Showing posts with label frazer hines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frazer hines. Show all posts

Sunday, 8 February 2026

Doctor Who Vs. James Bond, Part 6: You Only Live Twice

Released in 1967, the fifth instalment in the
Bond film franchise was based on Fleming's
 eleventh full length novel (published in 1964)
and was adapted by the prolific Welsh
children's author Roald Dahl (1916-1990).
The series was especially popular in Japan, so
Eon's next production was set and filmed in
that country.
ITV4's latest Bond season continued tonight with
Sean Connery's final regular assignment in the
role - it featured Donald Pleasence, Anthony
 Ainley, (an uncredited) Frazer Hinesand
nineteen Doctor Who cast connections:
  • Ronald Rich (Hans) was Gunnar in The Time Meddler, and Trantis in Mission to the Unknown
  • George [Morris] Baker (Engineer here; Bray in On Her Majesty's Secret Service; Benson in The Spy Who Loved Me) was Decider Login in Full Circle
  • [George Victor] Ed Bishop (Operator here; Hergersheimer in Diamonds are Forever) voiced General Finch for Big Finish's Full Fathom Five (2003)
  • Shane Rimmer (Tom here; Voice of Hamilton in Live and Let Die; Carter in The Spy Who Loved Me) was Seth Harper in The Gunfighters
  • Norman Jones (Astronaut) was Khrisong in The Abominable Snowmen, Major Baker in The Silurians, and Hieronymous in The Masque of Mandragora
  • Paul Carson (Astronaut) began his career as Ling-Tau in Marco Polo
  • Bill Mitchell [McAllister] (Astronaut) was a Newcaster in Frontier in Space, then voiced Zor for The Pescatons
  • George Roubicek (Astronaut here; Captain in The Spy Who Loved Me) and Hans De Vries (Technician) both appeared in The Tomb of the Cybermen, as Captain Hopper and Cyberman
  • for Burt Kwouk and Dennis Chin see Goldfinger
  • Stephen Hubay, Burnell Tucker and Kristopher Kum (Technicians) appeared in The War GamesThe Angels Take Manhattan and The Mind of Evil respectivly
  • for Moris Farhi see From Russia With Love
  • for Robert Rietty see Dr. No
  • Chris Webb (stuntman here, OHMSS, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a KillTomorrow Never Dies; Thug in The Spy Who Loved Me; Soldier in The Living Daylightswas a Monoid in The Ark
  • Martin [Ryan] Grace (stunts here, The Man with the Golden GunThe Spy Who Loved MeMoonrakerFor Your Eyes OnlyOctopussyA View to a Kill) was a Thal in Dr. Who and the Daleks
  • Bill Weston (stunts here, OHMSSThe Spy Who Loved MeFor Your Eyes OnlyOctopussy, Never Say Never Again, A View to a KillThe World is Not Enough; Butler in The Living Daylights) was a Militiaman in (episode 4 of) The Smugglers
  • Marc Boyle (stunts here, The Spy Who Loved MeOctopussyNever Say Never AgainLicence to KillMI6 Agent in The Living Daylights) was Prisoner/UNIT Motorcyclist in The Mind of Evil, Kronos in The Time Monster, Exxilon in Death to the Daleks (1), and fight arranger on The Time Warrior

Wednesday, 4 February 2026

Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World Review

 

SYNOPSIS
Arriving in Australia in the near future, the time travellers meet
Giles Kent, and discover that the Doctor is the physical double of
the globally famous Mexican politician, Ramon Salamander. Most
of the world regards the figure as a philanthropic hero - he has
devised a means of supplying and storing solar energy, thereby
ending famine, and preventing natural disasters is his next aim.
Kent however, believes that Salamander is a would-be dictator,
and the Doctor uncovers the truth by impersonating his doppel-
ganger. Gaining access to Salamander's base, the Doctor finds a
bunker where scientists have been undergoing an endurance test
for the past five years (a concept reworked for Invasion of the 
Dinosaurs).
Salamander had convinced his team that a war had broken out
on the surface, and had them engineer the apparent natural
disasters against their unseen enemy. Kent is exposed as a
 traitor, and destroys the station. Salamander then tries to
escape in the TARDIS by pretending to be the Doctor, but is
ejected into the vortex.

