'Radio Times' TV Review 0f 2020

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal Doctor 
Who supporter, the Radio Times, has revealed the results of their annual,
multi-channel survey. Their top forty shows of the year have again been

elected by the magazine's critics, and Jodie Whittaker's second season

has been placed at a respectable number thirty-four. RT writer Huw

Fullerton comments:

34. Doctor Who

After Jodie Whittaker's first series put an emphasis on all-new monsters and stories, her second run did an abrupt volte-face, bringing back a host of familiar villains and adding new twists as the Time Lord faced a deeply personal challenge.

If the shock return of the Master (played by a scenery-chewing Sacha Dhawan) in the very first episode and a comeback for the Judoon and the Cybermen weren’t enough, series 12’s fifth episode – which saw a surprise new incarnation of the Doctor, played by Jo Martin, unmasked – blew us all away. We can only imagine how they’re going to top it in the (now-filming) series 13.

Doctor Who Vs. Nativity 3

Shown on channel 5 today, this

British comedy (subtitled Dude

Where's My Donkey?) was the

second sequel to 2009 festive

film Nativity! Marc Wootton and

Jason Watkins reprised their

series roles as Mr. Poppy and

Gordon Shakespeare.

The fourth instalment, Nativity

Rocks! opened in cinemas in late

 2018, and followed a stage

version, Nativity! The Musical,

which premiered in Birmingham

before a UK tour. Filmed on location in Coventry, London and New York, Nativity 3 (again written by

Debbie Isitt) was released in late 2014 - it featured Catherine Tate,

and eleven other Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• for Watkins see my blog for Nativity!
• Martin Clunes (Mr. Shepherd) was Lon in Snakedance
• Adam Garcia (Finch) was Alex Klein in The Christmas Invasion
• Niky Wardley (Bella) voiced Tamsin Drew for seven Big Finish stories (from Situation Vacant until To the Death), then Bex Young for Technophobia, Hannah Bennett for School of Blood (both 2016), and Natalie Morrison for Donna Noble: Kidnapped! (2020) - she also made a cameo appearance in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
• Celia [Diana Savile] Imrie (Mrs. Keen here & Nativity Rocks!) was [Rosemary] Kizlet in The Bells of Saint John, then voiced Dr. Elizabeth Bradley for The Fifth Citadel (2013), Madame Tissot for Gallery of Ghouls, and Livia for Gallifrey: Enemy Lines (both 2016)
• Ralf Little (Charlie) voiced Guy Fawkes for The Gunpowder Plot, and was Steadfast in Smile
• Stewart Wright (Henry) was Alan in The Lie of the Land
• Duncan Preston (Dad) voiced the titular alien in the Doctor Who and Crayola sketch for Victoria Wood as Seen on TV
• Simon Lipkin (Chief Elf here; Jerry in Nativity Rocks!) was Nollarr in The Girl Who Died
• Lloyd Bass was also stuntman on The Time of the Doctor, Twice Upon a Time and Spyfall
• Curtis Rivers was also a stunt double on Utopia, The Sound of Drums and Torchwood

Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street at 60, Part 12: 2000-2003

Langley (Adam Mitchell in The Long
Game) was sacked by Granada in
2017 and written out of the show.

From 1999 to 2001, many real life

issues dominated Corrie storylines

- these involved rape, fostering,

child abduction, internet grooming,

cervical cancer and teenage

pregnancy. Such plots proved

unpopular and producer Jane

Macnaught was replaced by

Carolyn Reynolds.

The Street marked its fortieth

anniversary by broadcasting

a live, hour-long episode on

December 8th 2000.

The show also faced strong 

competition from rival soap

EastEnders, so Kieran Roberts

was appointed as new producer

in 2002 - his aim was to inject

gentler stories and more humour.

That year saw the introduction of the soap's first regular gay character,

Todd Grimshaw (played by Bruno Langley), and one the biggest ever

storylines - the crimes of Richard Hillman. As that plot reached its 

climax in February 2003, Corrie achieved the highest audience of the

decade with over 19 million viewers.

