Doctor Who Vs. Ordeal By Innocence (1984)

Published in late 1958,

Agatha Christie's fifty-

seventh mystery novel

was one of the author's favourite works and is

now considered a classic of the genre.

The book was first

adapted by Cannon

Films for this version

(which earned a Cannes

festival premiere in

1984), followed by ITV

Studio's treatment for

Marple in 2007, then

Mammoth Screen's production was shown on BBC1 in 2018.

Released in 1985, the film (screened last night on Sky Arts) featured Donald

Sutherland, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Plummer, Sarah Miles, Ian McShane, Michael Elphick, and these nine Doctor Who cast connections:

• Big Finish actor Michael Maloney (Micky here; Dr. Waters in By the Pricking of My Thumbs, 2006; Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express, 2024) voiced Frederick Simonsson for Grand Theft Cosmos (2008), Adam Farrow for AudioGo's The Circus of Doom, Fratalin for Patient Zero, the Viryans for Blue Forgotten Planet (all 2009) and Charlotte Pollard 1 (2014), Rennol for Kiss of Death, Narrator of The Silent Stars Go By (both 2011), Hilary Hammond for Enemy Aliens (2013), Gregor Saraton for Zygon Hunt (2014), William Hogan for The Rockery (2019), and the Two for Two's Company and The Union (both 2023)
• Diana [Marilyn] Quick (Gwenda here; Mrs. Welman in Sad Cypress, 2003) voiced Prime for Scream of the Shalka
• Annette [Ross Mcleod] Crosbie (Kirsten) was Mrs. Angelo in The Eleventh Hour
• Ron [Henry] Pember (Ferryman here; Jarrold in The Girl in the Train) voiced Seedle for Slipback
• Billy McColl [born Collins] (Jacko) was Humker in The Mysterious Planet
• [Thomas] Kevin [Harvest] Stoney (Solicitor here; Dr. Markwell in Murder at the Gallop) was Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion, as and Major General Billy Rutlidge respectively - Stoney also played Mavic Chen in The Daleks' Master Plan, and Tyrum in Revenge of the Cybermen
• Brian Glover (Executioner) was Griffiths in Attack of the Cybermen
• Martin [Ryan] Grace (stunt co-ordinator) was a Thal in Dr. Who and the Daleks
• Rocky Taylor (stunt driver here; stunt advisor on The Secret Adversary, 1983) was a stuntman on The Idiot's Lantern