Doctor Who Vs. Jonathan Creek Specials

The first festive edition of Jonathan Creek 
followed the programme's second series, whilst

 the next special came almost two years after

the third season. The next two specials aired

after a five-year hiatus - the New Year mystery introduced a new assistant for Alan Davies'

Creek, Joey Ross played by Sheridan Smith.

Another Easter episode was shown in 2013,

and the fifth, and final full series was shown in

early 2014. The most recent standalone story, Daemons' Roost, was broadcast at Christmas

2016.

A repeat run of these six mysteries concluded

on U&Drama today - they featured Mary Tamm,

Paul McGann, Jo Martin, and a total of thirty

five Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

Black Canary (UK TX: Christmas Eve 1998)

• Hannah [Campbell Grant] Gordon (Marella) was Kirsty McLaren in The Highlanders, and voiced Skagra's Ship for Big Finish's Shada
• Vincent Wong (Pan Duc Lao) was Delegate in Day of the Daleks (4), Ho in The Talons of Weng Chiang, and Captain in Enlightenment
• Sanjeev Bhaskar (Doctor) was Colonel Ahmed in Death in Heaven, and voiced Dr. Avishka Sangakkara for The Eight Truths and Worldwide Web (both 2009), and Borusa for The Difference Office (2022)

Satan's Chimney (UK TX: Boxing Day 2001)

• Julia Sawalha (Carla Borrego) was Emma in The Curse of Fatal Death
• [Leslie] Steven Berkoff (Grole) provided the voice of the Shakri in The Power of Three
• Bill [born Mark] Bailey (Starkiss) was Harvester Droxil in The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
• [William] James Saxon [born Smyth] (Bulstrode) was Oscar Botcherby in The Two Doctors
• Elliot [Aidan] Cowan (Tom) voiced Gark for The Fifth Traveller (2016)
• Lisa Stokke (Jodee) was Trine in It Takes You Away

The Grinning Man (TX: New Years Day 2009)

• for Stuart Milligan (Klaus) see Series 2
• Eloise Rakic Platt (Constance) was Ella McAvoy in Forest of the Dead
• Adam James (Alec) was DI Macmillan in Planet of the Dead
• Nicholas Boulton (Gessler) was Businessman in Gridlock, then voiced Chule for Capture the Chronovore! (2022), Vice for Meanwhile, Elsewhere (2023), Captain Saint for The Children of the Future, and Commander Stelkor for Kippers (both 2024) 
• Katherine [Jane] Parkinson (Nicola) voiced Danika Meanwhile for The Death Collectors (2008)
• Deborah Maclaren (Ellen) was Kistane in Utopia
• Andrew Havill (Narrator) was the Chief Steward in Voyage of the Damned, and voiced Aleister Portillon/Squire Claude for The Witch from the Well (2011), and Colonel Wildman for The Enchantress of Numbers (2019)
• Kim McGarrity was also a stunt performer on The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, Boom Town, The Christmas Invasion, New Earth, The Day of the Doctor, Wild Blue Yonder and The Well
• Lucinda [Bean] Peel was also stunt performer on Father's Day and Night Terrors

The Judas Tree (UK TX: Easter Sunday 2010)

• Ian McNeice (Alberic) portrayed Winston Churchill in The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, The Pandorica Opens and The Wedding of River Song (a role reprised by Big Finish for The Churchill Years, Their Finest Hour, Subterfuge and Operation: Hellfire) - he also voiced Zeus for Immortal Beloved (2007), and Reginald Harcourt for The Renaissance Man (2012)
• Sasha Behar (Harriet) was Sister Spurrina in The Fires of Pompeii, and voiced Presidential Aide for Songs of Love, Tessno/Ladonne for Stop the Clock (both 2017), Admiral Eno for The Lifeboat and the Deathboat (2019), Talarn/Thayla/Bullet 2 for Dust Devil, and Diana Hendry for The Seas of Titan (both 2022)
• Natalie Walter (Emily) was Alice Coltrane in Turn Left
• Sean Buckley (Old Man) was the Barman in The Wedding of River Song
• Nigel Carrington (Clerk) voiced Emissary Godrin/Dr. Summersby/ Announcer for The Valley of Death (2011), Sir Robert Harney for The Devil's Armada (2014), Graham Finlay for New Horizons, Pik Solus for Mistfall (2015), and Sir Peter Latcham for UNIT: Shutdown (2016)
• Belinda McGinley was also a stunt performer on nine stories (from Amy's Choice to Eve of the Daleks)

