Doctor Who Vs. A Hard Day's Night

The Beatles' first cinematic venture (shot in black and white) was a fictionalised version of the band's hectic touring lifestyle, and was directed by Richard Lester. Released by United Artists at the height of Beatlemania in 1964, the influencial production was critically acclaimed and a huge box office success, especially in America - Alun Owen's screenplay received an Oscar nomination.

Side one of the Fab Four's third

studio album (also titled A Hard

Day's Night) provided the sound-

track to the film.

Help!, Magical Mystery Tour,

Yellow Submarine and Let It Be followed between 1965 and 1970.

Shown on BBC2 today, the musical featured Wilfred Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, and twenty-four Doctor Who cast connections:

• John [Winston] Lennon, [James] Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr [born Richard Starkey] performed Ticket to Ride in (episode 1 of) The Chase
• Juba [Elgar] Kennerley (Passenger) was Old Man in The Massacre (2)
• Lewis Alexander [born Herbert Alexander Lewis] (Patron) was Army Officer in The War Machines (3)
• Roger Avon (Policeman), Robin Burns (Sweeper), Chick Fowles (Reporter), Bob Raymond (Stagehand), Maxwell Craig (Barman), Jim Brady [born George Clifford Watkin] and Fred Wood (Patrons) all appeared in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 AD - Avon was also Saphadin in The Crusade, and Daxtar in The Daleks' Master Plan (4), whilst Raymond was Priest in The Underwater Menace (1)
• Isla Blair (Actress) was Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam in The King's Demons, then voiced Paula Taylor for Exotron (2007), Marge for Out of This World, Charn for Palindrome (both 2020), Old Mary Mortimer for Friend of the Family (2023), and Pars for Unknown Soldiers (2024)
• Julian [Robert Stanley] Holloway (Adrian) was Sergeant Paterson in Survival
• Billy Dean and Aileen [Mary] Lewis [born Halsey] (Patrons) were Guard in The Curse of Peladon (1), and Extra on The Silurians (6)
• Jeremy Young (Policeman) was Kal in 100,000 BC, and Gordon Lowery in Mission to the Unknown
• Neil [Kingsley] Wilson (Doorman) and Fred Davis (Manager) were Seeley and Passerby in Spearhead from Space - Davis was also Priest in The Underwater Menace (1)
• Len Saunders (Guard) and Jane [Katherine] Lumb (Extra) both starred in Dr. Who and the Daleks, as Dalek operator and Thal - Saunders was also Slave/Cameraman in Day of the Daleks
• Stanley [Alfred] Simmons (Workman) was Resistance Man in The War Games (8)
• John [Kenneth] Tatham (Policeman) was Villager/Coven member in The Daemons

Doctor Who Vs. Carry On England

The twenty-eighth production from

the Carry On stable was released

 in late 1976, and Joan Sims, Peter

Butterworth, Kenneth Connor, and

Julian Holloway were the only series

regulars cast here. Kenneth Williams,

and Barbara Windsor were unavail-

able, whilst stalwart Sid James died

just a week before filming began.

Windsor Davies, Diane Langton, and

Peter Jones all made their second

appearances - Judy Geeson, Patrick

Mower, and Melvyn Hayes made

Carry On debuts opposite Jack Douglas' seventh role.

The wartime comedy (the worst performing film in the run since Carry

On at Your Convenience) was a box office flop, and is seldom shown on

TV, but is currently available on ITVX - it featured these eight Doctor

Who cast connections:

• for Davies (Bloomer) see Carry On Behind
• for Sims see Carry On Nurse
• for Butterworth see Carry On Cowboy
• for Holloway see Follow That Camel
• Melvyn Hayes (Shorthouse) [born Hyams] (Shorthouse) voiced Wilkin for Big Finish's Shada (2003), then the titular aliens for The Scorchies (2013)
• Richard Olley (Parker) was a Mutant in (part 1 of) Mawdryn Undead
• Peter Banks (Thomas) was Dr. Shepherd in Day of the Moon
• for Peter Jones see Carry On Doctor

Doctor Who Vs. Wire in the Blood, Series 4

Based on characters created by Val

McDermid, this dark crime drama returned to ITV in the autumn of

2006. Named after her 1997 novel,

this co-production from Tyne Tees TV 

and Coastal was filmed at locations in
and around Newcastle (but set in the
fictional Yorkshire town of Bradfield)

- it centred around the work of police

profiler Dr. Tony Hill, portrayed by

Robson Green. Simone Lahbib joined

the cast here as new DI Alex Fielding.