These four years on the cobbles featured Mary Tamm (as Diana

Black), Bernard Cribbins (Wally Bannister) and thirty other

Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Naomi Ryan (Bobbi Lewis, 2000-02) was Cassandra in Asylum of the Daleks
• Nigel Betts (Weir here; Eddie, 2007) was Mr. Armitage in Into the  Dalek, The Caretaker and Dark Water
• Liam Fox (Man here & 2005; Partridge, 2008) voiced Wunshooz and Mang for Big Finish's Purgatory 12 (2020)
• Gabrielle Glaister (Debs) voiced Maggie Bishop for The Forsaken (2015), Cowley for The High Price of Parking (2017), and Veronica Bland for Braxiatel in Love (2018)
• Jane How (Extra) was Rebec in Planet of the Daleks
• Davyd Harries (Judge) was Shapp in The Armageddon Factor
• Philip Bird (Gregory) made his TV debut as a Swampie in The Power of Kroll
• Melanie Kilburn (Evelyn Sykes/Elliott, 2000-02) voiced Hooley for The Dread of Night (2018)
• Peter Guinness (Sykes) voiced Mr. Dread for Dreamland, Childeric for The Holy Terror (2000), Baron Teufel for The Beast of Orlok (2009), and Rovus for The Star Men (2017)
• Toby Hadoke (Vicar here; Baxter, 2004; Doctor, 2009) voiced Mike Bretherton for Hexagora, Farel for Robophobia (both 2011), Dorrick for The Sands of Life, War Against the Laan, The Dalek Contract, The Final Phase (all 2013), The Pursuit of History and Casualties of Time (both 2016), Carruthers Summerton for Jago & Litefoot 10 (2015), the Lux and Oscar McLeod for Tales from New Earth, and V26 for The Sons of Kaldor (both 2018) - he was also Cyril in An Adventure in Space and Time
• Stephen Beckett (Matt Ramsden, 2001 & 2006) voiced Richard, Duke of Gloucester for The Kingmaker (2006)
• Martyn Read (Judge) was a Security Guard in (part 1 of) Silver Nemesis
• Leena Dhingra (Mina) was Miss Chandrakala in The Unicorn and the Wasp, and Nani Umbreen in Demons of the Punjab
• Julia Haworth (Claire Casey/Peacock) was Kat in Defenders of Earth
• Alan Wareing was also director of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Ghost Light and Survival, following a stint as PA on The Keeper of Traken, and production manager on Timelash
• Keith Drinkel (Gregory here; Bob, 2005) was Flight Engineer Scobie in Time Flight, and voiced Henry Hallam for Catch 1782 (2005), and the Cinder for Frostfire (2007)
• Nichola McAuliffe (Anita) was Vivien Rook in The Sound of Drums
• William Ash (Johnny) was Riley Vashtee in 42, and voiced Sam for The Condemned (2008)
• Geoffrey Leesley (Clegg) voiced Paramount Minister Mortund for Arrangements for War (2004)
• Michelle Newell (Gill) was one of twenty-six actresses who auditioned for the role of Leela in 1976
• Maureen Lipman (Lillian here; Evelyn, from 2018) was the Wire in The Idiot's Lantern
• Roy Hudd (Archie Shuttleworth, 2002/03, 2006, 2010) voiced Max Miller for Pier Pressure (2006)
• Richard Fleeshman (Craig Nelson, 2002-06) voiced Kristopher for Inner Demons (2025)
• Jonathan Owen (Reverend) voiced Antranak for The Eye of the Scorpion (2001), Hamiyun for Her Final Flight (2004), and Napoleon Bonaparte for The Curse of Davros (2012)
• Sasha Behar (Maya Sharma, 2003/04) was Spurrina in The Fires of Pompeii, then voiced the Presidential Aide for Songs of Love, Tessno and Ladonne for Stop the Clock (both 2017), and Admiral Eno for The Lifeboat and the Deathboat (2019)
• George Baker (Newton) was Decider Login in Full Circle
• James Quinn (DI Mannery here; DS Willets, 2013) was Bill in Flatline
• Chris Finch (Foster) was a Time Lord Soldier in The Last Day and The Day of the Doctor
• Nicky Goldie (Mrs. Parry here; Jade, 2010) voiced the Spillager Empress for Winter for the Adept, Valeria Hedone for The Fires of Vulcan (both 2000), Inquisitor Danby for Excelis Rising (2002), and Polk for The Moonrakers (2020)
• Susan Twist (Donna here; Lydia, 2017) was Mrs. Merridew in Wild Blue Yonder

Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street at 60, Part 11: 1996-1999

By 1997, the Street's viewing figures were

lagging behind rival EastEnders, with the

programme yet again perceived as dated.

ITV bosses were keen to make sweeping 

changes, and sought to attract a younger

audience. 

Outgoing produced Sue Pritchard was

replaced by Brian Park, and his short reign

saw the culling of many established cast 

members, starting with the sacking of Peter

Baldwin (who had played Derek Wilton since

 1975).

Park's controversial tenure saw the arrival

of the unpopular Battersby family, the intro-

duction of Hayley Patterson (the first trans-

gender character in British soap history),

and he was responsible for the infamous

'Weatherfield One' storyline when Deirdre

was jailed (watched by 19 million viewers).

David Hanson, the show's next producer,

oversaw another landmark for Corrie, when

 its first Asian family, the Desais took over the corner shop in 1999,

following the death of Alf Roberts (played by Bryan Mosley since

1961). The year also saw another expansion of the outdoor set (with

Victoria Street built to accommodate new businesses and flats), and

the appointment of another producer, Jane Macnaught.

These four years on the cobbles included scripts from Paul Cornell,

Gareth Roberts, and Phil Ford, and featured twenty-five other

Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Phil Collinson (the future producer of both Doctor Who and Corrie) appeared in episode 4302 as Bob Wright
• Glyn Pritchard (Fox) was Eddie Jones in 73 Yards
• Jane Booker (Mrs. Hall) voiced Dron and Yetana for Big Finish's How to Make a Killing in Time Travel (2018)
• Su Douglas (Mrs. Bradley here; Meredith, 2012) voiced Countess Venhella for Benny's Story, Gem Weston for Fitz's Story (both 2009), Cook for The Broken Crown, Toad for Aladdin Time (both 2011), and Lady Raleigh for The Survivor (2019)
• Michael Walker (Motorist) was a Radar Operator in The Claws of Axos, and Miseus in The Time Monster
• James Garbutt (Wilf) was Ronson in Genesis of the Daleks
• Peter Kay (Shopfitter here; Eric Gartside, 2004) was Victor Kennedy, the Abzorbaloff in Love & Monsters
• Darryl Clark (PC here; Clerk, 2009; Seth, 2018) was Officer Will in Resolution
• Suranne Jones (Mandy here; Karen Phillips/McDonald, 2000 to 2004) was the eponymous subject of The Sarah Jane Adventures: Mona Lisa's Revenge, then played Idris (pictured) in The Doctor's Wife
• Derek Riddell (Newbould) was Robert MacLeish in Tooth and Claw
• Andrew Knott (Liam) voiced James O'Meara for 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men (2013), and Sean Casey for The White Room (2014)
• William Ilkley (Horrocks) was Tim Bass in The Mark of the Rani
• Jennifer [Hayes] Hennessey (DC Kay here; Bernie, 2009) was Valerie Brannigan in Gridlock, and Moira in The Pilot and Extremis
• John Normington (Groves) was Morgus in The Caves of Androzani, and Trevor Sigma in The Happiness Patrol
• Big Finish actor Michael Cochrane (Fay) was Charles Cranleigh in Black Orchid, Redvers Fenn-Cooper in Ghost Light, then voiced Lt. Col. Brook for No Man's Land (2006), Murgat for Brotherhood of the Daleks (2008), Colonel Spindleton for Trail of the White Worm and The Oseidon Adventure (both 2012), Chivers for The Time Machine (2013), and Geralk for The Fate of Krelos and Return to Telos (2015)
• Brigit Forsyth (Babs) was Ruth Maxtible in The Evil of the Daleks
• Victoria Alcock (Mary) was Angela Whittaker in Planet of the Dead, then voiced Marion for Power Play, and Winnie O'Connor for The Lonely Clock (both 2012)
• Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Patterson/Cropper) was Judy Maddox in Kerblam!
• David Simeon (Dr. Bird) was Private Latimer in Inferno, and Alastair Fergus in (episode 1 of) The Daemons
• Stephen Billington (Greg Kelly) voiced Commander Bergam for Ice Station Alpha (2016)
• Suzanne Bertish (Viv) voiced Aldis for Nevernor (2020)
• Raji James (Collector) was Dr. Rajesh Singh in Doomsday and Army of Ghosts
• Elizabeth Rider (Kathleen here; Genna, 2006) provided the ATMOS voice for The Sontaran Stratagem, was Linda in The Time of the Doctor, and voiced Galatea for The Well-Mannered War (2015)
• Annie Hulley (Gwen) voiced the Newsreader for The Happiness Patrol (3)
• Jonathan Guy Lewis (Bentley) voiced Marcus Bray for After the Daleks (2021)

