Doctor Who Vs. Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

Agatha Christie's eighth full-
length Miss Marple mystery, her

fifty-third novel, was published in

1962, then issued as The Mirror

Crack'd in North America. The

Queen of Crime was influenced by

the real-life tragedy of American

actress Gene Tierney for her plot.

The book's title was taken from Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott,

and was dedicated to cinematic

Marple actress Margaret Rutherford.

Julie McKenzie again depicted the

eponymous sleuth for ITV Studios'

fifth series of Marple - this production followed a British film version in 1980,

and a BBC serial in 1992. First broadcast in January 2011, the mystery was

 repeated on ITV3 today - it featured these thirteen Doctor Who cast and

crew connections:

• for Joanna Lumley see The Body In The Library
• Lindsay [Vere] Duncan (Marina here; Lady Tamplin in The Mystery of the Blue Train) was Captain Adelaide Brooke in The Waters of Mars
• Martin Jarvis (Hogg here; Warburton in Dead Man's Folly; Narrator of The Mysterious Mr. Quinn) was Hilio in The Web Planet, Butler in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, and the Governor in Vengeance on Varos, then voiced Nigel Rochester for Big Finish's Jubilee (2003)
• Neil Stuke (Dr. Haydock here; Baker in The Case of the Missing Will) voiced the titular role of The Crooked Man (2014), then was Lee Clayton in Fugitive of the Judoon
• Samuel Barnett (DS Tiddler) voiced Hans Tod for The Beast of Orlok (2009), Robin for Nightshade (2016), Norton Folgate for Torchwood, Cicero for Tartarus (2019), and Emlak for The Sublime Porte (2023)
• Hugh [Richard] Bonneville [born Williams] (DI Hewitt here; Masterman in Murder on the Orient Express, 2010; Strange in Towards Zero, 2010; Ralston in The Mousetrap, 2012) was Captain Henry Avery in The Curse of the Black Spot, and voiced Sidney Herbert/Tsar Nicholas I for The Angel of Scutari (2009)
• Olivia Darnley (Cherry here; Nurse in Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures) was Kourtney in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot; and voiced Emily Cole for Prisoner of the Ood (2018)
• Anna Andresen (Maisie) voiced Lithea/Elementals for Light the Flame (2021), and was the Tsarina in The Power of the Doctor 
• series executive producer Damian Timmer made a cameo appearance in An Adventure in Space and Time as a Menoptera, and Nigel Squibbs was sound mixer on that production too
• film editor Matthew Tabern also edited Smith and Jones, The Shakespeare Code, Human Nature, The Family of Blood and The Sarah Jane Adventures
• Sean Clayton was also the second assistant director on Dalek and Father's Day
• series production runner Donna Shakesheff was art department co-ordinator (then prop buyer) on every episode from Asylum of the Daleks to Kill the Moon

Doctor Who Vs. Silent Witness, Series 29

The latest run of BBC Studios' evergreen crime drama concluded last

night - it starred Emilia

Fox (now the veteran of 212 episodes since

2004) and David Caves,

as doctors Nikki

Alexander and Jack

Hodgson. The Home

Office forensic path-

ologists (now based at

the Bowman Centre in

Birmingham) were again

joined by Maggie Steed

and Francesca Mills, as

Harriet Maven and Kit

Brooks. Silent Witness has been recommissioned for an anniversary season.

This ten part series featured Jane Slavin, and a total of twenty-three Doctor

Who cast and crew connections:

The Disappearance of Alice Hill (UK TX: February 2/3)

• for Fox see Series 8 and for Steed see Series 28
• Sophie [Lisa] Hopkins (Alice) was April MacLean in Class
• Adam Rayner (Booth) was Roger Curbishley in The Unicorn and the Wasp
• Tony Gardner (Hill) voiced Stapleton Petherbridge for Big Finish's The Wrong Doctors (2013), then was Douglas in The Pyramid at the End of the World

Creekwood (TX: February 9/10)

