Doctor Who Vs. Asylum

Shown again on the Horror channel last night, 

this British horror film (known as House of 

Crazies in America) was the  fifth anthology

feature from Amicus Productions.

Prolific award-winning author and screenwriter

Robert Bloch (Psycho) adapted four of his own short stories here (as portmanteau tales Frozen Fear, The Weird Tailor, Lucy Comes to Stay and

 Mannikins of Horror).

The feature was directed by Roy Ward Baker

(A Night to Remember, Quatermass and the 

Pit), and produced by Max Rosenberg and 

Milton Subotsky.

Released by Cinerama in 1972, the film 

featured regular Amicus lead and genre

legend Peter Cushing (as Smith), Robert Powell, Britt Ekland, Charlotte Rampling, Herbert Lom, and nine other Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Richard Todd (Walter) played Sanders (pictured) in Kinda
• Sylvia Syms (Ruth) was Mrs. Pritchard in Ghost Light
• Geoffrey Bayldon (Max) was Organon in The Creature from the Pit, then later voiced Big Finish's first Unbound Doctor for both Auld Mortality (2003) and A Storm of Angels (2005)
• Sylvia Marriott (Head Nurse) was Lexa's Follower in Meglos
• John Franklyn-Robbins (Stebbins) was a Time Lord in (part 1 of) Genesis of the Daleks
• Tony Wall (Houseman) was Napoleon Bonaparte in The Reign of Terror: Prisoners of Conciergerie
• Anthony Waye (assistant director), Pamela Davies (continuity), and Gerald Larn (titles designer) all worked on Aaru's Dalek movies

The Daily Telegraph Presents The 80 Best BBC Shows Of All Time

The Telegraph, that renowned right-wing 

broadsheet, has revealed the results of its 

latest cultural survey. 

The poll marks the eightieth anniversary of 

the BBC's television service, which launched 

at Alexander Palace in November 1936. 

The newspaper's TV critics chose their eighty 

favourite TV programmes produced by the 

Corporation since broadcasting resumed after 

the Second World War.

The world's longest-running sci-fi TV show was 

placed at a very respectable number four:

4: Doctor Who (BBC One, 1963-1989, 1996, 2005 onwards)

"Always more than simply a science-fiction series, the adventures of a renegade Time Lord travelling through time and space in a blue Police Box has survived much derision within the Corporation and is now regarded as one of the jewels in its crown. The series shouldn't have worled, but thanks to a cleverly versatile format, a haunting theme tune and properly terrifying baddies, it is TV's greatest survivor. Much like the good Doctor himself."

Doctor Who Vs. The Whistle Blower

This British spy thriller (shown yesterday
on the movies4men channel), was based on
the novel by John Hale, and centred on the
mysterious death of a British Intelligence
agent, Bob Jones (played by Nigel Havers).
Michael Caine led the cast here as Frank
Jarvis, a father determined to uncover a
Cold War conspiracy that silenced his son -
a GCHQ translator who was about to 'blow
the whistle' on illegal and unethical practices.
The Whistle Blower followed other timely
political dramas Defence of the Realm, and
A Very British Coup (dramatised in 1988
and 2012).
Released in late 1986, the film also featured
John Gielgud, Gordon Jackson, and eleven
Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Havers was Peter Dalton (pictured left) in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, and voiced Dr. Nick Zimmerman for Big Finish's No More Lies (2007)
• James Fox (Lord) voiced Professor Chronotis for Shada (BF, 2003)
• Kenneth Colley (Pickett) voiced Cristophe Zarodnix for Sisters of the Flame and Vengeance of Morbius (both 2008)
• Big Finish actor Trevor Cooper (DI Bourne) was [Lancelot] Takis in Revelation of the Daleks and Friar Tuck in Robot of Sherwood, and voiced Sir Ralph for The Doomwood Curse, Shanks for The Haunting of Thomas Brewster (both 2008), Judah for The Beast of Orlok, Smithy for Castle of Fear (both 2009), both Captain Maddox and Stennan for Army of Death (2011), both the Colonel and Kimball for The Emerald Tiger (2012), and both Jonathan Jaggers and Mr. Preddle for Judoon in Chains (2016)
• Peter Miles (Kedge) was Dr. Charles Lawrence in The Silurians, Professor Whitaker for Invasion of the Dinosaurs, then was Nyder in Genesis of the Daleks, a role he reprised for both The Trial of Davros (2005), and I, Davros: Guilt (BF, 2006) - he also voiced Tragan for The Paradise of Death, and Curator Gantman for Whispers of Terror (BF, 1999)
• John Gill (Clergyman) was Oak in Fury from the Deep
• David Telfer (Ticket Collector) was the Huntsman in The Creature from the Pit
• Walter Henry (Veteran) was an Extra in (episode 2 of) The Myth Makers and The Silurians (6), a Primord in Inferno (6), and a Brother in The Masque of Mandragora (1 and 3)
• Raymond Hughes was costume designer on The Invisible Enemy too
• production buyer Peter Walpole was the set decorator on Rose, The End of the World, The Unquiet Dead, Aliens of London and World War Three
• Magdalen Gaffney was make-up artist on Death to the Daleks too

Doctor Who Vs. Agatha Christie, Part 1

The biggest mystery in the life of Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (1890-1976) is undoubtedly the story of her disappearance in 1926, 
when she vanished for eleven days. She never spoke of those missing 
days, and the ninety year old controversy remains as intriguing as any 
of her crime novels.

