More Famous People Who Guest Starred on DOCTOR WHO (1963-1989) - Warped Factor - Words in the Key of Geek.

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More Famous People Who Guest Starred on DOCTOR WHO (1963-1989)


There are so many famous people who have guest starred on Classic Doctor Who that we had to start a second page of them.

Once again, when actors have guest starred as more than one character in Classic Doctor Who we've listed them, where possible, under their first appearance (many of which you'll find on page one of our list). And to make it easier, we're listing all the guest stars in Doctor order. Page two kicks off with the Peter Davison years...

Fifth Doctor


32. Burt Kwouk as Lin Futu
Best known for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films, Burt Kwouk made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Major Yamauchi in the British drama series Tenko and as Entwistle in Last of the Summer Wine. Kwouk also appeared as himself in the Harry Hill Show as well as several of Hill's live tours, and portrayed Lin Futu in the 1982 Fifth Doctor Adventure Four To Doomsday.


33. Nerys Hughes as Todd
Old John Nathan-Turner did love himself a featured guest star, and so his era is scattered with a multitude of familiar faces. Many we've already covered as they'd previously played roles in earlier Doctor Who adventures, but new to Who is '82 (poetry there) was Nerys Hughes. The former Liver Bird played Todd in the Fifth Doctor adventure Kinda.


34. Beryl Reid as Briggs
Up there next to the Fifth Doctor and everyone's favourite companion Adric (a-hem) is Beryl Reid guest starring on Earthshock as Briggs. During her long and varied career she won the 1982 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for Smiley's People. Her film appearances included The Belles of St. Trinian's, The Killing of Sister George, The Assassination Bureau, and No Sex Please, We're British.


35. Michael Cashman as First Officer Bilton
Probably best remembered for the role of Colin Russell in BBC TV's EastEnders, a character who was a participant in the first gay kiss in a British soap opera, there above Tegan's soldier on the left of the screen is Michael Cashman, who portrayed First Officer Bilton in the 1982 adventure Time-Flight.


36. Colin Baker as Commander Maxil
Colin Baker played Paul Merroney in the BBC drama series The Brothers from 1974 to 1976, and Commander Maxil in the Fifth Doctor adventure Arc Of Infinity. Apparently he also played another role in a long running BBC science fiction series although I've no idea what it is or whatever happened to him. Anyone?


37. Martin Clunes as Lon
A young Martin Clunes played Lon in Snakedance, in what was his very first credited on-screen role. Of course, he went on to famously portray Martin Ellingham in the ITV drama series Doc Martin and Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly.


38. Liza Goddard as Kari
The one time wife of Colin Baker (still no idea Who?) played Kari in the 1983 story Terminus. Although she's English and has featured in many British television productions, she may well be best remembered for her role in the Australian programme Skippy The Bush Kangaroo when she played Clarissa "Clancy" Merrick in the first two series across 48 episodes.


39.  Keith Barron as Captain Striker
Amongst "Hapless" Keith Barron (for any Vic & Bob fans out there) many television roles are the sitcom Duty Free, the police drama The Odd Man, and playing Gregory Wilmot in Upstairs, Downstairs. In 1983 you may have seen him in the Fifth Doctor adventure Enlightenment.


40. Leee John as Mansell
The lead singer of Imagination, and owner of one too many e's in his first name, also appeared in Enlightenment. Leee John played the character Mansell; he replaced actor David Rhule, who had dropped out at short notice due to an industrial strike at the BBC after the rehearsals had begun.


41. Rodeny Bewes as Stien
One half of The Likely Lads, Rodney Bewes guested as Stien on the 1984 Fifth Doctor story Resurrection Of the Daleks.Several other famous faces joined him, including...


42. Rula Lenska as Styles
No, not Harry Styles, just Styles. Rula was married to Dennis Waterman, appeared in television series such as Minder, Boon, The Detectives, Footballers' Wives, To the Manor Born, One Foot in the Grave, Casualty, Space: 1999, Return of the Saint, and Robin Of Sherwood, but is best known in the United States for a series of commercials for Alberto VO5 hairspray in the late-1970s and early-1980s.


43. Leslie Grantham as Kiston
Another from Resurrection Of The Daleks, and it's Dirty Den playing Kiston in the 1984 adventure.


44. Peter Wyngarde as Timanov
Best known for playing the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in two television series: Department S and Jason King, Peter Wyngarde appeared in Doctor Who opposite the Fifth Doctor as Timanov in the 1984 adventure Planet Of Fire

The Sixth Doctor


45. Brian Glover as Griffiths
In the middle there, next to old Sixie, is Brian Glover, guesting as Griffiths in the first of three guest stars from the 1985 story Attack Of The Cybermen. You may well have seen his bald head in Alien 3, An American Werewolf In London or on the small screen in shows including Porridge, The Sweeny and Emu's Wide World (!).


46. Sarah Greene as Varne
She hosted Blue Peter, Saturday Superstore and Going live, and Sarah Greene was almost unrecognisable as the Cryon named Varne, in Attack Of The Cybermen.


47. Faith Brown as Flast
Nope, it's not Sarah Greene again. It's her Cryon buddy Flast, played by impressionist Faith Brown.


48. Jason Connery as Jondar
Sean's son, Jason Connery, may be best known for playing Robin Hood in the 1980s ITV series of the same name. Here he is above during Vengeance On Varos where he played Jondar.


49. Kate O'Mara as The Rani
The first of two appearances by Kate O'Mara as the Rani came in 1985's the Mark Of The Rani. She'd return two years later for the Seventh Doctor's debut adventure Time And The Rani. She had regular roles in The Brothers, Triangle and Howards' Way, and played Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the American primetime soap opera Dynasty.


50. Jacqueline Pearce as Chessene
Although Jacqueline Pearce's many roles included horror and comedy; she is best known as the villain Servalan in Blake's 7, and in 1985 she appeared in the multi-Doctor story The Two Doctors as Chessene.


51. Alexei Sayle as the DJ
The alternative comedian Alexei Sayle guest starred on Doctor Who in 1985 as the DJ in Revelation Of The Daleks.


52. William Gaunt as Orcini
William Gaunt (above left) played the super-powered secret agent Richard Barrett in the 1968 British espionage/science fiction series The Champions. Two decades later he starred as harassed father Arthur Crabtree in the five seasons of sitcom No Place Like Home, during which time he took a break to guest on Doctor Who as Orcini in Revelation Of the Daleks.


53. Lynda Bellingham as The Inquistor
For many people Lynda Bellingham will always be remembered as the Oxo Family Mum from the many commercials she starred in throughout the 1980s, but in 1986 she appeared in Doctor Who as The Inquistor during all episodes of Season 23 The Trial Of A Time Lord.


54. Joan Syms as Katryca
Another Carry On star, Joan Sims arrived much later to the world of Doctor Who than her comedy contemporaries. Nevertheless you may remember her from the 1986 adventure The Mysterious Planet when she played Katryca.


55. BRIAN BLESSED as King Yrcanos
Part man, part amplifier, BRIAN BLESSED (who needs no introduction to anyone - mainly because you can here him coming over a week away) guest starred as King Yrcanos back in the 1986 episode Mindwarp.


56. Christopher Ryan as Kiv
He may not be a Young One anymore but after playing Mike for 2 seasons of the 1980s sitcom, Christopher Ryan bid farewell to Rik, Vivian and Neil and took a role as Kiv in Mindwarp. Some years later he'd return to the world of Who, this time as a variety of Sontarans. You may have seen him as General Staal and Commander Stark in The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky and The Pandorica Opens respectively.


57. Honor Blackman as Professor Sarah Lasky
Of course you'll know Honor Blackman from The Avengers and as Pussy Galore in the James Bond film Goldfinger, but in 1986 she was in Terror Of the Vervoids as Professor Sarah Lasky.


58. Geoffrey Hughes as Popplewick
Among his many roles, Geoffrey Hughes is maybe most famous for portraying much-loved binman Eddie Yeats in Coronation Street, and fas loveable slob Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances. Here he is above in character as Popplewick trying to get old Sixie to sign an addendum to his contract to come back for all of 30 seconds after The Ultimate Foe to film a regeneration scene. Sixie is having none of it so we bid farewell to his era and enter the time of the Seventh...

Seventh Doctor


59. Richard Briers as Chief Caretaker
One of the greats, you've heard Richard Brier when he narrated both Roobarb and Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk, and you no doubt saw him as Tom Good in the sitcom The Good Life. In 1987, he guested as the Chief Caretaker in the Seventh Doctor adventure Paradise Towers.


60. Don Henderson as Gavrok
Not only did Don Henderson play priest Frank Kane in BBC drama The Paradise Club, he also played General Tagge in the first Star Wars film and Gavrok in Delta And The Bannermen. Joining him in that 1987 series was...


61. Ken Dodd as the Tollmaster
No doubt he was ticked to be there. Ken Dodd took time out from Notty Ash for a guest role as the Tollmaster in Delta And The Bannermen.


62. Sheila Hancock as Helen A
Sheila Hancock's big television role was as Carol in the 1960s BBC sitcom The Rag Trade. Twenty years later she appeared as Helen A (she's on the right by the way) in the Seventh Doctor adventure The Happiness Patrol.


63. Nicholas Parsons as Rev. Wainwright
Direct from Norwich, it's Nicholas Parsons. Taking time out from The Sale Of The Century to play Rev. Wainwright in the penultimate classic Doctor Who story The Curse Of Fenric.


64. Lisa Bowerman as Karra
Big Finish fans will no doubt know Lisa Boweman as Professor Bernice Summerfield. On screen she's also portrayed Sandra Mute, the paramedic, in the BBC One medical drama Casualty, and above you can see her as Karra, a cheetah person in Survival.


65 & 66. Hale & Pace as Len & Harvey
Two in one as they came as a pair, it's the comedy duo of Hale & Pace appearing as grocery shop owners Len & Harvey in the final classic Doctor Who adventure, Survival.

Update
Thanks for your comments and messages, here are 9 more famous people who guest starred on Who of the Classic variety...
67. Hywel Bennett as Rynian
With a career spanning 50 years, Hywel Bennett is most often associated as James Shelley in the ITV sitcom Shelley, but he got one of his first break's in showbusiness as Rynian in the second episode of the 1965 adventure The Chase.
68. Mike Reid as Soldier, Worker & Guard
You know him better as Frank Butcher, and he appeared as that character during the Doctor Who/EastEnders oddity that is Dimensions in Time, but when he was a jobbing extra Mike Reid had a number of uncredited appearances in Doctor Who. Firstly as a Greek soldier in the 1965 First Doctor adventure The Myth Makers, then as a guard in the final episode of The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve. He then returned in two roles during the Second Doctor's swansong The War Games, playing a worker in episode 3 and a soldier in episode 4. Whilst we're here, you may like to know that Mike Reid had another uncredited appearance playing a Thal in the 1965 big screen Dr Who And The Daleks movie.
69. Wanda Ventham as Jean Rock, Thea Ransome & Faroon
Possibly best known nowadays as Benedict Cumberbatch's mum, Wanda Ventham played Colonel Virginia Lake in the 1970s science-fiction television series UFO and had a recurring role as Cassandra Trotter's mother Pamela Parry in the sitcom Only Fools and Horses. She also made three appearances on Doctor Who across the years. First as Jean Rock in the 1967 Second Doctor adventure The Faceless ones, then as The Ransome alongside Tom Baker in Image of the Fendahl, finally in 1987 she returned as Faroon in Time and the Rani. You may have also spotted her as Sherlock's mum, in a nice bit of meta-casting, in the Steven Moffat/Mark Gatiss series.
69. Matthew Corbett as Jones
He doesn't have a lot of acting roles on his resume but the man who spent the vast majority of his life entertaining millions of children with his hand inside a Sooty puppet played Jones in episode five of the Third Doctor adventure The Daemons. As you can see, he has no idea what to do with his Sotty-less hand!
70. Helen Worth as Mary Ashe
With 3,635 episodes (and counting) of Coronation Street under her belt, Helen Worth hasn't had much time to play any other characters than Gail Tilsley since she joined the long running soap opera in 1974. Fortunately, three years earlier she found time for the Doctor, guest starring in Colony In Space as Mary Ashe. From the Rovers Return to the Queen Vic now...
72. June Brown as Lady Eleanor
You likely know her better as Dot Cotton on EastEnders but in 1973 she guest starred as Eleanor in the Third Doctor adventure The Time Warrior.
73. Johnny Lee Miller as Kinda Child
Yup, that's Trainspoting, Elementary and Eli Stone star Johnny Lee Miller at the tender age of 9 in the Fifth Doctor adventure Kinda.
74. Marc Warren in Battlefield
As you no doubt know, Marc Warren played Elton Pope in the Tenth Doctor story Love & Monsters, but in one of his first acting roles he was an uncredited extra in the Seventh Doctor adventure Battelfield.
75. Anne Reid as Nurse Crane
Seen recently in the fantastic Russel T Davies series Years And Years, Anne Reid played Florence Finnegan in the 2007 episode Smith & Jones, but 18 years before that she made her Doctor Who debut as Nurse Crane in the Seventh Doctor adventure The Curse of Fenric.

Did you know all of them? And have we missed any?

6 comments:

  1. How could you have missed Hywel Bennett (the Chase) star of Shelley, several Dennis Potter plays, several movies - one of our greatest actors.

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  2. I think you missed Wanda Ventham too - she was in the Faceless Ones, Image of the Fendhal, and Time and the Rani. she was best known for playing Colonel Lake in UFO, but has also starred in a few movies, and is probably better known as the mother of Benedict Cumberbatch.

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  3. Vultan the King of The Hawkmen grew up to become Boss Nass Long Long Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're Right Quite You're Bloody Well Right you've got the bloody right to Say-aay.

      Delete
  4. Veteran character actor Shane Rimmer is best remembered as the voice of Scott Tracy in the original Thunderbirds TV series. He made multiple appearances in James Bond films, and was James Caan's head coach in Rollerball. He appears as the ill-fated Seth Harper in the First Doctor serial, The Gunfighters.

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  5. Also frazier hines from emmerdale Farm

    ReplyDelete

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