Saturday 25 February 2017

Doctor Who Vs. Prime Suspect, Series 5

Granada's acclaimed, multi-award winning police
procedural drama returned in October 1996. 
Helen Mirren's role as Detective Superintendent 
Jane Tennison earned her further Emmy award
and BAFTA nominations, and the serial won
 another Outstanding Mini-series Emmy.
Mirren was joined by David O'Hara (as DS Rankine), Julia Lane (DI Devanney), John 
Brobbey (DC Adeliyeka), and John McArdle
(DCS Ballinger).
This two-part case (subtitled Errors of 
Judgement, and now based in Manchester
began another repeat run on ITV3 last night, and featured eight Doctor Who cast and 
crew connections:

  • Steven Mackintosh (the Street) played Gazak (pictured) in Timelash
  • Ray Emmet Brown (Johns) voiced 'No. 16' for Big Finish's House of Blue Fire (2011)
  • Ravin J Ganatra (Mooz) was Hakim Khan in Arachnids in the UK and Demons of the Punjab
  • Joe Jacobs (Lafferty) was a Guard in The Pandorica Opens
  • Andy Devine (Reporter) began his TV career as an uncredited Draconian in Frontier in Space
  • director Philip Davis was Lucius Petrus Dextrus in The Fires of Pompeii, and voiced Titus for The Cannibalists (BF, 2009)
  • production manager Des Hughes was the line producer on eight stories (from The Snowmen to The Time of the Doctor) - he had a cameo in The Five(ish) Doctors too
  • Peter Brayham was also the stunt co-ordinator on The Christmas InvasionNew Earth and School Reunion

Friday 24 February 2017

Doctor Who Vs. Murder on the Home Front

This period drama from Carnival Films
was inspired by Evidence for the Crown,
a book by Molly Lefebure (1919-2013)
which chronicled the writer's wartime
work with pioneering forensic pathologist
Dr. Keith Simpson (1907-1985).
1940: the height of the London Blitz.
Dr. Lennox Collins (Home Office
pathologist, forensic sciencist and
advocate of Locard's principle) is enlisted
by Scotland Yard when a prostitute is strangled and a Swastika is found carved on her tongue. Collins, played by Patrick Kennedy (Bleak House, War Horse)
is assisted in the hunt for the 'Nazi
Strangler' by his new secretary and
would-be crime reporter Molly (Tamzin
Merchant).
The two-part serial (originally shown in May 2013) was repeated on ITV3
last night, and featured thirteen Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

  • Geoffrey Sax directed the Doctor Who TV Movie too
  • James Fleet (Professor Stephens) voiced O'Reilley for Max Warp (2008), Geoff Cooper for The Entropy Composition, and Martin Ashcroft and Sir Jack Merrivale for Special Features (both included on The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories release of 2010)
  • Richard Bremmer (Maxton) voiced General Hemmings, Valcon and Taxi Driver all for The Valley of Death (BF, 2011), and Old Beowulf for Black and White (BF, 2012)
  • John Heffernan (Zeigler) voiced Vonchef for Revenge of the Swarm (BF, 2014), and the Imposter for Doom Coalition 3 (BF, 2016)
  • Angus Wright (Carver) voiced Magnus Greel for The Butcher of Brisbane (BF, 2012), and Alek Zenos for We Are The Daleks (BF, 2015)
  • Greg Bennett (PC) was a Sycorax Warrior and UNIT Soldier in The Christmas Invasion, and a Guest in The Lazarus Experiment
  • Paul Heasman was the stunt co-ordinator on Survival too, and was an uncredited Nazi in Silver Nemesis
  • stunt performers Lee Sheward, Kim McGarrity, Seon Rogers and Marcus Shakesheff all worked on the revived run
  • Gareth Spensley was also the colourist on twenty-two stories (from The God Complex to The Return of Doctor Mysterio)
  • script supervisor Karen Jones began her TV career as PA on Mindwarp

Wednesday 22 February 2017

Doctor Who Vs. Prime Suspect, Series 4

Granada's acclaimed, multi-award winning police 
procedural drama returned for a fourth season in the 
spring of 1995. Helen Mirren's role as Jane Tennison 
(now a Detective Superintendent) earned her a third
Emmy award and another BAFTA nomination.
Mirren was joined here by regular series actors John
Benfield (as Chief Superintendent Mike Kernan), 
Richard Hawley (DI Haskons), Mossie Smith (DC 
Havers), Jack Ellis (DI Muddyman), and newcomers Thomas Craig (DS Booth), Sophie Stanton (DS Cromwell), Cristopher John Hale (DC Bakari), and Christopher Fulford (DCI Mitchell). A fifth serial followed in October 1996.
The series, now comprised of three separate cases,
began another repeat run on ITV3 last night, and 
featured seventeen Doctor Who cast and crew 
connections:

