Science fiction news
Profilic composer and musician Derek Wadsworth has died. Wadsworth is most reknowned in the television world for scoring the Second Season of the cult Gerry Anderson series 'Space: 1999' in 1976. Multi-talented and with a passion for jazz, Wadsworth (notably a hugely successful trombone player) also scored the pilot episode of Gerry Anderson's 'The Day After Tomorrow' which was never picked up for a full series, as well as writing for a handful of other television series. A regular music writer for popular singers Wadsworth worked with Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland, Nina Simone, Kate Bush, David Essex, Cat Stevens, Tom Jones, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick to name just a few, often working with them as composer, arranger or as a session musician. Wrongly snubbed by the official Gerry Anderson website Fanderson, which usually includes an Obituary for all those who worked on Anderson's shows. Wadsworth died on 8th December 2008, following a long illness at the age of 69. A true talent, he will be sorely missed.
Profilic film, television and stage actor John Ringham has died. Ringham, who started his career in 1948 as part of the Compass Players founded by later Doctor Who director John Crockett, went on to appear in a number of hit TV series including 'The Baron', 'The Troubleshooters', 'Dad's Army' and 'Catweazle' but Doctor Who fans will remember him for his appearances as Tlotoxl in the Doctor Who story 'The Aztecs' in 1964 and as Robert Ashe in the story 'Colony in Space' in 1971. He also appeared in the now missing story 'The Smugglers' shortly before William Hartnell's departure as the First Doctor in 1966. He also appeared in 'The Avengers' and 'Z-Cars' to name a few of his other appearances. Working until his death, Ringham can more recently be seen in 'The Darling Buds of May', 'Birds of a Feather' as well as a notable appearance in the 2005 blockbuster film 'V for Vendetta' starring Natalie Portman and Stephen Fry. He is also famous for his regular role of Norman Warrender in the sitcom 'Just Good Friends' broadcast between 1983 and 1986 and his appearances in the Terry's Chocolate Orange adverts spoofing Indiana Jones. His last television appearance was in an episode of 'Doctors' which was screened earlier this year. An excellent television actor who will be sorely missed by the industry, Ringham died on 20th October 2008, aged 80.
UFO actor Peter Gordeno has died. Made a household name in the cult Gerry Anderson series which was broadcast between 1970 and 1971, Gordeno follows a long line of the series actors who have died in the past three years, including series regulars Ed Bishop, George Sewell, Hary Baird and Michael Billington. A successful dancer and musician, Gordeno worked extensively with James Bond composer John Barry in the 1960's and would later star in the films 'Urge to Kill' in 1988 and 'Carry on Columbus' in 1992. The Burmese actor is still however most remembered for his excellent performance as Capt. Peter Carlin in 7 episodes of 'UFO'. A noted actor, choreographer, dancer and singer, Gordeno died on 18th October 2008 aged 69. This marks another huge loss to the industry and marks more sad news for fans of 'UFO'.
Legendary television and film actor Peter Copley has died. A profilic actor of stage and screen Copley started his film career in 1934 appearing in the film 'Tell Me if it Hurts' as a Waiter. What followed was a career stretching over 70 years. Copley notably appeared beside Ronald Howard in two episodes of the American 'Sherlock Holmes' TV series of the 1950's. He is most recognised by Doctor Who fans as Warlock in the classic 1975 story 'Pyramids of Mars'. Amongst these appearances Copley also featured in episodes of 'Doomwatch', 'The Avengers', 'Out of the Unknown', 'Survivors', 'The New Avengers', 'Maigret', 'The Saint', 'The Forsyte Saga', 'Danger Man', 'The Champions' and 'Paul Temple' and na appearance in the Hammer feature film 'Quatermass and the Pit' in 1967. Still working in the business up to his death, Copley has also appeared in 'The Last Detective' opposite fifth doctor Peter Davison, 'Jonathan Creek', 'The Famous Five', 'Doctors', 'Oliver Twist' and his final appearance in the TV version of Terry Pratchett's 'Colour of Magic' released earlier this year. A wonderful character actor, with a huge output of film, television and stage productions with his credit, Copley died on 7th October 2008 aged 93.
