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On This Day (USA) - 25 December



The Daleks' Master Plan: The Feast of Steven premiered on BBC One in 1965 at 6:35pm GMT, watched by 7.90 million viewers.

Arriving in present day England, the Doctor and his companions are arrested. Escaping in the TARDIS, they find themselves on a film set before celebrating Christmas in the TARDIS.


The Christmas Invasion premiered on BBC One in 2005 at 7:02pm GMT, watched by 9.84 million viewers.

Attack of the Graske premiered on BBC Red Button in 2005 at 8:00pm GMT, watched by 0.50 million viewers.

Weevil Fight Club premiered on BBC Three in 2006 at 4:00am GMT

Music and Monsters premiered on BBC One (Scotland, South Wales) in 2006 at 1:00pm GMT, watched by 1.44 million viewers.

This episode goes behind the scenes of The Runaway Bride

Doctor Who Confidential goes behind the scenes of the much heralded musical celebration of Doctor Who, performed in front of a packed house at the home of Cardiff's very own time rift, the Wales Millennium Centre.

With Murray Gold's fantastic score from the first two series receiving the full orchestral treatment, the night proved to be a phenomenal success, and Doctor Who Confidential was there to give you the best seat in the house.

Featuring David Tennant, Russell T Davies, and an exclusive preview of the forthcoming Christmas special The Runaway Bride.


Doctor Who: A Celebration premiered on BBC Red Button in 2006 at 1:50pm GMT

You can watch the full "Doctor Who: A Celebration" concert on interactive television over the Christmas period. The concert took place at the Welsh Millennium Centre in aid of Children in Need, hosted by David Tennant.


The Runaway Bride premiered on BBC One in 2006 at 7:00pm GMT, watched by 9.38 million viewers.

Voyage of the Damned premiered on BBC One in 2007 at 6:51pm GMT, watched by 13.31 million viewers.

Kylie Special premiered on BBC Three in 2007 at 8:30pm GMT

The Next Doctor premiered on BBC One in 2008 at 6:00pm GMT, watched by 13.10 million viewers.

Christmas 2008 Special premiered on BBC Three in 2008 at 7:00pm GMT

Top 5 Christmas Moments premiered on BBC Three in 2008 at 8:00pm GMT

The End of Time: Part One premiered on BBC One in 2009 at 5:59pm GMT, watched by 12.04 million viewers.

Lords and Masters premiered on BBC Three in 2009 at 7:00pm GMT

A Christmas Carol premiered on BBC One in 2010 at 6:01pm GMT, watched by 12.11 million viewers.

Christmas Special 2010 premiered on BBC Three in 2010 at 7:00pm GMT

The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe premiered on BBC One in 2011 at 6:59pm GMT, watched by 10.77 million viewers.

The Snowmen premiered on BBC One in 2012 at 5:14pm GMT, watched by 9.87 million viewers.
1892: snowfall is making for a picture postcard Christmas Eve, but a chilling menace threatens Earth as an unorthodox young governess, Clara, calls on the Doctor for help. He, however, is in mourning, reclusive and intent on ignoring the problems of the universe.

The TARDIS on Teesside premiered on BBC Local Radio (BBC Teeside) in 2013 at 12:00pm GMT
Bob Fischer celebrates 50 years of Doctor Who, speaking to fans.

Phil Trow: Sir Derek Jacobi premiered on BBC Local Radio (BBC Manchester) in 2013 at 5:00pm GMT
Phil spends an hour in conversation with stage, TV and film actor Sir Derek Jacobi. You'll hear how he grew up in London, about his appearance in Doctor Who and what his mum thought of his first role.

The Time of the Doctor premiered on BBC One in 2013 at 7:30pm GMT, watched by 11.14 million viewers.

The massed forces of the universe's deadliest alien species are drawn to a quiet planet by a mysterious message echoing out to the stars.


Last Christmas premiered on BBC One in 2014 at 6:14pm GMT, watched by 8.28 million viewers.

Under attack on an Arctic base, the Doctor and Clara appear to be facing their doom. Will Santa offer the gift of salvation? Nick Frost and Michael Troughton guest-star.


Doctor Who Extra: Last Christmas premiered on BBC Red Button in 2014 at 7:10pm GMT, watched by 0.02 million viewers.

The Infinite Monkey Cage Christmas Special: The Science of Doctor Who premiered on Radio 4 in 2015 at 4:27pm GMT

Brian Cox and Robin Ince celebrate the festive season with a look at the science of Doctor Who. Swapping the infinite cage for the Tardis, they are joined on stage by comedian Ross Noble, Professor Fay Dowker, Oscar winning special FX director Paul Franklin, author and Doctor Who writer Simon Guerrier and the Very Reverend Victor Stock. They discuss the real science of time travel, the tardis and why wormholes are inaccurately named (according to Ross!).


The Husbands of River Song premiered on BBC One in 2015 at 5:17pm GMT, watched by 7.69 million viewers.

