Doctor Who Vs. The ABC Murders

This thriller (another Agatha Christie Ltd. and Mammoth Screen collaboration) is
the latest adaptation from Sarah Phelps, and is based on The A.B.C. Murders, widely regarded as one of
Christie's best mysteries. Published in 1936, the form of the novel is notable for combining first-person and third-person narratives,
previously employed in
The Man in the Brown 
Suit. Captain Arthur Hastings acts as narrator
of the story, but Poirot's friend is absent from this new reworking.
Mike Holgate's book,
Stranger Than Fiction, claimed that the Queen of Crime was inspired by the infamous White-
chapel Murders of 1888.
The whodunit was first adapted in 1965 as The Alphabet Murders, followed
by LWT's version for the popular Poirot series (in 1992), then a BBC radio dramatisation in 2008.
Here, Hercules Poirot (now portrayed by Illinois-born actor John Malkovich) hunts ABC, a serial  killer who dispatches his victims in alphabetical order.
The period drama (shown over three consecutive nights from Boxing Day)  concluded on BBC1 last night and featured Rupert Grint (as Inspector
Crome), Andrew Buchan, Tara Fitzgerald, Gregor Fisher, and fourteen
Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Kevin McNally (Inspector Japp here; Somerset in The Blue Geranium) was Hugo Lang in The Twin Dilemma, and voiced Henry for Big Finish's The Death Collectors (2008)
• Shirley Henderson (Rose here; Honoria in Murder is Easy) was Ursula Blake in Love & Monsters
• Christopher Villiers (Carmichael here; Restarick in They Do It With Mirrors) was Hugh Fitzwilliam in The King's Demons, Professor Moorhouse in Mummy on the Orient Express, and voiced Cacothis for Absolution (2007)
• Tamzin Griffin (Alice) voiced Negotiator Vresha for Dreamtime (2005)
• Lizzie McInnerny (Jenny here; Nurse & Miranda in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery) voiced Harriet Quilp for The Yes Men (2015)
• Anya Chalotra (Lily) voiced Ensign Murti for The Time War 2 (2018)
• Karen Westwood (Mrs. Kirkham) was Tabetha in The Big Bang
• Suzanne Packer (Capstick) was Eve Cicero in The Tsuranga Conundrum
• Jonathan Keeble (Newsreader) voiced Clegg for The Revolution Game (2019)
• Alexander Kirk (Weddle) was an Orderly in P.R.O.B.E. The Zero Imperative, Colonel Ackroyd in P.R.O.B.E. Unnatural Selection, and Hopkins in Global Conspiracy?
• Adam Darlington (Passenger) was a Passerby in Arachnids in the UK
• Sarah Davies was also first assistant director on thirty-six stories (from Love & Monsters to Series 11) and The Sarah Jane Adventures, following work as production runner on four other episodes
• George Atkins was also ADR mixer on The Time of the Doctor, Flatline and Empress of Mars
• hair/make-up assistant Andrew Whiteoak was a Millennium FX technician on World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls

Doctor Who Vs. The Curse of the Crimson Altar

Shown again on the Horror channel last night, 

this British horror feature was a co-production 

from Tigon Films and American International Pictures, and was loosely based on the HP 

Lovecraft short story, The Dreams in the 

Witch House.

Scripted by Mervyn Haisman (1928-2010) and Henry Lincoln (born Henry Soskin in 

1930), the story centred on the typically 

gothic tropes of black magic cults and 

human sacrifice.

Released in 1968, the film (titled The Crimson

 Cult in America) featured iconic genre actors Christopher Lee (1922-2015) and Boris Karloff (1887-1969) and nine other Doctor Who cast 

and crew connections:

• Mark Eden (Manning) played the titular Venetian (pictured left) in Marco Polo, and depicted Donald Baverstock in An Adventure in Space and Time
• Michael Gough (Elder) was the titular villain in The Celestial Toymaker, and Councillor Hedin in Arc of Infinity
• Virginia Wetherell (Eve) was Dyoni in The Daleks
• Roger Avon (Sergeant) was Saphadin in The Crusade, and Daxtar in (episode 4 of) The Daleks' Master Plan
• Ron Pember (Attendant) voiced Seedle for Slipback
• Nicholas Head (Blacksmith) was a Thal in Dr. Who and the Daleks
• Fred Wood (Acolyte) was a Running Man in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD
• Elizabeth Blattner was a make-up artist on 100,000 BC too, then the make-up supervisor on The Daleks
• property master John Poyner was sound editor on the second Dalek film

Doctor Who Vs. Oliver Twist (1985)

Victorian literary classic Oliver Twist (also known

as The Parish Boy's Progress, and originally pub-

lished monthly in Bentley's Miscellany from 1837-

39) was only Charles Dickens' second novel.