Ian Collier, the actor who played Omega in the Doctor Who story 'Arc of Infinity' as well as Stuart Hyde in the earlier story 'The Time Monster' has died. A talented actor, with a marvellous voice, Collier started his career in a television production of 'Hamlet' in 1969. He went on to appear in 'Rentaghost', 'Target', 'The Sweeney', 'Minder' and several other big television series during his career, as well as occasionally appearing in film and in the theatre. He is best remembered, however for playing Omega (assuming the role from Stephen Thorne, who had played him in 'The Three Doctors') in the 1983 Doctor Who story 'Arc of Infinity' opposite Peter Davison, and had previously appeared as Stuart Hyde in the 1972 story 'The Time Monster'. A regular guest at Science fiction conventions, Collier had more recently reprised his role as Omega in a Big Finish Doctor Who audio adventure and had retired from acting in 2005. His last television appearance was in an episode of the successful 'Paul Merton: The Series' opposite great comedian Paul Merton in 1993 and was interviewed for the DVD release of 'Arc of Infinity' last year. Ian Collier died on 1st October 2008. He will be sadly missed by Doctor Who fans and television enthusiasts alike.
Robert Russell, the tall and commanding actor who portrayed The Caber in the classic Doctor Who story 'Terror of the Zygons' and Laran in the Season One episode of Blakes 7 'Cygnus Alpha' has died. Reknowned for his height of 6"3 inches, and powerful presence Russell also appeared in the Space: 1999 episode 'Mission of the Darians' opposite Joan Collins and episodes of 'Z - Cars', 'The Champions', 'Randall and Hopkirk Deceased' and many more. He also portrayed Williams in 'The Sign of Four' one of two films starring the late Ian Richardson (father of Miles Richardson) as Sherlock Holmes. A versatile and talented actor, Robert Russell died on 12th May 2008.
Versatile actress Elizabeth Spriggs noted for her appearance in the 1987 Doctor Who story 'Paradise Towers' has died. Spriggs was an extremely prominent actress on both stage and screen. Throughout her career she appeared in a number of high profile productions including 'Julius Caesar', 'Jeeves and Wooster' and 'The Tomorrow People' and more recently 'Randall and Hopkirk Deceased' and a memorable appearance in 'Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone' in 2001. Her final appearances include roles in 'Midsomer Murders' and 'Love Soup'. A hugely talented actress, remembered by Doctor Who fans for playing Tabby in 'Paradise Towers' Spriggs died on 2nd July 2008 aged 78.
Bruce Purchase, the New Zealand actor famous for his role as the Captain in the Doctor Who story 'The Pirate Planet' has died. A successful stage, television and film actor, Purchase made a number of appearances in hugely successful and memorable productions including the Blakes 7 episode 'The Keeper' and as Tommy Roach in the 1979 final 'Quatermass' serial. Amongst these appearances he also starred in 'Doomwatch', 'Callan', 'Rumpole of the Bailey', 'The New Avengers', 'The Tripods', 'Casualty' and 'The Bill'. His last stafe appearance was in late 2007. An excellent actor, Purchase died on 5th June 2008 at the age of 69.
Bernard Archard, the legendary actor who played Dr. Marcus Scarman in the 1975 Doctor Who classic 'Pyramids of Mars' has died. A prolific stage, film and television actor Archard's first role was as Dr. Masters in the short lived television series 'Kenilworth' in 1957, although he had been acting on stage since the late 1940's. Archard went onto appear in several major television series and films including 'Danger-Man', 'Out of the Unknown' and 'The Avengers' as well as the Hammer Horror film 'The Horror of Frankenstein' and of course the notable role of Major Fullard in 'Dad's Army - the film' in 1971. In the Doctor Who world Archard became quite a legend for his excellent performance as Marcus Scarman in 'Pyramids of Mars' but the profilic actor also appeared in the story 'Power of the Daleks' in 1966 as Bragen. Archard worked in the industry until the early 1990's - his last roles being in 'Keeping Up Appearances' and 'Emmerdale'. An excellent actor with a memorable screen presence, Archard died on 1st May 2008 at the age of 91.