• Lydia Wilson (DI Moss) voiced Maddy for Goth Opera (2024)
• Rachel Atkins (Barbara) voiced Queen Aethelfrid/Dr. Angeline Duchamp for The Lady of Mercia (2013), Lieutenant Jane Lucas for The Screaming Skull (2014), Sol for Intervention Earth, Susannah for The Tears of Isis (both 2015), Bishop for Maurice, Madame Sosostris for Masterpiece, Juno for Maker of Demons, Myla for The Age of Endurance (all 2016), Minister for Embankment Station, Major Destra for The Good Master (both 2017), Margot for Goodbye Piccadilly (2018), Ro-Jedda for Torchwood (2019), Zarda for Do No Harm, Governor Crompton for Like, Sarathin for The Enemy of My Enemy (all 2020), Cathrin Travers for Faustian, Dresha for Colony of Fear (both 2021), and Captain Argento for Morbius (2024)
• for Joseph Long see Series 6 and for Bern Colllaco see Series 23
• for Steven Forrester see Series 16

The Enemy Within (TX: February 17/18)

• Gerard Kearns (DC Magath) voiced William Hurley for The Peterloo Massacre (2016), and Hjalmar Johansen for Northern Lights (2023)
• George Harris (Nelson) was a stuntman on Lucky Day and Wish World
• Bhasker Patel (Imran) was Jival Chowdry in Turn Left

Grace of God (TX: February 23/24)

• Vinette [Sharon] Robinson (DI Mahler) was Abi Lerner in 42, Rosa Parks in Rosa, and voiced Cynthia Quince for Dead to the World (2015)
• Joplin [Chook] Sibtain (Retford) was Mark Grantham in The Sarah Jane Adventures: Warriors of Kudlak, and Tarak Ital in The Waters of Mars, then voiced David Brock for The Feast of Axos (2011), Athrid for The Acheron Pulse (2012), Sanjaya Starr for The Case of the Gluttonous Guru (2013), and Brian/Koggnossenti for Technophobia (2016)
• Anthony Lewis (Altman) voiced Raymond Scobie for Animal (2011)
• Barry Aird (Jarvis) was a Time Lord Soldier in The Last Day, then voiced Operator Rellak for Revolution in Space (2024)
• Caroline Berry (Brenda) was a Dinner Lady in School Reunion

Shame (TX: March 2/3)

• John Heffernan (Burns) voiced Vonchef for Revenge of the Swarm (2004), Honos for The Trial of a Time Machine (2018), the Nine for The Crucible of Souls (2016), Companion Piece, The Odds Against, Relative Time (both 2019) and The Dreams of Avarice (2022), and Carson Baylis for The Ministry of Death (2026)
• Lucy [Anne] Cohu (Helen) was Alice Carter in Torchwood: Children of Earth
• Harry Kershaw (Pike) voiced Narthex for The Abyss (2022)
• Ayesha Dharker (Banerjee) was Solana Mercurio in Planet of the Ood
• Quanna Luo Masterson ( ) voiced Carla Zheng for The Worst of All Evils (2025), and was Reporter in The War Between the Land and the Sea
• for Sean Gilder see Series 18

Doctor Who On This Day #340

 

1965 - The Sensorites, Episode 6: A Desperate

Venture and The Reign of Terror, Episode 3: A

Change of Identity both repeated and The Dalek

Invasion of Earth, Episode 3: Day of Reckoning

first screened, all on ABC

1966 - Marco Polo, Episode 6 repeated on TV1;

The Aztecs, Episode 3: The Bride of Sacrifice,

The Reign of Terror, Episodes 1 and 4, Planet

of Giants, Episode 1, The Romans, Episode 3:

Conspiracy, The Web Planet, Episode 3: Escape

to Danger and The Crusade, Episode 3: The

Wheel of Fortune all repeated on ABC

1974 - The Time Monster, Episodes 2 and 6,

The Three Doctors, Episode 2 and Planet of

the Daleks, Episode 3 all repeated on ABC

1975 - Actor Noel Anthony Clarke born

 in London; and The Android Invasion,

Part 3 first broadcast on BBC1

1980 - State of Decay, Part 3 first

screened on BBC1

1982 - The Invasion of Time, Part 6

repeated on ABC

1983 - The Face of Evil, Part 1 repeated

on ABC; and The Keeper of Traken, Part

4 repeated on KQED Plus

1984 - The Time Monster, Episode 4

repeated on KQED Plus

1985 - The Sea Devils, Episodes 2 and 3 both

first screened on TV2; and The Face of Evil,

Part 1 repeated on KQED Plus

1986 - The Keys of Marinus, Episode 3: The

Screaming Jungle repeated on KQED Plus; and

The Ultimate Foe, Part 14 first screened on BBC1

1987 - The Dalek Invasion of Earth Omnibus

repeated on KQED Plus

1988 - Paradise Towers, Part 3 repeated

 on KQED Plus

1989 - The Horns of Nimon, Part 3 repeated

on KQED Plus; and Survival, Part 3 first

screened on BBC1 - Doctor Who ended its

original run on BBC TV after 26 years

1990 - Revenge of the Cybermen, Part

2 repeated on KQED Plus

1991 - Full Circle, Part 4 repeated on

ABC; and The Mysterious Planet, Part

2 repeated on KQED Plus

1992 - The Sensorites Omnibus

repeated on UK Gold

1993 - Death to the Daleks, Part 3 repeated

on UK Gold; and Earthshock, Part 2 repeated

on ABC

1994 - Paradise Towers, Parts 1 and

2 both repeated on UK Gold

1995 - The Talons of Weng-Chiang,

Part 2 repeated on UK Gold

1996 - The Silurians, Episodes 1 and

2 both repeated on UKTV
1997 - The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode

3: Day of Reckoning repeated on Space; and

City of Death and The Creature from the Pit

Omnibuses both repeated on UKTV (Aus)

1998 - The Web Planet, Episode 4: Crater of Needles repeated on
Space; Spearhead from Space, Episodes 1 and 2 both repeated
on WCET; Planet of the Daleks Omnibus repeated on UK Gold;
Frontier in Space, Episodes 1 and 2 both repeated on LPB; The
Ark in Space, Parts 3 and 4 both repeated on BBC America;
Image of the Fendahl Omnibus repeated on KSPS; Earthshock,
Part 2 repeated on WUSF; and Remembrance of the Daleks,
Parts 3 and 4 both repeated on KBTC
1999 - The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode

 3: Day of Reckoning repeated on Space; and 

Warriors' Gate Omnibus repeated on KQED Plus

2000 - The Mutants, Episode 1 repeated on Prime;

Planet of the Spiders, Part 3 repeated on UKTV (Aus);

and The Robots of Death, Parts 1 and 2 both repeated 

on BBC America

2001 - Terror of the Zygons, Part 3 repeated

on BBC Kids (Can); The Two Doctors, Part 1

repeated on UKTV (Aus); and The Mark of the

Rani, Part 2 (of 4) repeated on BBC Prime

2002 - Genesis of the Daleks, Part 2

repeated on BBC Kids
2003 - Nightmare of Eden, Parts 3 and 4

both repeated on BBC Kids (Can); Vengeance

on Varos Omnibus repeated on UK Gold; and

The Two Doctors, Parts 1 and 2 (of 6) both

repeated on Iowa PTV
2004 - Pyramids of Mars, Part

3 repeated on ABC

2005 - Attack of the Cybermen, Parts

1 and 2 (of 4) both repeated on ABC

2007 - Aliens of London, World War Three, Dalek, The Long

Game, The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, Bad Wolf and

The Parting of the Ways all repeated on Syfy (US); and

Doomsday and Doctor Who Confidential: Finale both

repeated on BBC3
2008 - The Visitation, Parts 2 and 3 both repeated on MTV3
SciFi and TV4; Rose repeated on WQLN, KQED Plus and Syfy
(Rus); Rise of the Cybermen repeated on OETA; Doomsday first
screened on HRT2; The Sound of Drums repeated on Syfy (Ben);
and Doctor Who Confidential: Bringing Back the Doctor repeated
on KQED Plus
2009 - Daleks in Manhattan repeated on Idaho