A repeat run of the thrillers began on

ITV3 last night, and featured Emma

Handy, and a total of thirty-one Doctor

Who cast and crew connections:

Time to Murder and Create (TX: September 20 2006)

• Lahbib [born Simone Nicole Jean Lahbib Ould Cheikl] voiced Dr. Roisin Hunter/Grandmother for The Phantom Piper, and Sylvia Brooks for Time Flies (both 2022) - for Handy see Series 2
• Ellie Haddington (Brenda) was Professor Docherty in Last of the Time Lords
• Geoffrey Leesley (Hayter) voiced Paramount Minister Mortund for Arrangements for War (2004), and Harold for AudioGo's The Broken Crown (2011)
• Lloyd McGuire (Mattison) was Lugo in The Face of Evil, then voiced General Lieutenant Tendexter for The Architects of History (2010)
• Andy Goddard was director of The Next Doctor too
• for George Gerwitz (first assistant director) see Series 1
• Lee Radford (prop hand) was head model maker on The Woman Who Fell to Earth
• David Fisher (assistant editor) was film editor on four Series 11 episodes

Torment (TX: September 27)

• Siobhan [Margaret] Finneran (DI Shields) was Becka Savage in The Witchfinders
• Andrew Westfield (Tyler) voiced Remnex for The Dark Flame, and Pilot for Davros (both 2003)
• David Barrett was also film editor on The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood 
• Tom Lucy was also stunt co-ordinator on sixteen stories (from Smith and Jones to The Next Doctor)

Hole in the Heart (TX: October 4)

• Michael Cochrane (Hynes) was Charles Cranleigh in Black Orchid, and Redvers Fenn Cooper in Ghost Light, then voiced Lieutenant Colonel Brook for No Man's Land (2006), Murgat for Brotherhood of the Daleks (2008), Colonel Hugh Spindleton for The Trail of the White Worm and The Oseidon Adventure (both 2012), Professor Chivers for The Time Machine (2013), and Geralk for The Fate of Krelos and Return to Telos (2015)
• Anthony Debaeck (Max) was the French Newsreader in Army of Ghosts
• Colin Stinton (Sutton) was President Arthur Winters in The Sound of Drums
• Evie Dawnay (Lucy) voiced Lilly/the Vrill for Klein's Story (2010), and Dr. Sophie Topolovic for Shadow of Death (2013)
• Maggie Ollerenshaw (Joanna) voiced Audrey McShane for Love and War (2012), Allora for Gallifrey (2013), and Dame Wilhelmina Gussett for The Woman in White (2016)
• Philip Hookway was film editor on Flatline too
• for Crispin Layfield (stunt double) see Series 1
• Steve Griffin was stuntman on The Idiot's Lantern too
• Gordon Seed was also a stuntman on twenty-one stories, and stunt co-ordinator on another thirteen (from The Idiot's Lantern to Kill the Moon)

Wounded Surgeon (TX: October 11)

• Peter Hoar was director of A Good Man Goes to War too
• Raad Rawi (Ozick) voiced Prince Hassan Al-Nadyr for Who Killed Toby Kinsella? (2016), Nicholas for Ravenous 2 (2018), and Tubal/Maygo/Hiarbas for The Phoenicians (2019)
• Richard Dixon (Dr. Gorham) voiced DI Alan Probert for The Dreams of Avarice (2020)
• Dido Miles (Karen) voiced Arva for Living Darkness (2025)
• Andrew Burt (Guest) was Valgard in Terminus
• Derek Lea was also stuntman on Dalek, Bad Wolf, The Parting of the Ways, The Age of Steel and Partners in Crime
• Rob Hunt was also stuntman on The Runaway Bride and The Day of the Doctor
• for Joanne Thompson see Series 3
• Steve Slocombe (best boy) was the electrician on sixty-five stories (from Army of Ghosts to Death in Heaven), The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood

Doctor Who Vs. Wire in the Blood, Series 3

Based on characters created by Val

McDermid, this dark crime drama (named

after her 1997 novel) returned to screens

in early 2005. The Tyne Tees TV and

Coastal co-production (filmed at locations

in and around Newcastle but set in the

fictional Yorkshire town of Bradfield)

centred on the work of profiler Dr. Tony

Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, portrayed by

Robson Green and Hermione Norris.

A repeat run of the four thrillers began

on ITV3 last night - they featured Emma

Handy, and a total of twenty Doctor Who

cast and crew connections:

Redemption (TX: February 21 2005)

• Michael Begley (Stocks) was Mulligan in The Curse of the Black Spot, and Allan in Fugitive of the Judoon
• Ben Smith (Mugger) was Luke in School Reunion
• Dickon Tolson (Henry) voiced Sharz Sevix for Big Finish's The Game (2005), and Annos for Gallifrey 3 (2006)
• Rod [Paul] Woodruff was also stunt arranger on Rose and World War Three 
• for Norris, Handy and Terry McDonough see Series 2
• Joanne Thompson (assistant) was costume designer on K9

Bad Seed (TX: February 28)

• Alex Sanjiv Pillai was director of Joy to the World too
• Jamie Parker (Gant) voiced Wulfric/Edgar for Leviathan, Major Richter for The Architects of History (both 2010), Douglas for Aimed at the Body, Plummer for Lightspeed, Frank Reichenbach for The Bookshop at the End of the World, Virgilio Pancaldi for Interlude, Brian for Echo Chamber, Jasper Fernbridge for Towards Zero, Torrence for Castle Hydra, Sandar for Effect and Cause, Sir Percy Blakeney/Terrance for Plight of the Pimpernel (all 2020), Captain Hallorin for Ravagers (2021), Anthony/Ed for Quantum of Axos, and Tsar Alexander II/Trinity for Lay Down Your Arms (both 2022)
• Ian [Jacob] Thompson (Oldman) was Hetra in The Web Planet, and Malsan in (episode 2 of) The Chase
• Sue Wallace (Sheila) voiced Mrs. Baddeley for The Chimes of Midnight, Edith for Season of Fear (both 2002), and Mertil for The Whispering Forest (2010)

Nothing But the Night (TX; March 7)

• Sara [Scott] Stewart [born Griffith] (Patricia) provided Platform One's computer voice for The End of the World
• Natalie [Sithokozile] Gumede (Receptionist) was Ashley Carter in Last Christmas, then voiced Aeronwen for The Famished Lands (2019), Isobel/Neighbour for Twenty-Four Doors in December (2023), Ruath for Goth Opera (2024), and Matilda Chase Moyo for Pathways (2026)
• Nigel [Edward] Hastings (Reece) was the Commander in The Pyramid at the End of the World, and voiced Quain for Creatures of Beauty (2003), and Kreo/Boden for Return to Skaro (2020)
• William [John] Willoughby [born Haynes] (Man) was stuntman on Rose, Smith and Jones, Daleks in Manhattan, Evolution of the Daleks, The Pandorica Opens, A Good Man Goes to War, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, A Town Called Mercy and Torchwood

Synchronicity (TX: March 17)