The excellent television and film composer, who was the second regular incidental music composer on Doctor Who has died. A supremely talented musician Cary owned one of the first independent electronic music studios in the UK, which he famously used to create the unearthly unorganic score to 'The Daleks' - the second Doctor Who story in 1963. The score was so successful that it was reused a number of times in later stories including 'The Power of the Daleks' and others. His last score for the series was in 1972 with 'The Mutants' - a remarkably abstract piece of work that covers the action on screen in a particularly innovative way. Cary not only produced a number of CD's of his music, but also wrote the music for several notable films including 'The Ladykillers' in 1955, 'Daylight Robbery' and scores for the Hammer films 'Quatermass and the Pit' and 'Blood from the Mummy's Tomb'. Emigrating to Australia in his later years, Cary remained active in the music business, still working up to his death. He died on 28th April 2008, aged 82. One of the finest and most original composers of Doctor Who, a pioneer in the industry Cary and his work will be sorely missed.
Noted science fiction writer, poet and author Johnny Byrne has died. Amongst many other projects, the most famous of which being the popular ITV series 'Heartbeat' which Byrne created in 1992, Johnny Byrne wrote 3 Doctor Who stories, the excellent 'The Keeper of Traken', 'Arc of Infinity' and finally 'Warriors of the Deep' in 1984. His talents for science fiction were made evident for his excellent work as Script Editor and key writer in the 1970's Gerry Anderson series 'Space: 1999' which he was involved with for both seasons. A talented writer who could pen virtually anything, Byrne also wrote episodes of 'All Creatures Great and Small' and 'Tales of the Unexpected'. Byrne, who had been suffering from cancer died on 3rd April 2008 aged 72.
Doctor Who and Blakes 7 actor Kevin Stoney has died. A versatile actor who first appeared in television roles in the early 1950's, Stoney made a name for himself playing villains in programmes like Doctor Who and Blakes 7, as well as other noted programmes like Space: 1999, The Avengers and The New Avengers. A hugely successful actor, Stoney is most well known for playing Mavic Chen in the Doctor Who story 'The Dalek Masterplan' and Tobias Vaughn in 'The Invasion'. So good was his performance in the former that he actually won the Daily Mail's 1965 "Villain of the Year Award" for the role of Mavic Chen. His last appearance in Doctor Who was as Tyrum in the 1975 Doctor Who story 'Revenge of the Cybermen'. He would go on to make two notable appearances in Blakes 7 as the Cold and calculating Councillor Joban in the Season 2 episode 'Hostage' and later as blind man Ardus in the Season 4 episode 'Animals'. Both appearances were small but he nonetheless stole the scene! He would go on to make appearances in the excellent 1979 Quatermass serial alongside Sir John Mills and also an episode of 'Inspector Morse' and 'Alleyn Mysteries'. After his retirement from acting in 1993 he appeared at several Doctor Who conventions and had been a supporter of many Who related events since the mid 1980's. He was also able to contribute to the DVD releases of 'The Dalek Masterplan' episode 2, and 'The Invasion' between 2004 - 2006. A truly marvellous and underrated actor, arguably the best guest actor to appear in Doctor Who, Kevin Stoney died on 20th January 2008 aged 86, after a long battle with skin cancer. He will be sadly missed by fans of Doctor Who in particular, but also by all those that his work touched.
