Doctor Who Vs. All Creatures Great and Small, Series 6

A repeat run of this

much-loved period TV

series began on Drama

today.

The programme (now

set in the Yorkshire

Dales of the 1950s)

was based on the

works of Northern vet,

Alf Wight (1916-1995) -

he wrote under the pen

name of James Herriot,

and was portrayed here

by Christopher Timothy.

The sixth and penultimate twelve part season (originally shown on BBC1

in the autumn of 1989) featured Robert Hardy, Peter Davison (as

Siegfried and Tristan Farnon), Lynda Bellingham (Helen), and a

total of twenty-five Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• for Bill Sellars, Brian Finch and David Hughes see Series 1
• for Bellingham see Series 4
• Brian Glover (Dawson) was Griffiths in Attack of the Cybermen
• Edward Phillips (Whitehead) was a Parisian in (episode 3 of) The Massacre, and Scientist [Bob Anders] in The Moonbase
• Joanna McCallum (Lady Hulton) voiced the Bursar for Big Finish's Night Thoughts (2006)
• Christine [Mary] Kavanagh (Barbara) was Aram in Timelash, then voiced Patience for Cold Fusion (2016), Dora Muse for Muse of Fire (2018), and Magog/Juno for The Iron Legion (2019)
• James Garbutt (Charlie) was Ronson in Genesis of the Daleks
• Gordon [Massey] Gostelow (Strong) was Milo Clancey in The Space Pirates
• for Geoffrey Bayldon (Hatfield) see Series 2
• for Barry Jackson and [Alfred] Graham Rigby see Series 3
• Rod Arthur (Harker) was Parsons in School Reunion
• Frank Windsor [Higgins] (Rayner here; Announcer, 1990) was Sir Ranulf Fitzwilliam in The King's Demons, and Inspector Mackenzie in Ghost Light
• Charles Pemberton (Wilkey) was a titular alien in The Tomb of the Cybermen, and Alien Technician in The War Games (5)
• John [Harry] Gill (Braithwaite) was Mr. Oak in Fury from the Deep
• James Ellis (Travers) was Peter Warmsly in Battlefield
• [Reginald Herbert] Preston Lockwood (Witchell) was Dojjen in Snakedance
• William [Michael] Ilkley [born Brown] (Hawkins) was Tim Bass in The Mark of the Rani
• Annette Badland (Sybil) was Margaret Blaine [Blon Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen] in Aliens of London, World War Three, Boom Town and Torchwood: Sync (2019), then voiced Queen Karlina for Equilibrium, Thelma for Suburban Hell (both 2015), Guilana for Asking for a Friend (2017), Judge/Computer for Barrister to the Stars, Mrs. Slinger/Batraxus for Whatever Remains, Maude Polwart/Mermaid for The Ghost Writers (all 2020), Mrs. Goose/Fleshkin for The Hunting Season (2021), Mrs. Chinn for Mind of the Hodiac, the eponymous role for The Miniaturist, Eminent Sedanya for Blood of the Time Lords (all 2022), and the Toymaker for Matryoshka (2024)
• Ray Holman began his career as costume designer here - he worked on fifty revived adventures (from Blink to Revolution of the Daleks)
• John Peacock was costume designer on Planet of Fire too
• for director Tony Virgo see Series 5
• Graham Frake (lighting cameraman) was cinematographer on The Beast Below and Victory of the Daleks