The Lost Child (UK TX: April 30)
  • Lesley Sharpe (Anne) played Sky Silvestry in Midnight
  • Robert Glenister (Hughes) was Salateen in The Caves of Androzani
  • Graham Seed (Doctor) voiced Pyerpoint for The Romance of Crime (2015)
  • Adrian Lukis (Warwick) voiced Bragg for Cobwebs (2010), Byzan for The Children of Seth (2011), Harvey Marsh for The Justice of Jalxar (2013), and Professor Jeffrey Broderick for Counter Measures
  • Sam Cox (DCI Birnan) was DI Bishop in The Idiot's Lantern
  • clapper loader Tony Slater Ling was the cinematographer on The Vampires of Venice and Vincent and the Doctor
Inner Circles (UK TX: May 7)
  • writer Eric Deacon (Dr. Gordon in Prime Suspect 3) was Mykros in Timelash
  • Roger Milner (Norman) was Anicca in (part 1 of) Kinda
  • Albert Welling (Manager) was the titular Fúhrer in Let's Kill Hitler
  • Ralph Arliss (DCI Raymond) was Tuar in Planet of the Spiders
  • Martin Matthews (Councillor) was Kurster in The Androids of Tara
  • stuntman Jim Dowdall was a Guerilla in Day of the Daleks, a Guard in Genesis of the Daleks, and a Warnsman in Frontios (1)
The Scent of Darkness (UK TX: May 15)
  • Marc Warren (DC Dyson) was Elton Pope in Love & Monsters
  • Ray Fearon (Whitehouse) voiced Barlow Teveler for The Seeds of War (BF, 2013)
  • Tim Wallers (Motorist) was Childers in Victory of the Daleks, and voiced Justinian for The Secret History (BF, 2015)
  • Kate Ashfield (Helper) voiced Lieutenant Beth Stokes for Enemy of the Daleks (BF, 2009)
  • Heather Emmanuel (Nurse) was Tessa in The Android Invasion (4)

Tuesday 21 February 2017

Doctor Who Vs. Prime Suspect, Series 3

Actors Helen Mirren (as DCI Jane Tennison), 
Tom Bell (DS Bill Otley), Richard Hawley (DC Haskons), Philip Wright (DC Lillie), and John 
Benfield (CS Mike Kernan) all returned for the third season of Granada's acclaimed, multi-award winning police procedural drama.
Originally shown in December 1993, the 
serial earned its second Emmy Award (for 
Outstanding Miniseries) and Mirren won her 
third Best Actress BAFTA.
The two-part case (again written by Lynda
La Plante and subtitled The Keeper of Souls
concluded another repeat run on ITV3 last 
night, and featured Peter Capaldi (pictured 
as transvestite Vera Reynolds), Mark Strong, 
David Thewlis, Ciarán Hinds, Danny Dyer, 
and thirteen other Doctor Who cast and 
crew connections:

  • Michael J Shannon (Hunter) voiced Uglosi for Nevermore (BF, 2010), and Dr. Hugo Macht for The Shield of Jotunn (BF, 2015)
  • Struan Rodger (Supt. Halliday) provided the voice of the Face of Boe in New Earth and Gridlock, and was Clayton in The Woman Who Lived
  • Terrence Hardiman (Comm. Chiswick) was Hawthorne in The Beast Belowand voiced King Sitirc for The Book of Kells (BF, 2010), Reverend Dobbs for Serpent Crest: The Broken Crown (AudioGo, 2011), and Stackhouse for The English Way of Death (BF, 2014)
  • Andrew Woodall (DI Dalton) depicted Rex Tucker in An Adventure in Space and Time
  • Kelly Hunter (Smithy) was the Shadow Architect in The Stolen Earth and The Magician's Apprentice 
  • Jonny Lee Miller (Field) made his TV debut as a titular Child in Kinda
  • Christopher Fairbank (DCI Lyall) voiced the Professor for The Wreck of the Titan (BF, 2010), and Doc Baroque for The Scapegoat (BF, 2009), then appeared as Fenton in Flatline
  • Gilbert Wynne (Frampton) was Thara in The Krotons
  • Big Finish artist Rowena Cooper (Mrs. Kennington) voiced Emily Shaw for both The Last Post (2012) and The Cloisters of Terror (2015), Mother Superior for The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3: The Unbound Universe, Jean Bazemore for Jago & Litefoot 11, and Queen Victoria for both Torchwood: The Victorian Age and The Torchwood Archive (all 2016)
  • Eric Deacon (Doctor) was Mykros in Timelash
  • Joseph Greig (Caretaker) was a titular alien in The Sensorites
  • stunt co-ordinator Terry Forrestal was a Tractor Driver in K9 and Company
  • Stuart Brisdon was also the VFX designer on Mawdryn Undead, The Caves of Androzani, The Twin Dilemma and Remembrance of the Daleks

Friday 17 February 2017

Doctor Who Vs. Prime Suspect 2

Actors Helen Mirren (as DCI Jane Tennison), 
John Benfield (CS Mike Kernan), Jack Ellis
(DI Muddyman), Craig Fairbrass (DI Burkin), 
Richard Hawley (DC Haskons), Ian Fitzgibbon
(DC Jones), Philip Wright (DC Lillie), and Andrew Tiernan (DC Rosper) all returned for the second 
season of Granada's acclaimed, multi-award 
winning police procedural drama.
Originally shown in December 1992, the serial 
earned its first Emmy Award (for Outstanding Miniseries) and Mirren won her second Best 
Actress BAFTA.
The two-part case (again written by Lynda La
Plante and subtitled Operation Nadine) concluded
another repeat run on ITV3 last night, and 
featured Geoffrey Beevers (as the Coroner) and
ten other Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

  • Colin Salmon (DS Oswalde) was Dr. Moon (pictured) in Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead, then voiced Trooper Salway for Big Finish's Wirrn Dawn (2009)
  • Lloyd McGuire (Calder) was Lugo in (part 1) of The Face of Eviland voiced Lieutenant Tendexter for The Architects of History (2010)
  • Tom Watson (Harvey) was Ramo in The Underwater Menace
  • Matt Bardock (Reynolds) was Al in Flatline
  • Nina Sosanya (Joanne) was Trish Webber in Fear Her
  • Adrian Schiller (Gold here and Series 3) was Uncle in The Doctor's Wife, and voiced Zanith for Time Works (2006)
  • Junior Laniyan (Allen) was Suited Customer in Time Heist
  • Michael Fitzgerald (Rodin) was the Duke of Manhattan in New Earth
  • David Ryall (Bream) voiced both Carthok and Valentine for Phantasmagoria (1999)
  • Carol Noakes (Newsreader) voiced Olerik for The Acheron Pulse (2012)