Date With History: 1980

Monday, December 8th:
John Winston Lennon,

aged 40, was shot four

times in the back by

Mark Chapman, who

earlier today had asked

the former Beatle for

his autograph. Lennon

was rushed from the

scene - the Dakota 

apartment building in

Manhattan - with his 

wife Yoko Ono, to St. Luke's Roosevelt 

Hospital Centre, where 

he died. 

Chapman pleaded guilty

to killing Lennon, and

blamed voices in his

head. He is currently 

serving a life sentence

in Attica prison, Wyoming county, NY.

Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street at 60, Part 10: 1990-1995

The biggest change to the soap's schedule
since 1961 came in October 1989 with the
addition of a third weekly instalment.
Granada then decided to give the show a
dedicated production base, and the sets

were moved from the main TV studios

building to a refurbished warehouse near

the outdoor set. The new complex,

complete with individual dressing rooms,

now allowed the cast to rehearse on the

actual sets. 

Throughout 1990, new houses and

businesses (including the Kabin) began

to be integrated into storylines. A new

title sequence and videotape recording

were also introduced.

By 1992 however (just a year after

Carolyn Reynolds replaced Mervyn Watson as producer), Lord Rees

Mogg of the Broadcasting Standards Council saw the Street's all-

white cast as out of touch (the Desai family, the first regular ethic

characters, only appeared in 1999).

Then another prime-time rival launched on BBC1 that July, but

Eldorado was a flop and was cancelled after just a year on air.
The Street was victorious again in the next ratings battle, then

EastEnders debuted its own third weekly episode in 1994. Corrie

celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary with its first one-hour special

and spin-off video release, both marking the wedding of Curly

Watts and Racquel (Kevin Kennedy and Sarah Lancashire).

