Baker (The Doctor) Born Jun 8 1943 Click here for Colin Baker's entry on Arc of Infinity

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964 Click here for Bonnie Langford's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12

Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor) May 31 1948 to Oct 19 2014 (colon cancer) Click here for Lynda Bellingham's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

Michael Jayston (The Valeyard) Oct 29 1935 to Feb 5 2024 Click here for Michael Jayston's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

GUEST CAST

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

James Bree (Keeper of the Matrix) 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.

Geoffrey Hughes (Mr Popplewick) Feb 2 1944 to Jul 27 2012 (prostate cancer)
Career highlights
Geoffrey made his acting debut as Podge in The Likely Lads (1966), after which he found work in The Bofors Gun (1968), Yellow Submarine (1968, as the voice of Paul McCartney), The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Curry and Chips (1969), Up Pompeii! (1970), Carry On at Your Convenience (1971), Dad's Army (1972), Crown Court (1974), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Nijinsky (1980), The Bright Side (1985), Flying Lady (1989), Spender (1991), The Upper Hand (1993), Flick (2008), Skins (2007-09) and The History of Stand-Up Comedy (2010). Geoffrey had four long-running roles which he will forever be remembered for: Eddie Yeats in over 160 episodes of soap Coronation Street (1974-83/87), Onslow in 44 episodes of sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990-95), Vernon Scripps in 88 episodes of Heartbeat (2001-07) and Twiggy in eight episodes of sitcom The Royle Family (1998-2008).
Facts
Geoffrey was first diagnosed with cancer in 1996, but beat it; sadly, it returned in 2010 and he had to give up acting. In 2009, he was appointed Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the Isle of Wight (where he lived), making him the official link between the island and royalty at formal engagements. He was also the Honorary Squire of the Dartington Morris Men and made an appearance at the Dartington Morris Ring meeting in 2008. His musical interests included English folk-rock, which led to him compering at Fairport Convention's annual Copredy festival several times.
This is Your Life: Geoffrey was the subject of BBC TV's This is Your Life on February 14th, 2001, surprised by host Michael Aspel during filming of the drama Heartbeat in Yorkshire.

Tony Selby (Glitz) Feb 26 1938 to Sep 5 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sabalom Glitz in The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 & 13-14 (1986), Dragonfire (1987)
Career highlights
Tony debuted at the age of 13 in 1951's Menius Was a Bad Boy, followed by roles in Skippy Smith Goes to the Circus (1953), The Explorer (1955), An Alligator Named Daisy (1955), An Age of Kings (1960), Teletale (1964), Alfie (1966), King of the River (1966), Poor Cow (1967), The Informer (1967), The Avengers (1968), Witchfinder General (1968), According to Dora (1969), Shine a Light (1970), Catweazle (1971), Villain (1971), Ace of Wands (1970-71), Warship (1973), Reg Varney (1974), Moody and Pegg (1974-75), The Good Life (1975-76), Superman (1978), Jack of Diamonds (1983), Give Us a Break (1983-84), Hideaway (1986), The Secret Garden (1987), The World of Lee Evans (1995), Loop (1997), Holby City (1999), Burnside (2000), EastEnders (2002), Dream Team (2006), My Family (2011), Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) and Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016). Tony also regularly played Corporal Percy Marsh in Get Some In! (1975-78), Bert in Mulberry (1992-93), Max Taplow in Love Hurts (1992-94) and Sergeant Nozzer Richardson in The Detectives (1994-97).

CREW

Robert Holmes (writer, Part 13) Apr 2 1926 to May 24 1986 (chronic liver ailment) Click here to see Robert Holmes's entry on The Krotons

Pip Baker (writer, Part 14) Jan 3 1929 to Apr 14 2020 (coronavirus)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (episodes 9-12 & 14, 1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Pip co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Pip was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Make Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000, Pip and Jane resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.
Facts
Pip was named after the Dickens character in Great Expectations. He suffered a fall early in 2020 and was ill for some time before being admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties shortly before he died.

Jane Baker (writer, Part 14) Dec 30 1924 to Aug 29 2014
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (episodes 9-12 & 14, 1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Jane co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Jane was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Choose Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000 Jane and Pip resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.

Chris Clough (director) Born Mar 9 1951
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-14 (1986), Delta and the Bannermen (1987), Dragonfire (1987), The Happiness Patrol (1988), Silver Nemesis (1988)
Played: Voice of Fifi in The Happiness Patrol (1988, uncredited)
Played: Policeman in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
Further directing work includes Brookside (1982), EastEnders (1985-88), Casualty (1994-95), The Bill (1992-95), Ballykissangel (1996) and Skins (2007). Chris later went into production, handling The Bill (1995-97), Ballykissangel (1998-99), Black Cab (2000), Table 12 (2001), Born and Bred (2003-04), The Ghost Squad (2005), Skins (2007-13), Sirens (2011), Strike Back (2012), Lucan (2013), The Missing (2014), Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016), Rellik (2017), Dark Heart (2018) and World on Fire (2019).
Awards
2019: BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama (Killed By My Debt) - with Joseph Bullman, Tahsin Guner and Aysha Rafaele.

Eric Saward (script editor, Part 13) Born Dec 9 1944 Click here for Eric Saward's entry on Castrovalva

John Nathan-Turner (producer, and (uncredited) script editor, Part 14) Aug 12 1947 to May 1 2002 (liver failure) Click here for John Nathan-Turner's entry on The Leisure Hive

The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-12 (aka Terror of the Vervoids)

Prof Lasky (Honor Blackman) reminds
the Vervoids that she's worked with
scarier plant life than them!

Four episodes (of a total of 14) (Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve)
First broadcast Nov 1 to 22 1986
Average audience for serial: 5.10m

REGULAR CAST

Colin Baker (The Doctor) Born Jun 8 1943 Click here for Colin Baker's entry on Arc of Infinity

Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Born Jul 22 1964
Doctor Who credits
Played: Melanie Bush in The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-14, Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers, Delta and the Bannermen, Dragonfire (1986-87). Return appearances in Dimensions in Time (1993), The Power of the Doctor (2022), The Giggle (2023), The Legend of Ruby Sunday/ Empire of Death (2024), Wish World/ The Reality War (2025)
Career highlights
Starting out as a child star on series such as Junior Showtime (1973), Bonnie's earliest major role was in the film Bugsy Malone (1976, credited as Bonita), after which she had her first taste of true fame playing Violet Elizabeth Bott in Just William (1977-78). Further acting credits include Wombling Free: The Movie (1977), Tonight at 8.30: Family Album (1991), Goodnight Sweetheart (1999), Agatha Christie's Marple (2006), Hotel Babylon (2008) and 42nd Street: The Musical (2019). Her most memorable role was playing Carmel Kazemi in more than 350 episodes of soap EastEnders (2015-18). She has also made a niche for herself as a dancer, entertainer and presenter on programmes such as The Hot Shoe Show (1983-84), Saturday Starship (1984-85) and Dancing on Ice (2006, in which she came third, competing with Matt Evers; and 2014, in which she came eighth, competing with Andrei Lipanov). She has also played Mel in various fan audio adventures since 2000.
Awards
2016: British Soap Award for Best Newcomer (EastEnders)
Facts
In 1970, Bonnie won Hughie Green's talent show Opportunity Knocks. Much of her career since the 1990s has been spent on stage, on Broadway and in the West End. In 1995, Bonnie married actor Paul Grunert, at the time best known for his appearances in the National Lottery TV commercials. Bonnie's sister Cherida is married to actor and manager Sandy Strallen, making Bonnie the aunt of actresses Scarlett, Zizi and Summer Strallen. Her mother founded Babette Langford's The Young Set. Here she is, on Twitter!
This is Your Life: Bonnie was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on January 29th, 1986 (just six days after she had been announced as the new Doctor Who companion), surprised by host Eamonn Andrews during a curtain call of the pantomime Peter Pan at the Aldwych Theatre, London. Bonnie was the first Doctor Who companion to be honoured by TiYL.

Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor) May 31 1948 to Oct 19 2014 (colon cancer) Click here for Lynda Bellingham's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

Michael Jayston (The Valeyard) Oct 29 1935 to Feb 5 2024 Click here for Michael Jayston's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

GUEST CAST

David Allister (Bruchner)
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).

Bob Appleby (Vervoid) 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.

Hugh Beverton (Guard) May 17 1947 to Nov 14 2003
Career highlights
Hugh's CV also includes work on The Cedar Tree (1977), The Birds Fall Down (1978), The Cleopatras (1983), Magnum, P.I. (1985), Menace Unseen (1988), The Bretts (1989) and In Sickness and in Health (1990).
Facts
Hugh's full birth name was Lord Hugh Beverton, but he wasn't an actual lord!

Honor Blackman (Professor Lasky) Aug 22 1925 to Apr 5 2020 (natural causes)
Career highlights
Honor is best known for her iconic roles as Cathy Gale in more than 40 episodes of The Avengers (1962-64) and Pussy Galore in the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964). Honor's earliest role was in Flame is the Spur (1947), followed by Daughter of Darkness (1948), Conspirator (1949), Diamond City (1949), The Rainbow Jacket (1954), The Three Musketeers (1956), Account Rendered (1957), A Night to Remember (1958), The Square Peg (1958), Invisible Man (1959), Probation Officer (1959), The Four Just Men (1959-60), Bootsie and Snudge (1961), A Matter of WHO (1961), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), The Secret of My Success (1965), Shalako (1968), Lola (1970), The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970), Fright (1971), Columbo (1972), To the Devil a Daughter (1976), The Cat and the Canary (1978), Never the Twain (1981-82), Lace (1984), William Tell (1987), Tale of the Mummy (1998), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Dr Terrible's House of Horrible (2001), Midsomer Murders (2003), The Royal (2003), Revolver (2004), Coronation Street (2004), I, Anna (2012), Cockneys vs Zombies (2012), By Any Means (2013) and You, Me & Them (2015). Honor's other memorable recurring role was as Laura West in almost 100 episodes of the sitcom The Upper Hand (1990-96).
Awards
2000: BAFTA Special Award (The Avengers) - with Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson and Joanna Lumley
Facts
Honor's second husband was actor Maurice Kaufmann. Honor, along with her Avengers co-star Patrick Macnee, enjoyed some music chart success when they sang the tongue in cheek song Kinky Boots in 1964. The single was not an initial hit, but found new success with a 1990 reissue, when it peaked at number 5 in the UK. Other contemporary recordings by Honor which became B-sides include Let's Keep It Friendly, I Wish I Never Loved You and Men Will Deceive You. She also recorded Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup in 1964 for the Decca album Everything I've Got. Liberal Honor was also a political activist, campaigning to abolish the UK monarchy and turning down a CBE in the 2002 Queen's Honours.
This is Your Life: Honor was twice the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life; firstly on December 17th, 1969, surprised by host Eamonn Andrews in the dressing room of Euston Road Studios; and secondly on February 17th, 1993, at Teddington Studios. Two other Doctor Who actors appeared as guests on this second show - Elspet Gray and June Whitfield. Link to The Red Book entry.

Peppi Borza (Vervoid) Oct 22 1936 to Jul 24 1990 (AIDS-related illness)
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Peppi's last credited acting work, after having appeared in Man of La Mancha (1972), Peter Pan (1976), Intimate Games (1976) and The Pirates of Penzance (1983).
Facts
Real name Giuseppe Mario Charly Borza, the American-born dancer and songwriter (who, in the 1940s, had an act with his sister Nita and performed with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr, Jack Benny and Judy Garland) was a close friend of singer Dusty Springfield, and partner to her brother Tom. In 1964, Peppi and Tom co-wrote Dusty's Christmas charity single in aid of Dr Barnardo's, O Holy Child. He also contributed to the composition of other Springfield tracks, including No Tears for Johnnie and Chain Gang Blues. In 1965, Peppi co-wrote Matt Monro's Before You Go. Here's a photo of Peppi singing with Dusty and Dionne Warwick. Peppi also tried to become a pop star himself - as Peppi and the New York Twisters - but despite recording several singles in the 1960s (including The Skip (1965), an attempt to start a new dance craze, and Pistol Packin' Mama), it came to nothing. Peppi did perform at Liverpool's Cavern Club, however, during the same period as the up-and-coming Beatles, and once showed a young Cilla Black how to dance the Twist on stage there!

Michael Craig (Commodore) Born Jan 27 1929
Career highlights
Indian born Michael's earliest acting credit was in The Lady with a Lamp in 1951, although he had had an uncredited part in 1949's Passport to Pimlico. Further work includes The Lady with a Lamp (1951), The Embezzler (1954), Svengali (1954), Blonde Sinner (1956), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), Desert Patrol (1958), Life in Emergency Ward 10 (1959), The Angry Silence (1960), Doctor in Love (1960), Mysterious Island (1961), Life at the Top (1965), Modesty Blaise (1966), Star! (1968), Lola (1970), Husbands and Lovers (1970), A Town Called Hell (1971), The Vault of Horror (1973), Second Time Around (1974), Inn of the Damned (1975), The Emigrants (1976), The Irishman (1978), The Foundation (1978), The Danedyke Mystery (1979), Hot Resort (1985), Robin of Sherwood (1986), Always Greener (2003), Fat Pizza (2003/05), Mary Bryant (2005) and Doctors (2009/11). Michael's recurring roles include Captain John Anderson in the ill-fated maritime soap Triangle (1981-83), Dr William Sharp in over 260 episodes of GP (1989-95) and Gordon Mahon in Grass Roots (2000-03). Michael is also a screen writer, having written the original treatment for The Angry Silence (for which he was Oscar-nominated), as well as his own productions such as Tiger Trap in the Street (1969), Father's Help (1971), The Fourth Wish (1974), The Killing of Angel Street (1981) and a couple of episodes of GP (1991-92). He also created the series The Outsiders (1976-77) and Menotti (1980).
Awards
1991: Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor (GP)
Facts
Between 1969-72 Michael was Hollywood star Natalie Wood's brother-in-law, as his brother - the writer Richard Gregson - was married to her. Michael was once voted The Most Trusted Man in Australia after his long-running role in GP. His wife is actress Sue Walker, who played Eva Fowler in GP.
This is Your Life: Michael was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on June 29th, 1994, surprised by host Michael Aspel on set in Sydney for the Australian drama series GP. Two Doctor Who actors paid tribute to him on the show - Honor Blackman and George Baker.

