State of Decay

Zargo (William Lindsay), Aukon (Emrys
James) and Camilla (Rachel Davies)
smile for the camera

Four episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four)
First broadcast Nov 22 to Dec 13 1980
Average audience for serial: 5.23m

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 Click here for Matthew Waterhouse's entry on Full Circle

GUEST CAST

Dean Allen (Karl)
Career highlights
Dean also had roles in The Mystery of the Disappearing Schoolgirls (1980), The Wicked Lady (1983), Waters of the Moon (1983) and played Georgie Porgie in the series Jane (1982-84).

Thane Bettany (Tarak) May 28 1929 to Nov 7 2015
Career highlights
Accomplished stage actor Thane's other screen credits include Love from Judy (1953), The Granville Melodramas (1955-56), Hamlet (1961), No Hiding Place (1963), Ffolkes (1979), The Talisman (1980-81) and Maelstrom (1985).
Facts
Malaysia-born Thane's godmother was the American writer Agnes Newton Keith. His son was film actor Paul Bettany, who is married to Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly; a second son, Matthew, died following a fall at the age of eight. Thane was also the godfather of Sophie Rhys-Jones, Countess of Wessex and wife of Prince Edward (Thane's widowed father married Margaret Rhys-Jones, Sophie's grandmother). Thane divorced his wife Anne Kettle in 1993 and moved in with his new partner, Andy Little. He considered having gender reassignment surgery, but being too old for NHS treatment considered private treatment instead. He dropped the idea on grounds of cost and his career. After Little's death, Thane "went back into the closet" (son Paul's words) out of difficulties reconciling his sexuality and his Catholic faith. Most of Thane's acting career was spent on the stage, after he trained as a ballet dancer and mime artist, but he had to give up ballet when he injured his back on stage.

Stuart Blake (Zoldaz) Born Sep 2 1950
Doctor Who credits
Played: Zoldaz in State of Decay (1980)
Played: Commander in The Five Doctors (1983)
Played: Scibus in Warriors of the Deep (1984)
Career highlights
Other work includes A Bridge Too Far (1977), Flash Gordon (1980), King Lear (1982), Metal Mickey (1982), The Fourth Arm (1983) and Amy (1984).
Facts
Stuart gave up acting in 1987 and is now a "communications designer", principally for social media and live events. Stuart has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London for his part in the 800th anniversary celebrations of the London Mayoralty.

Rachel Davies (Camilla)
Career highlights
Rachel's earliest credit was in The Troubleshooters (1971), and later Harriet's Back in Town (1973), Thriller (1975), The Cuckoo Waltz (1975), Coronation Street (1975-76), The Sweeney (1978), Yanks (1979), The Professionals (1980), Strangers (1980/82), Grange Hill (1983-84), A Private Function (1984), Crossroads (1985), The Manageress (1990), Telltale (1993), Cracker (1994), Hillsborough (1996), Harbour Lights (2000), The Last Detective (2003), Fat Friends (2004), Bodies (2004), Best Friends (2004), Cutting It (2005), Dalziel and Pascoe (2006), Midsomer Murders (2007), Waterloo Road (2011), Doctors (2004/09/11/13) and Holby City (2003/17). Her regular roles include Doreen Evans in Boon (1986), Pauline in Making Out (1989-91), Shirley Turner in Emmerdale (1993-94), Joyce Webster in Band of Gold (1995-96), Iris Green in Linda Green (2001-02) and Margaret Wright in The Chase (2006-07).

Stacy Davies (Veros) Jul 13 1936 to Jul 7 2019
Doctor Who credits
Played: Private Perkins in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Veros in State of Decay (1980)
Career highlights
Stacy's earliest credit was on 1963's The Human Jungle, and subsequently King of the River (1966), The Revenue Men (1967), Sex and the Other Woman (1972), Barlow (1975), Clayhanger (1976), The Flockton Flyer (1977), 1990 (1977), A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979), Terry and June (1982), Eh Brian! It's a Whopper (1984), The Magnificent Evans (1984), Scene: Your Place or Mine (1985), Rockcliffe's Folly (1988), Bernard and the Genie (1991), Virtual Murder (1992), Backup (1997), Big Women (1998), Lady Audley's Secret (2000) and London's Burning (2001). He had a recurring role as Dick Willoughby in medical drama Angels (1981-83).

Stuart Fell (Roga) Born March 10th 1942 Click here for Stuart Fell's entry on The Curse of Peladon

Clinton Greyn (Ivo) Sep 29 1933 to Mar 19 2019
Doctor Who credits
Played: Ivo in State of Decay (1980)
Played: Stike in The Two Doctors (1985)
Clinton also played Group Marshal Nathan in the Jim'll Fix It sketch A Fix with Sontarans (1985)
Career highlights
Clinton debuted in The Dark Pits of War (1960), then Off Centre (1961), soap Compact (1962-63, as Mike McClusky), The Newcomers (1966), Robbery (1967), The Ugliest Girl in Town (1969), The Champions (1969), Raid on Rommel (1971), The Love Machine (1971), Swedish Fly Girls (1971), Jason King (1971), The Zoo Gang (1974), Shine On Harvey Moon (1985), Howards' Way (1987) and The Chef's Apprentice (1989). Clinton also played the lead role of Captain Robert Virgin in the action series Virgin of the Secret Service (1968).
Facts
In the early 1970s Clinton bought a plot of land between a row of 19th century houses in Notting Hill, London, the last vacant bombsite left over from the Blitz. There he had built a minimalist house, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's house Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, USA, which was almost never completed due to protests from English Heritage. It is now regarded as a masterful piece of architecture which may well become listed in years to come. Clinton comes in for some unfortunate criticism from acting legend Richard Burton in his diaries during the filming of Raid on Rommel in July 1970: "Clinton Greyn is not a very good actor I'm afraid. He's tall and good-looking in a kind of weak way with a voice that threatens to become prissy when he presses... It's odd that I cannot define what a good actor has, what quality or style, but I can tell a bad actor immediately and Clinton Greyn is bad... He is a typically mediocre Rep actor and there's nowt one can do about that. He should never have been cast in the first place."
In 2018 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Clinton here.

