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On This Day (USA) - 2 September



The Tomb of the Cybermen: Episode 1 premiered on BBC One in 1967 at 5:49pm BST, watched by 6.00 million viewers.

The Doctor meets Professor Parry and his archaeologists on the planet Telos. The expedition is there to unearth the remains of Cybermen who died out long ago. Or did they..?


The Ribos Operation: Part One premiered on BBC One in 1978 at 5:44pm BST, watched by 8.30 million viewers.

 Birthdays
Sean Gallagher will be 59 - credited as Chip in New Earth

Sean Gallagher is a British actor, trained at the Poor School in London. From 1992 he has appeared in many theatre productions, television series and films. Gallagher appeared in EastEnders from 1992-1993 playing a playboy called Clive who had an affair with then-married Sam Mitchell.

Gallagher was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, to Desmond and Margaret Gallagher. He worked at Stanley's Casino in Luton as a croupier in order to assist with drama school tuition.

He recently finished performing in The Black Album at the Cottelsloe Theatre/National Theatre in London, South Bank and started a national UK tour with the cast throughout the UK in October/November 2009.

He has also recently voiced one of the characters in The Happy Prince, a stop-animation film, produced by Skatedog Films Ltd and directed by John Horabin in 2009. This newly released adaptation of the classic Oscar Wilde short story was featured at the BFI in London in autumn 2009.

In 2006 he played the part of Chip in the second new series of Doctor Who opposite David Tennant in the episode "New Earth". In late summer 2006 Gallagher signed up to Coronation Street to play the part of Paul Connor, one of two brothers buying a share in Underworld, the local knicker factory. In early 2007, Gallagher resigned from the Manchester-based ITV programme to pursue other roles, eventually leaving Coronation Street in June 2007.

On 2 July 2007, it was announced that Gallagher had been cast for the lead role of Mal Faith in a new ITV drama series, Rock Rivals, produced by Shed Productions. He starred alongside former EastEnders actress Michelle Collins who played his wife, Karina Faith.

He appeared in a production of Mary Stuart for the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, with David Oakes and Penny Layden.

Gallagher is known to support animal welfare societies. In August 2008, Gallagher appeared as a celebrity contestant on an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, raising funds for World Animal Protection project to end bear dancing in India, "an issue that he feels strongly about."

He has recently been seen in the ITV dramas Eternal Law and Leaving and BBC drama Our Girl.

Biography from the wikipedia article, licensed under CC-BY-SA


Gai Smith will be 70 - 2 credits, including Presta in The Invasion of Time

Gai Smith  played Presta in the Doctor Who story The Invasion of Time.

She is now known as Gai Waterhouse, and is a businesswoman and horse trainer.


Kay Patrick will be 83 - 2 credits, including Poppaea in The Romans

Is an actress who appeared in two early Doctor Who stories.

She also appeared in Z Cars and The First Churchills.

She went onto become a Producer and Director working on Coronation Street and Holby City. She was the series producer for the revamped Crossroads in 2001, both produced and directed the BBC series Sunburn, and has also directed episodes of Emmerdale Farm and Brookside. 

In 2009 she was involved in a freak accident on the set of Coronation Street whilst directing an action sequence. A car being used in a stunt shunted foward ploughing into her and knocking her to the ground. However, she escaped unscathed with only minor injuries.


Derek Fowlds (died 2020 aged 82) would be 87 - credited as Claude in The Elixir of Doom(BF)

Derek Fowlds is an actor, best known for his roles as Bernard Woolley in Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister, Oscar Blaketon in Heartbeat, and to 'older' children of the 1970s as Mr Derek alongside Basil Brush.

His autobiography, A Part Worth Playing, was published by Fantom Publishing in 2016.


Neil Seiler (died 2003 aged 77) would be 99 - 2 credits, including Commander Stewart in Death to the Daleks

Neil Seiler appeared in two Doctor Who stories: as a Radio Operator in The Sea Devils and Commander Stewart in Death to the Daleks.

Also worked on Days of HopeSoftly Softly: Task ForceMarked PersonalZ CarsCaptain Kronos - Vampire HunterSix Days of JusticeCrown CourtPlay for TodayThe Villains


Eileen Way (died 1994 aged 82) would be 113 - 3 credits, including Karela in The Creature from the Pit

Eileen Way was an English actress who appeared in many film and television roles in a career dating back to the 1930s.

As well as two appearances in the television version of Doctor Who where she was the first person to die in the first story An Unearthly Child, she also appeared in the 1966 film Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD. 

She appeared in the second series of Poldark (1977), the Russell T Davies children's drama series Century Falls and episodes of By the Sword Divided, Inspector Morse, Bergerac, and Ripping Yarns.