Leon Davis (Ortezo) Jun 18 1959 to Oct 28 2022
Career highlights
Leon began his acting career as a child performer, working on O Fat White Woman (1971) and The Boy with Two Heads (1974) and then Call Me Mister (1986), London's Burning (1986), Hellraiser (1987), The Chef's Apprentice (1989) and The Bill (1992).

Denys Hawthorne (Rudge) Aug 9 1932 to Oct 16 2009
Career highlights
Debuted in Henrietta, MD (1956), then appeared in The Search Party (1960), The Randy Dandy (1961), Cemented with Love (1965), The Swappers (1970), The Sinners (1970), Suburban Wives (1972), Sporting Scenes (1974), Spy Trap (1975), Grange Hill (1978), It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1978), Strumpet City (1980), Easter 2016 (1982), Harry's Game (1982), A Private Function (1984), The Man from Moscow (1985), Rumpole of the Bailey (1987), Crossfire (1988), Troubles (1988), Jack the Ripper (1988), Hannay (1989), The Russia House (1990), In the Name of the Father (1993), Dandelion Dead (1994), Father Ted (1996), Emma (1996) and Every Woman Knows a Secret (1999). Denys also had long-running roles as Dr Peter Mayes in Within These Walls (1974-78) and James Farrell in Capital City (1989-90).
Facts
Following what became his final acting work in 1999, Denys suffered a stroke which left him unable to speak and suffering memory loss. He was awarded the Society of Authors' prize for his dramatisation of Jennifer Johnston's novel How Many Miles to Babylon, and was a joint recipient in 2002 of a Spoken Word Publishers Association award for his contribution to the recording of WB Yeats's poetry for audiobooks.

Arthur Hewlett (Kimber) Mar 12 1907 to Feb 25 1997
Doctor Who credits
Played: Kalmar in State of Decay (1980)
Played: Kimber in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
Arthur made his debut in Buoyant Billions (1949), then Jonah (1950), Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951), Quatermass and the Pit (1958), Harpers West One (1961-62), The Third Alibi (1961), Hugh and I (1962), The Avengers (1962), HMS Paradise (1964), The Valiant Varneys (1964-65), Three Bites of the Apple (1967), A Dandy in Aspic (1968), Sinister Street (1969), Castle Haven (1969), The Unpleasantness of the Bellona Club (1972), Emmerdale Farm (1973), The Kids from 47A (1974), Man About the House (1974), The Changes (1975), Dickens of London (1976), Blake's 7 (1979), The Black Adder (1983), That's My Boy (1985-86), Lost Empires (1986), Personal Services (1987), Moondial (1988), Great Expectations (1989), Memento Mori (1992) and Class Act (1994).

Sam Howard (Atza)
Career highlights
Sam's other work includes Big Deal (1986), Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire (1987), Only Fools and Horses (1989), Shadow of the Noose (1989), The Jim Henson Hour (1989) and Press Gang (1989-91).

Mike Mungarvan (Duty officer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Mutt in The Mutants (1972, uncredited)
Played: Guard in The Face of Evil (1977, uncredited), The Androids of Tara (1978, uncredited)
Played: Outsider in The Invasion of Time (1978, uncredited)
Played: Druid in The Stones of Blood (1978, uncredited)
Played: Dalek operator in Destiny of the Daleks (1979)
Played: Plain clothes detective in Louvre in City of Death (1979, uncredited)
Played: Argolin in The Leisure Hive (1980, uncredited)
Played: Citizen in Full Circle (1980, uncredited)
Played: Kilroy in Warriors' Gate (1981, uncredited)
Played: Hostage in Kinda (1982, uncredited)
Played: Knight in The King's Demons (1983, uncredited)
Played: Soldier in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984, uncredited)
Played: Jacondan in The Twin Dilemma (1984, uncredited)
Played: Extra in The Trial of a Time Lord Part 5 (1986, uncredited)
Played: Duty officer in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Played: Lakertyan in Time and the Rani (1987, uncredited)
Played: Tetrap in Time and the Rani (1987, uncredited)
Played: Genius in Time and the Rani (1987, uncredited)
Played: Policeman in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Played: Passer-by in The Christmas Invasion (2005, uncredited)
Career highlights
Mike's earliest role was in Doctor At Large (1971), then Sykes (1975), Scum (1977), Star Wars (1977), Ripping Yarns (1977), The Professionals (1980), Blake's 7 (1978/81), The Gentle Touch (1983), American Roulette (1988), Young Soul Rebels (1991), Nelson's Column (1995) and Charlie (2004).
Facts
Mike is one of only three actors to appear in both the first and last episodes of Blake's 7 (along with Gareth Thomas and Michael Keating). He is also thought to be the only actor to both play a Dalek (Destiny of the Daleks) and be killed by a Dalek (Resurrection of the Daleks).

Yolande Palfrey (Janet) Mar 29 1957 to Apr 9 2011 (brain tumour)
Career highlights
Yolande debuted in Don't Forget to Write! (1977), after which she found work in The Ghosts of Motley Hall (1977), Wings (1978), Pennies from Heaven (1978), Blake's 7 (1979), Crime and Punishment (1979), Love in a Cold Climate (1980), Dragonslayer (1981), Nanny (1982-83), Shelley (1983), The Princess Academy (1987), Indelible Evidence (1987) and You Rang, M'Lord? (1991).
Facts
There are some lovely family and candid photos in memory of Yolande here. Yolande's husband was actor Richard Austin.

Tony Scoggo (Grenville/ Enzu) May 6th 1936 to October 2022
Career highlights
Tony (real name Anthony Scoggins) debuted in United Kingdom (1981), then appeared in Boys from the Blackstuff (1982), No Surrender (1985), Out of Order (1987), Bread (1986/89) and Hearts and Minds (1995). However, his most memorable role was as Matty Nolan in Liverpool soap Brookside (1982-92).
Facts
In the 1990s Tony gave up acting to enter local politics in the Knowsley area of Merseyside. 'Scoggo' was a Scouse abbreviation of Tony's real surname, Scogings.