Arthur Hewlett (Kalmar) 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).

Emrys James (Aukon) Sep 1 1928 to Feb 5 1989 (brain tumour)
Career highlights
Welshman Emrys first gained a credit in 1946's The Corn is Green, followed by A Man for All Seasons (1957), Nick of the River (1959), How Green Was My Valley (1960), The House Under the Water (1961), Z Cars (1963), It's Dark Outside (1964), The Portsmouth Defence (1966), Wuthering Heights (1967), Seeing and Believing (1965-70), The Main Chance (1972), Seven of One (1973), Fall of Eagles (1974), Brecht and Co (1979), Testament of Youth (1979), Escape (1980), Hammer House of Horror (1980), Open All Hours (1981), Dragonslayer (1981), Dombey and Son (1983), Eureka (1984), The Diary of Anne Frank (1987), Home to Roost (1987) and Out of Love (1988).
Facts
Emrys was an experienced and respected Shakespearean actor between 1968-84. Emrys was married to Welsh author Sian James.

Rhoda Lewis (Marta) Born Jun 25 1933
Career highlights
Rhoda debuted in Last Day in Dreamland (1959), then appeared in Word Game (1962), The Avengers (1963), Mr Aitch (1967), The War of Darkie Pilbeam (1968), Coronation Street (1963/69), Conceptions of Murder (1970), Doomwatch (1971), Under Milk Wood (1972), The Perils of Pendragon (1974), Rooms (1975), Lorna Doone (1976), Kilvert's Diary (1977-78), Taff Acre (1981), Number 10 (1983), Dombey and Son (1983), The Magnificent Evans (1984), Langley Bottom (1986), The Bretts (1987), EastEnders (1989), August (1996), Rhinoceros (1999), Sunburn (2000), Life Begins (2004), Casualty (2005), Hustle (2010) and Florence Foster Jenkins (2016).
Facts
It was Rhoda, her son Peter and her late actor husband Norman Florence who founded the successful Hay on Wye Festival of Literature in 1988.

William Lindsay (Zargo) Aug 15 1945 to May 14 1986 (Aids-related illness)
Career highlights
Further credits include Colditz (1972), Enemy at the Door (1980), Angels (1980, as Dr Peter Drew), Blake's 7 (1981), Keep It in the Family (1982) and Lifeforce (1985).

Iain Rattray (Habris)
Career highlights
Iain made his debut in Grandad (1979), followed by roles in Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1979), It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1980), Grange Hill (1982), 'Allo 'Allo (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Jenny's War (1985), Rockcliffe's Babies (1987), Jack the Ripper (1988), Capital City (1990), Between the Lines (1992), Inspector Morse (1993) and Wild Justice (1994).

CREW

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

Peter Moffatt (director) Aug 15 1922 to Oct 21 2007
Doctor Who credits
Directed: State of Decay (1980), The Visitation (1982), Mawdryn Undead (1983), The Five Doctors (1983), The Twin Dilemma (1984), The Two Doctors (1985)
Played: Man outside restaurant in The Two Doctors (1985, uncredited)
Played: Tourist in Silver Nemesis (1988, uncredited)
Career highlights
His training to become an actor was disturbed by the outbreak of World War Two, during which he became a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft 3 in Germany. After the war he went back into acting in programmes such as Emil and the Detectives (1952) and Tales from Soho (1956), but then turned to directing, working on Small Time (1960), Tales of Mystery (1961), It Happened Like This (1963), Crane (1963-64), Seven Deadly Sins (1966-67), Sexton Blake (1968), Hadleigh (1969), Big Brother (1970), Crime of Passion (1971-72), New Scotland Yard (1972), Melissa (1974), Rooms (1974-77), The Camerons (1979), The Gentle Touch (1980), Juliet Bravo (1980/82), EastEnders (1986) and All Creatures Great and Small (1978-88).
Facts
He was married to actress/ director/ producer Joan Kemp-Welch.

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) Jan 18 1941 to Aug 6 2025 Click here for Christopher H Bidmead's entry on The Leisure Hive

The Claws of Axos

The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) takes a break
in the Axons' disco chamber

Four episodes (Episode One, Episode Two, Episode Three, Episode Four)
First broadcast Mar 13 to Apr 3 1971
Average audience for serial: 7.38m

An episode by episode review of this story can be found at Time Space Visualiser.

REGULAR 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

Katy Manning (Jo Grant) Born Oct 14 1946 Click here for Katy Manning's entry on Terror of the Autons

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

John Levene (Benton) Born Dec 24 1941 Click here for John Levene's entry on The Web of Fear

Roger Delgado (The Master) Mar 1 1918 to Jun 18 1973 (car accident) Click here for Roger Delgado's entry on Terror of the Autons

GUEST CAST

Peter Bathurst (Chinn) May 4th 1912 to June 2nd 1989 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Hensell in The Power of the Daleks (1966)
Played: Chinn in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Career highlights
First appearing in The Passing Show (1951) after working in Australia in the 1940s, Peter's work includes The Bell Family (1951, as narrator), Old Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952), Gift Horse (1952), The Quatermass Experiment (1953), John and Julie (1955), Kenilworth (1957), The Army Game (1960), Bootsie and Snudge (1963), R3 (1964), The Murder Game (1965), Adam Adamant Lives! (1967), playing Dr Upton in Doctor in the House (1969) and Doctor at Large (1971), War and Peace (1972) and Moonbase 3 (1973).
Facts
In the 1970s Peter (born Apsley Dundas Bathurst) ran a popular coffee bar on London's King's Road, but this business seemed to fall through, as his actress daughter Linda Marlowe said in an interview in 2001: "[It should] have been a gold mine but he was too trusting and was bamboozled by people." Peter's daughter was once married to actor William Marlowe (who appeared in The Mind of Evil and Revenge of the Cybermen). Peter reportedly suffered a heart attack while running to catch a train to Worthing at Liverpool Street Station.