ANALYSIS
The greatest asset of a unique programme like Doctor Who is 
its equally unique format. The past fifty-three years has seen a
plethora of stories and genres across every conceivable medium
Doctor Who is the 'everyman' of television. 
But in 1967 an unusual drama like The Enemy of the World was
proof that the programme could present a brave and competent 
espionage adventure at a time when the James Bond film series
 was well established and in vogue, albeit on a meagre television 
budget.
David Whitaker presents an atypical Troughton-era narrative
here, resulting in a welcome break from the popular monsters
and base-under-siege formula of season five.
The show was no stranger to serious tales of political corruption,
conspiracy and courtly intrigue - The Crusade and The Massacre
both combined politicking with religious dogma. The Power of
the Daleks essentially concerned a military coup manipulated
by aliens, and The Macra Terror featured a dictator controlled
by giant crabs. 
The Enemy of the World however, was probably the show's first
conscious attempt at the contemporaneous 'urban thriller' that
 typified Pertwee's tenure, and one that a modern audience is 
now familiar with. Salamander wasn't a puppet or a figure-head.
He was the archetypal Machiavellian politician, long before
Francis Urquart, besides being the spitting-image of the Doctor!
The spy canon might appeal to adults, but younger viewers still
hankered for the Cybermen, Yeti and Ice Warriors that menaced
our heroes elsewhere during this season. Espionage and natural 
disasters didn't send children behind the sofa.
The real legacy of this neglected little gem however, is that it 
showcased the need for gritty, dark, and more grown-up fare.
The introduction of UNIT just a year later and the eventual
Earth-bound format of the early 1970's meant a more adult
approach for a series that was itself maturing. The typical sci-
fi elements that were missing from The Enemy of the World
were present in like-minded stories like The Invasion and The 
Ambassadors of Death, with the show now tackling issues such
 as the dangers of big-business, technology, and xenophobia.
Consequently, the story is also considered the weakest link of 
the season, with a markedly different style, and it's obvious
lack of monsters, but the highlight is the notable dual
performance from Patrick Troughton.
Then in October 2013, almost forty-six years after their original
transmission, the BBC announced that The Enemy of the World
and The Web of Fear had both been recovered from Nigeria,
and were subsequently released on iTunes.

BACKGROUND
  • this six-part adventure was broadcast over December 1967 and January 1968, and achieved average ratings of 7.4M
  • this political thriller is the closest the show ever got to the Bond films and The Avengers - the action spans continents, features glamorous girls, and sees a villain, complete with underground base, intent on ruling the world (footage of an exploding helicopter is courtesy of From Russia With Love)
  • the Radio Times sets the adventure in the year 2017
  • before the story's discovery, only the third instalment escaped the mass junkings of Doctor Who episodes between 1972 and 1978, and the episode was issued on VHS in 1991 (see The Troughton Years) and later on DVD (Lost in Time) in 2004)
  • Fraser Hines (alias Jamie McCrimmon) provides the linking narration on the CD version (2002, 2012)
  • the story ranked 139th in the DWM Mighty 200 Poll of 2009, then following its release on DVD in late 2013, its standing rose to 56th place