Simon Slater (Edwardes) Born Mar 7 1959
Career highlights
Simon's acting debut came in Solo One in 1976, after which his CV takes in Chopper Squad (1978), Dealers (1989), London's Burning (1989), Spatz (1990), Sam Saturday (1992), Chef! (1993), Men of the World (1994), Magic Grandad (1994), Waiting (1995), McCallum (1995), Grange Hill (1997), Invasion: Earth (1998), Monarch of the Glen (2000-01), Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (2001), In a Land of Plenty (2001), Sweet Medicine (2003), Hotel Babylon (2006), Spooks (2007), The Iron Lady (2011), Scott and Bailey (2014) and Mr Selfridge (2016). Simon has also had regular roles as Inspector Kite in The Bill (1987) and Mr Lucas/ Thomas in Out of Sight (1996-98). Simon is also a prolific musician and composer, with piano, double bass, saxophone, clarinet and ukulele part of his repertoire. In his musical capacity he has had additional screen credits on productions such as Inquisition (2002), Dalziel and Pascoe (2006-07), Great Expectations (2013) and The Ivory Year (2014).
Facts
Actress Samantha Womack (nee Janus) was once cited as implicated in Simon's divorce proceedings from his ex-wife, actor Natalie Forbes. Here he is, on Twitter!

Malcolm Tierney (Doland) Feb 25 1938 to Feb 18 2014 (pulmonary fibrosis)
Career highlights
Malcolm made his debut in No Hiding Place in 1964, after which he took roles in Public Eye (1965), Last of the Long-Haired Boys (1968), All Neat in Black Stockings (1969), Existence (1973), The Love School (1975), Star Wars (1977), Poldark (1977), Lillie (1978), McVicar (1980), The Spoils of War (1980-81), The Home Front (1983), Spyship (1983), Prospects (1986), Room at the Bottom (1986), A Bit of a Do (1989), House of Cards (1990), In the Name of the Father (1993), Braveheart (1995), The Saint (1997), LA Without a Map (1998), Dalziel and Pascoe (1998-99), Shiner (2000), The Final Curtain (2002), Hindenburg (2007), The Unsinkable Titanic (2008), Wallander (2008), Great Expectations (2012) and Two Days in the Smoke (2014). Malcolm also played villain Tommy McArdle in soap Brookside between 1983-87 and Charlie Gimbert in 28 episodes of Lovejoy (1986-93).
Facts
Malcolm, who once shared a flat with Tom Baker, performed in the last stage play to be banned by the British Lord Chamberlain when he played Benjamin Disraeli in Edward Bond's Early Morning at the Royal Court Theatre in 1968. The play depicted Queen Victoria and Florence Nightingale as lesbian lovers and climaxed with a scene set in Heaven where everybody ate one another.

Barbara Ward (Ruth Baxter)
Career highlights
Other acting work includes Jackanory Playhouse (1981), The Practice (1985), A Sense of Guilt (1990) and Surgical Spirit (1991). She now works as a voice and dialect tutor.

Martin Weedon (Guard)
Career highlights
Martin debuted in Kelly Monteith (1979), then Stalky & Co (1982), The Hello Goodbye Man (1984), Artists and Models (1986), Playing for Real (1988) and The Bill (1990).

CREW

Pip Baker (writer) Jan 3 1929 to Apr 14 2020 (coronavirus)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (episodes 9-12 & 14, 1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Pip co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Pip was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Make Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000, Pip and Jane resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.
Facts
Pip was named after the Dickens character in Great Expectations. He suffered a fall early in 2020 and was ill for some time before being admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties shortly before he died.

Jane Baker (writer) Dec 30 1924 to Aug 29 2014
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Mark of the Rani (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (episodes 9-12 & 14, 1986), Time and the Rani (1987)
Career highlights
As part of a highly successful husband and wife writing team, Jane co-wrote for The Pursuers (1961), The Third Alibi (1961), Dilemma (1962), Detective (1968), Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969), Circus (1975), Space: 1999 (1976), Z Cars (1976-77), Watt on Earth (1991-92) and The Last 28 (1999). Jane was also an accomplished playwright and novelist, co-writing Doctor Who novelisations of their TV stories, as well as a Choose Your Own Adventure book entitled Race Against Time (1986), which also featured the Rani. In 2000 Jane and Pip resurrected the Rani once more for the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind.

Chris Clough (director) Born Mar 9 1951
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 9-14 (1986), Delta and the Bannermen (1987), Dragonfire (1987), The Happiness Patrol (1988), Silver Nemesis (1988)
Played: Voice of Fifi in The Happiness Patrol (1988, uncredited)
Played: Policeman in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
Further directing work includes Brookside (1982), EastEnders (1985-88), Casualty (1994-95), The Bill (1992-95), Ballykissangel (1996) and Skins (2007). Chris later went into production, handling The Bill (1995-97), Ballykissangel (1998-99), Black Cab (2000), Table 12 (2001), Born and Bred (2003-04), The Ghost Squad (2005), Skins (2007-13), Sirens (2011), Strike Back (2012), Lucan (2013), The Missing (2014), Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016), Rellik (2017), Dark Heart (2018) and World on Fire (2019).
Awards
2019: BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama (Killed By My Debt) - with Joseph Bullman, Tahsin Guner and Aysha Rafaele.

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

The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 5-8 (aka Mindwarp)

"I'm fairly sure that's not Cromer..."

Four episodes (of a total of 14) (Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight)
First broadcast Oct 4 to 25 1986
Average audience for serial: 4.88m

REGULAR CAST

Colin Baker (The Doctor) Born Jun 8 1943 Click here for Colin Baker's entry on Arc of Infinity

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

Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor) May 31 1948 to Oct 19 2014 (colon cancer) Click here for Lynda Bellingham's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

Michael Jayston (The Valeyard) Oct 29 1935 to Feb 5 2024 Click here for Michael Jayston's entry on The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4

