Doctor Who Vs. Jude

This period drama was based on

Thomas Hardy's final novel, Jude

the Obscure, published in 1895, a

year after serialisation in Harpers

magazine.

Rural stonemason Jude Fawley

(portrayed here by Christopher

Eccleston) yearns to attend

university, but his ambitions are

thwarted by an ill-fated affair, and

his obsession with his cousin, Sue Brideshead (Kate Winslet).

This Polygram/BBC Films/

Revolution Films co-production

followed BBC2's TV version of

1971, which starred Robert Powell, and Fiona Walker.

After a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was

released in 1996 - it was shown on BBC4 last night, and featured Rachel Griffiths, James Nesbitt, David Tennant, and eleven Doctor Who cast

and crew connections:

• Liam Cunningham (Phillotson) was Captain Zhukov in Cold War
• June [Rosemary] Whitfield (Drusilla) was Minnie Hooper in The End of Time
• Vernon [Alexandre] Dobtcheff (Curator) was the [Chief] Scientist in The War Games, then voiced Dadda Desaka for The Cradle of the Snake (2010), Sibelius Crow for The Necropolis Express, Shamur for The Children of Seth (both 2011), Heinrich Schuman for Threshold (2012), and Jorenzo Zorn for The Genesis Chamber (2016)
• Paul [Mackriell] Copley (Willis) was Clem McDonald in Torchwood: Children of Earth, and voiced Dad for Spare Parts (2002), Jimmy Deel for Missing Persons (2013), Mick Huff for The Miniaturist (2022), and Wendell for The Conservitors (2023)
• Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Thomas) was Quayle in Robot of Sherwood
• Adrian Bower (Blacksmith) voiced Steffen/the Authority for Survival of the Fittest (2010)
• Kerry Shale (voice of Rawlins) was Dr. Renfrew in Day of the Moon, then Narrator of The Lost Angel (2017)
• Howard Arundel [born Bush Cooper] was first assistant director on Boom Town too
• Gavin Walters (best boy) was an electrician on Love & Monsters
• Vince McGahon was also steadicam operator on The Vampires of Venice and Vincent and the Doctor