In late 1926, Agatha's husband Archie told her that he wanted a divorce. 
On December 3rd, the couple quarrelled, and Archie left their house, Styles, 
in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to see his mistress, Nancy Neele, at Godalming. 
Later that same evening, Agatha disappeared, informing her secretary in a letter 
that she had left for Yorkshire. Her abandoned Morris Cowley was found beside 
a lake at Newlands Corner, near Guildford.

Despite a public outcry and a massive manhunt, the novelist was only identified 

on December 14th, as a guest at the Swan Hydropathic Hotel in Harrogate. Even fellow crime writers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L Sayers took an interest

in the case.

Agatha was then diagnosed with an amnesiac 'fugue state', but many contemporary commentators believed she had staged a publicity stunt. In 1998, author Jared Cade speculated that Agatha had planned her disappearance, and wanted to publicly embarrass Archie. Biographer Andrew Norman also studied the case, and The Guardian reviewed his book here. The Christies divorced in 1928, and Agatha married the archaeologist Max Mallowan (1904-1978) two years later.

These events were dramatised in the British film, Agatha starring Vanessa Redgrave as the famous writer, and Dustin Hoffman as the reporter, Wally Stanton. Future James Bond actor, Timothy Dalton portrayed Agatha's adulterous husband, Colonel Archibald Christie (1899-1962). His affair is seen here as the catalyst for Agatha's breakdown, and she even booked into her hotel under the alias of Teresa Neele. The film (released by Warner in 1979) was screened on ITV3 today, and featured these ten Doctor Who cast and crew connections: 

• Dalton played Lord President Rassilon in The End of Time
• Carolyn Pickles (Charlotte) voiced Lady Meera for Big Finish's Army of Death (2011)
• Paul Brooke (Foster) voiced Paolo for The Ghosts of N-Space, and Toby the Sapient Pig for Year of the Pig (BF, 2006)
• Timothy West (Kenward) voiced Kai Tobias for Phobos (BF, 2007), Turvey for Cuddlesome (BF, 2008), and Dr. Magnus Soames in House of Blue Fire (BF, 2011)
• Harry Fielder (Policeman), a veteran of the original run, had parts as a Guard (in serials PP, ZZZ, 4L, 4P, 5A, 5F, 5Z), a Crewman (SS, 4T), a Vogan (4D), an Assassin (4Q), a Tigellan (5Q), and a Krarg for Shada
• Christopher Fairbank (Luland) voiced the Professor for The Wreck of the Titan (BF, 2010), and Doc Baroque for The Scapegoat (BF, 2009) - he is married to Camille Coduri
• John Joyce (Waiter) had an uncredited role in The Myth Makers, and was Garvin in The Daemons
• Hubert Rees (Official) made three classic era appearances, as the Chief Engineer in Fury from the Deep, Captain Ransom in The War Games, and John Stevenson in The Seeds of Doom
• Peter Arne (Manager) had been cast in Frontios as Range, but was replaced by William Lucas when he was murdered in his London home in August 1983
• Tony Bell was a boom operator on The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot too

TO BE CONTINUED 

Doctor Who Vs. The Jury

ITV's prime-time mini-series, The Jury II was

first shown over five consecutive nights in

November 2011. 

The drama centred on the story of the twelve

men and women called for jury service in the

retrial of a man accused of a triple murder,

after the High Court overturned the original

guilty verdict.

This courtroom drama (the follow-up to

Granada's own six-part series, which aired 

n February 2002 - see footnote below) began 

another repeat run on ITV3 last night. 

The cast, headed by Roger Allam (Endeavour)

and Julie Walters (Harry Potter) as rival QC's,

featured twenty-one Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Ronald Pickup (Livingstone) made his TV debut as the Physician in The Reign of Terror: Tyrant of France, then later voiced Kestorian for Time Works (2006), and Elder Bones for Spaceport Fear (2013) both from Big Finish
• Steven Mackintosh (Brierley) played Gazak in Timelash
• Anne Reid (June) was Nurse Crane in The Curse of Fenric, and Florence Finnegan in Smith and Jones
• Ronan Vibert (Branson) was Professor Skinner in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Last Sontaran
• Keith Parry (Clerk) was the Bus Driver in Planet of the Dead
• Natasha Williams (Clerk) was a Pharmacist in Gridlock
• Shobu Kapoor (Mum) was a Woman in Journey's End, and voiced Sai Chopra for Vortex Ice (2017)
• Meera Syal (Headmistress) was Nasreen Choudhry in The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood
• Danny Sapani (DI Scott) was Colonel Manton (pictured) in A Good Man Goes to War
• Nicholas Asbury (Romeo) voiced Rowe for The Many Deaths of Jo Grant (2011), and Visguard, Captain Morgan and SB Officer for The Churchill Years 2 (2018)
• Ivanno Jeremiah (Takana) voiced Abasi for The Ghosts of Gralstead (2013)
• Meg Wynn Owen (Olive) was Old Isabella in A Christmas Carol
• John R Walker (Dent) was a Cured Patient in New Earth, an Injured Man in Evolution of the Daleks, and a Sales Rep in Planet of the Ood
• Ivanno Jeremiah (Tahir) was Rafando in Extremis
• Eben Young (Radio Host) was Colonel Don Brabbit in The Pyramid at the End of the World
• Rakhee Thakrar (Sister) has been cast as new Big Finish companion Bliss
• film editor Philip Kloss also edited The Doctor's Daughter, Midnight, The End of Time, Torchwood: Children of Earth and An Adventure in Space and Time
• John May (Guard) was Kev in The Halloween Apocalypse
• Adam Harvey was assistant editor on the 50th anniversary biopic too
• Toby Ford was first assistant director on A Good Man Goes to War too
• Nick Roberts was also ADR mixer on The Time of Angels, Flesh and Stone, The Vampires of Venice, Cold Blood and The Lodger

The Jury (2002) starred Derek Jacobi, and another ten Doctor Who

cast alumni: Nina Sosanya, Michael Maloney, Sylvia Syms, Nicholas

Farrell, Ellen Thomas, John Duttine, Paul Reynolds, Helen McCrory,

William Hoyland, James Doherty, and Matt Dineen.

Date With History: 1915

May 7th, 2.10 pm: The Cunard liner, RMS Lusitania, was torpedoed by the German

 U-Boat U20, and sank in only 18 minutes, just 11 miles from the Irish coast. 

Of the 1,959  passengers and crew on board, only 761 survived.

Although the sinking was universally condemned (and widely exploited in

 propaganda and recruiting campaigns), America didn't enter World War I for

another two years.

New Doctor Who Companion Announced

The BBC announced on Thursday that the identity of the actress cast to replace 

 Jenna Coleman when Doctor Who returns to BBC One at Christmas would be revealed today. A photo teaser was issued online yesterday, which showed the
new character's Vans shoes left outside the TARDIS. Then this evening, at half-
time during the Match of the Day coverage of the FA Cup semi-final match at 
Wembley (between Everton and Manchester United), Pearl Mackie was 
unveiled as Peter Capaldi's newest travelling companion, Bill.
The Brixton-born actress, 28, graduated from Bristol Old Vic in 2010, and
appeared in the film Svengali (2013), and an episode of Doctors (2014).
She is currently performing in the National Theatre's West End production
of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Mackie commented on the BBC News site: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining
 the Doctor Who family. It's such an extraordinary British institution, I couldn't
 be prouder to call  the Tardis my home. Peter is such a brilliant actor, and his Doctor is such a wacky and wonderful character, I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for him and Bill." She described the new companion as "wicked, cool, strong, sharp, a bit vulnerable with a bit of geekiness thrown in."
Her co-star said "It is a genuine delight to welcome Pearl" to the programme,
and added that she was "a fine actress with a wonderful zest and charm."

Doctor Who Vs. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell

Shown again on the Horror channel tonight, this feature was Hammer's final chapter in their Frankenstein saga. Genre legend Peter Cushing made his sixth appearance as Baron Von Frankenstein, and future Star Wars actor David Prowse again played the scientist's monstrous creation. Here, the Baron works as an asylum surgeon under the alias of Dr. Victor, and is now murdering his patients to acquire body parts in his constant experiments. 
Produced in 1972 but only released two years later, 
the film performed poorly at the box office and became 
one of the studio's last horror movies. Frankenstein
 featured Patrick Troughton (pictured as the 
Bodysnatcher) and ten other Doctor Who cast connections:

• John Stratton (Director) played Shockeye of the Quawncing Grig in The Two Doctors
• Prowse (the Monster) was the Minotaur in The Time Monster
• Norman Mitchell (Sergeant) and Hugh Cecil (Inmate) both appeared in The Daleks' Master Plan, as a Policeman (in The Feast of Steven) and Technix (in The Nightmare Begins) respectively - Cecil was also a Priest in The Massacre: The Sea Beggar, a Worker in (episode 3 of) The War Machines, and an Extra in The Silurians (episode 6)
• Philip Voss (Ernst) was Acomat in Marco Polo, and Wahed in The Dominators (1)
• Norman Atkyns (Smiler) was a Guardian in Colony in Space, and the Rear Admiral in (episode 5 of) The Sea Devils
• Janet Hargreaves (Chatter) was Mum in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
• Gordon Richardson (Inmate) was Squire in The Silurians (2)
• Nicholas Smith (Death Wish) was Wells in The Dalek Invasion of Earth
• Roy Hyde was the sound editor on Dr. Who and the Daleks too