Monday, 1 December 2025

Doctor Who Vs. Coronation Street @ 65, Part 3: 1965/66

Hines appeared in three
episodes as Roger Wain
in March 1965. From
1972, he spent 22
years on ITV's rival
soap Emmerdale Farm
1965 saw the first Corrie spin-off, when Arthur
Lowe's character, Leonard Swindley, appeared in
 Pardon My Expression, also from Granada TV
(Dennis Spooner even scripted an episode).
After two seasons Lowe moved onto another sit-
com called Dad's Army.
The Street became a huge success in Australia
by the mid sixties, then started on Canadian and
Dutch TV in 1966.
More attempts were made to counter further
criticism that the programme's portrayal of urban
life was a "nostalgic fantasy" but controversial
issues were not addressed for fear of alienating
viewers.
These two years on the Street featured Fraser
Hines, Trevor Martinand a total of sixteen
other Doctor Who cast connections:
  • Glyn [born Griffith] Owen (Lindley) was Rohm-Dutt in The Power of Kroll
  • [Albert] Edward [Walker] Evans (Petty) was Ted Moss in Image of the Fendahl
  • Rhys McConnochie (DI Lucas here; Toni, 1977) was Rod in (episode 1 of) The Enemy of the World
  • [Michael] Griffith Davies (Tony) and Windsor Davies (Officer) both starred in The Evil of the Daleks, as Kennedy and Toby respectively
  • Andrew [Fraser] Downie (Charlesworth) was Willie Mackay in The Highlanders
  • Dennis [Arthur Robert] Chinnery (Nigel here; Bassett, 1977) was Albert C. Richardson in The Chase (3), Gharman in Genesis of the Daleks, and Professor Sylvest in The Twin Dilemma (1)
  • Donald [Marland] Hewlett (Maxwell) was Hardiman in The Claws of Axos
  • David Valla [born Halliwell] (Syms) was Lieutenant Crane in The War Games (3)
  • Margaret John (Mrs. Nathan) was Megan Jones in Fury from the Deep, and Grandma Connolly in The Idiot's Lantern
  • John Woodvine (Driver here; Hoyle, 2010) was the Marshal in The Armageddon Factor
  • Tom [Welsh] Watson (Turner) was Ramo in The Underwater Menace
  • Derek Pollitt (Ambulance man) was Driver [Gwynfor Ivor] Evans in The Web of Fear, Private Wright in The Silurians (6), and Professor Caldera in Shada (4)
  • [Mary Irene] Colette O'Neil [born McCrossan] (Ruth) was Tanha in Snakedance
  • Derek Smith (Bishop) was the Doorman in Human Nature
  • Kevin [Alan] Lindsay (Dr. Connor) was Commander Linx in The Time Warrior, Cho Je in Planet of the Spiders, then Field Major Styre and the Marshal in The Sontaran Experiment

Monday, 22 September 2025

Doctor Who On This Day #265

 

