Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street @ 65, Part 14: 2007-2009

2007 began with the soap's most watched story

line of the year, the murder of Charlie Stubbs by

Tracy Barlow. The next planned major plot (baby

 Freddie Peacock's abduction) however, was

scrapped with the real-life disappearance of Madeleine McCann in May.

The ITV Catch-up service (now called the Hub)

was launched in June, whilst ratings averaged

ten million for the year.

Watched by 13 million viewers, the Street's
much-loved battleaxe Vera Duckworth was
killed off in January 2008 (with the departure
of Liz Dawn after 33 years in the role), whilst

 a shake-up of  ITV's schedules meant the

Sunday edition of the show was permanently

moved to Friday (now a double-bill). The New

Year also saw the arrival of Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan stayed until 2014). The first task for new producer Kim

Crowther (who replaced Steve Frost in July) was to axe the Mortons, who

were replaced by the Windass family. Storylines for 2009 included Kevin

Webster and Molly's affair, the wedding of Steve McDonald and Becky,

Tony Gordon's arrest for murder, and the death of Blanche Hunt. These

three years on the cobbles featured a total of thirty Doctor Who cast

connections:

• Geraldine Alexander (DS Surrey) was Areta in Vengeance in Varos
• Sion Tudor Owen (Lane here; Art Expert, 2015) was Tandrell in The Mysterious Planet
• Keith Barron (Trench) was Captain Straker in Enlightenment, and voiced Isaac Barclay for Plague of the Daleks (2009), and Lord Tulip for The Bad Penny (2018)
• Tina Gray (Barbara here; Joan, 2024) was Audrey in Lucky Day
• Charlie [Lomax David] Condou (Marcus Dent, 2007-14) was Gary Gabbastone in The Interstellar Song Contest - he also voiced Crab- head/System/Jarl for Ravenous 1 (2018), Chris for Five Hundred Ways to Kill Your Lover (2025), and Marty for Cloud Eight (2026)
• Gray [Gerard] O'Brien (Tony Gordon, 2007-2010) was Rickston Slade in Voyage of the Damned
• Selva Rasalingam (Doctor here; Consultant, 2011) was Ranjit in The Power of Three
• Carl McCrystal (Constable here, 2009, 2013) was McGrath in The Curse of the Black Spot
• Chrissie Cotterill (Shopkeeper here; Pat, 2012) and Howard Lee (Howard) both appeared in The Pandorica Opens as Madame Vernet and Dr. Gachet - Cotterill had starred in Vincent and the Doctor with Sarah Counsell (Halley here; Kathleen, 2010) as Waitress
• Lorna Brown (Consultant) voiced Veega for Unity (2020)
• Jonny Dixon (Darryl Morton) was Karl in The Woman Who Fell to Earth
• Erica Eirian (Midwife) was Neighbour in Fear Her
• Madhav Sharma (Prem) was Patel in (episode 3 of) Frontier in Space
• Zienia Merton (Doctor) was Ping Cho in Marco Polo, and the Registrar in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
• John Banks (Undertaker) is a prolific Big Finish actor
• Paul Courtenay Hyu (Doctor here, 2009 & 2012) was Haruka Deep Ando in Sleep No More, then voiced Po/Feedback for Neon Reign (2018), Wei for The People Made of Smoke (2020), and Oddiyana for The Secrets of Det-Sen (2021)
• Ayesha Dharker (Tara Mandal, 2008/09)) was Solana Mercurio in Planet of the Ood
• Edward de Souza (Grimshaw) was Marc Cory in Mission to the Unknown, and voiced Lord Mortimer Davey for The Roof of the World (2004), and Sir Henry Irving for The Woman in White (2016)
• Craig Kelly (Luke Strong, 2009) voiced Joe Latham for Scream of the Shalka
• Sharon Duce (Paula Carp) was Control in Ghost Light
• Andrew [born Andreas Siegfried] Sachs (Clegg) voiced Skagra for Shada, Professor Chronotis for Radio 4's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective (2007), Adric for The Boy That Time Forgot (2008), Crassostrea for Orbis (2009), and the Scarf for AudioGo's Aladdin Time (2011)
• John Owens (Gilbert) was Thorpe in The Daemons
• Marshall Lancaster (Slug) was Buzzer in The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People
• Sabina Franklyn (Eve) voiced Dr. Eleanor Harcourt for Bang-Bang-A-Boom! (2002), Wanda Rothman for Situation Vacant (2010), and President Beel/Aetius/Herculania for Judoon in Chains (2016)
• Rula Lenska [born Roza Maria Leopoldyna Lubienska] (Claudia Colby) was Dr. Elizabeth Styles in Resurrection of the Daleks, and voiced the Queen for AudioGo's Hornets' Nest (2009)
• Nigel [Allan] Havers (Lewis Archer, 2009-13, 2018) was Peter Dalton in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, and voiced Dr. Nick Zimmerman for No More Lies (2007), and Over- seer Fuller for The Green Man (2023)
• Paul David Gough (JD) voiced Will Alloran/Lomas for Nocturne (2007), and Mers/Rigger/Calloway for The Macros (2010)
• Ravin J Ganatra (Doctor here; Paediatrician, 2010; Consultant, 2013/ 15) was Hakim Khan in Arachnids in the UK, Demons of the Punjab and Spyfall
• for Jennifer Hennessy and Darryl Clark see Part 11