PTV; The Sound of Drums repeated on Syfy

(Ben); and The Waters of Mars first screened

on ABC1

2010 - The Christmas Invasion repeated on UKTV (Aus); Forest
 of the Dead and Greatest Moments: The Enemies both repeated
on BBC3; and The Stolen Earth, Journey's End and The Eleventh
Hour all repeated on Syfy (Spa)
2011 - Warriors' Gate, Parts 1 and 2 both repeated

on Syfy (Aus); The Awakening Omnibus repeated on

 MTV3 SciFi, TV2 and TV4; Fear Her and The Beast

Below both repeated on UKTV (Aus); Forest of the

Dead repeated on Space; and Prequel: The Doctor,
the Widow and the Wardrobe released online

2012 - The Empty Child repeated on BBC America;

and Doctor Who Confidential Cutdown: What Goes

on Tour repeated on UKTV (Aus)

2013 - Bad Wolf repeated on France 4; The 

Impossible Planet and Smith and Jones both

repeated on Watch; The Fires of Pompeii

 repeated on BBC America; The End of Time, Part 1 repeated on BBC
Nordic; Amy's Choice repeated on Syfy (Port); A Good Man Goes to 
War repeated on BBC Entertainment LA; Let's Kill Hitler and

Night Terrors both repeated on BBC3; Dinosaurs on a Spaceship 
repeated on BBC Entertainment EU, Rom and ME;
The Best of the Doctor repeated on BBC Nordic HD and BBC Polska
HD; and Doctor Who Confidential: Breaking the Silence repeated on
BBC Entertainment AP
2014 - The Dominators, Episodes 3 to 5 and The Mind Robber, Episode
1 repeated and The Monster of Peladon, Parts 1 and 2 first screened,
all on Retro TV; The Brain of Morbius Omnibus repeated on Horror;
Aliens of London and Doctor Who Confidential: I Get a Sidekick Out 
of You both repeated on UNC MX; Fear Her repeated on UKTV; Army 
of Ghosts and Doomsday both repeated on UKTV (Aus); The Fires of 
Pompeii, Planet of the Ood, The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison 
Sky all repeated on BBC America; Flesh and Stone and The Vampires 
of Venice both repeated on Space; A Christmas Carol repeated on Syfy
 (Aus); The Impossible Astronaut, Day of the Moon, The Curse of the 
Black Spot and The Doctor's Wife all repeated on Syfy (Ben) and 

Syfy (Aus); The Rebel Flesh repeated on Syfy (Ben); The Wedding

 of River Song repeated on OETA; The Doctor, the Widow and 

the Wardrobe repeated on BBC3; A Town Called Mercy and The 

Power of Three both repeated on BBC Nordic HD and BBC 

Polska HD; The Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen 

both repeated on BBC America and RAI4; Hide repeated on

BBC Entertainment EU, Rom, ME and Jeem TV (ME); 

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS repeated on BBC

Entertainment EU, Romania and ME; Kill the Moon repeated 

on Fox (FRG); Mummy on the Orient Express repeated on

BBC Entertainment AP and Fox; Flatline repeated on BBC
Entertainment AP; and In the Forest of the Night first 

screened on DR3

2015 - Terror of the Zygons, Part 2 repeated on KRWG; The Face of 
Evil, Part 3, The Sontaran Stratagem and The Impossible Astronaut 
all repeated on Syfy (Aus); The Invasion of Time, Parts 3 and 4 both 
repeated on Retro TV; Vengeance on Varos, Part 1 repeated on KBTC;
The End of the World and Aliens of London both repeated on EBRU;
The Hungry Earth repeated on BBC Entertainment AP;

