Doctor Who Vs. Shaun of the Dead

Released in 2004, this cult British

comedy horror film was co-written
by lead actor Simon Pegg and

director Edgar Wright, both of
whom contributed to Channel 4

sitcom Spaced. An episode from

1999, Art, inspired the zombie

apocalypse narrative here. Wright

later collaborated with Steven

Moffat on the screenplay for

Tintin.

A co-production from Studio
Canal and Working Title, Shaun 
of the Dead was the first instal-
ment of the planned Cornetto
trilogy - Hot Fuzz followed in
2007, The World's End was
released in 2013, and all co-
starred Nick Frost.

Pegg and Frost reprised their
Shaun roles (albeit in cartoon
form) for the Phineas and Ferb Halloween special in 2014, and also

collaborated on Paul (2011), Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018), and

Amazon's Truth Seekers.

Shown on ITV4 last night, the film featured Matt Lucas, Mark 

Gatiss, and thirty-six Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Pegg [born Simon John Beckingham] (Shaun here; Sgt. Nicholas Angel in Hot Fuzz; Gary King in The World's End) and Tamsin Greig (Maggie) both appeared in The Long Game, as the Editor and the Nurse respectively
• Frost (Ed here; PC Danny Butterman in Hot Fuzz; Andy Knightley in The World's End) played Santa Claus in Last Christmas
• Peter [Szymon] Serafinowicz (Pete) provided the voice of the Fisher King in Before the Flood
• Jessica Hynes [nee Stevenson] (Yvonne) was Joan Redfern in Human Nature and The Family of Blood, then [that character's great-grand daughter] Verity Newman in The End of Time - she also voiced Glory Bee for Big Finish's Invaders from Mars (2002) opposite Pegg as Don Chaney
• Bill [Francis] Nighy (Philip here; Chief Inspector in Hot Fuzz; Voice of the Network for The World's End) was Dr. Black in Vincent and the Doctor
• Kate Ashfield (Liz) voiced Beth Stokes for Enemy of the Daleks (2009)
• Penelope [Alice] Wilton (Barbara) was Harriet Jones MP/PM in Aliens of London, World War Three, The Christmas Invasion and The Stolen Earth
• Michael Smiley (Zombie here; Green in The World's End) was Colonel Morgan Blue in Into the Dalek, and voiced Seedleson for Creatures of Beauty (2003)
• David Walliams (Reporter Voice) appeared in the Doctor Who Night sketches, voiced Qunicy Flowers/Ned Cotton for Phantasmagoria (1999), then was Gibbis in The God Complex
• Steve [John] Emerson (John) was Guard in The Macra Terror and Revelation of the Daleks, Resistance Man in The War Games, UNIT Soldier in The Claws of Axos, and Retrograde in Frontios
• Reese [Wayne] Shearsmith (Mark here; Collaborator in The World's End) was Andrew Powell in BBV Productions' PROBE series, Dr. Dan Matthews in Auton, depicted Patrick Troughton in An Adventure in Space and Time, then was Gagan Rassmussen in Sleep No More
• Paul Putner (Zombie) had co-starred with Pegg and Hynes before when he voiced Bix Biro for Invaders from Mars, and was also in two Doctor Who Night shorts with Gatiss
• Tim Baggaley (Usher) was the Knight in Robot of Sherwood
• Big Finish actor Mark Donovan (Zombie) voiced Karl for BBV's The Root of All Evil (1999), Charles for Race Memory, Ambassador/ Klemp for Dust Breeding (both 2001), Orchestrator Shol for The Sandman, Various for Sarah Jane Smith (all 2002), Sturmer for The Wormery, Gerrof for He Jests at Scars, Shayde/the Rovie for No Place Like Home, Allenby for Dalek War 3 (all 2003), Polk for The Harvest (2004), and Jackson/Watcher for Survival of the Fittest (2010)
• Paul Kaye (Zombie) was Prentis in Before the Flood and Under the Lake
• TV presenter Trisha Goddard made a cameo appearance on Army of Ghosts too
• Julia [Margaret] Deakin (Mum here; Mary in Hot Fuzz; Landlady in The World's End) voiced Harriet Griffin for Terror Firma (2005), and Old Anita for Burrowed Time (2019)
• Salo Gardner (Zombie) was a Lazar in Terminus
• Robert Fitch (Man) voiced Rodger Merripit/Sir Dudley Skelton for Whatever Remains (2020)
• Danielle de Costa (Voyage of the Damned and Night Terrors), Dani Biernat (The Christmas Invasion, New Earth, The Sound of Drums and Amy's Choice), Tina Maskell (Boom Town and The Runaway Bride), Amanda Foster (The Doctor's Daughter), and Tracy Caudie (The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) were all stunt performers here too
• Abbi Collins was stunt co-ordinator on The Sarah Jane Adventures, and eleven revvied episodes, from Rise of the Cybermen to The Waters of Mars, and Paul Herbert co-ordinated stunt work on The End of Time too
• George Cottle (Boom Town, The Runaway Bride, and Smith and Jones), Guy List (Evolution of the Daleks), and Paul Kennington (Rise of the Cybermen, Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday and The Doctor's Daughter) were also stuntmen here
• Ray De Haan and Sarah Franzl also had stunt work on The Idiot's Lantern (the latter on The End of the World and The End of Time too)
• stuntman Tony Lucken was De Florres in The Curse of the Black Spot
• Annie Hardinge began her career as costume designer on Vengeance on Varos
• Waldo Mason was a SFX assistant on Aliens of London too
• first assistant director Julian Hearne was a AFM on Battlefield