Space: 1999 actor Barry Morse has died. An established actor who appeared in literally hundreds of TV series and also films, Morse started his acting career in 1942 in a film called 'Goose Steps Out'. He would go on to forge a successful acting career both in his home country of England and also in Canada and America, where he appeared in all but 5 episodes of the hugely successful 60's series 'The Fugitive' alongside David Janssen and also starred in an episode of 'The Outer Limits' to name just a couple of his many appearances. Best remembered by many as Dr. Victor Bergman in the first season of Space: 1999, Morse became a key player in the many Gerry Anderson conventions here and abroad, and recently published an autobiography, with a foreword by his Space: 1999 co - star and friend Martin Landau, who played the lead character Commander John. Koenig. Some of his last television appearances include an episode of 'Waking the Dead', an episode of 'Doctors' and the Patrick Swayze TV film 'Icon'. He died on 2nd February 2008 aged 89.
Doctor Who's first producer, Verity Lambert has died. A talented and resourceful producer, Lambert was given the opportunity to oversee the BBC's new ambitious science fiction series in 1963, with the assistance of Mervyn Pinfield. She was only 28, but after a year Pinfield had left and she was the sole producer of Doctor Who. Under her supervision the show would grow in popularity, and the series certainly has a huge debt to her. She was a key contributor into the creation of Doctor Who, a legacy which will live on forever. After leaving Doctor Who in 1965 she went on to work for numerous companies - including Thames Television and Euston Films as a producer. In later years, she developed her own production company called Cinema Verity. In conjunction with the BBC this company would produce such successful shows as Jonathan Creek and Love Soup. She remained working and producing series up to her death, and died two weeks before she was due to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Film and Television Awards, which was presented to her this month. Without her, Doctor Who would have not been the success it became, and thus all of the series fans are indebted to her. She will be sorely missed. She died on 22nd November 2007, aged 71.
Peter Moffatt, director of six Doctor Who stories has died. An accomplished and professional director, he worked in television for over 30 years - working on an innumerable amount of successful series from Sexton Blake to Juliet Bravo and of course Eastenders to name just a few. Able to turn his directorial hand to pretty much anything, Moffatt made great friendships in the industry - particularly in working on All Creatures Great and Small in which he became friends with Doctor number 5 Peter Davison and Doctor Who producer John Nathan Turner, both of which he would work with just a few years later in Doctor Who. He also had the distinction of directing the epic 20th Anniversary story 'The Five Doctors' in 1983 - which ran for 90 minutes and featured a host of monsters from the programme. He retired in 1988, but more recently has taken part in a number of Doctor Who DVD commentaries and features for the last story he directed 'The Two Doctors' and also 'The Visitation' as well as a short interview for the recent 'New Beginnings' boxset which was released earlier this year. He will be sadly missed and remembered by Doctor Who fans. He died on 21st October 2007, aged 85.
Canadian actress Lois Maxwell, famous for playing Miss Moneypenny in the first 14 Bond films has died. As well as these roles she provided the voice to Atlanta Shore in the famous Gerry Anderson puppet series 'Stingray' and also appeared in two episodes of his live action series 'UFO'. Remaining close to the franchise, Maxwell has appeared in many Bond related documentaries since she left the role of Moneypenny in 1985 after appearing with three different Bonds - Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore. She lived in Australia for the remaining years of her life, and had been suffering from bowel cancer for some time. A fantastic, versatile actress with a inimitable voice and screen presence, Maxwell died on 29th September 2007 aged 80.
The excellent actor John Normington has died. He is well known for Doctor Who fans for his marvellous performances in both 'The Caves of Androzani' and 'The Happiness Patrol' in which he played the evil and ruthless Morgus in the first story and the doddering Trevor Sigma in the latter. A familiar face on stage and screen Normington also appeared in such classic TV series as 'Yes Minister' and the classic film 'Thirty Nine Steps' (1978). His last role was as Billy Rice in the stage play 'The Entertainer' for which he received critical acclaim, but sadly had to pull out this February due to ill health. A terrific actor who will be greatly missed by all who know of his work, Normington died on 26th July 2007 aged 70.