1944 - Actor Frazer Hines born in
Horsforth, Yorkshire
1967 The Power of the Daleks, Episode
3 and The Highlanders, Episode 4 both
repeated and The Underwater Menace,
Episode 1 first screened, all on ABC 
1968 - The Ice Warriors, Episodes 1
and 2 both repeated and Episode 3
first screened, all on ABC
1975 Day of the Daleks, Episode
4 first screened  on TV2
1978 The Android Invasion, Part 3,
 The Hand of Fear, Part 4 and The
Face of Evil, Part 1 all repeated on ABC
1979 The Deadly Assassin, Part 2 first
screened on TV2; and Destiny of the
Daleks, Part 4 first screened on BBC1
1980 Pyramids of Mars, Parts 1 and
3 and The Android Invasion, Part 1 all
repeated on ABC; and The Armageddon
Factor, Part 4 first screened on TV2
1981 The Power of Kroll, Part 3 repeated
on KQED Plus
1982 - Actress Billie Piper born Lianne Paul
Piper, in Swindon; The Robots of Death, Parts
2 and 3 both repeated on ABC; and The Brain
of Morbius, Part 2 repeated on KQED Plus
1983 Genesis of the Daleks, Parts 4 and
5 both repeated on ABC; and The Power of
Kroll, Part 1 repeated on KQED Plus
1984 State of Decay, Part 1 repeated
on KQED Plus
1985 The Horns of Nimon Omnibus
repeated on KQED Plus
1986 - The Monster of Peladon, Part
3 repeated on ABC
1987 - The Monster of Peladon, Part
 2 repeated on KQED Plus; and The
Invisible Enemy, Part 1 repeated on
TV2
1988 Kinda, Part 1 repeated on TV2;
and Vengeance on Varos, Part 2 (of 4)
repeated on KQED Plus
1989 The Two Doctors, Part 2 (of 6) first screened on TV2
1990 - 100,000 BCThe DaleksThe Edge of DestructionThe 
Keys of MarinusThe AztecsThe Space Museum Omnibuses, The
Abominable Snowmen, Episode 2 and The Web of Fear, Episode 
1 repeated and 31 Who and Who's Who both first screened, all 
on BSB; and Colony in Space, Episode 1 repeated on KQED Plus
1992 Planet of Evil, Part 1 repeated on KQED Plus
1993 Planet of Evil, Part 1 repeated on UK Gold;
and The Hand of Fear, Part 4 repeated on ABC
1994 The Caves of Androzani, Part
1 repeated on UK Gold
1995 Genesis of the Daleks, Part 6
repeated on UK Gold
1996 Planet of Fire Omnibus repeated on UK Gold
1997 The Seeds of Doom Omnibus repeated on KQED
Plus; The Invisible Enemy, Part 4 repeated on UK Gold;
and Underworld, Part 1 repeated on UKTV (Aus)
1998 Spearhead from Space, Episode
2 repeated on Space
1999 The Mind Robber, Episode 5 repeated on
Space; and Survival, Part 3 repeated on UKTV (Aus)
2000 - Spearhead from Space, Episode 1 repeated on Prime; 
The Time Monster, Episode 2 repeated on UKTV (Aus); and
The Sontaran Experiment Omnibus repeated on BBC America
2001 - The Mind of Evil, Episodes 2 and 3 both repeated
on KERA; Nightmare of Eden, Part 2 first screened on
Prairie PTV; State of Decay Omnibus repeated on UKTV
(Aus); Four to Doomsday, Parts 3 and 4 and Kinda,
Parts 1 and 2 all repeated on Colorado PTV; The
Visitation Omnibus repeated on UK Gold; Time Flight
Parts 1 and 2 both repeated on Iowa PTV; Resurrection 
of the Daleks, Parts 1 and 2 both repeated on BBC
Prime; and Remembrance of the Daleks, Parts
3 and 4 both repeated on MiND
2002 Terror of the Zygons, Part 3 repeated on WCNY; The Brain of 
Morbius, Part 2 repeated on Lakeland PTV; Image of the Fendahl, Parts 
and 3 both repeated on MiND; The Invasion of Time, Part 4 repeated 
on WILL; The Stones of Blood Omnibus repeated on MPT; City of Death
Part 2 repeated on KUED; The Leisure Hive Omnibus repeated on BBC 
Kids (Can); Logopolis, Part 3 repeated on Twin Cities PTV; Four 
to Doomsday Omnibus repeated on UK Gold; Back Orchid Omnibus 
repeated on WQED; Terminus, Parts 1 and 2 both repeated on WCET; 
The Five Doctors, Parts 3 and 4 (of 4) both repeated on NHPTV; 
FrontiosParts 3 and 4 both repeated on Lakeshore PTV; Planet of Fire
Parts 3 and 4 both repeated on KBTC; and Delta and the Bannermen
Parts 1 and 2 both repeated on Iowa PTV
2003 The Daleks, Episode 1: The Dead Planet repeated
on ABC; Terror of the Zygons Omnibus repeated on BBC
Kids (Can); and The Robots of Death, Parts 3 and 4 both
repeated on UK Gold
2004 The Monster of Peladon, Part
1 repeated on ABC
2005 Time Flight, Part 4 repeated on
ABC; and Bad Wolf first screened on Prime
2006 The Long Game repeated on UK Gold; and
The Girl in the Fireplace and Rise of the Cybermen
both repeated on BBC3
2007 Dalek repeated and Doctor Who Confidential:
The Daleks first screened, both on LPB; The Parting
of the Ways, New Earth, School Reunion, The Girl
 in the Fireplace, Rise of the Cybermen and The Age 
of Steel all repeated on UK Gold; The Christmas
Invasion repeated on Nederland 2; The Runaway
Bride first screened on Î£ÎšÎ‘ΙLast of the Time
Lords first screened on ABC1; and Invaders from
Mars, Episodes 1 and 2 both repeated on Radio 7
2008 The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Parts 4 and
 5 both first screeneon MTV3 SciFi and TV4;
Rose repated on Panhandle PBS; The Unquiet 
Dead repeated on Syfy (Spa); Aliens of London
repeated on KLCS; Boom Town repeated on
Oregon PB; School Reunion first screened on
Syfy (Rus); and Fear Her and Doctor Who
Confidential: The Fright Stuff both first screened
on KVCR
2009 The Runaway Bride repeated on UKTV (Aus);
The Satan Pit repeated on Syfy (FRG); and 42 and
Doctor Who Confidential: Space Craft both repeated
on BBC3
2010 Boom Town repeated on Space; and Midnight
and Doctor Who Confidential Cutdown: Look Who's
Talking both repeated on UKTV (Aus)
2011 The Deadly Assassin, Parts 1 and 2 both
 repeated on Syfy (Aus); World War Three repeated
on Space; New Earth repeated on Watch; Utopia
 repeated on UKTV (Aus); Forest of the Dead
repeated on BBC America; and Night Terrors first
 screened on Prime
2012 The Impossible Astronaut first screened on
DR3; A Town Called Mercy first screened on ABC1;
and The Power of Three first screened on BBC1 and 
ABC1 iView
2013 Planet of the Daleks, Episodes 5
and 6 both repeated on KBTC; The Hand
of Fear, Parts 1 and 2 both repeated on Syfy (Aus); The Empty 
Child and The Doctor Dances both repeated on UKTV; The Idiot's Lantern
The Impossible PlanetThe Satan PitLove & MonstersFear HerArmy
of GhostsDoomsdayThe Runaway BrideSmith and Jones and The 
Shakespeare Code all repeated on Space; Utopia and The Sound of 
Drums both repeated on France 4; The Almost PeopleA Good Man 
Goes to WarLet's Kill HitlerNight Terrors and The Girl Who Waited 
all repeated on BBC Entertainment LA; The God Complex 
repeated on BBC Entertainment LA and WTTW Prime; Closing Time
 repeated on Jeem TV (UK); The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe 
repeated on MPTV; Asylum of the Daleks repeated on Iowa Public TV; 
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship repeated on BBC America; and Doctor Who 
Confidential: Heartbreak Hotel repeated on WTTW Prime
2014 The Deadly Assassin, Parts 1 and 2 both repeated on Horror; 
The Androids of Tara, Parts 1 and 2, The Time of Angels and Flesh and 
Stone all repeated on Syfy (Aus); Rose repeated on UKTV (NZ); Last 
of the Time Lords and Voyage of the Damned both repeated on BBC
America; Partners in Crime repeated on Really Scary TV; Midnight 
repeated on YLE TV2; The Rebel Flesh repeated on Karusel; The 
Almost People repeated on Watch; Night Terrors and The Girl Who 
Waited both repeated on DR3; The Doctor, the Widow and the 
Wardrobe repeated on RAI4; A Town Called Mercy repeated on BBC 
Polska; The Bells of Saint John repeated on WSIU; The Rings of
 Akhaten repeated on BBC Entertainment AP; and Doctor Who
Extra: Time Heist repeated on BBC Red Button
2015 Inferno, Episodes 5 and 6 both repeated on Retro TV;
Robot, Part 2, Hidand Robot of Sherwood all repeated on
Syfy (Aus); Pyramids of Mars Omnibus first screened on BBC 
America; The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Parts 2 and
3 both repeated on Horror; The End of the World repeated
 on TV Cultura; Tooth and Claw repeated on Disney (XD);
The Lazarus Experiment repeated on KCPT2; Vincent
