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On This Day (USA) - 23 April



The Celestial Toymaker: The Final Test premiered on BBC One in 1966 at 5:50pm BST, watched by 7.80 million viewers.

Steven and Dodo compete against nasty schoolboy Cyril as the Doctor realises that winning the game may actually be worse than losing.


World War Three premiered on BBC One in 2005 at 7:01pm BST, watched by 7.98 million viewers.

As mankind's first interplanetary war edges closer, can the missiles be stopped?

Doctor Who Confidential, 7.45pm, BBC3.


Why on Earth? premiered on BBC Three in 2005 at 7:45pm BST

This episode goes behind the scenes of World War Three

Why would a Time Lord from Gallifrey have such an affinity for mere mortals? Doctors past and present talk about his relationship with humans. Plus his long history with the top-secret UNIT outfit and a look behind the scenes at the Slitheen.


The Impossible Astronaut premiered on BBC One in 2011 at 6:01pm BST, watched by 8.86 million viewers.

My Sarah Jane premiered on CBBC in 2011 at 6:45pm BST, watched by 0.71 million viewers.

A celebration of the Doctor's greatest companion, adventurer and time traveller Sarah Jane Smith, played by the late Elisabeth Sladen. Contributors include David Tennant and Matt Smith.


Coming to America premiered on BBC Three in 2011 at 7:00pm BST

This episode goes behind the scenes of The Impossible Astronaut

In Utah, the episode director tries to find the perfect movie-style backdrop to one of the most ambitious scenes to date, Matt Smith dons his stetson and gives a run-down of the USA filming and the crew talk about the thrills of filming in the Utah desert. Featuring interviews with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston.


Friend from The Future premiered on BBC One in 2016 at 6:15pm BST

 Birthdays

Verona Joseph will be 50 - credited as Penny Carter in Partners in Crime

Verona Joseph is a British actress. 

She played the role of Jess Griffin in the BBC drama series, Holby City between 2002 and 2006 but made reappearances during 2006, 2007 and 2010. In 2004, she appeared in the first series of the BBC dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing with her professional dance partner Paul Killick. She appeared in the first episode of series four of Doctor Who as Penny, a journalist.

Joseph married director Farren Blackburn in 2004. She has a son Terrell and two daughters Elsie-Mae and Ruby Rose.

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


Jack May (died 1997 aged 75) would be 102 - credited as General Hermack in The Space Pirates

Jack May was an English actor. Born in Henley-on-Thames, he was educated at Forest School, Walthamstow and after war service with the Royal Indian Navy in India was offered a place at RADA, but he instead went to Merton College, Oxford. Here with the OUDS he played parts, which included John of Gaunt in Richard II and Polonius inHamlet.

On television he became familiar as the butler William E. Simms in two series of the BBC1 fantasy/adventure television series Adam Adamant Lives! from 1966–67.

A noted voice actor, he provided the voice for Igor, long-suffering butler to Count Duckula in the cartoon series of the same name. He also appeared as the waiter Garkbit in the television version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyThéoden in the 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, as General Hermack in the 1969 Doctor Who serial The Space Pirates, and in Bachelor Father. The long-running BBC Radio 4 series, The Archers also featured the voice of May as Nelson Gabriel, son of Walter Gabriel.

His other credits in film and television included Dr. Denny in the 1960 serial The Citadel, and the District Commissioner in The Man Who Would Be King (1975).

On stage he played many leading and supporting roles, spending five years with Birmingham Repertory Theatre during which time he attracted considerable notice in the title part of Shakespeare's Henry VI. This trilogy of plays came to the Old Vic in London, and from then on began to be far more regularly revived. For Birmingham Rep, he also played parts as diverse as Richard II, Alec in Coward's Still Life (the story better known as Brief Encounter) and the Elephant in Obey's Noah. He returned to the Old Vic for the 1958-59 season, as Julius Caesar among other parts. Later stage roles included The Headmaster in A Voyage Round My Father, and Colonel Pickering in Pygmalion with Alec McCowenand Diana Rigg.

In 1957, he married the actress Petra Davies who survives him together with his daughter Henrietta and his son, David.

He played the voice of Muzzy in Muzzy in Gondoland.

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


Gerald Theron Campion (died 2002 aged 81) would be 103 - credited as Wilkin in Shada

Gerald Campion  was an English actor best known for his role as Billy Bunter in a 1950s television adaptation of books by Frank Richards.

 In 1979 he recorded an appearance in Shada, a Doctor Who story which was recorded in part but never broadcast.

Campion appeared in numerous films and television programmes mostly comedies. In 1937 he appeared in Tavs Neiiendam's radio play "Inspiration to a Poet" on the BBC Home Service.

His only major success was as Bunter, a juvenile role he played successfully despite being much older than his character.


Leslie French (died 1999 aged 94) would be 120 - credited as Mathematician in Silver Nemesis

Leslie French was a British actor of stage and screen.

