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On This Day (USA) - 4 December



The Daleks' Master Plan: The Traitors premiered on BBC One in 1965 at 5:50pm GMT, watched by 9.50 million viewers.

Arriving on Earth, the Doctor, Steven and Bret Vyon alert Vyon's friend, Daxtar, to the Dalek threat and Mavec Chen's treachery. But whose side is Daxtar really on?


Beyond The Grave premiered on BBC Three in 2006 at 1:10am GMT

 Birthdays
Ross Gurney-Randall was 59 - 2 credits, including Middle Aged Man in The Giggle

Ross Gurney-Randall was born in North London in 1965 and became a professional actor in 1994 and, later, a playwright. Theatre includes Mussolini: A One-Man Political Farce (RGR Edinburgh 2010), Follow Me (Guy Masterson & TTI Edinburgh 2007 – Winner: Herald Angel and Brighton Fringe Award) and Goering’s Defence (Guy Masterson – TTI, Edinburgh 2002), all of which he co-wrote. Other theatre includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Festival Shakespeare Co), Hamlet (Edinburgh ’96 & national tour, Vital Theatre), Moonlight Over India (Komedia Theatre) and The Greatest Hits of British History (National tour for Brighton Theatre Events). 

Comedy includes performances with The Ornate Johnsons, and he is a regular performer in The Treason Show.

TV appearances include Kavanagh QC, The Bill, London’s Burning, The Missing Postman, 2.4 Children, Doctors, Chucklevision, and Crimewatch. Films include Honest and The Big Game.

In 2011′s Brighton Festival and Fringe he won The Latest 7 Award for Best Male Performer for his role as Shirley Crabtree in Big Daddy Vs. Giant Haystacks.

Biography compiled with thanks to Foundry Group.


David Bailie (died 2021 aged 83) would have been 87 - 3 credits, including Dask in The Robots of Death

David Bailie played Dask in the Doctor Who story The Robots of Death and later played the Celestial Toymaker in the Big Finish Productions' audios.

He was born in South Africa, going to boarding school in Swaziland and emigrating to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with his family in 1952.

His first acting experience soon after school in 1955, was an amateur production of 'Doctor in the House' which persuaded him he wanted to be an actor. After leaving school he worked in a bank and then for Central African Airlines. In 1958, he made his first trip from Rhodesia to England to get a lie of the land.

In 1960 he moved to England and landed his first small role in the film Flame in the Streets (1960) and then played on of the bells boys in Arthur Koppits "Oh Dad Poor Dad Mama's hung you in the Closet and I'm feeling so Sad" (1961) with Stella Adler playing Madame Rosepettle.

He was accepted by Laurence Olivier joining the National Theatre. He played minor roles and also understudied Sir Laurence Olivier in Love for Love.

Terry Hands invited Bailie to join them as an associate artist (1965). There he portrayed i.a. Florizel opposite Dame Judi Dench's Perdita in 'A Winter's Tale' along with Valentine in Two Gentlemen of Verona, the Bastard in King John, Kozanka in The Plebeians Rehearse the Uprising and Leslie in The Madness of Lady Bright.

During the early 1970s he worked with Stomu Yamashta at his Red Buddha Theatre. He was cast as the lead in a show called 'Raindog', requiring him to do everything from singing (writing his own songs) and dancing, to performing Martial Arts and gymnastics - which he frankly admits was a demand too far and when Yamashta offered him a paltry sum for performing the opportunity was there to depart which he did.

Between 1980 and 1989 he ran a furniture-making business. In 1990 he closed that down and returned to acting, having in fact to virtually restart his career. It didn't help that at exactly this point he had to have a cancer removed from his lip which required learning to speak again.

In the mid 1990s after playing alongside Brian Glover in Canterbury Tales he made a comeback in the movie business as 'Skewer' in Cutthroat Island (1995), then played an English Judge in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999), and also the engineer in Gladiator (2000).

Bailie's best known work in film is the role of Cotton, a speechless pirate who has his tongue cut out, so he miraculously trained his parrot, also named Cotton, to read his mind and speak on his behalf. Bailie first appears as Cotton in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) as one of the pirates Jack Sparrow chooses in Tortuga. He is one of the Black Pearl crew-members to survive the Kracken attack in the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006). Bailie is also plays Cotton in the third installment of 'Pirates' Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007).

David Bailie also emerged as a radio actor. He played the mad scientist Taren Capel, a re-incarnation of his earlier work from the 60s cult series 'Doctor Who'. He has recently been involved in two audio DVDs playing the memorable character of the 'Celestial Toymaker' from Dr Who.

He now also works as a Professional Photographer! Portraiture and Landscapes being his speciality. He travels nowhere unless his destination offers good Photo opportunities.


Ronnie Corbett (died 2016 aged 85) would have been 94 - credited as Ambassador in From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love(SJA)

Ronnie Corbett, CBE  was a Scottish actor and comedian who had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the television comedy series The Two Ronnies.

Born in Edinburgh, Corbett was educated at the Royal High School, and then served his national service in the Royal Air Force (where he reportedly became the shortest commissioned officer in the British Forces). Following the end of his service, he moved to London in order to become an actor, and initially played schoolboy roles owing to his height in films such as You're Only Young Twice, Fun as St Fanny's and Rockets Galore, and television shows like Rheingold Theatre.