Martin Miller (died 1969 aged 69) would be 125 - credited as Kublai Khan in Marco Polo

Martin Miller played Kubla Khan in the Doctor Who story Marco Polo. Miller died from a heart attack in Austria.

Worked on Department SDoctor in the HouseThe TroubleshootersMord nach der OperBBC Play of the MonthThe PrisonerThe Forsyte SagaAdam Adamant Lives!The BaronTheatre 625Up Jumped a SwagmanThe AvengersThe Third ManThe SaintA Little Big BusinessThe Yellow Rolls-RoyceDanger ManChildren of the DamnedThe Pink PantherThe Sentimental AgentEspionageThe V.I.P.s55 Days at PekingThe Bergonzi HandIncident at MidnightThe Edgar Wallace Mystery TheatreThe Fast LadyGhost SquadZero OneMan of the WorldDial RIXThe Phantom of the OperaEcho Four TwoTheatre 70ExodusDanger ManITV Television PlayhousePeeping TomBBC Sunday-Night PlayThe Rough and the SmoothExpresso BongoBBC Sunday-Night TheatreLibelArmchair TheatreHenry IVITV Play of the WeekViolent MomentMark of the PhoenixDixon of Dock GreenSeven ThundersThe Adventures of AggieChild in the HouseThe Baby and the BattleshipSailor of FortuneThe Gamma PeopleAn Alligator Named DaisyMan of the MomentMother Michel and Her CatThe Woman for JoeTo Dorothy a SonDouglas Fairbanks, Jr., PresentsMad About MenYou Know What Sailors AreFront Page StoryThe GenieTwice Upon a TimeWhere's Charley?Portrait by RembrandtEncoreThe Angel Who Pawned Her HarpI'll Get You for ThisThe Third ManYou Can't Sleep HereDon't Ever Leave MeThe Huggetts AbroadMan on the RunBonnie Prince CharlieThe Blind GoddessOne Night with YouCounterblastMine Own ExecutionerThe Ghosts of Berkeley SquareWoman to WomanNight Boat to DublinLatin QuarterEnglish Without TearsHotel ReserveThe Adventures of TartuSquadron Leader X


 Deaths
Roy Castle (died 1994 aged 62) - credited as Ian in Dr Who and the Daleks(Aaru)

Roy Castle, OBE, was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. In addition to being a talented jazz trumpet player, he could play many other instruments.

Early career

Castle was born in Scholes, near Holmfirth, West Riding of Yorkshire. The son of a railwayman, he was a tap dancer from an early age and trained at Nora Bray's school of dance with Audrey Spencer who later turned out to have a big dance school, and after leaving Holme Valley Grammar School (now Honley High School) he started his career as an entertainer in an amateur concert party. As a young performer in the 1950s, he lived in Cleveleys near Blackpool and appeared there at the local Queen's Theatre, turning professional in 1953 as a stooge for Jimmy Clitheroe and Jimmy James. By 1958 he was appearing at the Royal Variety Show. As a singer, he released one charting single in 1960, the Christmas song "Little White Berry".

Television career

In the mid-1960s he starred in the BBC television show The Roy Castle Show. In 1965, he appeared in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks, playing the role of Dr. Who's first male assistant, Ian Chesterton, quite differently from the way it had been played in the original television series by William Russell. He also appeared in Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as a jazz musician suffering a curse after copying voodoo tunes. He also appeared in Carry On... Up the Khyber in 1968, and in the TV musical Pickwick for the BBC in 1969. In 1973, Castle teamed up with the actor and comedian Ronnie Barker in the original one-off called "Another Fine Mess" (an episode from a series called Seven of One). Barker was one of Castle's best friends, and paid tribute to their work together shortly after Castle's death.

Between 1967 and 1968 Castle co-starred with Jimmy Edwards in the London West End run of the comedy farce show Big Bad Mouse when Eric Sykes had to withdraw because of illness. The show was resident at the Shaftesbury Theatre and, while being loosely scripted, it offered both Edwards and Castle the chance to freely ad-lib and generally break the fourth wall with the audience, Castle breaking into trumpet performances while Edwards walked into a front stall seat to read a newspaper, tap dancing and firing ping-pong balls into the stalls. He also once stood in for Bruce Forsyth hosting The Generation Game in 1975 while Forsyth was ill.

Record Breakers

In 1972, he first presented Record Breakers, a children's show, and he remained host for over 20 years. He recorded the theme song for the show himself. While presenting the show he broke nine world records himself, including

  • Fastest tap-dance 1,440 taps per minute – 24 taps per second, set on 14 January 1973, a record that has never been bettered.
  • Longest wing walk – 3 hours, 23 minutes.
  • Playing the same tune on 43 different instruments in four minutes.

