Wednesday 13 September 2023

Doctor Who Vs. The Plague of Zombies

Morell in Quatermass
and the Pit (1959)
Shown on Talking Pictures TV last night, this
production was another typically gothic feature
from the iconic Hammer stable. It opened in
some markets on a double bill with Dracula:
Prince of Darkness.
Released in 1966, the cast was led by André
Morell - the only actor to portray Professor
Bernard Quatermass, then appear on Doctor
Who (as Marshal Gaspard de Saux-Tavannes in The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve).
The film (shot back-to-back with The Reptile,
which shared the same period Cornish setting
and some of the cast) featured sixteen Doctor
Who cast connections:

  • Big Finish actor Jacqueline [Kay] Pearce (Alice here; Anna in The Reptile) was Chessene of the Franzine Grig in The Two Doctors, then voiced Sherilyn Harper for The Fearmonger (2000), Admiral Mettna for Death Comes to Time, the Keeper for Sarah Jane Smith (2006), Queen Zafira/Bev for Hexagora (2011), and Cardinal Ollistra for The War DoctorThe Time War (2015-18) and Day of the Vashta Nerada (2017)
  • John [Derek] Carson [Parker] (Hamilton) was Ambril in Snakedance
  • Marcus Hammond (Martinus) was Antodus in The Daleks
  • Tim Condren (Young Blood) was Saxon Warrior in (episode 4 of) The Time Meddler, Soldier in The Web of Fear (4), and Guerilla in Day of the Daleks (1)
  • Dennis [Arthur Robert] Chinnery (Christian) was Albert C. Richardson in The Chase (3), Gharman in Genesis of the Daleks, and Professor Sylvest in The Twin Dilemma (1)
  • Louis [Felix Danner] Mahoney (Servant) was a Newscaster in Frontier in Space, Ponti in Planet of Evil, and the Older Billy Shipton in Blink
  • Ben [Patrick] Aris (John) was Lieutenant Shears in Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1)
  • Francis Willey (Young Blood) was an uncredited Visian in The Daleks' Master Plan (6), and Guard in The Massacre (4)
  • Ron [Leonard] Gregory (Gravedigger) and Bernard Barnsley (stunt- man) both starred in The Ark - as Guardian and Monoid, whilst the latter was UNIT Soldier in The Silurians (2)
  • Jolyon [Roger] Booth (Driver) was Prapillus in The Web Planet
  • Del Watson (Zombie) was an uncredited Alien Guard/Crimean Soldier in The War Games
  • Jim O'Brady [born George Clifford Watkin] (Patron) and Fred [Thomas] Wood (Villager) both appeared in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 AD
  • Eric Kent (Patron) was Technician in The Seeds of Death, UNIT Soldier in The Ambassadors of Death (1), and Roundhead in The Time Monster (3)
  • Peter [Alexander] Diamond (stuntman here & The Reptile) was fight arranger/stunt double on eighteen instalments (from The Rescue to The Daemons)
The Reptile featured four further Doctor Who links:
  • Ray [Charles] Barrett (HG Spalding) was Bennett and Koquillion in The Rescue
  • David Baron (CE Spalding) was Ralpachan in The Abominable Snowmen
  • Harold [born Israel] Goldblatt (Solicitor) was Professor Dale in Frontier in Space
  • film editor Roy [William] Hyde was the sound editor on Dr. Who and the Daleks
Hammer's third part of their Dracula saga also starred:
    • Barbara [Teresa] Shelley [born Kowin] (Helen) was Sorasta in Planet of Fire
    • Andrew Keir [born Buggy] (Sandor) was Wyler in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 AD
    • [Charles] Philip Latham (Klove) was President Borusa in The Five Doctors
    • Philip Ray [born Roy Edgar Cochrane] (Priest) was Eldred in The Seeds of Death
    • John Maxim (Driver) was Frankenstein's Monster in The Chase (4), and [as John Wills] a Cyberman in The Moonbase

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