The voice actor Peter Tuddenham who did the voices to Zen and Orac, and later the computer Slave in 49 episodes of Blakes 7 has died following a short illness aged 88. An experienced voice artiste who worked on a wide range of projects on both TV and Radio, he also had guest starring roles in TV series such as 'Only Fools and Horses'. He also worked as a voice artist for the Doctor Who stories 'The Masque of Mandragora' and 'Time and the Rani'. He will be greatly missed by science fiction fans alike, and also of course Blakes 7 fans. He was an integral part of the series and his homourous take on the Computers in Blakes 7 will never be forgotten. He also took part in many Blakes 7 and Science fiction conventions over the years in which he met hundreds of fans and was also one of the original cast members to take part in the special comedy episode of Blakes 7 starring Johnny Vegas, 'Blakes Junction 7' in 2004. An true talent in the TV industry, Tuddenham died on 9th July 2007.
Unfortunately more sad news greets us in 2007 with the death of actor George Sewell, who played Ratcliffe in the Doctor Who story 'Remembrance of the Daleks' in 1988. Sewell who has appeared in a multitude of popular TV series and films over the years including Randall and Hopkirk Deceased, Tales of the Unexpected, Paul Temple and Some Mothers Do 'Ave' Em to name just a few, will probably be best remembered for playing Col. Alec Freeman in the first 17 episodes of Gerry Anderson's live action series 'UFO'. Certainly one of my favourite actors George Sewell will be missed by fans of television particularly those interested in the science fiction genre and UFO itself, his death following the death of castmates Ed Bishop, Michael Billington and Harry Baird who have also sadly passed away in the last two years. Sewell's last role in television was in an episode of 'Casualty' last year. George Sewell died on 1st April 2007, aged 82.
Gordon Gostelow who played Milo Clancey in the classic Doctor Who story 'The Space Pirates' has died. The Australian actor started his career in an episode of the original 'Maigret' series, and from here and a long and varied career in television, having key roles in several films and T.V series, including Last of the Summer Wine and the historical Henry IV and Henry V series. One of his last roles was in an episode of 'Midsomer Murders' in 1999. Gostelow died on 3rd June 2007 aged 82.
Doctor Who actor Charles Pemberton has died. Well known for playing a Cyberman in the classic Doctor Who story 'The Tomb of the Cybermen' and an Alien technician in 'The War Games', Pemberton started his career in 'Crossroads' at the age of 25 in 1964. After this he had a long and varied career in television working on 'Callan', 'Dixon of Dock Green', 'Return of the Saint', 'Sapphire and Steel', 'Oliver Twist' and most recently 'Foyle's War'. Pemberton died on 13th May aged 67.
Doctor Who writer Dave Martin, who worked with writing partner Bob Baker on Doctor Who between 1971 and 1978 has died. Amongst other Doctor Who stories, Martin notably penned with Baker 'The Claws of Axos', 'The Three Doctors', 'The Hand of Fear' and 'The Armageddon Factor' as well as co - creating K9 a companion which remained in the series from 'The Invisible Enemy' to 'Warrior's Gate' as well as having his own spin off episode 'K9 and Company' in 1981. Outside working for Who, Martin also created, along with Bob Baker the classic ITV science fiction series 'King of the Castle' and 'Sky'. He was also a writer for the hugely popular ITV series 'Into the Labyrinth' starring Ron Moody and Pamela Salem. Writer of some of the greatest triumphs belonging to the series Dave Martin died on 30th March 2007 aged 72.
Gareth Hunt, who starred as 'Arak' in the Doctor Who story 'Planet of the Spiders' and in countless other film, stage and television productions has died aged 65. Most famous for his role as Gambit in 'The New Avengers' series which ran in the mid 1970's, Hunt became one of the most accomplished and recognised British actors. He also had roles in Space: 1999, an episode of 'The Avengers' and a important role in 'Eastenders' playing a gangster. A sad loss to the acting industry, Hunt died on 14th March 2007.
Derek Waring, the actor who played Shardovan in the 1982 classic 'Castrovalva' has died aged 79. A profilic actor on stage and screen his other appearances in television include 'Keeping up Appearances' (his last television role), Never The Twain and Z Cars to name just a few. He retired in 1995. Waring died on the 20th February 2007 .
Good news for 2007. Following the release of The Master Collection - a special DVD which includes Anthony Ainley's first 3 stories as the Master, The Keeper of Traken (1981), Logopolis (1981) and Castrovalva (1982), BBC DVD and 2 Entertain have announced that the next Doctor Who release will be the Doctor Who story 'Survival' (1989), the final story ever shown of the original series, and also the last to feature Sophie Aldred as Ace and Anthony Ainley as the Master. Intended to be released on the 16th April, this DVD will come with a hoard of special features spread across 2 Discs. In my view one of the finest Doctor Who stories ever made, I will be eagerly waiting this release.
More sad news greats us as 2006 comes to the end, with the sad death of John Hallam, the wonderful character actor who brought to life the character of 'Light' in the 1989 Doctor Who story 'Ghost Light'. Among his many TV appearances, he also had a key role in the cult 1973 science fiction series Moonbase 3 as Peter Conway. Moonbase 3 was produced by Barry Letts (producer of the majority of the Jon Pertwee era) and script edited by Terrance Dicks (Doctor Who writer). Among these television appearances he also starred in Lovejoy, Jason King and many other classic series over the years, as well as starring as Luro, beside Brian Blessed in the classic 1980 film 'Flash Gordon'. A popular character actor who will be greatly missed, John Hallam died on 14th November 2006 aged 65.
Acclaimed science fiction writer Nigel Kneale (the man behind the infamous Quatermass serials) has died. He will be greatly missed by diehard science fiction fans and those who remember the horrors of the eerie Quatermass serials made in the 1950's. Later turned into films the last Quatermass serial was made in 1979. A talented and accomplished writer and producer, Nigel Kneale died on the 29th October 2006, aged 84.
Actor Peter Barkworth who appeared in the Doctor Who story 'The Ice Warriors' in 1967 has died. He was an established actor and appeared in 'The Avengers', 'Heartbeat' and 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes' as well as many other TV appearances in his 40 year career. A 'This is your Life' programme was dedicated to him in 1979. He died on 25th October 2006, aged 77.
George Lee, the actor who made appearances in the Doctor Who stories: 'Spearhead from Space' and 'The Time Monster' and as Igin in the Blakes 7 episode 'Traitor' has died. He is remembered by Doctor Who fans in particular because of his funny and memorable cameo appearances in the the two stories mentioned above, particularly in 'The Time Monster' in which he played a farmworker overlooking the site where an explosion involving a UNIT convoy took place. An excellent actor, he will be sadly missed. He died on the 29th September 2006, at the age of 67.
Peter Ling, the accomplished writer who brought Doctor Who viewers the Season 6 classic 'The Mind Robber' has died. He was also responsible for writing episodes of the classic 'The Avengers' series, and episodes of Sexton Blake. He died on September 14th 2006, at the age of 80.
One of the finest Doctor Who directors and producer of the first 3 seasons of Blakes 7 David Maloney has died. Most famous for his direction of the two classic Doctor Who stories 'Genesis of the Daleks' and 'The Talon's of Weng Chiang', David Maloney had a long association with Doctor Who from it's early days with William Hartnell as a production assistant, to his later contributions as director from 'The Mind Robber' in 1968 to 'The Talon's of Weng Chiang'. It was his excellent work on these classic stories that had him promoted to the then new and ambitious science fiction series Blakes 7. The first season was aired in 1978. In recent years Maloney had taken part in DVD commentaries for both Doctor Who and Blakes 7 episodes, in which he provided a fascinating insight for all those interested in behind the scenes information on both shows. His sad death has shocked fans, and he will be severely missed. We have lost one of Doctor Who's finest directors and the keen and steady hand which lent to the success of Blakes 7 in 1978. Maloney died on the 18th July 2006.
Terrible news greets us this July as Doctor Who and Blakes 7 lose two of it's major contributors. Voiceman Peter Hawkins, who provided voices for the Daleks and the Cybermen in the early years of Doctor Who died on the 8th July aged 82 after a long period of illness. He was also famous for his voice work on the original Bill and Ben series. A superb voice artist and actor, Hawkins will be severely missed.
Blakes 7 writer Allan Prior has died aged 84. From 1979 - 1981 he contributed 5 scripts to the series, the enormously popular 'Horizon', 'The Keeper', 'Hostage', 'Volcano' and 'Animals. His last script was for the series 'Perfect Hero' in 1991. He died on 1st June 2006.
Doctor Who producer Peter Bryant has died aged 82. He was the producer of some of the finest Doctor Who stories of the Patrick Troughton Era, most notably 'Tomb of the Cybermen', 'The Web of Fear', 'The Seeds of Death' and many others until Patrick Troughton's penultimate adventure 'The Space Pirates' was broadcast in 1969. A professional writer, producer and director of both radio and television, he will be missed by Doctor Who fans and fans of the many other series he produced such as 'Paul Temple' and 'Special Project Air'. He died on 19th May 2006.
2 Entertain have announced that 'The Hand of Fear' a classic and rare Doctor Who story from 1976 is to be released on DVD for July. The special features include a commentary featuring Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Judith Paris who played Eldrad in the production.
2 Entertain have announced that the next two Doctor Who DVD's to be released with be the Tom Baker classic 'Genesis of the Daleks' and the Jon Pertwee classic 'Inferno'. Regarded as two of the best stories of Doctor Who by fans, the releases have been greeted with great enthusiasm. 2006 is looking like a good year for Doctor Who DVD's. 'Genesis of the Daleks' will be released in May and 'Inferno' in June.
Unfortunately more sad news greats us at the beginning of 2006 as I have discovered that Gary Downie, the Production Assistant and Production Manager for Doctor Who for many stories from the mid - late 80's has died. He can be seen in the 1993 video release of the Doctor Who story 'Silver Nemesis' during the special American documentary feature on the story at the end of the video. A major contributor to Doctor Who, Downie died in Brighton on 19th January 2006.
It has recently been drawn to my attention that David Tomblin who wrote some of the best UFO stories such as 'Reflections in the Water' has died. Among this work he was also involved in 'The Protectors', Star Wars: V and VI, Superman and Zulu Dawn. A truly fantastic writer, Tomblin died on the 4th August 2005 aged 74.
Writer Robert Sloman, who penned the classic Doctor Who stories 'The Green Death' and 'Planet of the Spiders' and co-wrote 'The Daemons' and 'The Time Monster' with Barry Letts has died aged 79. Much admired for his brilliant writing and accuracy, he stories often revolved around realistic occurences in future Earth. Born in 1926, Sloman wrote for the Sunday Times for many years aswell as his work on Doctor Who between 1971 - 1974. In early 2004 he took part in a DVD feature of 'The Green Death' in which he explained his influences for the story. He died in early December 2005. He will be sadly missed. To me and many others he makes the list as one of the greatest writers to work on the series.
Actor John Woodnutt who appeared in the Doctor Who stories 'Spearhead from Space', 'Frontier in Space', 'Terror of the Zygons' and 'The Keeper of Traken has died aged 81. Aswell as these roles he also famously appeared in 'The Tomorrow People' as Spidron in the episode 'Vanishing Earth'. Very much favoured for his superb performance as the Duke of Forgill in 'Terror of the Zygons' John Woodnutt was a superb character actor, and his death comes as sad news. He died on 2nd January 2006.
Actor Ronald Leigh Hunt who appeared in the Doctor Who stories 'The Seeds of Death' in 1969 and 'Revenge of the Cybermen' in 1975 and the Blakes 7 episode 'Children of Auron has died. Among these roles he also had a regular part in hit soap 'Crossroads' in the 1960's and appeared in many films including 'Sink the Bismarck' and 'The Omen'. He also had a regular part in 'General Hospital' and 'Emmerdale'. His last TV appearance was in 1995 in an episode of the comedy series 'One Foot in the Grave'. He died on the 12th September aged 88.