Kenneth Benda (Minister) Jun 3 1902 to Jul 26 1978
Career highlights
Kenneth's career began in a 1963 episode of No Hiding Place, and he continued in The Saint (1964), Bindle (One of Them Days) (1966), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), The Prisoner (1967), Doctor in the House (1969), Scream and Scream Again (1970), Secrets of Sex (1970), The Search for the Nile (1971), Scoop (1972), Horror Hospital (1973), The Stud (1974), The Pallisers (1974), The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation As We Know It (1977), The Basil Brush Show (1977) and International Velvet (1978).

Royston Farrell (Technician) 1937 to Jan 17 2017
Doctor Who credits
Played: Guardian in The Ark (1966, uncredited)
Played: Elder in The Savages (1966, uncredited)
Played: Technician in The Seeds of Death (1969, uncredited), The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Guard in The Curse of Peladon (1972, uncredited)
Career highlights
Royston's other work includes The Avengers (1965/66/67), a 1968 Play of the Month, Crooks and Coronets (1969), The Gentle Touch (1984) and Never the Twain (1986).
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Royston, along with stuntmen Derek Martin and Roy Scammell, here.

Patricia Gordino (Axon woman)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Axon woman in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Technic in The Sun Makers (1977, uncredited)
Career highlights
Other work include Pegasus (1969), The Culture Vultures (1970), Engelbert with the Young Generation (1972), The Basil Brush Show (1972), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) and Within These Walls (1975).

Paul Grist (Bill Filer) January 18th 1939 to January 13th 2026
Career highlights
Paul's first credit was in The Avengers (1961), followed by The Valiant Varneys (1964), 199 Park Lane (1965), Triton (1968), Pegasus (1969), New Scotland Yard (1972), Survivors (1976), Kidnapped (1978) and Blake's 7 (1979).
Facts
Paul left the acting profession to become a racer and restorer of vintage cars, including Alfa-Romeos and Maseratis, setting up the company Traction-Seabert in 1976. Here's an interesting article about Paul's post-acting career from February 2015 (not sure why he claims he was in two series of Doctor Who though!). Here's Paul with his son Matt pictured in July 2015.

Donald Hewlett (Hardiman) Aug 30 1920 to Jun 4 2011 (pneumonia)
Career highlights
Debuting in Orders Are Orders (1954), character actor Donald went on to appear in Dead Giveaway (1957), The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull (1959), Bottoms Up (1960), Compact (1962, which he also wrote for), Hancock (1963), HMS Paradise (1964), Coronation Street (1965), You Can't Win (1966), The Ronnie Barker Playhouse (1968), The Very Merry Widow and How (1969), And Mother Makes Three (1971), Now Look Here (1971-73), Ooh La La! (1973), Carry On Behind (1975), Rogues' Rock (1976), Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1977), Come Back Mrs Noah (1977-78), The Dick Emery Show (1981), Andy Robson (1982), Lovejoy (1986), Pulaski (1987), The Russ Abbot Show (1989) and The Upper Hand (1995). Donald's most famous roles were as Colonel Charles Reynolds in 56 episodes of It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974-81) and Lord George Meldrum in 26 episodes of You Rang, M'Lord? (1988-93).
Facts
Donald's daughter is actress Siobhan Hewlett, who for a time was dating X-Factor contender Ben Mills, of whom Donald's third wife, actor Therese McMurray, said: "Ben's gorgeous, a real catch. If he hadn't dated my daughter I'd have asked him to go out with me." Donald's first of three wives was actress Christine Pollon (who provided the Oracle's voice in Underworld (1978)), while his father was Thomas Hewlett, the Conservative MP for Manchester Exchange during World War Two and who also owned the Anchor Chemical Company in the city. Donald's brother, the Conservative politician Thomas Clyde Hewlett, was made Baron Hewlett of Swettenham in 1972, but died in unexplained circumstances aged 56 in 1979. During World War Two Donald served with the Royal Navy as a meteorologist. Donald's last acting turn was on stage with Ronnie Corbett in pantomime Mother Goose in Bromley in 1996, after which he had to retire due to epilepsy, caused by a damaged heart valve, and eventually developed Alzheimer's Disease.

John Hicks (Axon boy) Born 1955
Doctor Who credits
Played: Quark in The Dominators (1968)
Played: Axon boy in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Career highlights
His only other credits include Dixon of Dock Green (1968), Out of the Unknown (1969) and Whack-O! (1972).
Facts
John and fellow Quark actors Gary Smith and Freddie Wilson were school friends. When he was 13, John played the title role in Oliver! at London's Piccadilly Theatre. As an adult, John moved to live in New Zealand and worked for a commercial cleaning company. In an interview in 2000 regarding The Dominators, John said: "In England at the time, Doctor Who was the 'in thing', the ultimate in science fiction. We used to play with the TV cameras [in our lunch breaks] until one day a voice came from nowhere - the control room, I guess - telling us not to move them!"

Bernard Holley (Axon man) Aug 9 1940 to Nov 22 2021
Doctor Who credits
Played: Peter Haydon in The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
Played: Axon man in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Career highlights
His CV included The Newcomers (1966), Elizabeth R (1971), Please Sir! (1971-2), General Hospital (1974), Carry on Laughing (1975), Rocky O'Rourke (1976), Clayhanger (1976), A Question of Guilt (1980), Mackenzie (1980), The Deceivers (1981), Now and Then (1983-84), The Tripods (1985), Eureka (1982-86), After Henry (1988-89), Surgical Spirit (1990), Taggart (1990), Thatcher: The Final Days (1991), The Knock (1994), Birds of a Feather (1998), Hollyoaks (2001), Sweet Medicine (2003), The Courtroom (2004), Tanner (2007), That's English (2011), A Voice to Die For (2013), Extended Rest (2014), By Lethe Betrayed (2016) and Acting Anecdotes with Jeremy Olivier (2019). Bernard is best known as PC Bill Newcombe in over 270 episodes of Z Cars (1967-71) and A Lot of Fuss About Light (2010), and Mike Turnbull in The Gentle Touch (1982-84) and CATS Eyes (1985).
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Bernard here.

