Doctor Who Vs. Miss Marple: The Moving Finger

Agatha Christie's thirty-third crime novel (one of her

favourites) was serialised (heavily abridged) in 1942

for the American magazine, Collier's Weekly, then

issued in the British Woman's Pictorial later that year.

The third Marple mystery was faithfully adapted by

BBC1 as their second Miss Marple serial, and was

first shown in February 1985. Joan Hickson again

portrayed Jane Marple. An ITV Studios version

followed in 2006.

The two-part period thriller was repeated on Drama

today - it featured fifteen Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Elizabeth Counsell (Angela) voiced Abigail Woburn for Big Finish's Jago in Love and The Hourglass Killers (both 2012)
• Sabina Franklyn (Joanna here; Rosamund for Evil Under the Sun, 1998) voiced Dr. Eleanor Harcourt for Bang-Bang-A-Boom! (2002), Wanda Rothman for Situation Vacant (2010), and President Beel/ Aetius/Herculania for Judoon in Chains (2016)
• John [Edwin] Arnatt (Calthrop) was Chancellor Borusa in The Invasion of Time
• Martin Fisk (Griffith) was Vargos in The Leisure Hive
• Penelope [Jane] Lee (Partridge here; Operator for Personal Call, 1960) was one of several actresses considered for the role of Barbara Wright in 1963, then provided the Computer Voice for Revelation of the Daleks
• Imogen Bickford-Smith (Elsie) was Tal (pictured) in Underworld 
• Victor [Jack] Maddern (PC Johnson here; Paravicini in The Mousetrap, 1976) was Chief Robson in Fury from the Deep
• Patsy Smart (Mrs. Cleat) was the Ghoul in The Talons of Weng-Chiang
• production associate George Gallaccio was an uncredited production assistant (PA) on (part 6 of) Planet of the Daleks and Invasion of the Dinosaurs (6), then production unit manager on eight other stories (from Robot to The Seeds of Doom)
• Bernard Ashby was film editor on Arc of Infinity too
• Graham Walker was also film editor on Dalek, Father's Day, Boom Town, Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways
• Alexandra Bridcut was assistant floor manager (AFM) on Full Circle (4) too
• Juley Harding was also the PA on Black Orchid and The Caves of Androzani
• location manager Tony Redston was production manager on The Mark of the Rani and Time and the Rani
• Paul Allen was also production designer on The Seeds of Death, Spearhead from Space and Horror of Fang Rock

BBC Radio 4 transmitted an adaptation of The Moving Finger

in May 2001. June Whitfield again voiced Miss Marple, and

was joined by these Doctor Who cast links:

• Nicholas Boulton (Burton here; Nicholas for Hallowe'en Party; Dennis for The Murder at the Vicarage, both 1993; Allerton for Death on the Nile, 1997; Cavendish for The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 2005) was Businessman in Gridlock, then voiced Chule for Capture the Chronovore! (2022), Vice for Meanwhile, Elsewhere (2023), Captain Saint/Photographer/Soldier for The Children of the Future, Reverend Horlock/Angel for Last Words, and Time Lord for Conspiracy of Raven (all 2024)
• Clare Corbett (Joanna here; Ginevra for Appointment With Death, 2001; Narrator of Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World) voiced Ernestina Stott for AudioGo's The Dead Shoes, Nun for A Sting in the Tale (both 2009), Narrator of The Hounds of Artemis, Dead of Winter, The Way Through the Woods, Touched by an Angel (all 2011), Summer Falls (2013), The Drosten's Curse (2015), The Good Doctor, The Fires of Pompeii (2022) and The Romans (2023), Harriet/Technician for The Rise of the New Humans, Lukaku for Stolen Goods (both th 2018), Cherilyn Dankworth for The Unzal Incursion, and Ravager for Cataclysm and Food Fight (all 2021)
• Annabelle Dowler (Megan here; Bridget for The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, 2004; Cynthia/Annie for The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 2005; Receptionist for Towards Zero, 2010) was Walter's Mother in The Snowmen, then voiced Jasdar Crick for The Robots 1 (2019), Integers/Contingent/Queen for Barrister to the Stars (2020), Houlbrooke for The Long Way Round, and Burr for Elevation (both 2021)