GUEST CAST

Brian Blessed (King Yrcanos) Born Oct 9 1936
Career highlights
Hearty Brian's debut was in Last Day in Dreamland (1959), after which he had roles in The Valiant (1962), Ghost Squad (1963), The Christmas Tree (1966), Cold Comfort Farm (1968), The Last Valley (1971), The Trojan Women (1971), Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), Hadleigh (1973), Arthur of the Britons (1972-73), Boy Dominic (1974), Churchill's People (1974), I, Claudius (1976), The Day After Tomorrow (1976), Survivors (1977), Blake's 7 (1978), The Aphrodite Inheritance (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), The Little World of Don Camillo (1981), High Road to China (1983), The Black Adder (1983), Return to Treasure Island (1986), William Tell (1987), My Family and Other Animals (1987), War and Remembrance (1988), The Castle of Adventure (1990), Waiting for Godot (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Johnny and the Dead (1995), Kidnapped (1995), Hamlet (1996), The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997), Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999), The Mumbo Jumbo (2000), Alexander (2004), Back in Business (2007), Kika and Bob (2008), The Wrong Door (2008), Family Guy (2008), The Royal (2008), Little Princess (2010-11), Henry Hugglemonster (2013-15), Sooty (2013), Decline of an Empire (2014), Toast of London (2015), The Lodge (2017), Robin Hood: The Rebellion (2018) and Dear Mr Burton (2020). Brian also had regular roles as Porthos in The Three Musketeers and The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers (1966-67) and PC "Fancy" Smith in over 110 episodes of Z Cars (1962-65), and also provided the voice of the Nekross King in Wizards vs Aliens (2012-13).
Awards
2016: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the arts and charity
Facts
Brian was part of the original London cast of musical Cats in 1981. At the age of 14, Brian attended the Second World Peace Congress in Sheffield (1950), where he met Pablo Picasso and sang I Still Suits Me with Paul Robeson. In 1954, aged 18, he suffered a nervous breakdown. In 2015, Brian collapsed on stage during a performance of King Lear, but managed to complete the performance after being attended to by a doctor from the audience. He later withdrew from the production, and was fitted with a heart pacemaker. He attempted to climb Mount Everest several times. As an avid adventurer, he also climbed Aconcagua in Argentina and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and is the oldest person to have reached both the geographical North Pole and the magnetic North Pole. Brian also trekked the jungles of Venezuela, during which he survived a plane crash. Brian has also completed training to be a cosmonaut, with a hope that one day he will be able to visit the International Space Station. He is married to Hildegarde Neil, perhaps best known to cult TV fans as Madame Midnight in Ace of Wands. Brian's distinctive booming voice can be heard intoning "Gordon's alive!" in the 1980 Queen single Flash, and he also features on Pythia's single Army of the Damned (2009) reading Siegfried Sassoon's war poem Suicide in the Trenches. Brian's voice is also a commentary option on the TomTom sat-nav system. Derek sustained an injury in 1990 which brought an end to his stunting career, but he became a fencing tutor soon after. In 1965, Derek formed the stunt team HAVOC to work in TV (namely Doctor Who (1970-72), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966-67) and Dick Barton: Special Agent (1979)); the name hails from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war". In the early 1990s, stunt arranger Derek Ware criticised Brian because he had been employed as an unregistered fight arranger for the panto Peter Pan at Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. Derek believed this would put actors' safety at risk, and was particularly aggrieved as he had to take work as a department store Santa Claus over the Christmas period. Derek said: "Brian Blessed is no more a fight director than I am a large and revered character actor." Shortly after, actor Simon Bridge suffered an eye injury after being hit in the face by a sword in a stage fight directed by Blessed. Among Brian's many other claims to fame is that he once hospitalised Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi with an accidental punch while filming Tom Jones in 1997, and was asked to be the Second Doctor in 1966 but was turned down when he asked if he could make the character "Oriental". He was originally cast as Odin in the 2015 story The Girl Who Died, but had to drop out due to illness. Here he is, on Twitter!

This is Your Life: Brian was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on April 4th, 1984, surprised by host Eamonn Andrews at London's Barbican Centre.

Thomas Branch (The Lukoser)
Thomas's only other credits are Needle (1990), Birds of a Feather (1991) and True Crimes (1992).

Richard Henry (Mentor) Died 2012
Career highlights
Richard made his debut in The Breaking of Colonel Keyser (1972), then Full House (1972), Oil Strike North (1975), Second Verdict (1976), Danger UXB (1979), Juliet Bravo (1983), The Pickwick Papers (1985), Rockcliffe's Babies (1987), The Bill (1988), Without a Clue (1988), Love Street (1994) and London's Burning (2000).

Trevor Laird (Frax) Born Jul 11 1957

Doctor Who credits

Played: Frax in The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 5-8 (1986)

Played: Clive Jones in Smith and Jones, The Sound of Drums/ Last of the Time Lords (2007)

Career highlights

Trevor's debut came in The Vanishing Army (1978), followed by roles in Quadrophenia (1979), The Long Good Friday (1980), Maybury (1981), Babylon (1981), Walter (1982), Struggle (1983-84), The Flying Devils (1985), The New Statesman (1987), The Lenny Henry Show (1988), Slipstream (1989), Bernard and the Genie (1991), Secrets and Lies (1996), Casualty (1999), William and Mary (2003), The Last Detective (2004), Peep Show (2004), The Eagle (2005), Waking the Dead (2009), Thorne (2010), Holby City (2014), Toast of London (2014), Death in Paradise (2015), No Offence (2017), To Be Someone (2020), Small Axe (2020) and Doctors (2003/2021).

Facts

He is one of the founder members of the Black Theatre Cooperative (now the Nitro Music Theatre).

Alibe Parsons (Matrona Kani) Born Dec 21 1935
Career highlights
American-born Alibe debuted in Treasure Island (1972), then made her name playing Sarah Gant in Gangsters (1976-78), followed by roles in Space: 1999 (1977), The Bitch (1979), The Sender (1982), Bergerac (1983), The Brief (1984), Lovejoy (1986), Biggles (1986), Aliens (1986), Dogfood Dan and the Carmarthen Cowboy (1988), Laura and Disorder (1989), Spatz (1991), Full Stretch (1993), Coronation Street (1993), Melissa (1997), Soul Patrol (2000), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2001), Waking the Dead (2004), The Crouches (2005), Inside the Twin Towers (2006), Incendiary (2008), Casualty (1990/94/2008/11) and Catastrophe (2019).

Facts

Between 1954-64, Alibe was married to actor John Copage (a prolific Star Trek franchise actor), and together they had son Marc Copage (best known as Corey Baker in the sitcom Julia (1968-71)).

Christopher Ryan (Kiv) Born Jan 25 1950
Doctor Who credits
Played: Kiv in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Played: General Staal in The Sontaran Stratagem/ The Poison Sky (2008)
Played: Commander Stark in The Pandorica Opens (2010)
Career highlights
5ft Christopher debuted in Target (1978), then appeared in Angels (1979), Fox (1980), The Olympian Way (1981), Inside Out (1985), Happy Families (1985), Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), The New Statesman (1992), Dirty Weekend (1993), Mr Bean (1994), Health and Efficiency (1995), Melissa (1997), My Family (2001/03), Saxondale (2007), The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle (2007), City Slacker (2012), It's Kevin (2013) and Tracey Breaks the News (2018). He will be best recognised as Mike TheCoolPerson in sitcom The Young Ones (1982-84), as well as Tony Driscoll in Only Fools and Horses (1989) and Green Green Grass (2005-06/09), Dave Hedgehog in Bottom (1991-95) and Marshall in Absolutely Fabulous (1992-2012 and the 2016 film). Christopher reprised the role of Kiv for the 2019 spin-off production Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor.
Facts
Christopher appears, along with the rest of The Young Ones, in the video for Cliff Richard's 1986 Comic Relief single Living Doll.