• Steffan Rhodri (Denton) voiced the Prime Minister for UNIT, Comm- ander Korshal for Dreamtime (both 2005), and Ted for The Silent Streets of Barry Island
• Donald [Macleod] Douglas (Bishop) was Vural in The Sontaran Experiment
• VFX artist Gareth Spensley was colourist on fifty-nine stories (from The God Complex to Eve of the Daleks)
• for Crispin Layfield see Series 1

Doctor Who Vs. Wire in the Blood, Series 2

Based on characters created by Scottish author

Val McDermid, this dark crime drama (named

after her 1997 novel) returned to ITV in early

2004. The programme (filmed at locations in

and around Newcastle but set in the fictional

Yorkshire town of Bradfield) again centred

around the work of clinical psychologist and

police profiler Dr. Tony Hill, portrayed by

Robson Green. Emma Handy was introduced

here as new DC Paula McIntyre.

A repeat run of the four-part series began on

ITV3 last night - it featured Hermione Norris,

Tom Chadbon, Alan Stocks, and a total of fifteen Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

Still She Cries (TX: February 12)

• Handy was Jane Bishop in The Lie of the Land
• Daniel Weyman (Fraser) voiced Ragan Crezzen for Big Finish's The Butcher of Brisbane (2012)
• Rick [George] Warden (Weller) voiced Styggron/Sonk for The Difference Office (2022)

The Darkness of Light (TX: February 19)

• Michael Gould (Masham) voiced Frederick Lindemann for The Oncoming Storm (2016)
• Julia Dalkin (Librarian) voiced Hannah Fry for Phantasmagoria (1999), and was Janet in Global Conspiracy?
• Shelly Benison was a stunt performer on The Age of Steel too

Right to Silence (TX: February 26)

• Ryan [Oliver] Sampson (Markham) was Luke Rattigan in The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky, then voiced Brothers Timothy/Patrick for The Book of Kells (2010), Father Thane for The Elite (2011), and Lenny Kruger for 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men (2013)
• Seon Rogers and Stewart James were stunt performers on Father's Day and Victory of the Daleks too

Sharp Compassion (TX: March 4)

• Angus Wright (Willerton) was Dread in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Vault of Secrets, then voiced Magnus Greel for The Butcher of Brisbane and The Talents of Greel (2019), and Alek Zenos for We Are the Daleks (2015)
• Mary Healey (Rita) was a Killjoy in The Happiness Patrol
• Tony Bluto (Colin) was Driver Joe in Midnight
• Pip [Dean] Torrens (Harrison) was Headmaster Rocastle in Human Nature and The Family of Blood, then voiced Charlie Gibbs for Eldrad Must Die! (2013), and Kenton for Break the Ice (2022)
• Terry McDonough was the director of An Adventure in Space and Time too
• stunt performer Abbi Collins was stunt co-ordinator on eleven episodes (from Rise of the Cybermen to The Waters of Mars), and The Sarah Jane Adventures

Doctor Who Vs. Howl

Shown on Legend last night, this British

horror film (set aboard a stranded commuter

train) was directed by Paul Hyett, best known

for his collaborations with Neil Marshall, maker

of the werewolf feature, Dog Soldiers.

The interior train scenes were shot in Croydon

and Waterloo station, whilst location filming

was undertaken at Black Park close to Pine-

wood studios.