Debbie Lee London (Axon girl) Born Jul 5 1957
Career highlights
Along with Jeffrey Dobinson, Debbie Lee was the 1976 World Amateur Latin Dance champion for England. Now known as Debbie-Lee Bailey, she has become a qualified dance and fitness and Pilates instructor (having previously dabbled in West End performances in the musical Cats). See what she's up to now on Twitter!

Fernanda Marlowe (Corporal Bell) Born Sep 7 1942
Doctor Who credits
Played: Corporal Bell in The Mind of Evil, The Claws of Axos (both 1971)
Career highlights
Fernanda's other credits include Ghost Squad (1963), My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen (1963) and Dixon of Dock Green (1965).

Facts

Her father was the actor Anthony Marlowe, best known for his regular role in the series Ghost Squad. He tragically took his own life in 1975 after being involved in a motoring accident. Fernanda quit acting in 1972 to become a mother and retrained as a painter. Fernanda was also a victim of the Lloyds Names Scandal and ran into debt of almost £1m. She became secretary of Gooda Walker Direct Names Association to help others affected by this fiasco.

David G Marsh (Second radar operator) Feb 18 1925 to Aug 25 1999
Career highlights
David (sometimes credited as David March) also took roles in As You Like It (1946), A Bullet in the Ballet (1947), A Man for All Seasons (1957), The Adventures of Alice (1960), The Power Game (1966), Seeing and Believing (1966-67), The Benny Hill Show (1968), The First Churchills (1969), Eric Robinson Presents (1969-70), The Expert (1971), The Basil Brush Show (1973), Warship (1974), Survivors (1975), Captain Zep: Space Detective (1983) and Zig Zag (1987/93).
Awards
1985: Sony Award for Best Radio Actor (Mr Norris Changes Trains)
Facts
David nursed his partner Derek Lewis, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease, in the final years of his life.

Tim Pigott-Smith (Captain Harker) May 13 1946 to Apr 7 2017 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Captain Harker in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Marco in The Masque of Mandragora (1976)
Career highlights
Doctor Who was Tim's first TV job (he was paid £60). Further credits include Boswell's Life of Johnson (1971), The Regiment (1972), North and South (1975), The Lost Boys (1978), Hannah (1980), Clash of the Titans (1981), I Remember Nelson (1982), Struggle (1983-84), The Jewel in the Crown (1984, as Ronald Merrick), The Challenge (1986), The Remains of the Day (1993), Dr Terrible's House of Horrible (2001), Kavanagh QC (2001), Spooks (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), Johnny English (2003), Alexander (2004), V for Vendetta (2005), Normal for Norfolk (2006), Holby Blue (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (2011/13), The Hour (2011), Downton Abbey (2012), The Bletchley Circle (2014), 37 Days (2014), Houdini (2014), Jupiter Ascending (2015), Lewis (2015), Decline and Fall (2017), King Charles III (2017) and Victoria and Abdul (2017). He regularly played John Stafford in The Chief (1990-93) and Frank Vickers in The Vice (2001-03).
Awards
1985: BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor (The Jewel in the Crown)
2017: Officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama
Facts
Tim graduated from the University of Bristol and frequently lectured at its drama department. Tim's voice was often heard on programme voiceovers and audiobooks. His wife was actress Pamela Miles, while his son Tom is a concert solo violinist. Spookily, Tim died on the very same day as Christopher Morahan, who directed him in The Jewel in the Crown, for which they each won a BAFTA.

David Savile (Winser) Born Nov 3 1936
Doctor Who credits
Played: Lieutenant Carstairs in The War Games (1969)
Played: Winser in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Crichton in The Five Doctors (1983)
Career highlights
David's career has been busy since he made his first appearance in a 1965 episode of Out of the Unknown, including Pride and Prejudice (1967), The Power Game (1969), Hell Boats (1970), The Man Who Was Hunting Himself (1972), The Big Sleep (1978), Out (1978), Kinvig (1981), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Shine On Harvey Moon (1985), Howards' Way (1988), Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992), The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995), Peak Practice (1999), Cambridge Spies (2003), New Tricks (2004) and Tan Lines (2005). He also regularly played Lieutenant Commander Beaumont in over 30 episodes of Warship (1973-76) and Max Barker in Kinsey (1991-92).
Facts
He was once married to actress Lois Baxter, who appeared in The Androids of Tara (1978).

Michael Walker (First radar operator)
Doctor Who credits
Played: First radar operator in The Claws of Axos (1971)
Played: Miseus in The Time Monster (1972)
Career highlights
Starting out as a child actor, Michael's other credits include Bob's Your Uncle (1949), Chu Chin Chow On Ice (1953), Family Portrait (1955), Dead Giveaway (1957), Crossroads (1973), Target (1977), The Onedin Line (1979), Terry and June (1981), Cold Warrior (1984), Howards' Way (1988), Coronation Street (1997) and Jericho (2000).