French was considered for the role of the First Doctor. He finally appeared in the programme in its 1988 serial, Silver Nemesis, playing the Mathematician.

French was born in Bromley, Kent and was educated at the London School of Choristers. 

He made his first appearance as a child actor in a 1914 Christmas show at the Little Theatre.

In 1930 he joined the Old Vic, where he played Poins in Henry IV, Part I, Eros in Antony and Cleopatra, the Fool in King Lear and the role with which he became most associated with, Ariel in The Tempest. French was the first male actor to essay the role of Ariel for many years and did so in nothing more than a small loincloth, helping to make this version something of a talking point at the time. French and Gielgud were also the inspiration for Eric Gill's carving of Prospero and Ariel above the entrance to the then new Broadcasting House in Portland Place.

In 1955 he helped to establish the open air Maynardville Theatre in Cape Town, South Africa which had multi-racial casts performing to multi-racial audiences. In 1963 he was awarded the key to the city for his work with the theatre.

As well as the classics, French also appeared in musical revue, pantomime and ballet

He also made the occasional foray into film and television, appearing in two Luchino Visconti films, The Leopard (1963) and Death in Venice (1971), as well as many popular British television programmes. These include Dixon of Dock Green, Armchair Theatre, Z-Cars, The Avengers, Jason King and The Singing Detective.


 Deaths
Edward Kelsey (died 2019 aged 88) - 3 credits, including Edu in The Creature from the Pit

Edward Kelsey  was a British actor of stage and screen as well as a voiceover artist. He is perhaps best recognised as the voice of Joe Grundy on the long-running BBC radio soap opera The Archers - a role he took over in 1985.

He was born in Petersfield, Hampshire, and became involved in theatricals at school. He studied at local Churcher's College during the war, and then went on to study medicince at the University of London, but dropped out after a couple of years. During National Service with the Royal Air Force he continued with amateur dramatics which led him to win a place at the Royal Academy of Music where he studied speech and teaching drama.

Much of his early career was with the theatre, and then with a multitude of appearances in television programmes, which as well as his appearances in Doctor Who also included series such as The AvengersSoftly, SoftlyThe SaintPublic Eye,Dempsey & MakepeaceZ-CarsJuliet Bravo, Casualty, The Wind in The Willows, The Vicar of Dibley and Tripods.

He voiced the characters of Colonel K and Baron Silas Greenback in Danger Mouse by Cosgrove Hall, and The Thing in Terry Pratchetts's Truckers.He also portrayed Mr Growbag in Aardman's Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit.He can also be heard as the voice behind the descriptive commentary for the blind at the Palace of Westminster.

In 1992 he became an associate member in the Royal Academy of Music, where he had sat on the Examining Board for many years. He was also long-serving member of the audio commitee in Equity. He married Birgit Johansson in 1955, and they had three children, Christopher, Peter and Lisbet.


Denis Goacher (died 1998 aged 72) - credited as Control Voice in The Macra Terror

Denis Goacher was a poet, translator, actor and broadcaster who provided a voice in The Macra Terror.


William Hartnell (died 1975 aged 67) - 38 credits, including Dr. Who in An Unearthly Child

William Hartnell was the actor who originated the role of the Doctor in the 1960s, playing the first incarnation of the character for BBC Television from 1963 to 1966.

Emerging from a difficult family background about which he was later evasive, Hartnell held down a succession of short-term odd jobs before turning to acting in the 1920s. He enjoyed success as a touring repertory actor, and in the 1930s began appearing in films, particularly the "quota quickies" companies were obliged to release to fulfil their obligations to promote British film. Here Hartnell developed his talents as a light comedy actor, but it was not until the Second World War that his reputation began to flourish. After being invalided out of the army, he appeared as the sergeant in the well-received propaganda piece The Way Ahead, and this helped him to develop a reputation for such tough-guy roles that won him many major supporting parts. Of all the actors to have played the Doctor he had the most successful film career, with major roles in landmark films such as Brighton Rock, as the eponymous sergeant in Carry On Sergeant and, cast against type in a sensitive character part, in the film version of This Sporting Life.

It was this role that led producer Verity Lambert to offer him the part of the Doctor. Although Hartnell was initially uncertain about it, Lambert and director Waris Hussein persuaded him to accept the part, and it became the role for which he is best remembered, making him a household name in 1960s Britain. Hartnell became incredibly attached to the role and particularly enjoyed the attention and affection it brought him from children, groups of whom would follow him around his local village. He would often happily open fetes and other functions in costume and character as the Doctor. Although ill health forced him to reluctantly relinquish the part in 1966, he remained fond of the series and in 1972, with his health rapidly deteriorating even further, battled his failing memory to film one final performance as the character in the tenth anniversary special The Three Doctors, which aired between December 30, 1972 and January 20, 1973. It was his final professional performance; he died on April 23, 1975, aged 67.

The actor is played by David Bradley in the 50th Anniversary drama An Adventure In Space And Time.