Patrick Ryecart (Crozier) Born May 9 1952
Career highlights
Patrick made his earliest appearance in The Goodies (1975), then took roles in The Cedar Tree (1976-77), A Bridge Too Far (1977), My Son, My Son (1979), Silver Dream Racer (1981), The Talisman (1980-81), Dick Turpin (1981), The Professionals (1982), Jenny's War (1985), Casanova (1987), The Bretts (1988), Minder (1989), Goldeneye (1989), A Perfect Hero (1991), Prisoner of Honor (1991), The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992), The Mixer (1992), Heart of Darkness (1993), Lovejoy (1994), Coming Home (1998), Nancherrow (1999), Parting Shots (1999), Holby City (2000-01), Doctors and Nurses (2004), The Lavender List (2006), The King's Speech (2010), The Escape Artist (2013), Poldark (2015-16) and The Contract (2016). He also played David Woodford in The Many Wives of Patrick (1976-78), Sir Kenneth in The Talisman (1980-81), Hugo Latimer in Trainer (1991-92), Captain Hilary Duff in The High Life (1994-95) and the Duke of Norfolk in The Crown (2016-19).
Facts
In 1977, Patrick married actress Marsha Fitzalan, a daughter of the late 17th Duke and dowager Duchess of Norfolk, in Westminster Cathedral. They divorced in 1995. Marsha is best known for playing Sarah B'Stard in The New Statesman.

Nabil Shaban (Sil) Feb 12 1953 to Oct 25 2025
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sil in Vengeance on Varos (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
Born in Jordan, Nabil's acting career began playing Ben Gunn in the 1982 TV movie Walter, after which he took roles in Raspberry Ripple (1986), Iranian Nights (1989), City of Joy (1992), Wittgenstein (1993), Skallagrigg (1994), Slave of Dreams (1995), Children of Men (2006), Trouble Sleeping (2008) and Morticia (2009). He also reprised the role of Sil in the spin-off production Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor (2019).
Facts
Nabil, who was born with the brittle bone disease osteogenesis imperfecta, co-founded the Graeae Theatre Company for artists with physical and sensory disabilities in 1980. He was sent to the UK as a child for treatment for his disease and as a result grew up in numerous hospitals and residential homes, with little contact with his family. Long-time Doctor Who fan Nabil sent a letter to the production team in 1974 saying he could become the new Master, and again in 1980 suggesting he could be the new Doctor! Nabil claimed to have an obsession with the number 53, citing examples such as the fact he was born in 1953, that his mobile phone number added up to 53, and that the letters of his name added up to 53 numerologically.

Gordon Warnecke (Tuza) Born Aug 24 1962
Career highlights
Gordon made his debut, and quite a name for himself, as one of the leads in the film My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), then appeared in Young Toscanini (1988), Birds of a Feather (1989), Only Fools and Horses (1990), The Pleasure Principle (1992), A Fatal Inversion (1992), Virtual Murder (1992), Dreamchild (1994), Brookside (1995), Exitz (2007), Looking for You (2010), Puppy Love (2014), Holby City (2017) and London Unplugged (2018). He had a recurring role as Hanif Kurtha in Boon (1986).

CREW

Philip Martin (writer) Jul 3 1938 to Dec 13 2020
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: Vengeance on Varos (1985), The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 5-8 (1986)
Career highlights
Philip's television writing career stems back to 1970 when he began penning scripts for Z Cars, after which he also worked on New Scotland Yard (1972), Gangsters (1975/78), Shoestring (1979), Star Cops (1987), Tandoori Nights (1987), Virtual Murder (1992), The Good Guys (1993), Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1997-98), Doctors (2007) and Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor (2019).
Facts
Philip's unused script for Season 23, before it became The Trial of a Time Lord, was Mission to Magnus featuring Sil and the Ice Warriors, which he novelised for Target in 1990 and was adapted into an audio adventure by Big Finish in 2009. Philip also wrote a Doctor Who 'make your own adventure' book in 1986 called Invasion of the Ormazoids. Philip's writing techniques on Gangsters (which he occasionally acted on as various minor characters) were featured on the Open University study list at one point.
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Philip here.

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

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

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

The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 (aka The Mysterious Planet)

On trial, both on and off screen: The
Doctor (Colin Baker) and the Inquisitor
(Lynda Bellingham) weigh up their chances

Four episodes (of a total of 14) (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Sep 6 to 27 1986
Average audience for serial: 4.35m

REGULAR CAST

Colin Baker (The Doctor) Born Jun 8 1943 Click here for Colin Baker's entry on Arc of Infinity

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

Lynda Bellingham (The Inquisitor) May 31 1948 to Oct 19 2014 (colon cancer)
Career highlights
Born in Canada, Lynda's acting debut came with The Misfit (1971), followed by Kate (1971), A Family at War (1971), Tell Tarby (1973), A Little Bit of Wisdom (1974), The Sweeney (1975), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976), Doctor on the Go (1977), The Fuzz (1977), The Pink Medicine Show (1978), Mackenzie (1980), Blake's 7 (1981), Educating Marmalade (1982), Martin Chuzzlewit (1994), Reach for the Moon (2000), My Uncle Silas (2001), Devil's Gate (2003), Odd Socks (2004), Bonkers (2007), Robin Hood (2007), Mister Eleven (2009) and Too Close for Comfort (2012/14). Lynda also had recurring roles as Nurse Hilda Price in General Hospital (1972-73), Helen Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small (1988-90), Pauline Farnell in At Home with the Braithwaites (2000-03) and Irene Radford in The Bill (2004). She also played Faith Grayshot in her own sitcom, Second Thoughts (1991-94) and its spin-off Faith in the Future (1995-98), and between 2007-2011 was a regular on the lunchtime discussion show Loose Women. In 2009, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, and was voted out in the fourth week.
Awards
2014: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to charity
Facts
One thing Lynda was associated with which irked her in later years was the Oxo television commercials, in which she played the mother of a family who viewers got to see grow up and develop over the course of 16 years, between 1983-99. Lynda's first husband was TV producer and director Greg Smith, while her son Michael Peluso also became an actor. Lynda was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2013 and at first was given a positive prognosis, but the cancer spread to her liver and lungs, and in September 2014 she announced she intended to cease treatment so she could enjoy one last Christmas with her family. Sadly, her last wish was not to be. Just weeks before her death, she published her autobiography, There's Something I'm Dying to Tell You.
In 2014, two days after her death, Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Lynda here.
This is Your Life: Lynda was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on January 27th, 1993, surprised by host Michael Aspel on set for the sitcom Second Thoughts. Four Doctor Who actors paid tribute to her on the show - Nickolas Grace, Gareth Hunt, Peter Davison and Colin Baker, as well as director Peter Moffatt. Link to The Big Red Book entry.

