Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street at 60, Part 6: 1973-1975

Tamm played Polly
Ogden over two
instalments in
December 1973

The early seventies was a state of flux on the 

Street as the series faced fresh challenges.

Having enjoyed a stable core cast throughout

its first decade, Granada now dealt with the

departures of key characters. Comic storylines, 

popular in the 1960's, had become scarce, and

ratings reached a low of eight million in February

 1973 as rival ITV soap-opera Crossroads (1964 

to 1988) saw an increase in popularity.

A succession of producers were keen to bring

the show up-to-date by introducing many

younger characters and tackling controversial

issues. Two of the show's most ambitious plots

yet occurred in 1975 (abused housewife Lynn

Johnson was murdered, and Brittain's Ware-

house was destroyed by fire), whilst 1974 saw

Corrie's first foreign location shoot in Majorca.

These three years on the cobbles featured

Patrick Troughton, Mary Tamm, and

twenty-two other Doctor Who cast alumni:

• Charles Pemberton (Mann) was a titular alien in The Tomb of the Cybermen, and Alien Technician in (episode 5 of) The War Games
• Llewellyn Rees (James) was the President in The Deadly Assassin
• Paul Freeman (Slade) voiced Jalnik for Big Finish's The Foe from the Future (2012)
• Alan David (Thomas) was Gabriel Sneed in The Unquiet Dead
• Royston Tickner (Stranger) was Steinberger P. Green in The Daleks' Master Plan (7), and Robbins in The Sea Devils (1)
• Joanna Lumley (Elaine) appeared in The Curse of the Fatal Death as the first female incarnation of the Doctor
• Zulema Dene (Muriel here; Sarah, 1992) voiced Danna for Soldier Obscura (2018)
• Ian Liston (Burrows) was the Hero in The Armageddon Factor (1)
• Leonard Sachs (Berlin) was the Admiral Gaspard de Coligny in The Massacre, and Lord President Borusa in Arc of Infinity
• Donald Gee (Meeker here; Crompton, 1994/95) was Major Ian Warne in The Space Pirates, and Eckersley in The Monster of Peladon
• Richard Davies (Hopkins) was Burton in Delta and the Bannermen
• John Barrard (Wilson) was the Shopkeeper in The Reign of Terror
• Helen Worth (Gail Potter/Tilsley/Platt/McIntyre/Rodwell, 1974 to present) was Mary Ashe in Colony in Space
• Peter Bourke (Dodds) was Mr. Chambers in Human Nature
• Stephen Yardley (Barrett) was Sevrin in Genesis of the Daleks, and Arak in Vengeance on Varos
• Neil Daglish (Meggitt) was Damon in Arc of Infinity
• Geoffrey Hughes (Eddie Yeats, 1974-1983) was Popplewell in The Ultimate Foe
• Kenneth Watson (Lancaster, 1975, 1979, 1980) was Bill Duggan in The Wheel in Space, and Craddock in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD
• Rachel Davies (Donna) was Camilla in State of Decay
• Carolyn Pickles (Michelle here; Moira, 1998) voiced Lady Meera for Army of Death (2011)
• Lloyd McGuire (PC Lyle, 1975, 1980; and Burridge, 2011) was Lugo in The Face of Evil (1)