Wednesday 31 January 2018

Doctor Who Vs. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

This British film was produced, directed
and co-written by legendary Hollywood
film-maker Billy Wilder (1906-2002).
Robert Stephens (1931-1995), Colin
Blakely (1930-1987) and Christopher
Lee (1922-2015) portrayed Holmes,
Watson and Mycroft respectively.
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss 
have credited the relationship between
Holmes and Watson seen here as their
inspiration when they created Sherlock.
Released by United Artists in late 1971,
the cult film was shown again on TCM
yesterday, and featured eleven Doctor 
Who cast connections:

  • Christopher Gable (Danseur Nobel) played Sharaz Jek in The Caves of Androzani
  • Graham Armitage (Wiggins here; Holmes for The Stories of Sherlock Holmes, 1979-85) was Barney in (episode 1 of) The Macra Terror
  • Michael Elwyn (Cassidy) was Lt. Algernon Thomas Alfred Ffinch in The Highlanders
  • James Copeland (Guide) was Selris in The Krotons
  • Godfrey James (Carter) was Tarn in Underworld
  • Robert Cawdron (Manager) was Taltalian in The Ambassadors of Death
  • Kenneth Benda (Minister here; Butler in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother) was the Minister in The Claws of Axos
  • Philip Anthony (Lieutenant here; PC Walters, Wisteria Lodge) was Roald in The Daleks' Master Plan (1)
  • Eric Francis (Gravedigger here; Magruder in Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Case of Magruder's Murder; Merriman in The Baker Street Boys: The Adventure of the Disappearing Dispatch Case) was the First Elder in The Sensorites
  • Willie Shearer (Submariner) was a Chumblie in Galaxy 4
  • John Scott Martin (Scientist) was a stalwart of the classic series, with appearances in seventy-six episodes (usually as a Dalek operator) from The Web Planet to Remembrance of the Daleks

Tuesday 30 January 2018

Doctor Who Vs. Broadchurch, Series 3

Whilst the first series of this multi-award 
winning crime drama focused on the hunt 
for a child killer, and the second season concentrated on the subsequent trial of 
the prime suspect, this third case followed
serial rape investigation.
Prolific TV screenwriter and future Doctor 
Who showrunner Chris Chibnall again 
penned this serial - shown over eight
consecutive Monday nights from 
February to April 2017.
David Tennant and Olivia Coleman 
reprised their roles as Wessex Police 
detectives, DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie 
Miller. Jodie WhittakerArthur Darvill
and Andrew Buchan also returned.
A repeat run of the third and final series
concluded on ITV Encore last night - it
starred comic actors Lenny Henry and 
Charlie Higson, and nineteen other 
Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

  • Julie Hesmondhalgh (Trish) was Judy Maddox in Kerblam!
  • Sarah Parish (Cath) played the Empress of the Racnoss in The Runaway Bride
  • Julie Cox (Angela) voiced Big Finish companion Mary Shelley for The Company of Friends: Mary's Story (2009), The Silver Turk, The Witch from the Well and Army of Death (all 2011)
  • Sir Lenny [George] Henry CBE (Shrunken Head) once depicted the Doctor in his sketch show in 1985, and was Daniel Barton in Spyfall
  • Roy Hudd (Barrett) voiced Max Miller for Pier Pressure (2006)
  • Sebastian Armesto (Lucas) was Broff in Bad Wolf, and voiced Anders for Grand Theft Cosmos (2008)
  • Sunetra Sarker (Dr. Harrison) was Indira iDinosaurs on a Spaceship
  • Richard Hope (Tamworth) was Malokeh in The Hungry EarthCold Blood and The Wedding of River Song, Bleytal in Dinosaurs on s Spaceship, then voiced Moreland for The Bounty of Ceres (2014), Harry Harvey for Damaged Goods (2015), Philip Cook for Doom Coalition 3 (2016), and Jastrok for UNIT: Assembled (2017)
  • Josette Simon (CS Clark) voiced Sarana Teel for The Sontaran Ordeal (2016), and Taraneh for The Mind Runners (2018)
  • Guillaume Rivaud (Journalist) and David Cromarty (Footballer) both appeared in Thin Ice, as Gentleman and Soldier - Rivaud was also Warrior in Resolution, and Traveller in Revolution of the Daleks
  • Mariah Gale (Caroline) was Eliza in Knock Knock
  • Charlotte Lucas (Sarah) voiced Bio Technician Valis and Echelon for Cobwebs (2010), and Duchess Miranda for Kingdom of Lies (2018)
  • Ines De Clercq (Danielle) voiced Frye for Echoes of Extinction, and Marcella for The Lone Centurion 1 (both 2021)
  • for Matthew Gravelle, Carolyn Pickles and Peter De Jersey see my blog for Series 1
  • Daniel Nettheim also directed The Zygon Invasion, The Zygon InversionExtremis and The Pyramid at the End of the World
  • Ray Holman was also the costume designer on twenty-eight adventures (from Blink to The Husbands of River Song)
  • for stunt co-ordinator Dean Forster see Series 2