These six years on the Street featured William Russell (pictured

as Ted Sullivan, from April to September 1992), and twenty-seven

other Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Patricia Maynard (Veronica) was Miss Winters in Robot - a role reprised for Big Finish's Sarah Jane Smith (2002)
• Tania Rodrigues (Joanne Khan) voiced Anarkali/Melissa/Isra Tech #2 for Scavenger (2014), Chief Panath for Jonah (2018), Visteron for Deeptime Frontier (2019), and Laker for Chase the Night (2020)
• Shirin Taylor (Jackie Ingram) was a Camper in (part 3 of) The Stones of Blood, and Customer in Dragonfire
• Andrew McCulloch (Travers) co-wrote Meglos
• Judy Holt (Mrs. Grice here; Lesley Kershaw, 2011/12) was Adam's Mum in The Long Game
• Milton Johns (Brendan Scott, 1991, 1993) was Benik in The Enemy of the World, Guy Crayford in The Android Invasion, and Kelner in The Invasion of Time
• Carl Forgione (Barrett) was Land in Planet of the Spiders, and Nimrod in Ghost Light
• Sally Faulkner (Mrs. Maxwell-Glover) was Isobel Watkins in The Invasion, and voiced Miss Tremayne for Winter for the Adept (2000)
• Tyrone Huggins (Dr. Bannerman) voiced Dr. Kenton Eastwood for Power Cell (2016)
• Dicken Ashworth (Horton) was Sezon in Timelash
• Catherine Cusack (Carmel) made her acting debut as the Blue Kang Leader [Drinking Fountain] in Paradise Towers
• Leslie Schofield (Brookes) was Leroy in The War Games (4), and Calib in The Face of Evil
• Colin Prockter (Halpern, 1992; Bostock, 1995; Maddocks, 2005; Clarky, 2008) was the Chef in The Long Game, and the Air Raid Warden in Victory of the Daleks
• Nigel Carrington (Brooks here; Waiter, 1989) voiced Emissary Godrin, Dr. Summersby and Announcer for The Valley of Death (2011), Sir Robert Harney for The Devil's Armada (2014), Pik Solus for Mistfall, Graham Finlay for New Horizons (both 2015), and Sir Peter Latcham for UNIT: Shutdown (2016)
• Brian Hibbard (Murray) was Kellor in Delta and the Bannermen
• Freddie Earlle (Owens) was Aldo in Warriors' Gate
• Alibe Parsons (Kathy) was Matroni Kani in Mindwarp
• Malcolm Terris (Firman) was Etnin in The Dominators (1), and the Co-Pilot in The Horns of Nimon
• Bernard Kay (Phillips) was Carl Tyler in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Saladin in The Crusade, Inspector Crossland in The Faceless Ones, Caldwell in Colony in Space, and voiced Major Dickens for Night Thoughts (2006)
• Nicholas Blane (Stapleton here; Green, 1998; Judge, 2010) was Millington in Survivors of the Flux
• John Savident (Fred Elliott, 1994-2006) was the Squire in The Visitation (1)
• Owen Aaronovitch (Estate Agent here; Jon Lindsay, 1997/8) voiced Antonio Ferrando and Control Unit for Fiesta of the Damned (2016)
• Michael Owen Morris was director of The Awakening too, following a stint on The Pirate Planet as production assistant
• Michael Kerrigan was also director of Battlefield and The Sarah Jane Adventures
• Ellie Haddington (Josie) was Professor Docherty in Last of the Time Lords
• Frank Mills (Billy Williams, 1995-97) was the Telescope Director in Terror of the Autons (1)
• Andy Devine (Photographer here; Jason, 2000) made his TV debut as an uncredited Draconian in Frontier in Space

Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street at 60, Part 9: 1983-1989

The Street's longest-serving producer, Bill

Podmore, stood down in late 1982, just as

the new edgy, soap opera Brookside launched

on the fledgling Channel 4. Although the rival

show never matched Corrie in popularity or

ratings, the Liverpool-based series did make 

the Street appear dated again.

Mervyn Watson's producership would result

in much behind-the-scenes turmoil, but the

Deirdre Barlow and Mike Baldwin affair story-

line proved to be the most successful to date.

By 1985, many of the programme's core cast

had left, including all of the original cast (bar

William Roache), then the BBC launched its

own flagship serial drama, the twice-weekly

EastEnders. Despite retaining its audience,

Corrie was accused of being old fashioned

yet again, and another new producer, John

Temple, oversaw a makeover.