Michael Jayston (The Valeyard) Oct 29 1935 to Feb 5 2024
Career highlights
Michael's earliest role was in Suspense in 1962 (as "Intense Young Man"!), after which he appeared in The Power Game (1969), Solo (1970), Cromwell (1970), Macbeth (1970), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Mr Rolls and Mr Royce (1972), Jane Eyre (1973), The Internecine Project (1974), Quiller (1975), Zulu Dawn (1979), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), Flesh and Blood (1980), Man of Letters (1984), Big Deal (1985), Still Crazy Like a Fox (1987), About Face (1989), A Bit of a Do (1989), Haggard (1990), Cluedo (1991), The Darling Buds of May (1993), Outside Edge (1995-96), Only Fools and Horses (1996), Heartburn Hotel (1998), EastEnders (2002), The Royal (2003-04/07), Albert's Memorial (2009), Tracy Beaker Returns (2011), Borgia (2014), The Man Who Choked (2014) and From This Day Forward (2019). He also played Donald De Souza in over 80 episodes of soap Emmerdale (2007-08).
Facts
Michael's first wife was the actor Lynn Farleigh, who herself has been married two other times - always to Doctor Who actors (David Yip and John Woodvine).

GUEST CAST

Adam Blackwood (Balazar) Born Jul 14 1959
Career highlights
Adam debuted in Blake's 7 (1981), followed by roles in Stalky and Co (1982), By the Sword Divided (1983), A Passage to India (1984), London's Burning (1988), Great Expectations (1991), The Old Curiosity Shop (1995), Kidnapped (1995), Midsomer Murders (2001), Cambridge Spies (2003) and My Dad's the Prime Minister (2003-04). He played Cyril Fotheringay Phipps in Jeeves and Wooster (1990), Dr Poole in The Tomorrow People (1994) and provided the voice of James Bond in 007 computer games (1999-2001). He also featured regularly in comedian Harry Enfield's sketches in the 1990s as Chris Chapman, with Tim Nice-But-Dim.
Facts
Adam is married to actress Nicola King. In 1993 he set up the event management company Private Drama.

Roger Brierley (Voice of Drathro) June 2nd 1935 to September 23rd 2005 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Trevor in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Voice of Drathro in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
6ft 6in Roger's long career began in an episode of The Likely Lads (1965) and he went on to take roles in Hadleigh (1969), Budgie (1972), Sykes (1973), Rising Damp (1977), Kids (1979), Superman II (1980), Wood and Walters (1982), Only Fools and Horses (1982), Shine on Harvey Moon (1984, as Mr Compton), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Victoria Wood (1989), Jeeves and Wooster (1990-91, as Sir Roderick Glossop), Bottom (1991), Mr Bean (1993), Pat and Margaret (1994), Have Your Cake and Eat It (1997), Tilly Trotter (1999), Ali G Indahouse (2002), About a Boy (2002), Spooks (2003), Footballers' Wives (2004) and The Brief (2005). He also performed musical numbers in Dennis Potter's Pennies from Heaven (1978) and the game show 3-2-1 (1982).
Facts
A keen Manchester United fan, Roger was a founder member of the shareholders' independent organisation. Roger's partner for many years was actress Gillian McCutcheon, best known for playing Warren's therapist in 90s series This Life. For the last 20 years of his life, Roger suffered from angina.

Tom Chadbon (Merdeen) February 27th 1946 to July 2026
Doctor Who credits
Played: Duggan in City of Death (1979)
Played: Merdeen in The Trial of a Time Lord (1986)
Career highlights
Tom's earliest role was in The Jazz Age (1968), followed by Shadows of Fear (1971). Hadleigh (1971), The Alf Garnett Saga (1972), The Stone Tape (1972), The Beast Must Die (1974), Rooms (1975), The Changes (1975), The Flight of the Heron (1976), Jubilee (1977), The Liver Birds (1977-79, as Derek Paynton), Blake's 7 (1979), The Brack Report (1982), Mitch (1984), Paradise Postponed (1986), Wish Me Luck (1989), Chancer (1990), Devices and Desires (1991), The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994), Space Precinct (1995), Crown Prosecutor (1995), Shooting Fish (1997), The 10th Kingdom (2000), Holby City (2000), Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real (2004), Taggart (2005), Casino Royale (2006), Peep Show (2008), Agatha Christie: Poirot (2013), Father Brown (2015), Agatha Raisin (2016), Letters from Baghdad (2016) and Game of Thrones (2017). He was also seen as Assistant Chief Constable John Brandon in Wire in the Blood (2002-04), Dr Kenworthy in Where the Heart Is (2001-06) and Henry Williams in Casualty (2008-11).

Facts

Between 1966-70, Tom was married to Deborah Leathers, daughter of the 2nd Viscount Leathers, of Purfleet, Essex.

Billy McColl (Humker) Nov 15 1951 to Jan 1 2014 (brain tumour)
Career highlights
Billy's CV includes roles in Cold Harbour (1978), The Music Machine (1979), Holding the Fort (1980), Grandad (1980), Cloud Howe (1982), Ordeal By Innocence (1984), Dream Baby (1989), Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1993), Rab C Nesbitt (1993/99), Hamish Macbeth (1995), Looking After JoJo (1998), Oktober (1998), Psychos (1999), Glasgow Kiss (2000), Murder City (2004), Rebus (2006), The Untold Tommy Cooper (2011) and Vera (2012).
Facts
Billy was an authority on the works of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and also ran his own gardening business. In June 2014 Scottish playwright John Byrne instigated the Billy Award, to be given to young actors who make an impact on Scottish theatre. He was a good friend of Peter Capaldi.

Glen Murphy (Dibber) Born Apr 6 1957
Doctor Who credits
Played: Tribesman in Kinda (1982, uncredited)
Played: Dibber in The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 (1986)
Career highlights
Glen's earliest acting role was in Quadrophenia (1979), followed by Triangle (1981), A Fine Romance (1981), Gulliver in Lilliput (1982), Whoops Apocalypse (1982), The Chinese Detective (1982), Skorpion (1983), Tucker's Luck (1984), Shine On Harvey Moon (1985), Empire State (1987), The Last Emperor (1987), Casualty (1999), Dream Team (2001/03), The Ice Cream Wars (2012) and Lords of London (2014). Glen will be best remembered as George Green in over 170 episodes of fire brigade drama London's Burning (1988-2002). He has also acted as producer on a handful of productions, including Tank Malling (1989), The Bridge House Film (2009) and Husky (2011).
Awards
1994: Freedom of the City of London
2007: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to drama and charity
Facts
Before he was an actor Glen was a boxer (hence the distinctive nose), following in the footsteps of his boxing father Terry (who was also the founder of record label Bridge House Records). Incidentally, Terry was also the first sportsman to appear on ITV, as he was boxing at Shoreditch Town Hall on the evening of September 22nd, 1955, broadcast live by ITV. Glen's brother was the late Darren Murphy, bassist for post-punk band Wasted Youth. Look out for Glen in the video for the 1989 single Cha Cha Heels by Bronski Beat and Eartha Kitt! Here's Glen on Twitter!
This is Your Life: Glen was the subject of Thames TV's This is Your Life on December 16th, 1992, surprised by host Michael Aspel on set for the drama London's Burning.

