Doctor Who Vs. Miss Marple: The Moving Finger

Agatha Christie's thirty-third crime novel (one of her

favourites) was serialised (heavily abridged) in 1942

for the American magazine, Collier's Weekly, then

issued in the British Woman's Pictorial later that year.

The third Marple mystery was faithfully adapted by

BBC1 as their second Miss Marple serial, and was first

shown in February 1985. Joan Hickson again portrayed

Jane Marple. An ITV Studios version followed in 2006.

The two-part period thriller was repeated on BBC4 last

night - it featured Andrew Bicknell, Michael Culver, and

fifteen Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Elizabeth Counsell (Angela) voiced Abigail Woburn for Big Finish's Jago in Love and The Hourglass Killers (both 2012)
• Sabina Franklyn (Joanna here; Rosamund for Evil Under the Sun, 1998) voiced Dr. Eleanor Harcourt for Bang-Bang-A-Boom! (2002), Wanda Rothman for Situation Vacant (2010), and President Beel/Aetius/Herculania for Judoon in Chains (2016)
• John [Edwin] Arnatt (Calthrop) was Chancellor Borusa in The Invasion of Time
• Martin Fisk (Griffith) was Vargos in The Leisure Hive
• Penelope [Jane] Lee (Partridge here; Operator for Personal Call, 1960) auditioned (then was offered and turned down) the role of Barbara Wright on June 25 1963, then provided the Computer Voice for Revelation of the Daleks
• Imogen Bickford-Smith (Elsie) was Tal (pictured) in Underworld 
• Victor [Jack] Maddern (PC Johnson here; Paravicini in The Mousetrap, 1976) was Chief [John] Robson in Fury from the Deep
• Patsy Smart (Mrs. Cleat) was the Ghoul in The Talons of Weng-Chiang
• production associate George Gallaccio was an uncredited production assistant (PA) on (part 6 of) Planet of the Daleks and Invasion of the Dinosaurs (6), then production unit manager on eight other stories (from Robot to The Seeds of Doom)
• Bernard Ashby was film editor on Arc of Infinity too
• Graham Walker was also film editor on Dalek, Father's Day, Boom Town, Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways
• Alexandra Bridcut was assistant floor manager (AFM) on Full Circle (4) too
• Juley Harding was also the PA on Black Orchid and The Caves of Androzani
• location manager Tony Redston was production manager on The Mark of the Rani and Time and the Rani
• Paul Allen was also production designer on The Seeds of Death, Spearhead from Space and Horror of Fang Rock

BBC Radio 4 transmitted an adaptation of The Moving Finger

in May 2001. June Whitfield again voiced Miss Marple, and was

joined by these Doctor Who cast links:

• Nicholas Boulton (Burton here; Nicholas for Hallowe'en Party; Dennis for The Murder at the Vicarage, both 1993; Allerton for Death on the Nile, 1997; Cavendish for The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 2005) was Businessman in Gridlock, then voiced Chule for Capture the Chronovore! (2022), Vice for Meanwhile, Elsewhere (2023), Captain Saint/Photographer/Soldier for The Children of the Future, Reverend Horlock/Angel for Last Words, Bryans/Pilot for Pater Noster, and Commander Stelkor for Kippers (all 2024)
• Clare Corbett (Joanna here; Ginevra for Appointment With Death, 2001; Narrator of Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World) voiced Ernestina Stott for AudioGo's The Dead Shoes, Nun for A Sting in the Tale (both 2009), Narrator of The Hounds of Artemis, Dead of Winter, The Way Through the Woods, Touched by an Angel (all 2011), Summer Falls (2013), The Drosten's Curse (2015), The Good Doctor, The Fires of Pompeii (2022) and The Romans (2023), Harriet/Technician for The Rise of the New Humans, Lukaku for Stolen Goods (both th 2018), Cherilyn Dankworth for The Unzal Incursion, Ravager for Cataclysm and Food Fight (all 2021), and Carmella for Sunstrike (2024)
• Annabelle Dowler (Megan here; Bridget for The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, 2004; Cynthia/Annie for The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 2005; Receptionist for Towards Zero, 2010) was Walter's Mother in The Snowmen, then voiced Jasdar Crick for The Robots of Life, Robot for Love Me Not (both 2019), Integers/Contingent/Queen for Barrister to the Stars (2020), Gemma Houlbrooke for The Long Way Round, and Burr for Elevation (both 2021)

Doctor Who Vs. All Creatures Great and Small, Series 4

A repeat run of this much-loved

period drama began on BBC4

last night. Set in 1930s Yorkshire,

the programme was based on the

works of Northern vet, Alf Wight

(1916-1995) - he wrote under

the pen-name of James Herriot,

and was portrayed here by Christopher Timothy. Lynda

Bellingham replaced Carol

Drinkwater as Helen Herriot.

The fourth, ten part series

(originally shown from January

to March 1988) featured Robert

Hardy, Peter Davison, John McGlynn, and a total of twenty-six Doctor

Who cast and crew connections:

• for Peter Moffatt, Johnny Byrne, Bill Sellars, Pamela Salem, James Bree, James Grout and Eric Dodson see Series 1
• Bellingham was the Inquisitor [Darkel] during The Trial of a Time Lord, a role reprised for Big Finish's Gallifrey (2004-06) then Trial of the Valeyard (2014)
• Kevin [Harvest] Stoney (Massingham) was Mavic Chen in The Daleks' Master Plan, Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion, and Tyrum in Revenge of the Cybermen
• Edwin [Ronald] Richfield (Whithorn) was Captain Hart in The Sea Devils, and Mestor in The Twin Dilemma
• Jenny Laird [born Phyllis Edith Mary Blythe] (Mrs. Whithorn) was Neska in Planet of the Spiders
• Donald Morley (Gregson) was Jules Renan in The Reign of Terror
• Rebecca [Jayne] Callard [born Atkinson] (Jane) voiced Connie Winter for A Perfect World (2008), and Shadrak for Harvest of the Sycorax (2016)
• Sabina Franklyn (Susan) voiced Dr. Eleanor Harcourt for Bang-Bang-A-Boom! (2002), Wanda Rothman for Situation Vacant (2010), and President Beel/Aetius/Herculania for Judoon in Chains (2016)
• David [John] Quilter (Bruce) was Greeves in The Unicorn and the Wasp
• Alan Rothwell (Merrick) voiced Janto for The Twilight Kingdom (2004)
• for Edward Peel see Series 2
• for Graham Rigby see Series 3
• [Laura] June Hudson was also costume designer on eight stories (from The Ribos Operation to Logopolis)
• Ray London was also production designer on The War Machines, The Krotons and The Mind of Evil
• Christopher Moss (production associate) was AFM (assistant floor manager) on (part 4 of) The Power of Kroll
• Angela Beveridge was vision mixer on The Deadly Assassin too
• Rodney Taylor (studio camera supervisor) was senior cameraman on The Creature from the Pit
• Andrew Stacey worked on studio sound for Attack of the Cybermen too
• Kevan Van Thompson was production manager on Mindwarp too
• Mike Kelt was also VFX designer on Enlightenment, The Five Doctors and The Mysterious Planet

Doctor Who Vs. The Whistle Blower

This British spy thriller (shown yesterday
on the movies4men channel), was based on
the novel by John Hale, and centred on the
mysterious death of a British Intelligence
agent, Bob Jones (played by Nigel Havers).
Michael Caine led the cast here as Frank
Jarvis, a father determined to uncover a
Cold War conspiracy that silenced his son -
a GCHQ translator who was about to 'blow
the whistle' on illegal and unethical practices.
The Whistle Blower followed other timely
political dramas Defence of the Realm, and
A Very British Coup (dramatised in 1988
and 2012).
Released in late 1986, the film also featured
John Gielgud, Gordon Jackson, and eleven
Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

• Havers was Peter Dalton (pictured left) in The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, and voiced Dr. Nick Zimmerman for Big Finish's No More Lies (2007)
• James Fox (Lord) voiced Professor Chronotis for Shada (BF, 2003)
• Kenneth Colley (Pickett) voiced Cristophe Zarodnix for Sisters of the Flame and Vengeance of Morbius (both 2008)
• Big Finish actor Trevor Cooper (DI Bourne) was [Lancelot] Takis in Revelation of the Daleks and Friar Tuck in Robot of Sherwood, and voiced Sir Ralph for The Doomwood Curse, Shanks for The Haunting of Thomas Brewster (both 2008), Judah for The Beast of Orlok, Smithy for Castle of Fear (both 2009), both Captain Maddox and Stennan for Army of Death (2011), both the Colonel and Kimball for The Emerald Tiger (2012), and both Jonathan Jaggers and Mr. Preddle for Judoon in Chains (2016)
• Peter Miles (Kedge) was Dr. Charles Lawrence in The Silurians, Professor Whitaker for Invasion of the Dinosaurs, then was Nyder in Genesis of the Daleks, a role he reprised for both The Trial of Davros (2005), and I, Davros: Guilt (BF, 2006) - he also voiced Tragan for The Paradise of Death, and Curator Gantman for Whispers of Terror (BF, 1999)
• John Gill (Clergyman) was Oak in Fury from the Deep
• David Telfer (Ticket Collector) was the Huntsman in The Creature from the Pit
• Walter Henry (Veteran) was an Extra in (episode 2 of) The Myth Makers and The Silurians (6), a Primord in Inferno (6), and a Brother in The Masque of Mandragora (1 and 3)
• Raymond Hughes was costume designer on The Invisible Enemy too
• production buyer Peter Walpole was the set decorator on Rose, The End of the World, The Unquiet Dead, Aliens of London and World War Three
• Magdalen Gaffney was make-up artist on Death to the Daleks too