When a crashed spaceship calls upon his help, the Time Lord finds himself launched on a chase across the galaxy. Greg Davies and Matt Lucas guest-star.


The Husbands of River Song premiered on BBC America in 2015 at 9:00pm EST, watched by 1.24 million viewers.

It's Christmas Day on a remote human colony and the Doctor is hiding from Christmas Carols and Comedy Antlers. But when a crashed spaceship calls upon the Doctor, he finds himself recruited into River Song's squad and into a chase across the galaxy.


The Return Of Doctor Mysterio premiered on BBC One in 2016 at 5:44pm GMT, watched by 7.83 million viewers.

As brain-swapping aliens prepare to attack New York, the Doctor and Nardole link up with an investigative reporter an a masked superhero.


The Return Of Doctor Mysterio premiered on BBC America in 2016 at 9:00pm EST, watched by 1.14 million viewers.

The Doctor join forces with a masked Superhero for an epic New York adventure. With brain-swapping aliens poised to attack, the Doctor and Nardole link up with an investigative reporter and a mysterious figure known only as The Ghost.


Twice Upon A Time premiered on BBC One in 2017 at 5:28pm GMT, watched by 7.92 million viewers.

A British Army captain is plucked from the First World War trenches in the final chapter of the 12th Doctor's story, in which he faces his past to decide his future.


 Birthdays
Georgia Moffett will be 40 - 8 credits, including Cassie Rice in Dreamland

Georgia Moffett is an English actress. 

Moffett was born in West London, the daughter of actors Peter Davison (born Peter Moffett) and Sandra Dickinson. She is best known for her role as Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon's daughter Abigail in The Bill and the Doctor's daughter Jenny in The Doctor's Daughter.

Moffett attended St Edward's School in Oxford and made her debut on television at the age of 15 in 1999 in Peak Practice, playing Nicki Davey. Moffett has also appeared in television dramas such as The Second Quest and Like Father Like Son. She played downtrodden Alice Harding in the ITV1 drama Where the Heart Is in 2004 and 2005 and has performed alongside her father, Peter Davison, in Fear, Stress & Anger andThe Last Detective

In 2007 she made her theatrical debut as Mathilde Verlaine in Total Eclipse at London's Menier Chocolate Factory.

In May 2008, Moffett starred as the Doctor's cloned daughter, Jenny, in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter". Moffett's father, Peter Davison, is known for portraying the fifth incarnation of the Doctor

In August 2008, Moffett starred in series one of BBC Three's spy spin-off Spooks: Code 9 as Kylie Roman.

In 2009 she voiced the role of Cassie Rice in the BBC's Animated Adventure Doctor Who: Dreamland starring David Tennant, and also portrayed Lady Vivian in the "Sweet Dreams" episode of the BBC drama Merlin.

In June 2010 she performed in the short play Hens, which ran for four performances at the Riverside Studios and was later broadcast on Sky Arts 2, and also played a cameo role in the TV drama Thorne: Sleepyhead as the wife of one of the junior detectives (appearing in one scene in episode two, and one non-speaking scene in episode three). In March 2011 she acted in the BBC Three sitcom White Van Man.  A second series began broadcasting in February 2012. Also in 2012, Moffett will appear in the play What The Butler Saw at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.

Moffett has a son, Tyler who made his acting debut in May 2010, in a TV commercial for The Great British Teddy Bear Company.

Moffett married Tenth Doctor Tennant on 30 December 2011. The have a daughter born in march 2011 and Tennant has adopted Moffett's son Tyler. 

Neither Tennant nor Moffett have ever spoken about their relationship publicly, and they have never posed for press photographers together.

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


Griffin Matthews will be 43 - credited as Young Man in Immortal Sins(TW)

American Actor who has appeared in Torchwood

Graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. 

Grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his mother, father, and two brothers. 

Lives in LA and NYC and is the founder of UgandaProject, a nonprofit organization that sponsors the educations of orphans living in Uganda. He has also co-written a documentary musical, Witness Uganda, that details the journey of starting the organization and the complexities that followed. UgandaProject.com


Edward Burnham (died 2015 aged 98) would be 108 - 2 credits, including Professor Watkins in The Invasion

Edward Burnham had two major roles in Doctor Who. In 1968 he played Professor Watkins, the uncle of Isobel, in 4 episodes of the second Doctor story The Invasion. He returned to the series at the end of 1974 in Tom Baker's début story Robot, playing Professor Kettlewell, the creator of the Experimental Prototype Robot K1. 

He was born in Stafford in England.

Edward Burnham was an actor for over 60 years, appearing on Television as early as 1938 in productions of The Marvellous History of St. Bernard and The Swiss Family Robinson. In 1959 he appeared in the science fiction series Quatermass and the Pit. Other roles followed in productions such as The Citadel, Z Cars, The Plane Makers, To Sir, with Love, The Pallisers, The Search for the Nile, Churchill's People, All Creatures Great and Small and Nicholas Nickleby. In the early 1960's he played Dr. Dorking and Dr. Danvers White in Emergency-Ward 10 and in 1985 he played Mr. Grimwig in Terrance Dicks's production of Oliver Twist. He also appeared in the feature films 10 Rillington Place, Young Winston and The Hiding Place

 

His Daughter Vin Burnham is a costume and puppet designer who worked as a free-lance contributor to several Creature Shop projects in the 80s and 90s. 


 Deaths
Richard Franklin (died 2023 aged 87) - 28 credits, including Mike Yates in Planet of the Spiders

Richard Franklin was a British actor, best known for his long running role of Captain Mike Yates during the Pertwee era.

He reprised the role along side Tom Baker in a series of Audio stories for BBC Audio.

He has had various roles in different television programmes including Crossroads (January - June 1969, as Joe Townsend) and Emmerdale Farm (1988-89, as Dennis Rigg). Franklin has stood for Parliament on several occasions and works today primarily as a theatre director.

He also guest-starred in a number of Big Finish Productions audio plays including Professor Bernice Summerfield: Dragons' WrathSapphire and Steel: The Surest Poisonand I, Davros: Innocence.

His other acting television appearances include: Blake's 7Dixon of Dock GreenThe SaintThe Millicent Martin ShowLittle WomenThe PathfindersCatherine Cookson's The Gambling Man(1995) and more recently Heartbeat (1997, as a Doctor). In terms of his political work, this has led to appearances on Campaign Calendar (Yorkshire TV) and an election speech at the Liberal Democrat Conference (broadcast by Sky TV in 1993).

His theatre acting work includes Peter Dews' production of As You Like ItSame Time Next Year (Prince of Wales Theatre), Macbeth (RSC), Rocky Horror Show (as the Narrator), The Spider's Web (UK Tour for Ian Dickens), Romeo and Juliet (UK Tour with Sean Maguire), The Importance of Being Earnest (English Speaking Theatre, Frankfurt) and many pantomimes. On radio he played Harrison Howell in the BBC Radio 2 production of Kiss Me Kate (1996).

Richard has in recent years produced an annual production as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has also been an artistic and associate director of a number of theatres.

He has maintained his contact with Doctor Who and appears regularly at conventions and contributing to video projects for Reeltime Pictures in their spin-off interview and documentary productions. 

Franklin also wrote a novel featuring his Who character, Mike Yates, The Killing Stone, but it has been released only as an audio book, read by the author.

In 2009 Franklin starred in various music clips from the band Noah and the Whale.

He also played 'The Narrator' in the tour version of The Rocky Horror Show.


Peter Fletcher (died 2017) - credited as Boom Operator for An Unearthly Child
Peter Fletcher was a boom operator who worked on several Doctor Who episodes as part of the crew, including An Unearthly Child.

Peter Jeffrey (died 1999 aged 70) - 2 credits, including Pilot in The Macra Terror

Peter Jeffrey  was a British actor with many roles in television and film.

He had two main roles in Doctor Who, as Count Grendel in the serial The Androids of Tara and as the Colony Pilot in The Macra Terror. It is reputed he had been offered the role of the lead character in the show by Innes Lloyd in 1966, but turned it down; Patrick Troughton was cast instead. 

Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence Alice (n�e Weight) and Arthur Winfred Gilbert Jeffrey. 

He was educated at Harrow School and Pembroke College, Cambridge but had no formal training as an actor. After many years on stage with the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company, he became a very familiar face to British television viewers. Numerous television roles include the BBC serial Elizabeth R, he played King Philip II of Spain. He also appeared inPorridgeQuillerRising DampNannyMinderYes Minister and many others.

Jeffrey died on 25 December 1999 from prostate cancer.

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


Terence Dudley (died 1988 aged 69) - 5 credits, including Writer for Four To Doomsday

Terence Dudley was a television director andproducer who directed many programs for the BBC over a number of years.

In the early 1970s, Dudley produced the BBC science fiction series Doomwatch. Between 1975 and 1977 he produced the series Survivors, directing many episodes. He also wrote the script for the season 3 premiere episode, entitled Manhunt. His son, Stephen Dudley, had a regular part in the program.

In 1980 he began an association with Doctor Who when he directed Meglos for John Nathan-Turner. That same year, he was asked to become producer of Blake's 7 after David Maloney was re-assigned before it was known that a fourth season would be made. Dudley turned the offer down, as he no longer wished to work as a producer. The following year he embarked on a brief career as a screenwriter for Doctor Who. He wrote three scripts for the programme - Four to DoomsdayBlack Orchid and The King's Demons. He novelized the latter two stories forTarget Books. He also wrote the script of K-9 and Company, the unsuccessful pilot for a spin-off involving Sarah-Jane and K9.

Terence Dudley died after a long period of cancer on Christmas Day 1988.

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