Derek Ware (Pigbin Josh) February 27th 1938 to September 22nd 2015 (cancer) Click here for Derek Ware's entry on The Crusade

CREW

Bob Baker (writer) Jul 26 1939 to Nov 3 2021
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Claws of Axos (1971), The Mutants (1972), The Three Doctors (1972-73), The Sontaran Experiment (1975), The Hand of Fear (1976), The Invisible Enemy (1977), Underworld (1978), The Armageddon Factor (1979), Nightmare of Eden (1979)
Career highlights
With writing partner Dave Martin, Bob wrote eight Doctor Who serials, and a ninth on his own. Bob's writing career began with Doctor Who, followed by stints on Thick as Thieves (1971), Pretenders (1972), Arthur of the Britons (1972), Z Cars (1974), Public Eye (1975), Sky (1976), Machinegunner (1976), King of the Castle (1977), Follow Me (1977), Scorpion Tales (1978), Target (1977-78), Shoestring (1979), Into the Labyrinth (1981-82), Jangles (1982), Bergerac (1981/83), Call Me Mister (1986), Succubus (1987), The Jazz Detective (1992), Kipper (1997) and The Mysti Show (2004). As co-creator of the Doctor's robot dog K9, Bob was also series producer and one of the writers of the 2009 spin-off series K9. In recent years he has enjoyed international success as writer of the Wallace and Gromit Aardman animations, including The Wrong Trousers (1993), A Close Shave (1995), The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008) and Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention (2010, which he also produced). Bob also acted as script editor on Pretenders, Shoestring, Jangles, Into the Labyrinth, Call Me Mister and Peace One Day (2004), and was producer on Function Room (2004).
Awards
2009: BAFTA Film Award for Best Short Animation (A Matter of Loaf and Death) - shared with Steve Pegram and Nick Park
Facts
The character of Baker Bob in A Matter of Loaf and Death is named after Bob. Bob also helped create some of the animations for the BBC children's series Vision On in the late 1960s.
In 2017 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Bob here.

Dave Martin (writer) Jan 1 1935 to Mar 30 2007 (lung cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Claws of Axos (1971), The Mutants (1972), The Three Doctors (1972-73), The Sontaran Experiment (1975), The Hand of Fear (1976), The Invisible Enemy (1977), Underworld (1978), The Armageddon Factor (1979)
Career highlights
With writing partner Bob Baker, Dave wrote eight Doctor Who serials. Dave's writing career began with Doctor Who, followed by stints on Thick as Thieves (1971), Pretenders (1972), Arthur of the Britons (1972), Z Cars (1974), Late Night Drama (1974), Public Eye (1975), Sky (1976), Machinegunner (1976), King of the Castle (1977), Follow Me (1977), Scorpion Tales (1978), Target (1977-78), Into the Labyrinth (1981-82) and Succubus (1987). He was also story editor, along with Bob Baker, on Pretenders. Dave also wrote a 1986 Doctor Who 'choose your own adventure' book, entitled Search for the Doctor, featuring several of his previous inventions, including K9, Omega and Drax.
Facts
Dave and co-writer Bob were inspired to create K9 by the death of Dave's pet dog in a road accident. His second wife Celia was the daughter of prolific TV script writer Denis Constanduros.

Michael Ferguson (director) Jun 14 1937 to Oct 4 2021 Click here for Michael Ferguson's entry on The War Machines

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

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

Carole Ann Ford (career biography)

Carole Ann Ford (Susan) Born Jun 16 1940

Doctor Who credits
Played: Susan in An Unearthly Child, The Daleks, The Edge of Destruction, Marco Polo, The Keys of Marinus, The Aztecs, The Sensorites, The Reign of Terror, Planet of Giants, The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1963-64). Return appearances in The Five Doctors (1983), Dimensions in Time (1993), The Interstellar Song Contest (2025) and Wish World (2025).
Played: Joyce in An Adventure in Space and Time (2013)

Carole Ann with William Hartnell
at a Doctor Who launch event in 1963

Career

Carole Ann first appeared on screen at the tender age of eight in the Elstree production The Last Load, a 57-minute film released in 1948. Directed by John Baxter, and written by Mary Cathcart Borer and future Doctor Who writer Geoffrey Orme (The Underwater Menace, 1967), The Last Load was about David and Monty (Douglas Barr and Ivor Bowyer), two friends of Susan and Betty Potter (Angela Glynne and Angela Fouldes), whose father (John Longden) runs a fleet of lorries. One by one, his lorries are involved in accidents and sabotage is suspected. The children are determined to find the culprits. Carole Ann's role in this is currently unspecified online, and as the film seems to be publicly unavailable, it's hard to pin her down in this.

It wasn't for another decade that Carole Ann next appeared on screen, at the age of 18 in Expresso Bongo, an edition of the BBC's Theatre Night strand. Broadcast on December 11th, 1958, it comprised scenes from the then current stage production at London's Saville Theatre of the hit musical by Wolf Mankowitz and Julian More. This was the debut production of the musical, which was made into a film starring Cliff Richard and the Shadows the following year. In the stage show, Carole Ann was a member of the ensemble; her co-stars included Paul Scofield, Millicent Martin, Aubrey Morris, Charles Gray, Nicholas Evans (The Romans, 1965), Jill Gascoine, Susan Hampshire and Victor Spinetti. It's also interesting to note that actor George Tovey also appeared in the ensemble cast. George, of course, appeared as the ill-fated poacher in Pyramids of Mars (1975), but was also the father of young actress Roberta Tovey, who in 1965/66 played Carole Ann's Doctor Who character Susan Foreman in the films Dr Who and the Daleks and Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD! Incidentally, an original cast recording of the 1958 musical is commercially available, although Carole Ann does not sing any songs solo.

Carole Ann is in the white dress, and her face is briefly visible
in contorted reflection in the right-hand screenshot

In May 1959, Carole Ann appeared uncredited as a teenager in a hall of mirrors in the film Horrors of the Black Museum, directed by Arthur Crabtree. It starred Michael Gough (The Celestial Toymaker, 1966, and Arc of Infinity, 1983) and Shirley Anne Field, with John Harvey (The War Machines, 1966, and The Macra Terror, 1967) and Sydney Bromley. Sadly, you don't get to see Carole Ann's face in her brief scene, but you do get to see her enjoying the strange reflections and then asking the monstrous bad guy if she can borrow his face to scare her boss. She then gives a cracker of a scream as she runs away. Her bit begins 1h 12m into the film, initially in the background in a white dress...

