Thursday 17 March 2022

On This Day... 17th March


First of all, Happy St Patrick's Day!
It is also Frontier in Space Day, as once again this is the only story ever to have an episode make its debut on this date. Episode Four was shown today in 1973, and I do believe that the picture above must be one of my favourite images from the whole of Doctor Who.


Today we remember the actor Michael Gough, who appeared twice in the series. He was The Celestial Toymaker back in 1966, and then portrayed the Doctor's Time Lord friend Hedin in Arc of Infinity in 1983. He had been due to reprise the Toymaker in 1985, but the series was put on hiatus and this planned story cancelled. At the time of his first appearance, he was married to Anneke Wills - who would shortly become companion Polly. Gough died on this date in 2011, aged 94. In later years he had become one of director Tim Burton's repertory of favoured actors.


We also remember actor John Dearth - Lupton in Planet of the Spiders and the voice of BOSS in The Green Death. He passed away on this date in 1984, aged 63.
Former BBC 1 Controller of Programmes Donald Baverstock also passed away on this date, aged 71 in 1995. He was the man who almost cancelled Doctor Who after just thirteen episodes back in 1964. Mark Eden (who had played Marco Polo around that time) portrayed Baverstock in the drama An Adventure in Space and Time.
Jane Tranter, one of those responsible for bringing Doctor Who back in 2005 has her birthday today. She will be 59.

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