Statistics


On This Day (USA) - 5 April



The Space Pirates: Episode Five premiered on BBC One in 1969 at 5:14pm BST, watched by 5.50 million viewers.

The space pirate leader, Caven, has taken the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe and Clancey captive and plans to use them as scapegoats for the Space Corps.


Genesis of the Daleks: Part Five premiered on BBC One in 1975 at 5:30pm BST, watched by 9.80 million viewers.

With Harry and Sarah his prisoners, Davros interrogates the Doctor, forcing him to reveal the future of the Daleks so that he can learn from their defeats to make them stronger.


Death Comes To Time: No Child Of Earth (pt 2) premiered on BBC Online in 2002 at 12:00pm BST

Partners in Crime premiered on BBC One in 2008 at 6:19pm BST, watched by 9.14 million viewers.

A Noble Return premiered on BBC Three in 2008 at 7:10pm BST

 Birthdays
Tom Riley was 43 - 2 credits, including Robin in Robot Of Sherwood

Tom Riley was born in Maidstone in Kent. During his childhood he wrote and directed plays, leading to him studying English Literature and Drama at the University of Birmingham. Graduating with 1st Class Honours in 2002, he then set up a small theatre company, but then decided to take up a drama course at LAMDA, from which he graduated in 2005.

On television he is best known for his portrayal of Leonardo Da Vinci in the series Da Vinci's Demons; other roles include Lawrence Shepherd in Monroe and Mr Wickham in Lost in Austen, plus appearances in Casualty, Marple, Poirot, Lewis, and Twenty Twelve. He also appeared as Romeo in the David Tennant film St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.


Matthew Poynter was 55 - 7 credits, including Focus Puller for The Eleventh Hour

Focus Puller

Credits include Fast and Furious XI, All Things to all Men, Retreat, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Eagle, Attack the Block, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang , Red Riding, The Boat That Rocked


Stewart Lee was 56 - 2 credits, including Ryan Carey in Real Time(Misc)

Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer, director and musician.

He made his name in the mid-1990s as one half of the radio duo Lee and Herring, a success followed through with extensive touring to build up a live following. He co-wrote and co-directed the mock Broadway hit Jerry Springer: The Opera, a critical success that sparked a backlash from Christian groups who staged a series of protests outside its early stagings. After a return to the live circuit, and through BBC and Channel 4 specials and series, Lee has rebuilt an audience and a reputation as an anti-populist comedian.

Lee remains a significant draw in UK stand up. In recent years, Lee has been successful in selling out large venues including the ICC in his home city of Birmingham as well as larger venues in London. In December 2011 he won British Comedy Awards for best male television comic and best comedy entertainment programme for his series Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. A 2009 article in The Times referred to him as "the comedian's comedian, and for good reason" and named him "face of the decade". In June 2012 Lee was placed at number 9 in the Top 100 Most Influential People in UK Comedy. His stand-up features frequent use of "repetition, call-backs, nonchalant delivery and deconstruction", a device he often self-consciously refers to on stage.

Lee has written music reviews for publications including The Sunday Times. Through the early 2000s he was a regular presenter on Resonance FM. Asked in 2003 what his favourites were, he said "Most of my favourites are still going like The Fall, Giant Sand and Calexico. I listen to a lot of jazz, 60s and folk music but I really like Ms. Dynamite, and The Streets". His debut novel, The Perfect Fool, includes an 'audio bibliography' – a list of recommended listening. This mentions that it was his love of the band Giant Sand that first attracted him to visit the Southwestern United States.

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


Jane Asher was 78 - 4 credits, including Pilot Dena in Fourth Doctor - Series 9: Volume 1

Jane Asher is an English actress, author and entrepreneur.

Asher was the middle of three children born to Richard Alan John and Margaret Ashern�e Eliot, in WillesdenNorth West London. Her father was a broadcaster and a consultant at the Central Middlesex Hospital and the author of notable medical articles. Asher's mother was a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Asher was a child actress and appeared in the 1952 film Mandy and the 1955 science fiction film The Quatermass Xperiment. She also had a title role in a version of Alice in Wonderland(1958) and Through the Looking-Glass for Argo Records. In 1961 she co-starred in The Greengage Summer which was released in the United States as Loss of Innocence. She also appeared in the 1962 film and Disney TV programme, The Prince and the Pauper. British TV appearances included three episodes (1956�1958) of the British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood and as a panelist on the BBC's Juke Box Jury.

Asher as Juliet when the Bristol Old Vicmade a US tour in 1967.