The first time Carole Ann got a credit as a named character on screen was in an episode of ATV's The Probation Officer broadcast on November 30th, 1959, written by Tessa Diamond. This episode is sadly one of those missing from the archives, but Carole Ann played Susan Portway in it, and was joined by John Paul, Honor Blackman (The Trial of a Time Lord, 1986), Sebastian Shaw (best known as the face of Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi), Ralph Michael (The Pirate Planet, 1978) and Peggy Thorpe-Bates.

Carole Ann in The Ghost
Train Murder (1959)

In December 1959 the 32-minute crime short The Ghost Train Murder was released in which Scotland Yard detectives pursue the killers of a Hungarian girl found dead on an amusement park ride. Their inquiries lead them to a boarding house full of shoplifters. Carole Ann played Jean in a cast which also included Russell Napier, Jill Ireland, Marianne Stone and Gordon Needham.

Next up was an episode of the ITV medical soap Emergency Ward 10, broadcast on October 25th, 1960 (episode 385, one of the few that survive from this period). She played Miss ffoulkes in an episode which also featured Charles Tingwell, Peter Howell (The Mutants, 1972), Julia Foster, Patricia Haines and Malcolm Russell.

On February 18th, 1961, Carole Ann played Helen Layton in an episode of police drama Dixon of Dock Green called River Beat. According to Lost Show.com, the episode as a whole is missing from the archive, but footage from it does exist. Also on the cast list were star Jack Warner, Geoffrey Adams, Graham Ashley (The Underwater Menace, 1967), Walter Randall (various stories between 1964-74) and Anthony Woodruff.

Carole Ann's next role was in the April 7th, 1961 episode of No Hiding Place entitled The Toy House, written by Bryan Cooper. Again, this episode is now missing, but it featured Carole Ann as Mary Donovan, alongside Raymond Francis, Eric Lander, Geoffrey Bayldon (The Creature from the Pit, 1979), Fay Compton and Alan Rolfe

The Attorney-General was a one-off TV play broadcast on the BBC on June 22nd, 1961, written by Phillip Grenville Mann and directed by Harold Clayton. Again, this is now missing, but it also starred John Clements, Andre Van Gyseghem, Anthony Bate, Norman Mitchell (The Daleks' Master Plan, 1965-66), Richard Vernon, Ronald Adam, Robert Cawdron (The Ambassadors of Death, 1970), Anthony Valentine, Michael Rose and Carole Anne as Martha Salisbury.

Crying Down the Lane was a six-part serial which debuted on January 8th, 1962, in which Edward Cast played a man who comes to England to contest the custody of his son Danny, but is hindered in his quest when the media takes an interest. All six parts are now missing, and Carole Ann played Jenny in the first two episodes. Also starring were Delphi Lawrence, Gregory Phillips, Peter Sallis (The Ice Warriors, 1967), Neil Hallett (Timelash, 1985), Keith Barron (Enlightenment, 1983) and Katy Cashfield (The Daleks, 1963-64).

Carole Ann as Rita in Z Cars (1962)

In the Z Cars episode Big Catch (broadcast January 30th, 1962, and repeated on the afternoon of December 9th that year), Carole Ann played Rita in a script by Allan Prior, helmed by Troughton-era director Morris Barry. The episode is one of the lucky few to survive from the police series' early years and concerns the law trying to keep peace and order when a group of whalers come to shore following a particularly good season. The episode featured regulars Brian Blessed (The Trial of a Time Lord, 1986), Frank Windsor (The King's Demons, 1983, and Ghost Light, 1989) and Stratford Johns (Four to Doomsday, 1982) as well as Kate Binchy, David Brierly (the voice of K9 in Season 17), Ian Fairbairn (various stories between 1967-76), June Murphy (Fury from the Deep, 1968, and The Sea Devils, 1972) and Ivor Salter (The Space Museum, 1965; The Myth Makers, 1965; and Black Orchid, 1982).

Carole Ann's next role was probably the one she's remembered for most after Doctor Who. On April 27th, 1962 (in the US; the UK release was July) a film adaptation of John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids was released, directed by Steve Sekely and adapted for the screen by Bernard Gordon. Carole Ann played Bettina alongside co-stars Howard Keel, Nicole Maurey, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore, Mervyn Johns and Ewan Roberts.

On July 18th, 1962 Carole Ann appeared in an episode of spy series Top Secret called Dance for Spies, written by Angus Cooper and directed by Raymond Menmuir. Suspicious that at least one member of a visiting ballet company may be working for the enemy, Peter Dallas is given just 48 hours to prove his hunch. After that the dance company will fly back home - with secret information! The series was set in South America, with some location filming in Argentina but most interiors done in a London ATV studio. It featured regulars William Franklyn, Patrick Cargill and Alan Rothwell, as well as guests John Bennett (The Talons of Weng-Chiang, 1977), Charles Kay, Phyllida Law, and Carole Ann as Sonia. This episode, the penultimate in the series, is now missing from the archives.

Carole Ann with Adam Faith in Mix Me a Person (1962)

In August 1962, Mix Me a Person was released in cinemas, a crime drama about a young criminal who faces being hanged for murdering a policeman. Everybody is convinced of his guilt, except for a psychiatrist who throws herself into trying to prove his innocence. The film starred pop star Adam Faith as Harry Jukes, with Donald Sinden as barrister Phillip Bellamy and Anny Baxter as his psychiatrist wife Anne. Carole Ann played Jenny, who works at the Paloma Cafe where Harry and his friends hang out. Also on the bill is Frank Jarvis (The War Machines, 1966; Underworld, 1978; and The Power of Kroll, 1979), Anthony Booth, Glyn Houston (The Hand of Fear, 1976, and The Awakening, 1984), Ray Barrett (The Rescue, 1965), Gilbert Wynne (The Krotons, 1968), Donald Morley (The Reign of Terror, 1964) and Alfred Burke. This clip sees Adam Faith singing his English language rendition of Ritchie Valens's hit La Bamba, and Carole Ann is seen throughout, getting a line right at the end...