His comedy talent developed over this time, leading him to supporting roles in The Dickie Henderson Show and It's Tarbuck; however it was in 1966 during The Frost Report where he was to first meet and work alongside Ronnie Barker, leading to their successful partnership in The Two Ronnies, which ran between 1971 and 1987 plus specials, making him a household name.

Outside of The Two Ronnies, he appeared in shows like It's Tommy Cooper, and The Prince of Denmark, but his other major television role was as Timothy Lumsden in Sorry!, which ran from 1981-1988. Later work included the films Fierce Creatures, Burke and Hare, and on television in The Ronnie Corbett Show, game show Small Talk, Ronnie's Animal Crackers, The One Ronnie, and also an appearance as 'himself' in both Extras and Little Britain.

Though not directly related to Doctor Who, he "inherits" the TARDIS from a 'Doctor' of sorts played by Ronnie Barker in their 1983 Christmas Special sketch, The Adventures of Archie. He was later to appear in the Sarah Jane Adventures universe, playing an ambassador that later turned out to be a Slitheen in the 2009 Comic Relief segment From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love.

Outside of his career, Corbett was a keen golfer, and was also president of the Lord's Taverners cricketing charity in 1982 and 1987. He received an OBE in 1978 and then a CBE in 2012 for services to entertainment and charity.

He was married to actress and dancer Anne Hart, with two daughters who also act, Emma and Sophie.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article.


Geraldine Stephenson (died 2017 aged 92) would have been 99 - credited as Movement by for The Brain of Morbius

Geraldine Stephenson was a dancer, choreographer, movement director and teacher on more than 150 films and television programmes, and over 200 stage productions.

She was born in Hull in 1925, the daughter of Gordon Stephenson whose building company was involved with the building of the city's University. Having studied at Newland School for Girls she went on to study physiotherapy at Bedford College of Physical Education. It was here that she was introduced to pioneer of modern dance Rudolf Laban and went on to study at his Art of Movement Studio in Manchester, where she sometimes also worked as a pianist and physical trainer to pay her bills.

She continued to work with Laban through the 1940s and 1950s, with her first major engagement being a revival of York Mystery Plays in 1951 as movement director for E Martin Browne.She also had a solo performance career, and was a pioneer of Independence Dance; she had a keen interest in period dance, and in 1956 produced Centuries of Dance at the Park Lane Theatre. She later became president of the Early Dance Circle.

During the height of her career she could be providing choreography on four or five film and television productions a year, as well as a number of stage productions.Films include Barry Lyndon and Notting Hill, whilst BBC productions included classics such as The Pallisers, Poldark, The House of Elliot, and Tenko, not to mention variety entertainment shows including The Two Ronnies. In 1975 she provided choreography for the Sisterhood of Karn's dances in The Brain of Morbius.

Her final professional stage show was the 28th John Strauss Gala at the Royal Festival Hall for Christmas 2004.


 Deaths

George Tovey (died 1982 aged 68) - credited as Ernie Clements in Pyramids of Mars

George Tovey played Ernie Clements in Pyramids of Mars.

He was the father of Roberta Tovey, who portrayed Susan in the two Aaru movies from the 1960s, and the adopted father of actor Russell Tovey

Work includes Jack of DiamondsThe Wicked LadyKelly MonteithThe Kenny Everett Television ShowA Fine RomanceShine on Harvey MoonWhen the Boat Comes InThe Onedin LineHammer House of HorrorBorn and BredTime of My LifeMinderTo the Manor BornHazellTwo's CompanyThe Fall and Rise of Reginald PerrinBBC Play of the MonthPlay for TodaySelwynAngelsPeople Like UsDevenishMind Your LanguageCitizen SmithSeven Faces of WomanRafflesMr. BigThe SweeneyThe CrezzYus My DearCrown CourtAnd Mother Makes FiveShades of GreeneDays of HopeCentre PlayMy Old ManA Little Bit of WisdomOranges & LemonsBlack and BlueSoap Opera in StockwellLove Thy NeighbourSecretsSteptoe and Son Ride AgainThe Dick Emery ShowBaxter!The Rivals of Sherlock HolmesGhost in the Noonday SunThirty Minutes WorthSpring and AutumnDixon of Dock GreenTill Death Us Do PartThirty-Minute TheatreBudgieThe Train Now StandingFrenzyMike and BernieFrom a Bird's Eye ViewThe Mind of Mr. J.G. ReederThe Laughing Stock of TelevisionAlbert!Paul TempleSteptoe and SonSoftly Softly: Task ForceDetectiveMum's BoysA Man of our TimesPoor CowThe VultureAdam Adamant Lives!King of the RiverQuick Before They Catch UsBarney Is My DarlingBindle (One of Them Days)The Wednesday PlayKnock on Any DoorNo Hiding PlaceHMS ParadiseDiary of a Young ManCrooks in Cloisters , The Valiant VarneysTaxi!Boyd Q.C.The Dickie Henderson ShowThe VictoriansITV Play of the WeekThe Edgar Wallace Mystery TheatreColonel Trumper's Private WarThe Secret PartnerITV Television PlayhouseNever Back LosersPaul of TarsusThe Army GameLife in Emergency Ward 10Expresso BongoThe Salvage GangStrangers' MeetingBlack IcePotts and the Phantom PiperO.S.S.Potts, GangbusterPotts in ParoviaQuatermass II