Howl had no theatrical release, but premiered

at the German Fantasy Filmfest held in 2015

before a home video release at Halloween. The

indie production was well received - it featured

Ed Speelers, Holly Weston (both pictured), and fifteen Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Sean Pertwee (Driver) made a cameo appearance in The Five(ish) Doctors
• Elliot Cowan (Adrian) voiced Gark for Big Finish's The Fifth Traveller (2006)
• Sarah Whitehouse (Karen) voiced Maggie Hart for Planet Krynoid 1 (2025)
• Amit Shah (Matthew) was Rahul in The Woman Who Fell to Earth
• Sam Gittins (Billy) voiced Helico for Transference (2023)
• Duncan Preston (Ged) voiced the titular alien in the Doctor Who and Crayola sketch for Victoria Wood as Seen on TV
• Calvin Dean (Paul) was Ha-Ha in Nightmare in Silver
• Brett Goldstein (David) was Astos in The Tsuranga Conundrum
• Rosie Day (Nina) voiced Betty for The Hellwood Inheritance (2025)
• Ross Mullan (Werewolf) was a Silent in The Time of the Doctor, the Teller in Time Heist, and the Wraith in Hell Bent
• Robert Strange [aka Nairne] (Hunchback) was Sergeant Zogroth in The Star Beast, the Bogeyman in Space Babies, and was cast in The Robot Revolution
• Guy Murray Brown was also first assistant director on Can You Hear Me?, The Haunting of Villa Diodati and Revolution of the Daleks
• SFX technician Tony Auger began his career as an assistant on K9 & Company, then was the VFX designer on Black Orchid 
• art finisher Olivia Whitaker was Millennium FX mould maker on sixteen episodes (from Sleep No More to The Woman Who Fell to Earth) and Class
• fabricator Simone Macdonald was technician on The Rings of Akhaten and Nightmare in Silver

Doctor Who Vs. Wire in the Blood, Series 1

Made by Coastal Productions,

this dark crime drama was based

on characters created by Scottish

author Val McDermid (who made

 a cameo appearance in the first

serial), and was originally shown

 in the autumn of 2002.

Named after the 1997 novel by

McDermid, this first season

opened with an adaptation of

The Mermaids Singing (published in 1995).

The show (filmed at locations in the North East of England and set in

the fictional Yorkshire town of Bradfield) centred around the work of

clinical psychologist and profiler Dr. Tony Hill, portrayed by Robson

Green. A repeat run of the six-part series began on ITV3 last night

- it featured Hermione Norris (as DCI Carol Jordan), Mark Bonnar,

a total of twelve Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

The Mermaids Singing (TX: November 14 & 21)

• Norris played Captian Lundvik in Kill the Moon
• Nicky Goldie (Mrs. O'Connell) voiced the Spillager Empress for Winter for the Adept, Valeria Hedone for The Fires of Vulcan (both 2000), Inquisitor Danby for Excelis Rising (2002), and Polk for The Moonrakers (2020)
• Tom Chadbon (Brandon) was Duggan in City of Death, and Merdeen in The Mysterious Planet, then voiced Forrest for BBV Productions' Conduct Unbecoming (2000), Will Sullivan for Big Finish's Sarah Jane Smith 2 (2006), Gordon Davidson for No More Lies (2007), and Embery for The Paradox Planet and Legacy of Death (2016)
• stuntman Crispin Layfield was stunt co-ordinator on sixty-nine instalments of the revived run (from Father's Day to Eve of the Daleks)

Shadows Rising (TX: November 28 & December 5)

• director Nicholas Laughland was an AFM on Earthshock
• Lucy Robinson (Jilly) was Fran Clovis in New Earth, and voiced Bovari for Havoc, Madeline Vaughan for The Vigil (both 2019), and Christie for Like (2021)
• stunt performers Dani Biernat, Tina Maskell and Paul Kennington all worked on the revived series too

Justice Painted Blind (TX: December 12 & 19)

• Daniel Ryan [born O'Brien] (Gregory) was Biff Cane in Midnight
• Albert Welling (Lawson) was the titular Fuhrer in Let's Kill Hitler
• Susan [Elizabeth] Brown (Jean) was Bridget Spears in Torchwood: Children of Earth, and voiced Midwife for 100, Mary for Bedtime Story (both 2007), Alice Withers for The Eternal Summer, Maud for Castle of Fear, Mrs. Withers/Mrs. Sowerby for Plague of the Daleks (all 2009), Margaret for Deimos and The Resurrection of Mars, Eleanor Harvey for Return of the Krotons, Chief Engineer/Chanel for The Song of the Megaptera, Babs for Prison in Space (all 2010), and Kastrella for Death Match (2015)
• George Gerwitz was also the first assistant director on Rose, Aliens of London and World War Three