On October 15th, 1962, Carole Ann appeared in an episode of Harper's West One, a soap set in a department store (publicity tagline: "Shopping with the lid off"!). The series was created by John Whitney and Geoffrey Bellman based on an idea by Derrick De Marney, brother of Terence De Marney, who appeared in The Smugglers (1966). In Series 2 episode 5, Carole Ann played Marilyn, co-starring with Philip Latham (The Five Doctors, 1983), Arthur Hewlett (State of Decay, 1980, and The Trial of a Time Lord, 1986), Jane Muir, Colin Douglas (The Enemy of the World, 1967-68, and Horror of Fang Rock, 1977), Godfrey James (Underworld, 1978) and, lo and behold, a certain Patrick Troughton (playing Notril)! It's also interesting to note that three of these actors - Ford, Latham and Troughton - all appeared in 1983's The Five Doctors, 21 years later. This episode is sadly missing, as are 20 of the 32 made.

Carole Ann in Moonstrike (1963)

Moonstrike was a BBC anthology series of one-off thrillers about the covert activities of Allied agents resistance operatives in occupied Europe during World War Two. In the episode Five Hours to Kill (broadcast on March 14th, 1963) an agent is arrested and held for questioning, but with a plane already on its way to pick him up. It's not clear what role Carole Ann played in this drama, which was repeated three months later, but it also featured George Roubicek (The Tomb of the Cybermen, 1967). In better news, a 16mm print of this previously lost episode was recovered by Kaleidoscope in October 2017.

Just four days later Carole Ann appeared in another anthology series, Suspense, in The Man on the Bicycle by Barry Thomas and Patrick Hamilton. The drama also featured Kenneth MacKintosh, Alan Browning, Michael Blakemore, Drewe Henley and Hilary Tindall, but little else is known about it (it is, of course, missing from the archives).

The Punch and Judy Man was a comedy film released on April 8th, 1963 as a vehicle for comedian Tony Hancock, who played Wally Pinner, a man driven to distraction by his social-climbing wife and his harted for the snobbery of local government. The film also featured Sylvia Sims (Ghost Light, 1989) as Delia Pinner, along with Ronald Fraser (The Happiness Patrol, 1988), Barbara Murray (Black Orchid, 1982), John Le Mesurier, Norman Bird, Norman Chappell, Gerald Harper, Hattie Jacques, Hugh Lloyd (Delta and the Bannermen, 1987), Michael Ripper, Peter Vaughan and Terence Brook, while Carole Ann played "Girl in Seaside Kiosk".

This film was the last work Carole Ann did before starting on Doctor Who, for which she was contracted in July 1963. But before filming began, Carole Ann made her first of three appearances on the BBC's pop review programme Juke Box Jury, in which celebrities gave their verdicts on recent new records. On August 17th, 1963, Carole Ann joined actor/ singer Pat Boone, Polly Elwes and Vic Lewis, as well as host David Jacobs, to listen to and discuss the latest sounds. The BBC made a total of 431 editions of Juke Box Jury, but staggeringly, only two survive, from 1960. It's not known which records the jurors debated.

Carole Ann played Susan "Foreman", the Doctor's granddaughter, in a total of 51 episodes of Doctor Who between November 1963 and December 1964, after which her blossoming TV and film career never fully recovered. By Summer 1964 it was clear that Carole Ann would not be renewing her contract, as she was unhappy with the poor writing for Susan, and on July 30th, writer Terry Nation is asked to amend his scripts for The Dalek Invasion of Earth (due to air from the November) to incorporate Susan's departure. Carole Ann's final day on Doctor Who was October 23rd, 1964, although she'd still be seen on screen until Boxing Day.

Carole Ann's second of three appearances on Juke Box Jury was shown on January 25th, 1964, straight after episode 6 of The Dead Planet (called The Ordeal) was broadcast. Joining her on the jurors' panel was actor and singer Adam Faith, Jean Metcalfe, and surprise guest, 'Wall of Sound' producer Phil Spector. Carole Ann's third appearance was on the July 25th, 1964 edition, straight after episode 5 of The Sensorites (entitled Kidnap) had been shown. Joining her on the jurors' panel was Beatle George Harrison, actor Reg Varney and surprise guest, actress Alexandra Bastedo.

Carole Ann appeared at Gamage's Department Store in
London on November 28th, 1964 (more than a month
 after having recorded her final scenes as Susan) to demonstrate
the new Dalek toys available for Christmas. Episode 2 of The
Dalek Invasion of Earth was due on TV that evening!

As Jenny Graham in Public Eye (1965)

It was about six months after leaving Doctor Who that Carole Ann got her next screen role, in an episode of Public Eye called The Morning Wasn't So Hot (broadcast April 10th, 1965). Starring Alfred Burke as Frank marker, the story revolved around runaways from the countryside being lured toward the glamour of London, only to fall into the hands of recruiters for call girls. One of those girls is Carole Ann's smoking Yorkshirewoman Jenny Graham, who soon becomes hard and cynical. Marker is hired to find her and take her back to the safety of home. The episode also featured Philip Madoc (The Krotons, 1968; The War Games, 1969; The Brain of Morbius, 1975; The Power of Kroll, 1978), Brian McDermott (Time-Flight, 1982) and Gilbert Wynne (The Krotons, 1968). A clip from the episode can be seen on YouTube. She's quite different to Susan!

