Doctor Who Vs. Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope

The Star Wars franchise began in

1977 with three linked adventures

(set in medias res, a narrative

beginning in the middle), that

were ultimately expanded into

three trilogies.

The original self-titled film (later

subtitled A New Hope and known canonically as Episode IV) was

followed by sequels The Empire

Strikes Back (in 1980) and Return

of the Jedi (1983). A prequel

trilogy (Episodes I-III) was then

released from 1999. After the saga's creator, George Lucas, sold Lucasfilm

to Disney in 2012, a sequel trilogy began with Episode VII in 2015.

Here, the large ensemble cast was led by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and

Carrie Fisher (as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia). Peter

Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker played Chewbacca, C3PO

and R2D2, whilst Alec Guinness was Ben Kenobi.

Shown on ITV2 tonight, the relatively low budget production featured

Peter Cushing (Tarkin), James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader), and

these twenty-nine Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• David [Charles] Prowse (Vader here, Episodes V, VI) was the Minotaur in The Time Monster
• Don [Francis] Henderson (Taggi) was Gavrok in Delta and the Bannermen
• Garrick Hagon (Biggs)
• Leslie Schofield (Commander) was Leroy in (episode 4 of) The War Games, and Calib in The Face of Evil
• Graham [Thomas] Ashley [born Brown] (Gold 5) was the Overseer in The Underwater Menace
• Tim Condren (Stormtrooper) was Saxon Warrior in The Time Meddler (4), Soldier in The Web of Fear (4), and Guerilla in Day of the Daleks (1)
• Barbie Denham (Hrchek Kal Fas) was Waitress in Arc of Infinity (1) and Patient in Frontios (1)
• Salo Gardner (Patron) was a Lazar in Terminus
• Harry Fielder (Stormtrooper) was a Guard (in PP, ZZZ, 4L, 4P, 5A, 5F, 5Z), Crewman (SS, 4T), Vogan (4D), Assassin (4Q), Tigellan (5Q), and Krarg in Shada
• Christine Hewett (Brea Tonnika) and Marcus [Arthur] Powell (Rycar) both appeared in Destiny of the Daleks, as Movellan and Prisoner
• Alan Harris (Escort) was a Sevateem in The Face of Evil, and a titular alien in Terror of the Vervoids
• Rusty Goffe (Various) was Little John in Robot of Sherwood
• Arthur Howell (Stormtrooper) was Confederate Horseman in The War Games (3)
• George Roubicek (Commander) was Captain Hopper in The Tomb of the Cybermen
• Shane Rimmer (Engineer) was Seth Harper in The Gunfighters
• Malcolm Tierney (Lieutenant) was Dolland in Terror of the Vervoids
• [Donald] Burnell Tucker (Del Goren here; Officer in Episode V) was Garner Two in The Angels Take Manhattan
• Bill Weston (Stormtrooper) was Militiaman in The Smugglers (4)
• Peter Diamond (Stunts here, Episodes V, VI) was regular stunt double/fight arranger on the classic run (from The Daleks to The Daemons)
• stuntman Rick Lester was Ogron in Day of the Daleks, Carnival of Monsters (2) and Frontier in Space
• Richard [Adrian] Hammatt was stuntman on The Runaway Bride too
• stuntman Jim Dowdall had uncredited roles in Day of the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks and Frontios
• Tex Fuller [born Albert Charles Baseley] (Chauffeur) was an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks (3)
• Alf Mangan (Takeel) and Fred Wood (Patron) were both Extras in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 AD
• Norton Clarke (Extra here; Guard in Episode VI) was Greek Soldier in The Myth Makers, Secretary in The Massacre (3), and Technician in The Silurians (1)