Well, it's been 8 months since I last posted something about anything remotely new Who. The latest Doctor Who spin-off series, set in Coal Hill School, Class has just finished filming in the last week. We still know very little about it, save that it is about a bunch of teenagers, and it does have to have some links to the parent series other than the school they attend. Just what will those links be? A cameo from the Doctor or Clara perhaps to get it launched? Aliens or other characters from Doctor Who to guest? If it is just the name of the school, I'll be terribly disappointed.
Personally, I'd like to see the school's Chairman of the Board of Governors make an appearance. That's right - a certain Ian Chesterton. I've never understood why Moffat never gave William Russell a cameo when he'd based Clara at the school for the last two series.
Class should be launching later this year, on BBC 3, which is now on-line only - but a number of BBC 3 shows have been getting screenings straight away on other BBC channels. Each episode of the most recent series of Cuckoo was shown on BBC 2 within a week of its BBC 3 debut, for instance.
Talking of spin-offs, time to bring back Torchwood I say. Barrowman's desperate to do it, and let's not forget who is about to take over showrunner duties on Doctor Who - just the guy who produced those early TW episodes.
I didn't realise for years after watching it that William Russell played the dying duke of Winchester in The Black Adder episode, The Archbishop. The episode opens with Russell's dying duke attended by King Richard IV (Brian Blessed) and the Archbishop both trying to get him to leave his lands to them, each with parchment and quill at the ready. It's a small role; after being threatened with Hell, "... where Satan belches fire, and enormous devils break wind both night and day," Russell's character signs his lands over to the Church. Blessed says, "You'll change your mind later, I know it," at which point Russell dies on cue. He's credited as Russell Enoch.
ReplyDeleteSpotting Who actors in other roles is a bit of a hobby of mine - rewarded often due to the amount of vintage TV & creaky old British movies I watch. I remember reading that Russell (Russell Enoch is his real name) had been in the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie. I couldn't recall seeing him so watched it again. His is one of the faces on the screens during General Zod's trial, only fleetingly seen.
DeleteIt's not surprising I missed him in the Black Adder scene. His forehead is swathed in a part bandage, part mediaeval nightcap type garment and he has a long white beard and moustache. I think even you might not have spotted him, if I may make so bold as to doubt your Who actor spotting powers!
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