Carole Ann as Albertine in The Great
St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966)

On March 11th, 1966, The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery was released in cinemas, the fourth of five films in the St Trinian's franchise, and the first to be made in colour. Directed by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, and written by Launder and Ivor Herbert, the film was one of the 15 most popular films of the year. In a contrast to the teenage roles she was usually cast in, however, Carole Ann played a teacher, French mistress Albertine, and was joined on the cast list by Frankie Howerd, Dora Bryan, George Cole, Reg Varney, Richard Wattis, Terry Scott, Eric Barker, Arthur Mullard, Larry Martyn, Colin Gordon (The Faceless Ones, 1967), Peter Gilmore (Frontios, 1984), Michael Ripper, Aubrey Morris and the voice of Stratford Johns (Four to Doomsday, 1982).

The Man Outside was Carole Ann's last screen acting for seven years. Based upon Gene Stackelberg's novel Double Agent - in which Russian agents frame a former CIA agent for murder - it was released in August 1967 and starred Van Heflin, Peter Vaughan, Charles Gray, Ronnie Barker, Linda Marlowe, Frank Crawshaw (Planet of Giants, 1964), Gabrielle Drake and Pinkas Braun. Carole Ann played Cindy, but it is difficult to find much more information out about the film (although the opening few minutes are on YouTube, but sadly sans Carole Ann).

Carole Ann as flirty barmaid Valerie in Whatever Happened to
the Likely Lads?, her first TV role in nine years

After a considerable gap in her on-screen career, a 33-year-old Carole Ann appeared in an episode of the sitcom Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? in 1974 (some sources say February 19th, others March 4th, while BBC Genome states May 12th, so who knows for sure?), entitled Affairs and Relations. Carole Ann played busty barmaid Valerie (she's full of double entendres like "I hope you get a nibble!") at the country hotel Bob and Terry are staying in.

Carole Ann's last non-Doctor Who related acting appearance was sadly rather low key after such a high profile and burgeoning start in the early 1960s. She played an uncredited "Woman" in the 150-minute film The Hiding Place, in which two sisters living in pre-World War Two Holland are accused by the Nazis of harbouring Jews and are sent to a concentration camp, where their Christian faith keeps them from despair and bitterness. Based on the autobiographical book by Corrie ten Boom, the film was directed by James F Collier and released in May 1975. It starred Jeannette Clift (who was nominated for both a BAFTA and a Golden Globe) as Corrie, and Julie Harris as sister Betsie, with Arthur O'Connell, Robert Rietty, Nigel Hawthorne, Edward Burnham (The Invasion, 1968, and Robot, 1974), Cyril Shaps (various stories between 1967-78), Forbes Collins (Vengeance on Varos, 1985), David de Keyser (The Eleventh Hour, 2010), Michael Sheard (various stories between 1966-88), Bernard Archard (The Power of the Daleks, 1966, and Pyramids of Mars, 1975), Lillias Walker (Terror of the Zygons, 1975) and Bernard Kay (various stories between 1964-71). The film is available on YouTube, but as dedicated as I am to this venture, even I can't sit through two and a half hours of pixelated footage looking for an uncredited woman! If you're up for it, here it is!

Carole Ann in The Five Doctors,
Dimensions in Time, An Adventure in
Space and Time and The Five
Doctors(ish) Reboot (1983-2013)

All future acting turns from Carole Ann were related to the Doctor Who universe. She reprised the role of Susan in both the 20th and 30th anniversary stories (The Five Doctors, broadcast in the UK on November 25th, 1983, and Dimensions in Time, broadcast November 26th-27th, 1993), and had a cameo as Joyce in the 50th anniversary spin-off drama An Adventure in Space and Time (transmitted November 22nd, 2013), which told the story of the origins of Doctor Who, with a focus on William Hartnell. In the drama, Carole Ann herself was played by Claudia Grant. Carole Ann also had a brief cameo in Peter Davison's 50th anniversary skit The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. In May 2025, she made fleeting appearances in The Interstellar Song Contest and Wish World, but the promised full return appearance has yet to materialise (as of June 2025).

As Zorelle in Shakedown: Return of
the Sontarans (1994)

In December 1994, Carole Ann took the role of "rich misfit" Zorelle in the Dreamwatch Media direct-to-video drama Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans. Written by Doctor Who stalwart Terrance Dicks and directed by Kevin Davies, it also featured Blake's 7 names Jan Chappell and Brian Croucher (The Face of Evil and The Robots of Death, 1977), Ace actress Sophie Aldred, and former Davros actor Michael Wisher. The 55-minute drama was filmed almost entirely aboard the Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Belfast, as well as Pinewood Studios. The drama can be seen online here:

In 1999, Carole Ann took another Doctor Who video spin-off role in Western Union/ BBV's Soul's Ark. She played Stella Grant, who, after disappearances during an archaeological dig, sends her top two agents, Galico (Sixth Doctor Colin Baker) and Keel (Zoe actor Wendy Padbury) to investigate.

The 75-minute drama is pretty appalling, and Carole Ann only appears at the end in a brief handover scene with Colin and Wendy.

Facts
In an April 2013 interview with the Daily Telegraph, Carole Ann said that Doctor Who destroyed her acting career, which she begrudged for a long time afterwards. But the reason she gave up acting altogether in the 1970s was a revelation: "I went to open a hotel window but it was stuck. I tried to force it up, and had a searing pain in my back. The hotel called a local doctor, who gave me a drug that practically killed me. I became allergic to almost everything." The symptoms began like flu, and she tried to recover on holiday in Spain. "Somebody gave me an aspirin but within seconds of taking it I was dying. I had an anaphylactic shock." This time a Spanish doctor came running, with adrenalin. "They saved my life." After that, she went down to five stone in weight and lost her voice. "I was like a skeleton. It took a long while to recover, with the help of a homeopath." Carole later became a voice and presentation coach to businesspeople and politicians in London. She claims to have voice coached a politician and helped him become leader of his country. She has refrained from identifying who ("I could be in fear of my life!" she told the Telegraph), but a good guess is that it was Bashir Gemayel, President-Elect of Lebanon, who was killed in a bomb blast in Beirut in September 1982, just days before his inauguration.

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