The Clue of the Savant's Thumb (UK TX: April 1 2013)

• Joanna [Lamond] Lumley (Rosalind) was the Doctor in The Curse of Fatal Death
• Nigel [George] Planer (Tartikoff) was Vorgenson in The Monsters are Coming!, and voiced Alex Marlowe for Hothouse (2009), and Herax/ Old Racnoss Emperor for Empire of the Racnoss (2017)
• Abigail McKern (Beth) voiced Denise Waterford for A Thousand Tiny Wings (2010), Susan Broadstairs for The Shadow at the Edge of the World (2014), Felicia Chater for The English Way of Death (2015), Lucretia Bell for Subterranea (2017), Crone/Moirai for The Planet of Witches, Skwoj/Ari for Poison of the Daleks (both 2020), Kitty for Masterful, Beatrice Gray for The Blood Woods (both 2021), and Meryl Zink for The Gloaming (2024)
• James Buller (DS Cudlipp) appeared as Dave Oswald in The Rings of Akhaten and The Time of the Doctor
• Mark Frost (Brad) voiced Shandar for Requiem for the Rocket Men (2015), and Niccolo Machiavelli for The Ravelli Conspiracy (2016)
• Michael Lumsden (Churchill) voiced Newton Pallister for The Crash of the UK-201 (2018)
• Bern Collaco (Guest) was an Operator in The Return of Doctor Mysterio, and Soldier in Thin Ice
• make-up effects maker Dan Frye was a Millennium FX technician on Cold War, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS and The Name of the Doctor
• Crispin Layfield was also a stuntman and co-ordinator on fifty revived instalments (from Father's Day to The Day of the Doctor)

Daemons' Roost (UK TX: December 28 2016)

• Ken Bones (Clore) was the General in The Day of the Doctor and Hell Bent - reprised for Big Finish's Dreadshade (2020), War Room 1, The War Doctor Begins (both 2022), A Genius for War (2023) and War Room 3 (2026) - he also voiced Dreislav/ Thomas Bloodchild for The Bloodchild Codex (2013), David/ Anders Kristiansen for The Keeper of Light, and Senidon for March of the Colossus
• Warwick [Ashley] Davis (Wilkie) was Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI, known as Porridge in Nightmare in Silver

Doctor Who Vs. Luther, Series 3

Smiley appeared as
Colonel Blue in Into
the Dalek

Idris Elba returned as DCI John Luther for the

third, full season of BBC1's psychological crime

drama, originally shown in the summer of 2013.

Warren Brown, Michael Smiley, Dermot Crowley

and Nikki Amuka Bird also reprised their res-

pective roles as DS Justin Ripley, Benny Silver,

DSU Schenk and DS Gray.

A two-part sequel aired in December 2015, and

the final series aired at New Year 2019. A film

version of Luther, The Fallen Sun, was finally

 unveiled in cinemas in February, then launched

on Netflix in March. This run earned more Golden

Globe and Emmy award nominations for series creator/writer Neil Cross, and Elba won a RTS

award for Best Actor.

A repeat run of the four-part series began on

U&Drama last night - it featured David O'Hara,

and a total of twenty-two Doctor Who cast and

crew connections:

• for Brown and Smiley see Series 1, for Amuka Bird see Series 2
• prolific Big Finish actor/writer Lizzie Hopley (Dr. Harris) voiced the Mantasphid Queen for The Infinite Quest, Alice Flowers for The Gunpowder Plot, Gemma Griffin for Terror Firma (2005), Lady Lillian Hawthorne for The Veiled Leopard, Sue for Night Thoughts, Yarvell for I, Davros (all 2006), Brinna/Secretary/ Comp for Cyberman, Sister Christie for The Emporium at the End (both 2016), Miss Steel for The Creeper (2020), Camper for Silver Medal (2021), Narrator of I, TARDIS (2024), Mind Shield for Master!, and Hieronyma Friend for See-Saw (both 2025)
• Sienna [Tiggy] Guillory (Mary) voiced Idara Beckett for Fond Farewell (2022)
• Lucian [Gabriel Wiina] Msamati (Barnaby) was Guido in The Vampires of Venice
• Selva Rasalingam (Lane) was Ranjit in The Power of Three
• Sasha Behar (Dani) was Spurrina in The Fires of Pompeii, then voiced Presidential Aide for Songs of Love, Tessno/Ladonne for Stop the Clock (both 2017), Admiral Eno for The Lifeboat and the Deathboat (2019), Talarn/Bullet 2/Thayla for Dust Devil, and Diana Hendry for The Seas of Titan (both 2022)
• Alexandra Moen (Eve) was Lucy Saxon in The Sound of Drums, Last of the Time Lords and The End of Time
• Michelle Duncan (Kiera) was Lady Isobel in Tooth and Claw
• Elliot Cowan (Marwood) voiced Gark for The Fifth Traveller (2016)
• Golda Rosheuvel (Sally) was Jocelyn Sancerre in Space Babies
• Georgina French (Natalie) was a motion capture actor on The Eternity Clock video game
• Shaun Mason (Beamish) was the Foreman in Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror
• Dan Euston was a stuntman on The Crimson Horror too
• Farren Blackburn was also director of The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe and The Rings of Akhaten - the latter story was edited by Sam Williams, the film editor here too
• Simon Maloney was the first assistant director on An Adventure in Space and Time too
• Stephen Pehrsson was also the cinematographer on eleven stories (from The Pandorica Opens to The Crimson Horror)
• Matthew Scrivener was the first assistant director on the 2011 Christmas special too
• Sam Smithard was also the camera assistant on fourteen episodes (from Asylum of the Daleks to The Name of the Doctor)
• Tom Williams was camera assistant on Let's Kill Hitler too

Doctor Who Vs. Messiah, Series 5

A BBC Northern Ireland and Great Meadow

co-production, this dark thriller (the fourth

and final sequel to Messiah - based on Boris

Starling's novel), was an original screenplay

from Oliver Brown. 

Northampton-born actor Marc Warren now

led the cast as DCI Joseph Walker, alongside

Daniel Ryan and Marsha Thomason as Met

Police Detective Sergeants Terry Hedges and

Mel Palmer.

First shown over two consecutive nights in 

January 2008, Messiah V (subtitled The

Rapture) featured Olivia Lovibond, Anton

Lesser, and these thirteen Doctor Who cast

and crew connections:

• Warren was Elton Pope in Love & Monsters
• Ryan was Biff Cane in Midnight
• Rory [Michael] Kinnear (Dean) voiced Samuel Belfrage for Big Finish's Industrial Evolution (2011)
• Niall MacGregor (Moore) voiced Robert for Home Truths (2008), The Drowned World (2009) and The Guardian of the Solar System (2010)
• [Oluwakemi] Nina Sosanya (Sarah) was Trish Webber in Fear Her, and voiced Captain Anna Maynard for Aquitaine (2016)
• Sasha Behar (Salma) was Spurrina in The Fires of Pompeii, then voiced the Presidential Aide for Songs of Love, Ladonne/Tessno for Stop the Clock (both 2017), Admiral Eno for The Lifeboat and the Deathboat (2019), Talarn/Bullet 2/Thayla for Dust Devil, and Diana Hendry for The Seas of Titan (both 2022)
• Paul Kennington was also a stuntman on Rise of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday and The Doctor's Daughter 
• Nicholas Brown was also first assistant director on eight episodes (from The Curse of the Black Spot to The Name of the Doctor)
• Roger Dobson, Nigel Squibbs and Tony Gibson all worked on An Adventure in Space and Time too
• Adam Ridge was a boom operator on Music of the Spheres too
• ADR recordist Paul McFadden was dialogue/sound editor on eighty-two instalments of the revived run (from Rose to The Power of Three), Time Crash, The Infinite Quest, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures