Doctor Who Vs. Day of the Jackal

Shown on Great! (formerly Sony) Movies

last night, this Anglo-French political thriller

was adapted from the novel by Frederick

Forsyth, published in 1971.

In the early 1960s, the survivors of the

 aborted French Foreign Legion made

repeated attempts to assassinate Charles

 de Gaulle. As a result, the French President

was the most guarded man in the world.

Professional English assassin, codenamed

the Jackal (played here by Edward Fox) was

then hired by terrorist group, the OAS to kill

de Gaulle.

Released by Universal Pictures in 1973, the

film featured Derek Jacobi, and ten other

Doctor Who cast connections:

• [William] Maurice Denham (Colbert) was Azmael in The Twin Dilemma, then voiced the President for The Paradise of Death
• Nicholas Young (Officer) voiced Bill Gower for Big Finish's Colditz (2001)
• Timothy [Lancaster] West (Berthier) voiced Kai Tobias for Phobos (2007), Ronald Turvey for Cuddlesome (2008), and Dr. Magnus Soames for House of Blue Fire (2011)
• Ronald [Alfred] Pickup (Forger) made his TV debut as the Physician in (episode 4 of) The Reign of Terror, then voiced Kestorian for Time Works (2006), Elder Bones for Spaceport Fear (2013), the Old One for Jago & Litefoot 12 (2016), and Jacob Harmer for The Wizard of Time (2023)
• Terence [Joseph] Alexander (Lloyd) was Lord Ravensworth in The Mark of the Rani
• Denis Carey (Casson) was Professor Chronotis in Shada, the Keeper in The Keeper of Traken, and Old Man in Timelash
• Vernon [Alexandre] Dobtcheff (Interrogator) was an Alien Scientist in The War Games, and voiced Dadda Desaka for The Cradle of the Snake (2010), Shamur for The Children of Seth, Sibelius Crow for The Necropolis Express (both 2011), Jorenzo Zorn for The Genesis Chamber (2016), and Professor Heinrich Schumann for Threshold (2017)
• Barrie [Stanton] Ingham (St. Clair) was Alydon in Dr. Who and the Daleks, then Prince Paris in The Myth Makers
• Bernard [Joseph] Archard (Hughes) was Bragen in The Power of the Daleks, and Marcus Scarman in Pyramids of Mars
• [Cathal] Max Parnell Macaulay Lloyd Faulkner (Detective) was a UNIT Soldier in The Ambassadors of Death, Exxilon in Death to the Daleks (1), Miner in The Monster of Peladon (6), Guard Captain in Planet of the Spiders (4), Thal Guard in Genesis of the Daleks (3), Crewman in Planet of Evil (1), Corporal Adams in The Android Invasion, and Nesbin The Invasion of Time
• David Harcourt was also a camera operator on both Dalek films