He was a host of the show up until a few months before his death in 1994, alongside Norris and Ross McWhirter, Fiona Kennedy and Cheryl Baker. From then on, hosting was taken over by Baker and former athlete Kriss Akabusi. It continued for 29 years until 2001, one of Britain's longest-running shows.

Singing career

Between 1958 and 1969, Castle recorded numerous singles and three LPs. Only one of these LPs has seen a CD release so far: Songs For A Rainy Day was recorded in 1966 for Columbia (now reissued in the UK on CD by EMI Gold, re-titled Isn't This A Lovely Day). The record features twelve songs with rain as the theme. It is notable that some of the top British jazz players of the day such as Gordon Beck (piano), Jeff Clyne (bass), Leon Calvert (flugelhorn), Ike Isaacs (guitar), Ray Swinfield (flute) and Al Newman (saxophone) played on the record. The LP features jazz arrangements by Victor Graham and covers a variety of styles such as big band rompers ("Pennies From Heaven", "Stormy Weather"), ballads ("February Brings The Rain", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Soon It's Gonna Rain"),and bossa novas ("Everytime It Rains", "The Gentle Rain").

Personal life

He was married to the dancer Fiona Dickson in 1963 after they were introduced to each other by Eric Morecambe. They had four children. Their youngest son, Ben Castle (born 1973), is a jazz saxophonist who has played with Jamie Cullum, Carleen Anderson and Beth Rowley, among many others. Both Castle and his wife were committed Christians and they regularly attended the Baptist church near their home.

Castle was also a keen football fan and supported Liverpool Football Club. Less than six months before his death, he attended the Liverpool-Everton derby match at Anfield on 14 March 1994 and stood on the famous Spion Kop terrace, as it was the last local derby that would be staged before the Kop was demolished to make way for a new all-seater stand. He had also been in the crowd at Liverpool's FA Cup final victory over Sunderland in May 1992, shortly after he was first found to have cancer. At that time Ronnie Barker paid tribute to him, referring to their portrayal of characters that bore a strong resemblance to Laurel and Hardy in Another Fine Mess.

On 31 December 1992, Castle became an OBE. He was also a recipient of the Carl Alan Award, an honour voted for by members of the professional dance industry.

Illness and death

Castle was found to have lung cancer in January 1992. He was predicted to live only another 6 months. He underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and went into remission later that year. A non-smoker, he blamed his illness on passive smoking during his years of playing the trumpet in smoky jazz clubs. On 26 November 1993, Castle announced that his illness had returned, and once again underwent treatment in the hope of overcoming it. Several months later, he carried out the high profile Tour of Hope to raise funds for the erection of the building that would become the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, which was – and still is – the only British charity dedicated entirely to defeating lung cancer. By this stage, however, his condition was deteriorating and recovery was looking highly unlikely.

During and shortly after Castle's illness, many smoke-free restaurants and cafes were awarded the Roy Castle Clean Air Award to denote their adherence to a (then voluntary) smoke-free regime. The award, although now defunct given the advent of smoking bans, remains a matter of pride for various establishments, and many such venues continue to boast of the award.

His final contribution to Record Breakers was aired at the end of the series ending in December 1993, although the programme continued until 2001.

He died in Buckinghamshire on 2 September 1994, two days after his 62nd birthday.

His widow Fiona worked with the charity for many years after her husband's death, and was a key figure in campaigning for the British smoking ban which came into effect in 2006 and 2007, and has seen smoking banned in virtually all enclosed public places.

Roy remains a notable figure in popular culture in the UK, partially because of the cult status of his work on Record Breakers. He is, for example, immortalised by the naming of the Roy Castle award for debate at Dollar Academy. A new development in Port Glasgow will also feature a street named Roy Castle Avenue.

Biography from the wikipedia article, licensed under CC-BY-SA


Derek Seaton (died 1979 aged 35) - credited as Commander Hilred in The Deadly Assassin

Derek Seaton played Commander Hilred in the Doctor Who story The Deadly Assassin. He died of a brain haemorrhage in 1979 at the age of 35.

During his career, Seaton, who was married to the actress Paula Wilcox, also appeared on ITV Playhouse, EscapeShoestringBBC2 Play of the WeekRobin's NestPeople Like UsHappy Ever AfterMiss Jones and SonWithin These WallsDeath of an InformerTittertimeAnd Mother Makes FiveMan About the HouseMarked PersonalThe Strauss FamilyZ CarsDombey and SonHauntedSoftly SoftlyTheatre 625The Wednesday PlayThe Likely LadsTroilus and Cressida, and Coriolanus.