Doctor Who Vs. Luther, Series 2

Idris Elba returned as the titular detective

for the second season of BBC Studios' dark, psychological crime drama, first shown in

the summer of 2011.

A repeat run of the four-part series began on

U&Drama last night - it earned a RTS Best

Drama award for show creator/writer Neil

Cross, and Elba won a Golden Globe award

for Best Actor.

Warren Brown, Michael Smiley, Ruth Wilson,

Dermot Crowley and Paul McGann reprised

their respective roles (as Ripley, Benny, Alice,

Schenk and Mark), and were joined by Aimee

Ffion-Edwards, and these eleven Doctor Who

cast and crew connections:

• for Brown and Smiley see Series 1
• Nikki Amuka Bird (DS Erin Gray) was the Glass Woman [Helen Clay] in Twice Upon a Time, then voiced Major Tamasan for Big Finish's The Time War 2 (2018)
• Lee [David] Ingleby (Pell) voiced Samson Griffin for Terror Firma (2005)
• John Albasiny (Kolchak) was Guy Dean in BBV Productions' Homeland, then voiced Lev Tolstoy/Preston for The Angel of Scutari (2009), Maxim Felnikov for Thin Ice (2011) and Crime of the Century, Chris Fleming for Phantoms of the Deep (both 2013), Jesper for Equilibrium (2015), and Makerenkov for Last of the Romanovs (2020)
• Pam Ferris (Baba) voiced Lizzie Corrigan for The Eternal Summer (2009), and Amanda Steele for Day of the Vashta Nerada (2017)
• Steven Robertson (Millberry) was Richard Pritchard in Under the Lake and Before the Flood
• Ellie Haddington (DCS Carroway) was Professor Alison Docherty in Last of the Time Lords
• Hamza Jeetooa (Depak) was Manish in Demons of the Punjab
• Nick Foley was the ADR mixer on The Snowmen too
• production sound mixer Brian Milliken was sound recordist on The Sontaran Stratagem, The Poison Sky and The Sarah Jane Adventures

Doctor Who Vs. Nativity!

Shown on BBC3 last

night, this British family

comedy starred Martin Freeman (as Mr.

Maddens), Pam Ferris

(Mrs. Bevan) and Marc Woottton  (Mr. Poppy)

- all part of the teaching

 staff at St. Bernadette's

Primary school in the Midlands. Produced by BBC Films and Mirror-

ball, this Christmas

feature premiered in Coventry, the city where the story was set and filmed.

The production was a box office hit and spawned three cinema sequels -

Danger in the Manger (in 2012), and Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014),

and Nativity Rocks! (2018), then Nativity! The Musical which opened in

Birmingham in late 2017. Released in late 2009, the film featured Ashley

Jensen, Alan Carr, Ricky Tomlinson, and these nine Doctor Who cast and

crew connections:

• Ferris voiced Lizzie Corrigan for Big Finish's The Eternal Summer (2009), and Amanda Steele for Day of the Vashta Nerada (2017)
• Jason Watkins (Shakespeare) was Webley in Nightmare in Silver, and voiced the White Guardian for The Destroyer of Delights and The Chaos Pool (both 2009), Chancellor Barok for The Truth of Peladon (2022), and Al Norton for Twenty-Four Doors in December (2023)
• Rosie [Cecilia] Cavaliero (Miss Rye) voiced Cassie Schofield for Project: Twilight (2001) and Project: Lazarus (2003), then Marge Ellmore for Infamy of the Zaross (2017)
• John [Gibbs Marshall] Sessions (Lore) voiced General Tannis for Death Comes to Time, Mozart for My Own Private Wolfgang (2007), and Roland for Castle of Fear (2009), then provided the voice of Gus for Mummy on the Orient Express
• Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Lore) was Andinio in The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos
• Clarke Peters [born Peter Clarke] (Boss) voiced Night Eagle for Dreamland
• Karl Theobald (Parent) voiced Mark Lanchaster for Wave of Destruction (2016), and Tate for Visiting Hours (2017)
• Ben Crompton (Parent) was Ross in Into the Dalek
• Amanda Foster was a stunt performer on The Doctor's Daughter too