Asher appeared in Roger Corman's The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Alfie, opposite Michael Caine in 1966, and in Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End. She guest-starred in an episode of the British television comedy series The Goodies in the episode "Punky Business", as a trend-setting newspaper writer, The Stone TapeRumpole of the BaileyBrideshead RevisitedA Voyage Round My Father opposite Laurence Olivier; as Faith Ashley in Wish Me Luck (three series in 1987�89); The Mistress (1985�87); Crossroads Mark III (2003) as hotel owner Angel Samson.

In 1994, she portrayed the Doctor Who companion Susan Foreman in a BBC Radio 4 comedy drama Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman? Another notable radio appearance was in The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 2002, in the episode "The Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent Harden". She starred in The World's Biggest Diamond, by Gregory Motton, at the Royal Court Theatre in 2005. In 2006, Asher starred in the Richard Fell adaptation of the 1960s science fiction series A for Andromeda, which aired on the British digital television stationBBC Four. In 2007, she portrayed the widow Sandra in the Frank Oz film Death at a Funeral. Asher appeared in the BBC medical drama, Holby City as Lady Byrne. In October 2007, she played Andrea Yates in The Sarah Jane Adventures, in the episode "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?" Asher co-starred in the 2008 ITV drama series The Palace, filmed in Lithuania; she played Queen Charlotte, mother of King Richard IV. The Palace broadcast on ITV1 in 2008.

In August 2008, Asher appeared in the reality TV talent show-themed television series, Maestro on BBC Two. That summer, she participated in the BBC's Maestro series with other show business personalities.[4][5] In 2009, she played Sally in the BBC One comedy series The Old Guys.

In October 2009, she appeared as Delia in Peter Hall's revival of Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce at the Rose Theatre, Kingston and in her first pantomimeSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsat Richmond Theatre in December 2009, receiving enthusiastic reviews for both.

Asher has written three best-selling novels: The Longing, The Question and Losing It, and published more than a dozen lifestyle, costuming, and cake decorating books. Asher owns a company that makes party cakes and sugar crafts for special occasions.

She is a shareholder in Private Eye, President of Arthritis Care and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.

She is also President of the National Autistic Society, in which she takes an active role. She was a speaker at the launch of the National Autistic Society's "Make School Make Sense" campaign and is President of Parkinson's UK. In March 2010, Asher became Vice President to Autistica, a UK charity raising funds for autism research.

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



 Deaths

Robert Marsden (died 2007 aged 85) - credited as Abraham Lincoln in The Chase

Character actor and singer of songs in children's programmes and variety who first broadcast in 1942

Began his career on the Shakespearean stage at Stratford-on-Avon in 1940 and joined the BBC Drama Repertory Company a few years later.

Primarily an actor on stage and radio, he sometimes served as a stage director and portrayed Abraham Lincoln in many shows including the 1965 Doctor Who story The Chase


John Wiles (died 1999 aged 73) - 4 credits, including Producer for The Myth Makers

John Wiles was a television writer and producer, now best known for being the second producer of Doctor Who, succeeding Verity Lambert. 

He was credited as producer on four serials between 1965 and 1966, namely The Myth MakersThe Daleks' Master Plan (which lasted for twelve episodes), The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve, and The Ark. Only The Ark and three episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan still survive in the BBC's archives. 

Although Wiles had a good working relationship with story editor Donald Tosh, he found that he was unable to make many changes to the format of the programme. Attempts to make the series darker led to clashes with lead actor William Hartnell, who, as the sole remaining member of the original team, saw himself as the guardian of the show's original values. An attempt to give new companion Dodo Chaplet a Cockney accent was vetoed by Wiles' superiors, who ordered that the regulars must speak "BBC English". With Hartnell increasingly in poor health and hostile to Wiles, the latter sought a way to replace the actor. However, this was again opposed by Wiles' superiors. Wiles also disliked the lengthy The Daleks' Master Plan story which had been commissioned by the previous production team and which proved difficult to realise.

One of his few changes that lasted even a short time was to limit nearly all stories to just four episodes. In early 1966 Wiles resigned in frustration over his inability to steer the show in the direction that he wished, and Tosh resigned in sympathy. The tenure of the next producer, Innes Lloyd, coincided with a change in superiors and, consequently, Lloyd was able to both introduce a character with a Cockney accent (Ben Jackson) and replace Hartnell.

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


Gerald Blake (died 1991 aged 62) - 2 credits, including Director for The Abominable Snowmen

Gerald Blake  was a television director during the 1960s to the 1980s.

His numerous credits include The Gentle TouchThe Omega Factor (the episode After-Image), Blake's 7SurvivorsThe Onedin LineOut of the UnknownDoctor Who (the stories The Abominable Snowmen (1967) and The Invasion of Time (1978)), Dr. Finlay's CasebookCompactZ-CarsMr. Palfrey of Westminster, and Coronation Street.