 and the Doctor repeated on Syfy (LA); The Big Bang repeated 
on Watch; The Impossible Astronaut repeated on BBC Nordic
HD, BBC Polska HD and BBC Entertainment AP; Day of the Moon 
repeated on BBC Nordic HD and BBC Polska HD; The Rebel Flesh and 
The Almost People both repeated on BBC America; Cold War first 
screened on FX (Ind); Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS repeated 
on Syfy (Port); Deep Breath repeated on WGVU; The Caretaker repeated
on RAI4; and The Magician's Apprentice first screened on BBC First (Ben)
2016 The Mutants, Episodes 4 and 5 both repeated on Retro TV; School 
Reunion and The Girl in the Fireplace both repeated on RAI4; The Idiot's 
Lantern and The Hungry Earth both repeated on Syfy (Aus); The Fires 
of Pompeii repeated on The Zone; Day of the Moon and The Curse
of the Black Spot both repeated on BBC America; Nightmare in
Silver repeated on Syfy (LA); Listen repeated on BBC First (ME); 
Flatline repeated on Syfy (Bra); The Zygon Invasion repeated
on BBC Polska HD; Doctor Who Explained repeated on BBC
Entertainment AP; and The Doctors Revisited: The Second
Doctor all repeated on Watch
2017 - The Monster of PeladonParts 5 and 6 both repeated 
on Retro TV; The Long Game and Father's Day both repeated on
Space; The Fires of Pompeii repeated on Syfy (Aus); Planet of
 the Ood repeated on BBC America and Syfy (Aus); The Sontaran 
Stratagem, The Poison Sky, The Doctor's Daughter, The Unicorn
 and the Wasp, Silence in the Library, The Doctor, the Widow and
 the WardrobeAsylum of the Daleks, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,
 A Town Called Mercy, The Power of Three, The Angels Take 
Manhattan and The Snowmen all repeated on BBC America; The 
Wedding of River Song repeated on BBC America and Syfy (Bra); 
and The Bells of Saint John repeated on W
2018 - The Invisible Enemy, Part 4, Image of the Fendahl, Part
 1, The Caves of AndrozaniPart 4 and The Twin DilemmaParts 
1 to 3 all repeated on Retro TV; A Town Called Mercy, The Power
of Three, The Angels Take ManhattanThe Snowmen and The Bells
of Saint John all repeated on BBC Polska HD; Nightmare in Silver
The Name of the Doctor, The Day of the DoctorDeep Breath and 
Into the Dalek all repeated on Sony SciFi; and Heroes of Sontar
Episode 2 repeated on Radio 4 Extra
2019 The Androids of Tara, Parts 1 and 2 both repeated on
KBTC; City of Death Omnibus repeated on WSRE; Full Circle 
Omnibus repeated on MPTV; Terminus, Parts 1 and 2 both
repeated on Retro TV; Warriors of the Deep Omnibus repeated
 on Idaho PTV; Terror of the Vervoids Omnibus repeated on Iowa
 PTV; Boom Town repeated on One ARD; The Curse of the Black
 SpotThe Doctor's WifeThe Rebel FleshThe Almost People
A Good Man Goes to War and Let's Kill Hitler all repeated on
W; Twice Upon a Time and The Woman Who Fell to Earth both 
repeated on BBC Polska HD; The Ghost Monument and Rosa
both repeated on RAI4; and Paradise 5, Episode 2 repeated
on Radio 4 Extra
2020 EnlightenmentParts 2 and 3
both repeated on Retro TV; Nightmare
in Silver repeated on BBC Polska HD;
Mummy on the Orient Express and
Flatline both repeated on One ARD;
Before the Flood repeated on NRJ12;
and The Eaters of Light and Praxeus
both repeated on BBC First Turkey
2021 - The Time Meddler, Episodes
3 and 4 both repeated on Retro TV;
The Family of Blood repeated on BBC
America; Forest of the Dead repeated
on ABC2; Night Terrors repeated on
ABC ME; Rosa repeated on BBC
Entertainment EU; Kerblam! repeated
on BBC Polska HD;  and SpyfallPart
repeated on BBC First Turkey
2022 Gridlock repeated on ABC2;
Kerblam! repeated on Fox SciFi;
and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150
AD and Dalekmania both screened
on Talking Pictures TV
2023 The Age of SteelThe Doctor
Falls and Twice Upon a Time all
repeated on Fox SciFi
2024 Image of the Fendahl, Parts 1
and 2 both repeated on KBTC; and The
Almost People repeated on ABC Family