Doctor Who Vs. Miss Marple: The Body in the Library

Agatha Christie's second Marple mystery (her

thirty-first novel) was published in 1942, and

was the first story adapted for the BBC's

acclaimed Miss Marple TV series.

After appearing in the stage version of the

writer's Appointment With Death in 1945,

Joan Hickson (1906-1998) received a note

from Christie that read "I hope one day you

will play my dear Miss Marple."

The three-part thriller was first shown over

consecutive nights at Christmas 1984, and

introduced Hickson's definitive portrayal of

 Marple (she had starred opposite Margaret Rutherford's Jane Marple in Murder She Said in 1961). An ITV

Studios version followed in 2004.

The Hampshire village of Nether Wallop doubled as the fictional

St. Mary Mead, and the series endured until 1992. The serial was

shown on Drama last night - it featured seventeen Doctor Who

cast and crew connections:

• Moray [Robin Philip Adrian] Watson (Bantry) was Sir Robert Muir in Black Orchid
• Valentine Dyall (Lorrimer) debuted as the Black Guardian in The Armageddon Factor
• [Manfred] Frederick Jaeger (Colonel Melchett here; the Count in The Fourth Man; DCI Davy in At Bertram's Hotel, 1995) was Jano in The Savages, Sorenson in Planet of Evil, and Professor Marius in The Invisible Enemy
• Hugh [Thornton] Walters (Prescott here; Dodds in The Mystery of the Blue Jar) was William Shakespeare in (episode 1 of) The Chase, Runcible in The Deadly Assassin, Vogel in Revelation of the Daleks, and voiced Roderick Allingham for Big Finish's The Fearmonger (2002)
• Keith Drinkel (Gaskell here; Policeman for Sad Cypress, 1992; Gorman for The Pale Horse, 1993; Harold for 4.50 from Paddington; Dr. Bessner for Death on the Nile, both 1997) was Roger Scobie in Time Flight, Torlakhl in Zygon, then voiced Henry Hallam for Catch 1782 (2005), and the Cinder for Frostfire (2007)
• Martyn Read (McLean) was a Security Guard in Silver Nemesis
• Stephen [George] Churchett (Reeve here; Coroner in The Murder at the Vicarage, The Moving Finger, Murder is Easy, Endless Night [all ITV]) was Bill in Attack of the Cybermen
• Astra Sheridan (Pamela) was a Yellow Kang in Paradise Towers
• Karen Seacombe (Florrie) was Sandra in The Lodger, and Meg in The Woman Who Lived
• Arthur Bostrom (Bartlett) voiced Arken for Scaredy Cat (2005)
• Mike Mungarvan (DS) was a Mutt in The Mutants (1), Guard in The Face of Evil (1) and The Androids of Tara (1), Time Lord in The Invasion of Time, Druid in The Stones of Blood (1), Dalek Operator in Destiny of the Daleks, Detective in City of Death (1), Argolin in The Leisure Hive (1), Citizen in Full Circle (1), Kilroy in Warriors' Gate (1), Hostage in Kinda, Knight in The King's Demons (1), Soldier in Resurrection of the Daleks, Jacondan in The Twin Dilemma (1), Extra in Mindwarp, Officer in Terror of the Vervoids, Lakertyan, Tetrap and Genius in Time and the Rani, Policeman in Silver Nemesis, and Passerby in The Christmas Invasion
• John Evans (Inch) was a Saxon in The Time Meddler (2)
• John Walker (cinematographer) was a film cameraman on nine stories (from Horror of Fang Rock to Revelation of the Daleks)
• Bill Chesneau (film recordist) was sound recordist on The Invasion, The Curse of Peladon, Death to the Daleks, and The Leisure Hive
• Bernard Ashby was also the editor on Arc of Infinity
• Austin Ruddy was production designer on The Face of Evil too
• Jan Wright was also costume designer on The Two Doctors

The cast of the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of The Body in the Library

 (May 1999) was again led by June Whitfield, with classic era co-stars:

• Ricahard Todd (Melchett) played Sanders in Kinda
• Graham Crowden (Clithering) was Soldeed in The Horns of Nimon
• Jack Watling (Bantry) played Professor Travers in The Abominable Snowmen, The Web of Fear and Downtime