The return of Podmore for a third and final 

stint as producer in 1987 led to even more 

changes, and the most significant additions to the show came in 1989

with the introduction of a third episode then an omnibus edition. As

the decade ended, Corrie was back at its peak with viewers and critics

alike. The death of Alan Bradley (Mark Eden) in December 1989 was

seen by almost 27 million viewers, the highest ever figure for the

soap, and still the ninth most watched UK broadcast in TV history.

These seven years on the Street featured David Brierly, and thirty-

one Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Micheal Bilton (Pearson) was Charles de Teligny in The Massacre, Collins in Pyramids of Mars, and Time Lord in The Deadly Assassin
• Rachel Laurence (Miss Weatherfield here; Maureen, 1989; DI Chambers, 1993) voiced the Ghost for The Wishing Beast, Bessy and Barmaid for The Vanity Box (both 2007), and Feldwebel and Computer for The Architects of History (2010)
• Michael Goldie (Statham) was Jack Craddock in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and Elton Laleham in The Wheel in Space 
• Sam Kelly (Challis) voiced Eugene Tacitus for The Holy Terror (2000), and Acheron for Return to the Web Planet (2007)
• Cory Pulman (Mandy) was Kathleen Dudman in The Curse of Fenric
• Ron Donachie (Schofield) was a Steward in Tooth and Claw
• Nigel Gregory (Mills) was Sergeant Vince Wilson in K9 and Company
• David Ashton (Birchall) was Kendron in Timelash
• Susan Brown (Connie here; Maureen, 2006) voiced Midwife for 100 BC, Mary for Bedtime Story (both 2007), Alice Withers for The Eternal Summer, Maud for Castle of Fear, Mrs. Withers, Mrs. Sowerby and Computer for Plague of the Daleks (all 2009), Margaret for Deimos and The Resurrection of Mars, Eleanor Harvey for Return of the Krotons, Chief Engineer and Chanel for The Song of the Megaptera, Babs for Prison in Space (all 2010), and Kastrella for the Death Match (2015) - she also played Bridget Spears in Torchwood: Children of Earth
• Don McCorkindale (Lester) voiced Don Fabrizio for The Ghosts of N-Space, and Porthintus for The Wreck of the World (2017)
• Susan Kyd (Samantha) voiced Emily and Ivy Cobham for The Demons of Red Lodge, and Governor Chaplin for Doing Time (both 2010)
• David Monteath (Knox) voiced Herald/Brother Marcus/Farmer Hennok for The Quin Dilemma (2024)
• Gerald Blake was also director of The Abominable Snowmen and The Invasion of Time
• Sarah Lancashire (Wendy here; Raquel Woolstenhulme Watts, 1991-96) was Miss Foster (pictured) in Partners in Crime
• Simon Rouse (Farrell here; Woodson, 2013) was Hindle in Kinda, then voiced John Kincaid for The Witch from the Well (2011), and Drang for The Paradox Planet and The Legacy of Death (2016)
• Stephen MacKenna (Baker) was Dennis in The Woman Who Fell to Earth
• Kenneth Waller (Watts) was Hedges in (part 2 of) The Invisible Enemy
• Mona Hammond (Mrs. Armitage) was Rita-Anne in Rise of the Cybermen
• Rob Dixon (Roscoe) voiced Reggie Mead for Project: Twilight (2001), and Sergeant Wood for No Man's Land (2006)
• Jenny Funnell (WPC Morgan) voiced Veronica Buchman for Wirrn Isle (2012), and Reaver for The King of Sontar (2014)
• Michael Sheard (Dabner) was Rhos in The Ark (2), Dr. Roland Summers in The Mind of Evil, Laurence Scarman in Pyramids of Mars, Lowe in The Invisible Enemy, Mergrave in Castrovalva, the Headmaster in Remembrance of the Daleks, then voiced Orsino for The Stones of Venice (2001)
• Ann Rye (Mrs. Bingley here; Emiline, 2001; Joan, 2003; Wanda, 2004) voiced Lillian Dillane for Nocturne (2007)
• John Arthur (Consultant here; Judge, 2005; Minister, 2010) voiced Cosmo Devine for Invaders from Mars (2002) 
• Julia Deakin (Secretary here; Brenda, 2003) voiced Harriet Griffin for Terror Firma (2005)
• Margaret Ashley (Mrs. Kenworthy) voiced Ingrid for The Hunting Ground (2018)
• Eric Potts (Dearing here; Saxton, 1996; Council Official, 1998; Diggory Compton, 2005/06) was Oliver Charles in Aliens of London
• Rod Arthur (Foreman here; Blood Donor, 1991) was Mr. Parsons in School Reunion
• Joan Walker (WPC here; Louise, 2011) voiced Centuria and Ship for Paradoxicide (2011)
• Carol Noakes (WPC here; Sister, 1992) voiced Olerik for The Acheron Pulse (2012)
• Ling Tai (Student) was an uncredited Tourist in The Leisure Hive (1), Sea- base Crewmember in Warriors of the Deep, and Shou Yuing in Battlefield
• Siobhan Finneran (Josie here; Verity in Romanian Holiday) was Becka Savage in The Witchfinders

