Doctor Who Vs. The Day of the Jackal

Shown on Legend last night, this Anglo-

French political thriller was adapted from

the novel by Frederick Forsyth, published in

1971.

In the early 1960s, the survivors of the

 aborted French Foreign Legion made

repeated attempts to assassinate Charles

 de Gaulle. As a result, the French President

was the most guarded man in the world.

Professional English assassin, codenamed

the Jackal (played here by Edward Fox) was

then hired by terrorist group, the OAS to kill

de Gaulle.

This screenplay was reworked in 2024 as a

TV series for Sky Atlantic (and Peacock out-

side the UK) - Eddie Redmayne now played

 the titular assassin. Released by Universal

Pictures in 1973, the film version featured Derek Jacobi, and these ten Doctor Who cast connections:

• [William] Maurice Denham (Colbert) was Azmael in The Twin Dilemma, then voiced the President for The Paradise of Death
• Nicholas Young (Officer) voiced Bill Gower for Big Finish's Colditz (2001)
• Timothy [Lancaster] West (Berthier) voiced Kai Tobias for Phobos (2007), Ronald Turvey for Cuddlesome (2008), and Dr. Magnus Soames for House of Blue Fire (2011)
• Ronald [Alfred] Pickup (Forger) made his TV debut as the Physician in (episode 4 of) The Reign of Terror, then voiced Kestorian for Time Works (2006), Elder Bones for Spaceport Fear (2013), the Old One for Jago & Litefoot 12 (2016), and Jacob Harmer for The Wizard of Time (2023)
• Terence [Joseph] Alexander (Lloyd) was Lord Ravensworth in The Mark of the Rani
• Denis Carey (Casson) was Professor Chronotis in Shada, the Keeper in The Keeper of Traken, and Old Man in Timelash
• Vernon [Alexandre] Dobtcheff (Interrogator) was an Alien Scientist in The War Games, and voiced Dadda Desaka for The Cradle of the Snake (2010), Shamur for The Children of Seth, Sibelius Crow for The Necropolis Express (both 2011), Jorenzo Zorn for The Genesis Chamber (2016), and Professor Heinrich Schumann for Threshold (2017)
• Barrie [Stanton] Ingham (St. Clair) was Alydon in Dr. Who and the Daleks, then Prince Paris in The Myth Makers
• Bernard [Joseph] Archard (Hughes) was Bragen in The Power of the Daleks, and Marcus Scarman in Pyramids of Mars
• [Cathal] Max Parnell Macaulay Lloyd Faulkner (Detective) was a UNIT Soldier in The Ambassadors of Death, Exxilon in Death to the Daleks (1), Miner in The Monster of Peladon (6), Guard Captain in Planet of the Spiders (4), Thal Guard in Genesis of the Daleks (3), Crewman in Planet of Evil (1), Corporal Adams in The Android Invasion, and Nesbin The Invasion of Time
• David Harcourt was also a camera operator on both Dalek films

Doctor Who Vs. Single Father

Produced by BBC Scotland (and filmed in

Glasgow, Paisley and Edinburgh), this four-

part drama focused on Dave Tiler (played by

David Tennant), a photographer struggling

to care for his four children after the death 

of his partner, Rita (Laura Fraser) in a traffic

accident. 

Tennant debuted in Big Finish's Doctor Who

range in 2001 (for Colditz), and he recently

reprised the lead role for The Tenth Doctor 

Adventures.

The series was originally shown in October

2010 (and last repeated on the True Enter-

tainment Channel in 2015), and featured
Neve McIntosh, and thirteen further Doctor 
Who cast and crew connections:

• Suranne Jones (Sarah) was the titular antagonist in The Sarah Jane Adventures: Mona Lisa's Revenge, then depicted Idris in The Doctor's Wife
• Isla Blair (Beatty) was Isabella in The King's Demons, and voiced Paula for Exotron (2007)
• Warren Brown (Matt) voiced Stephen Gibson for Industrial Evolution (2011), Rufus Stone and To'Koth for Signs and Wonders (2014), then Lieutenant Sam Bishop for UNIT: Extinction (2015), UNIT: Shutdown, UNIT: Silenced (both 2016), UNIT: Assembled (2017), UNIT: Cyber Reality, Lady Christina 1 (both 2018) and UNIT: Incursions (2019)
• Rupert Grave (Stuart) was John Riddell in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
• Mark Heap (Robin) voiced the Middleman for The Middle (2017)
• Sanjeev Kohli (Dad) voiced Brother Boyle/Vallot for The Quin Dilemma (2024)
• Sophie Kennedy Clark (Tanya) voiced Mhairi Campbell/the Slips for Wicked! (2025) 
• stunt co-ordinator Paul Heasman was a Nazi in Silver Nemesis, and the stunt arranger on Survival
• Belinda McGinley was also a stunt performer on Amy's Choice and The Girl Who Waited
• stuntman Lee Sheward was a stunt co-ordinator on eleven adventures (from The End of the World to The End of Time), and Torchwood: Miracle Day
• Steve Smith was also a make-up artist on forty-one episodes (from The Christmas Invasion to The Waters of Mars), and Music of the Spheres
• sound mixer Brian Milliken was the sound recordist on The Sontaran Stratagem, The Poison Sky and The Sarah Jane Adventures
• composer Murray Gold has worked on the revived run (from Rose to Twice Upon a Time)