Doctor Who Vs. Biggles

James Bigglesworth, better

known as Biggles, is the central character in the children's

adventure book series from

former Great War pilot, Captain

WE Johns.

The classic war stories debuted
in 1932, and spanned ninety-
eight volumes until the author's
death in 1968. The works were
first dramatised by Granada TV
in 1960, then adapted for this

production in 1986. The film

was later released in America as Biggles: Adventures in Time.

Shown on Legend today, the story featured Neil Dickson as the eponymous

pilot (reprised a year later for the Pet Shop Boys' It Couldn't Happen Here),

Peter Cushing, Alex Hyde White, and twenty-three Doctor Who cast and

crew connections:

• Alibe Parsons (Maxine) was Matroni Kani in Mindwarp, then voiced Nora Edgecastle for The Lost Resort (2021)
• Marcus Gilbert (Von Stalhein) was Ancelyn in Battlefield
• James Saxon [born William Smyth] (Bertie) was Oscar Botcherby in The Two Doctors
• Forbes Collins (Soldier) and stuntman Gareth Milne both appeared in Vengeance on Varos, as the Chief Officer and Mortuary Attendant - Milne was also George Cranleigh in Black Orchid, and doubled for Peter Davison on Warriors of the Deep
• Roy Boyd and Sean Barry Weske (German NCOs) were Driscoll in (part 2 of) The Hand of Fear, and Paramilitary in Silver Nemesis
• Christopher [James Alan] Robbie (Clerk) was the Karkus in The Mind Robber, and the Cyberleader in Revenge of the Cybermen
• Pam St Clements (Mother Superior) reprised her EastEnders role of Pat Butcher for Dimensions in Time
• David Cann (Officer) was Narrator of Hello Sailor!, then voiced Albert for Jenny 3 (2024)
• stuntmen Ken Barker, Jim Dowdall, Paul Heasman, Nick Hobbs, Billy Horrigan, Terry Walsh, Dinny Powell, Mark McBride, Rocky Taylor and Chris Webb all worked on the classic series
• three-times Oscar winning costume designer James Acheson also worked on twenty-nine episodes of the classic run (from The Mutants to The Deadly Assassin) and was responsible for designing the Fourth Doctor's first outfit
• Ernest Vincze was also cinematographer on thirty-eight episodes (from Rose to The Waters of Mars)
• Richard Trevor was film editor on Underworld (4) too