Sion Tudor Owen (Tandrell) Born Jun 16 1959
Career highlights
Sion's further credits include Jackanory Playhouse (1982), Now and Then (1983), One Summer (1983), Grange Hill (1985), Jenny's War (1985), Highlander (1986), The Endless Game (1989), The Return of Sam McCloud (1989), Surgical Spirit (1990), The Detectives (1993), Staggered (1994), The Famous Five (1995), Crime Traveller (1997), Twin Town (1997), Holby City (2002), Coronation Street (2007), Diamond Geezer (2007), Outlanders (2007), M I High (2008), Submarine (2010), One Chance (2013), Outlander (2016) and Humans (2018).

David Rodigan (Broken Tooth) Born Jun 24 1951
Career highlights
Born in West Germany, David's other acting work includes The Office Party (1976), Under the Bed (1977), Horse in the House (1979), Icebound in the Antarctic (1983), Rockcliffe's Babies (1988) and Streets Apart (1989).
Awards
2009: Sony Radio Award for Best Specialist Music Programme (Kiss FM)
2012: Member of the order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to broadcasting
2012: Sony Radio Award for Best Specialist Music Programme (BBC Radio 2)
Facts
David is now a radio broadcaster and DJ who specialises in reggae and dancehall music. He has worked for, among others, Capital Radio, BBC Radio and Kiss FM. He either features on, or is referenced in, tracks by Breakage, Caspa, Alborosie, Sukh Knight, Beastie Boys and Stylo G. Here he is, on Twitter!

Tony Selby (Glitz) Feb 26 1938 to Sep 5 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sabalom Glitz in The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 & 13-14 (1986), Dragonfire (1987)
Career highlights
Tony debuted at the age of 13 in 1951's Menius Was a Bad Boy, followed by roles in Skippy Smith Goes to the Circus (1953), The Explorer (1955), An Alligator Named Daisy (1955), An Age of Kings (1960), Teletale (1964), Alfie (1966), King of the River (1966), Poor Cow (1967), The Informer (1967), The Avengers (1968), Witchfinder General (1968), According to Dora (1969), Shine a Light (1970), Catweazle (1971), Villain (1971), Ace of Wands (1970-71), Warship (1973), Reg Varney (1974), Moody and Pegg (1974-75), The Good Life (1975-76), Superman (1978), Jack of Diamonds (1983), Give Us a Break (1983-84), Hideaway (1986), The Secret Garden (1987), The World of Lee Evans (1995), Loop (1997), Holby City (1999), Burnside (2000), EastEnders (2002), Dream Team (2006), My Family (2011), Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) and Stan Lee's Lucky Man (2016). Tony also regularly played Corporal Percy Marsh in Get Some In! (1975-78), Bert in Mulberry (1992-93), Max Taplow in Love Hurts (1992-94) and Sergeant Nozzer Richardson in The Detectives (1994-97).

Joan Sims (Katryca) May 9 1930 to Jun 28 2001 (diverticulitis and liver disease)
Career highlights
Joan has gone down in history as one of the foremost and best-loved members of the Carry On team, appearing in 24 of the films between 1959-78, as well as the 1972 and 1973 Carry On Christmas specials and the 1975 series Carry On Laughing!. Her screen debut came with 1951's John of the Fair, and subsequent credits include The Square Ring (1953), Will Any Gentleman...? (1953), Trouble in Store (1953), Doctor in the House (1954), The Belles of St Trinian's (1954), Doctor at Sea (1955), Keep It Clean (1956), Dry Rot (1956), The Captain's Table (1959), Doctor in Love (1960), Watch Your Stern (1960), Our House (1960), Twice Round the Daffodils (1962), The Dick Emery Show (1963-64), The Benny Hill Show (1964), Sam and Janet (1967), According to Dora (1968-69), The Kenneth Williams Show (1970), Tarbuck's Luck (1970), The Cobblers of Umbridge (1973), Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1973), Men of Affairs (1973-74), One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1975), The Howerd Confessions (1976), Lord Tramp (1977), Dick Turpin (1980), Educating Marmalade (1982), Drummonds (1987), Super Gran (1987), Only Fools and Horses (1987), Victoria Wood (1989), Boys from the Bush (1992), One Foot in the Algarve (1993), Smokescreen (1994), Martin Chuzzlewit (1994), The Canterville Ghost (1996), My Good Friend (1995-96) and The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000). Joan also enjoyed several recurring roles, including Gran in Till Death Us Do Part (1967-75), Madge Kettlewell in Sykes (1972-78), Mrs Bloomsbury-Barton in Worzel Gummidge (1979-80), Molly Peglar in Born and Bred (1978-80), Annie Begley in Farrington of the F.O (1986-87), Lady Fox-Custard in Simon and the Witch (1987-88), Mrs Wembley in sitcom On the Up (1990-92), and Madge in sitcom As Time Goes By (1994-98).
Facts
Joan once had a relationship with Hollywood actor Tyrone Power. She appears as a medium in Morrissey's video for Ouija Board, Ouija Board (1989). She'd had an earlier brush with music when, in 1963, she recorded two singles - Hurry Up Gran/ Oh Not Again Ken and Spring Song/ Men - working with Beatles producer George Martin. These were followed four years later by Sweet Lovely Whatsisname/ The Lass with the Delicate Hair. Following the deaths of friend Hattie Jacques, as well as her mother and her agent Peter Eade, in the early 1980s, Joan turned to alcohol for solace. Her battle with the bottle continued for the rest of her life, not helped by suffering Bell's palsy and depression in 1999, and a fractured hip in 2000. In the summer of 2001 Joan was admitted to hospital, where she slipped into a coma. She died with her long-time friend and Carry On stand-in Norah Holland holding her hand.

Timothy Walker (Grell)
Career highlights
After debuting in Doctor Who, Timothy went on to appear in Casualty (1991), Soldier Soldier (1993), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Rhodes (1996), Monsignor Renard (2000), Crush (2001), Looking for Victoria (2003), Hannibal Rising (2007), The Commander (2007), Bel Ami (2012) and The Last Kingdom (2017).

CREW

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

Nicholas Mallett (director) May 6 1945 to Jan 30 1997 (AIDS-related illness)
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Trial of a Time Lord Parts 1-4 (1986), Paradise Towers (1987), The Curse of Fenric (1989)
Career highlights
Nicholas started out as a production assistant on series such as Oppenheimer (1980) and Icebound in the Antarctic (1982) but then graduated to directing on series such as Late Starter (1985), Black Silk (1985), Crossroads (1987-88), Children's Ward (1989), Ruby (1991), The Bill (1993-95) and Take the High Road (1993-95).

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

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