Date With History: 1605

The Gunpowder Plot was a failed assassination attempt on King
James I, by a group of thirteen
disaffected Catholic conspirators,
led by Robert Catesby.

The plan to blow up the House of
Lords during the State Opening of
Parliament on November 5th was

intended as a prelude to a popular

revolt in the Midlands, where
Princess Elizabeth would then have

 been installed as the new Catholic 

head of state.

The plot was unearthed when Lord Monteagle was warned in an

anonymous letter not to attend

Parliament. The authorities then
searched the cellars beneath the House and discovered Guido Fawkes,
guarding thirty-six barrels of gunpowder.

Under the alias of John Johnson, Fawkes was tortured for two days in the 
Tower of London. His fellow plotters were eventually captured, and executed.

Following the trials, the 'Observance of 5th November Act' was passed, and commemorating the Plot became an annual and mandatory event. The law
was only repealed in 1859, but Bonfire Night is still marked in Britain with

firework displays.

Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street at 60, Part 8: 1979-1982

By 1979, Corrie had scant competition within

its primetime slot. But some critics suggested

that the programme had grown complacent,

whilst moving away from socially aware story-

lines, and was again accused of portraying

a dated view of working-class life. The late

 1970's however, saw the show's popularity

grow, and the Street regularly topped the

TV ratings.

The series was again affected by industrial 

action when the whole ITV network was

blacked out for 75 days, from August 10th

to October 24th 1979.

The early 1980's would prove to be one

of the show's most popular periods, and

earned its highest viewing figures since

its heyday. Ena Sharples (played by Violet

Carson since 1960) left Corrie in 1980, and the wedding of Ken Barlow

and Deirdre Langton in 1981 was watched by over 24 million viewers.

 Then in 1982, a brand-new exterior set finally replaced the original,

which was little more than a dated facade. These four years on the

cobbles featured another twenty Doctor Who cast and crew alumni:

• Michael Melia (Cummings) was the Terileptil leader in The Visitation
• Bill McGuirk (Wilson here; DC Banks, 1984) was a Guard in The Enemy of the World, and Policeman in (episode 3 of) Terror of the Autons
• Paul Seed (Harris) was the Graff Vynda-Ka in The Ribos Operation
• Christian Rodska (Newton) voiced Laan Carder for Big Finish's Faith Stealer (2004), and Reverend Small for AudioGo's Hornet's Nest: The Dead Shoes (2009)
• Sue Wallace (Mrs. Fletcher here; Jean, 2005) voiced Mrs. Baddeley for The Chimes of Midnight, Edith for Season of Fear (both 2002), and Mertil for The Whispering Forest (2010)
• Richard Shaw (Johnson) was Lobos in The Space Museum, Cross in Frontier in Space, and Lakh in Underworld
• Jonathan Caplan (Cheveski) was Roskal in Planet of Fire
• Tenniel Evans (DI Vaughan) was Major Daly in Carnival of Monsters
• Kenny McBain was director of The Horns of Nimon too
• Paul Lowther (Jackson) was a Knight in The King's Demons, and Orderly in Frontios
• Gilbert Wynne (Dodds) was Thara in The Krotons
• Brian Miller (Elliott here; Pughes, 2012) [husband of Elizabeth Sladen and father of Sadie Miller] was Dugdale in Snakedance, voiced the Daleks for Resurrection of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks and Doctor Who Pinball: Time Streams, and was Barney (pictured) in Deep Breath
• Graham Seed (Solicitor) voiced Bevan for The Forgotten Village (2014), Pyrepoint for The Romance of Crime (2015), and Gramoryan 2, Taverner and Squire for Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated (2019)
• David Simeon (Simpson here; Dr. Bird, 1998) was Private Latimer in Inferno, and Alastair Fergus in The Daemons (1)
• Dave Hill (Hurst) voiced Nessican for Death Comes to Time
• Tony Osoba (McGregor here; Peter Ingram, 1990) was Lan in Destiny of the Daleks, Kracauer in Dragonfire, and was Duke in Kill the Moon
• Philip Jackson (Smitty) voiced Laxton for Valhalla (2007) and Mr. Peabody for The Contingency Club (2017)
• Brian Capron (Worthington here; Richard Hillman, 2001-03; Dickie in A Knight's Tale) voiced Lesley Kulcade for Subterfuge (2020)
• Mark Eden (Randle here; Alan Bradley, 1986-89) and Lesley Manville (Jill) both appeared in An Adventure in Space and Time, as Donald Baverstock and Heather Hartnell respectively - Eden had played the titular explorer, Marco Polo

Doctor Who Vs. The Theory of Everything

This British biographical romance was 

based on Travelling to Infinity: My Life 
With Stephen, the 2007 memoir by Jane 

Wilde Hawking, the first wife of Professor

 Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).
The film chronicled Wilde's relationship 

with Hawking from their first meeting

at Cambridge University in 1963), the

diagnosis of ALS (a form of motor 

neurone disease), and his success in

 physics. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity

Jones portrayed the Hawkings.

The acclaimed production premiered at

 the Toronto Film Festival in 2014, and

went on to win an Oscar, three BAFTAs

and a Golden Globe award, including 

three respective Best Actor awards for 

Redmayne.

Shown again on Sony Movies tonight, the drama featured David

Thewlis, Emily Watson, Maxine Peake, and thirteen Doctor Who

cast and crew connections:

• Jones played Robina Redmond in The Unicorn and the Wasp
• Harry Lloyd (Brian) was Baines in Human Nature and The Family of Blood
• Gruffudd Glyn (Rees) was Lloyd Llewellyn in The Woman Who Lived
• Simon Chandler (Taylor) voiced Corporal Arthur Dimes for Big Finish's Churchill Victorious (2018)
• Will Barton (Technician) made his TV debut as Midge on Survival, then voiced Djinni and Guard for The Destroyer of Delights, and Maddenjot for The Chaos Pool (both 2009)
• Claire Ashton (Kite Flyer) was a Secretary in An Adventure in Space and Time
• Shaun Lucas (Professor) was a Monk in The Bells of Saint John
• Glenn Marks was also stunt co-ordinator on The Family of Blood two-parter and Blink
• Helen Steinway Bailey and Leo Woodruff were stunt performers on Amy's Choice and Heaven Sent respectively
• Moira Thompson was also make-up artist on thirteen stories (from The Christmas Invasion to Doomsday)
• key stylist/make-up artist Lesley Smith began her career as an assistant on (part 1 of) State of Decay
• Julie Bentley was also the snow FX consultant on The Time of the Doctor and The Husbands of River Song