The first television adaptation of the story was

shown on BBCtv in 1962, followed by this more faith-

ful version in 1985. Produced by Terrance Dicks as
part of the corporation's Classic Serial strand (which
ran regularly on Sunday afternoons for twenty years
from 1975), the drama originally aired in late 1985.

 The twelve-part saga featured Ben Rodska as Oliver,
Eric Porter (Fagin), and twenty-six other Doctor Who
cast and crew connections:

• Terry Molloy (Brittles) was the third actor to portray Davros on TV (from Resurrection of the Daleks), a role reprised for Big Finish's audio series I, Davros (2006), then Davros (2003), The Juggernauts, Terror Firma (both 2005), The Davros Mission (2007), Masters of War (2008), The Curse of Davros (2012), Daleks Among Us (2013), The Lights of Skaro (2014), and even on stage for The Trial of Davros (2005) - he was also Russell in Attack of the Cybermen, and voiced Magus Riga for Kingdom of Silver, Examiner for Keepsake (both 2008), Dr. Christopher Wallace and the Rat King for Rat Trap (2011), Lord Ampthill for Jago and Litefoot: The Hourglass Killers (2012), Quadrigger Stoyn for The Beginning, The Dying Light (both 2013), and Luna Romana (2014), and Rone for Time Reaver (2016)
• Brian Badcoe (Magistrate) was Adam in Invasion of the Dinosaurs
• June Brown (Mrs. Mann) was Lady Eleanor in The Time Warrior
• Donald Eccles (Limbkins) was Krasis in The Time Monster
• Davyd Harries (White) was Shapp in The Armageddon Factor
• Nicholas McArdle (Master) was De Vries in The Stones of Blood
• Edward Burnham (Grimwig) was professors Watkins and Kettlewell in The Invasion and Robot respectively
• Lysette Anthony (Rose/Agnes) voiced Clara Harris for Assassin in the Limelight (2008), Hazel Bright for Hothouse (2009), and Sophia for The Secret History (2015)
• Michael Attwell (Bill Sikes) was Isbur in The Ice Warriors, and Bates in Attack of the Cybermen
• Godfrey James (Bumble) was Tarn in Underworld
• Gillian Martell (Mrs Maylie) was Lily Gregson in K9 and Company
• Chrsitian Rodska (Barney) voiced Laan Carder for Faith Stealer (2004), and Reverand Small for AudioGo's Hornets Nest: The Dead Shoes (2011)
• Miriam Margolyes (Mrs Corney) voiced Leef Apple Glyn Slitheen-Blathereen in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Gift, and Frau Tod for The Beast of Orlok (2009)
• Christopher Driscoll (Crackit) was the Security Guard in The Idiot's Lantern
• Janet Henfrey (Martha) was Miss Hardaker in The Curse of Fenric, and voiced Mrs. Vanguard for The Spirit Trap (2010), Old Woman for Counter Measures 3, and Dr. Petherbridge for An Eye For Murder (both 2014)
• Mark Bassenger (Cabbie) made his TV debut as a Cyberman in The Five Doctors
• David McKail (Dr. Losberne) was Sergeant Kyle in The Talons of Weng Chiang
• Dicken Ashworth (Sergeant) was Sezon in Timelash
• Harry Fielder (Big Man) was a Guard (in serials PP, ZZZ, 4L, 4P, 5A, 5F, 5Z), Crewman (SS, 4T), Vogan (4D), Assassin (4Q), Tigellan (5Q), and Krarg in Shada 
• Leslie Schofield (Patterer) was Leroy in The War Games, and Calib in The Face of Evil
• Henry Stamper (Fang) was Anton in The Enemy of the World
• Alan Bennion (Magistrate) was Slaar in The Seeds of Death, Izlyr in The Curse of Peladon, and Azaxyr in The Monster of Peladon
• Charles Pemberton (Warden) was a titular alien in The Tomb of the Cybermen, and Alien Technician in The War Games (5)
• production manager Nigel Taylor began his career as assistant director on The Stones of Blood
• script editor Brian Wright was Dassuk in The Ark
• incidential music was provided by Dudley Simpson, composer on almost 300 episodes (from Planet of the Giants to The Horns of Nimon)