Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street at 60, Part 4: 1967-1969

By the late 1960's, critics were again observing

that Corrie no longer reflected contemporary

Britain, and Granada sought to update the soap.

Plans to showcase hard hitting topics like drug

addiction, homosexuality, illegitimate birth and

the introduction of a black family were however

ultimately rejected.

Two of the show's biggest storylines to date

occurred during this time. A train crashed from

the viaduct onto the Street in May 1967, and

Steve Tanner was murdered at Christmas 1968.

These three years on the Street featured John 

Levene (as a patron of The Rovers Return, in

episode 939 in 1969, and pictured here as UNIT

Sergeant, John Benton), and thirty-three other

Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Gabrielle Drake (Inga here; Vanessa, 2009) auditioned for the role of Victoria Waterfield in April 1967
• Clifford Cox (Hale) was the Sergeant in (episode 3 of) Spearhead from Space
• Derrick Gilbert (Reporter here; Ballantyne, 1989) was Armand Vallance in The Wheel in Space
• Callan Angelo (Strauss) was Terry Cutler in The Tenth Planet
• Jonathan Newth (Hesketh) was Orfe in Underworld
• John Challis (Naylor here; DS Phillips, 1977) was Scorby in The Seeds of Doom
• Bill Lyons (Johnson) was a Guard in The Enemy of the World (3)
• Angela Pleasence (Monica) was Queen Elizabeth in The Shakespeare Code
• Michael Mundell (Les) was Jasko in The Invasion of Time
• Brian Peck (Barton here; Ball, 1979; Bradbury, 2014) was Dervish in The Space Pirates
• Geoffrey Palmer (Registrar) was Edward Masters in The Silurians, the Administrator in The Mutants (1), and Captain Hardaker in Voyage of the Damned
• Nigel Humphreys (Fleming, 1968-70) was Bulic in Warriors of the Deep
• George Waring (Wilde here; Swain, 1980) was Arden in The Ice Warriors
• David Grey (Nicholas) was Rinchen in The Abominable Snowmen
• Annette Robertson (Pamela) and Eric Thompson (Searle) both appeared in The Massacre, as Anne Chaplet and Gaston de Levis respectively
• Sean Caffrey (Riley) was Lord Palmerdale in Horror of Fang Rock
• Derek Newark (DI Sharp) was Za in 100,000 BC, and Greg Sutton in Inferno
• Eric Dodson (Reverend) was the Headman in The Visitation (3)
• Shane Rimmer (Donnelli here; Reid, 1988) was Seth Harper in The Gunfighters
• Peter Childs (Policeman here; Braddock, 1971; Mortam, 1978; Emery, 1980; Tyler, 1984) was Jack Ward in The Mark of the Rani
• David Daker (Griffin) was Irongron in The Time Warrior
• Heather Emmanuel (Nurse here; Doctor, 2005) was Tessa in The Android Invasion (4)
• Gerry Mill was director of The Faceless Ones too
• Sandra Bryant (Sandra) was Kitty in The War Machines, and Chicki in The Macra Terror (1)
• Alan Gerrard (Blakeley here; Scully, 1973) was Bovem in The Dominators
• John Moore (Pilling) was a Trojan in The Myth Makers (2), and Prisoner in Frontier in Space (3)
• Kenneth Cranham (Roy) voiced Tom Cardwell in Big Finish's Blood of the Daleks (2007)
• Colin Spaull (Stranger) was [August] Lilt in Revelation of the Daleks, Crane in Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel, then voiced Henrik for Grand Theft Cosmos (2008)
• Paul Darrow (Doctor) was Captain Hawkins in The Silurians, Tekker in Timelash, and voiced Guidance for The Next Life (2004)
• Michael Hawkins (Palmer) was General Williams in Frontier in Space
• John Bailey (Dr. Grant) was the Commander in The Sensorites (6), Edward Waterfield in The Evil of the Daleks, and Sezom in The Horns of Nimon (4)
• Alan Bennion (Fielding) was Slaar in The Seeds of Death, Izlyr in The Curse of Peladon, and Azaxyr in The Monster of Peladon

Doctor Who Vs. William Hartnell at the Cinema, Part 6: Private's Progress

Shown again on the Talking Pictures TV channel today, this British wartime
comedy was based on the novel of the same name by Alan Hackney. The
Boulting brothers produced and directed this satire for Charter Film, their
own production company. Hackney's sequel, I'm Alright Jack, followed in
1959.

Released by British Lion in 1956, the film featured Ian Carmichael, Richard Attenborough, William Hartnell (in another military role), and ten future

Doctor Who cast connections:

• Victor [Jack] Maddern (Blake) was Chief John Robson in Fury from the Deep
• George [Alexander] Coulouris (Padre) was Arbitan in (episode 1 of) The Keys of Marinus
• Maurice [Edward] Bush (German Officer) was an Ogron in Day of the Daleks
• John Harvey (RAF Officer) was Professor Brett in The War Machines, and Officia in The Macra Terror
• [Manfred] Frederick Jaeger (Sentry) was Elder Jano in The Savages, Sorenson in Planet of Evil, and Professor Frederick Marius in The Invisible Enemy
• Glyn [born Glyndwr Desmond] Houston (Corporal) was Professor Owen Watson in The Hand of Fear, and Colonel Ben Wolsey in The Awakening
• Roy [Douglas] Purcell (Colonel) was CPO Powers in The Mind of Evil, and the President in The Three Doctors
• [Walter] Llewellyn Rees (Expert) was the President in The Deadly Assassin
• Charles Rayford (Fake Soldier) was a Kaled Scientist in Genesis of the Daleks
• Peter Stephens (Lench) was Cyril/the Knave of Hearts/Kitchen Boy in The Celestial Toymaker, and Lolem in The Underwater Menace

Doctor Who Vs. William Hartnell at the Cinema, Part 4: This Sporting Life

This British feature was based on the

debut novel of the same name by

Yorkshire-born writer David Storey,

a former professional rugby league

player who later won the Booker Prize.

The drama (filmed and set in Wakefield)
focused on the story of Frank Machin,

the first lead role for Irish actor Richard

Harris (1930-2002), which earned him

Oscar and BAFTA nominations and the

Best Actor award at Cannes in 1963.
It was his role here as Dad Johnson

that brought William Hartnell to the

attention of Verity Lambert when

casting him in Doctor Who.

Although critically acclaimed, the film

(directed by Lindsay Anderson) was
a commercial flop following its release by Rank in early 1963, and

signalled the end of British 'new wave' cinema. Audiences wanted 

escapism again.

Shown again on the Talking Pictures TV channel last night, This
Sporting Life also featured Rachel Roberts, Colin Blakely, Arthur
Lowe, and seven other Doctor Who cast connections:

• George Sewell (Jeff) was [George] Ratcliffe in Remembrance of the Daleks
• Murray Evans (Hooker) was the Lorry Driver in (episode 1 of) The Invasion
• John Gill (Cameron) was Mr. Oak in Fury from the Deep
• Aileen Lewis (Woman) was an Extra on The Silurians (6)
• Bryan Mosley (Man) and Norman Mitchell (Tenant) both appeared in The Daleks' Master Plan as Malpha/Prop Man and Policeman respectively
• Frank Windsor (Dentist) was Sir Ranulf Fitzwilliam in The King's Demons, and Inspector Mackenzie in Ghost Light