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, A Town Called Mercy, The Power of Three,
The Angels Take Manhattan and The Bells of Saint John all repeated
 on BBC Nordic HD and BBC Polska HD; Hide and Journey to the Centre
of the TARDIS both repeated on BBC Entertainment EU, Romania

and ME; The Time of the Doctor repeated on OETA; Deep 
Breath repeated on Idaho PTV; Last Christmas repeated on BBC
America; The Magician's Apprentice repeated on BBC America and 
Fox (FRG); The Witch's Familiar repeated on Fox; Face the Raven
first screened on FX (Ind); Heaven Sent repeated on BBC America,
BBC First (Ben) and BBC Entertainment AP; and Hell Bent first
screened on BBC America, BBC Entertainment AP, Space, Prime 
and ABC

2016 - The Face of Evil, Part 4 and The Robots of Death, Part 1 both 
repeated on Retro TV; World War Three and Heaven Sent both 
repeated on Syfy (Aus); Voyage of the Damned and Partners in Crime 
both repeated on BBC America; The Fires of Pompeii repeated on BBC 
America and BBC Polska HD; Planet of the Ood repeated on BBC 
Polska HD; The God Complex both repeated on Syfy (LA);
 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship repeated on Syfy (Bra); Cold

War repeated on The Zone; Listen repeated on BBC First

 (ME); Flatline repeated on One ARD; and Last Christmas

repeated on BBC First (RSA)

2017 - The Creature from the Pit, Parts 1 and

2 both repeated on Retro TV; Snakedance,

Part 3 repeated on Jones! too; Bad Wolf

repeated on ABC and ABC ME; The Runaway

Bride repeated on The Box; The Poison Sky

repeated on BBC Polska HD; The Doctor's Daughter repeated on BBC

 Polska HD and Syfy (Aus); The Big Bang and The Impossible Astronaut 
both repeated on Syfy (Bra); Closing Time, The Wedding of River Song 
and The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe all repeated on BBC 
America; The Crimson Horror and Nightmare in Silver both repeated 
on Space; Robot of Sherwood repeated on DR3; The Zygon Inversion 
both repeated on BBC First (ME); and The Pilot and Smile both first 
screened on Fox (FRG)
2018 - Journey's End repeated on ABC; The Curse of the Black

Spot repeated on RAI4; The Doctor's Wife repeated on ABC,

France 4 and RAI4; The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People

both repeated on France 4; The Zygon Invasion and The

Zygon Inversion both repeated on Fox (FRG); and It

Takes You Away first screened on France 4 and YLE TV2

2019 - Robot of Sherwood and Behind the Lens:

The Day of the Doctor both repeated on BBC

Polska HD; and The Magician's Apprentice

repeated on BBC Entertainment EU

2020 - The Mind Robber Omnibus repeated

on Iowa PTV; Arc of Infinity, Parts 1 and 2

and Attack of the Cybermen, Parts 3 and 4

(of 4) all repeated on Retro TV; The Caves

of Androzani, Parts 3 and 4 both repeated

on KBTC; Partners in Crime repeated on

ABC ME; Thin Ice and Knock Knock both

repeated on RAI4; The Tsuranga Conundrum

repeated on W; Demons of the Punjab and

It Takes You Away both repeated on W and

NRJ12; The Witchfinders and Kerblam! both

repeated on W, NRJ12 and BBC Polska HD;

The Timeless Children repeated on Fox (FRG);

and Behind the Lens: The Time of the Doctor

repeated on BBC Polska HD

2021 - The Horns of Nimon, Parts 3 and

4 both repeated on Retro TV; A Good Man

Goes to War repeated on BBC Polska HD;

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

repeated on BBC First Turkey; Deep

Breath repeated on ABC2; and The

Vanquishers first screened on BBC

America, ABC2, CTV and TV2

2022 - Ghost Light Omnibus, Orphan

55 and Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror

all repeated on One ARD; Army of

Ghosts repeated on Fox SciFi; and

Heaven Sent and Hell Bent both

repeated on BBC America

2023 - The Pandorica Opens repeated

on Fox SciFi; and Wild Blue Yonder

repeated on BBC2

2024 - Thin Ice repeated on ABC Family;

and Knock Knock repeated on ABC

Entertains

2025 - The Runaway Bride repeated on

BBC3