Actor John Hollis who appeared in the Doctor Who story 'The Mutants' and the Blakes 7 episode 'Powerplay' has died. Among these appearances he also had small roles in Flash Gordon in 1980 and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He is well known for his small but important role in the James Bond film 'For Your Eyes Only' playing Ernest Stavro Blofeld in the opening moments of the film. He died in London on 18th October 2005 aged 74.
Michael Sheard who appeared in Doctor Who six times from the stories 'The Ark' in 1966, to 'Remembrance of the Daleks' in 1988 has died of cancer at the age of 65. Other science fiction credits to his name include the Blakes 7 episode 'Powerplay' and his appearance as Admiral Ozzel in Star Wars, along with his appearance in the Space: 1999 episode 'Dragon's Domain'. A fine actor whose performances in 'Pyramid of Mars' and 'Remembrance of the Daleks' were sublime. He is most famous for playing the headmaster in 'Grange Hill'. I personally wish I had met him when he was at a Star Wars and Doctor Who Convention in Weston Super Mare which I attended on April 16th. I saw him but never got a chance to meet him. A sad loss for science fiction, he was a superb actor.
Two conventions are being held at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire on 24th - 25th September 2005. It will be celebrating 30 years of Space: 1999 and 40 years of Thunderbirds. Guests include Gerry Anderson (the creator of the series), Shane Rimmer (voice of Scott Tracy), David Graham (voice of Brains. The actor also provided Dalek voices for Doctor Who in the early 1960's and played Professor Kerensky in the 1979 Doctor Who story 'City of Death'). Other guests include Space: 1999 and Doctor Who writer Johnny Byrne and Zienia Merton and Barry Morse who both had roles in Space: 1999.
David Jackson who played Olag Gan in the first 17 episodes of Blakes 7 has died of a heart attack aged 71. He himself was very enthusiastic about science fiction and also had a small role in the Space:1999 story 'The Rules of Luton' as the Alien Strong' and later he provided the Plasma voice in the Space: 1999 two parter 'The Bringers of Wonder'. He also appeared in Only Fools and Horses. He will be remembered by me and other Blakes 7 fans as the gentle giant Gan in Blakes 7. I was looking out for his best lines in the series and I decided that the best is in the 2nd episode 'Space Fall'. He is trying to force a guard to open a door, he needs his handprint to do so. The guard resists and he utters the line "Look we only need the hand. If you want to stay attached to it, do as your told". He died on 25th July 2005.
A new convention including Blakes 7 has been announced to take place at the Hilton Hotel, Swindon, Wiltshire. Guests confirmed to be there include Michael Keating who offcourse played Vila in Blakes 7, Francis Matthews (the voice of the original Captain Scarlet) and Angela Bruce who played Brigadier Winifred Bambera in the Doctor Who story Battlefield.
It has been announced that UK Gold are planning to show the first season of Sylvester McCoy's tenure as the Doctor starting from 13th August. Time and the Rani his first story will be shown on that date followed the day after by Paradise Towers.
Ed Bishop the voice behind Captain Blue in Captain Scarlet and the actor who played the blonde wig wearing Ed Straker in the other Gerry Anderson series UFO has died aged 72. He is mainly remembered for these roles but more recently appeared in an episode of BBC's Waking the Dead as a CIA agent and was also a voice artist in an episode of the animated Star Trek series in 1973. He also had small parts in the Bond films You Only Live Twice and Diamonds are Forever. He died on 8th June 2005.
Michael Billington who played Colonel Paul Foster in the Gerry Anderson series UFO has died aged 63. He has had many roles over the last 30 odd years. He tested for the role of James Bond many time during Roger Moore's tenure just incase contract negoitations failed with the actor and had a small part as Barbara Bach's fiancee in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He died of cancer on 4th June 2005.
John Bennett who appeared in two Doctor Who stories Invasion of the Dinosaurs and the Talons of Weng Chiang and the Blakes 7 episode Weapon has died aged 76. He was a highly prolific actor appearing in many productions over the years but more recently he has appeared Waking the Dead and Rosemary and Thyme. He died on 11th April 2005.
