Monday, 6 July 2015

Frazer Hines revisits the TARDIS

Former companion actor Frazer Hines has visited the Doctor Who set in Cardiff.  Frazer, who played Jamie McCrimmon alongside the Second Doctor Patrick Troughton from 1966 to 1969,  tweeted a posed photo in the TARDIS with current Doctor Peter Capaldi.

This continues a charming tradition of classic Doctor Who companions meeting Capaldi, who was a huge fan of the series in his youth.

Katy Manning who played Jo Grant alongside the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee from 1971 to 1973:


Louise Jameson who played Leela alongside the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker from 1977 to 1978:


Janet Fielding who played Tegan Jovanka alongside Baker and Fifth Doctor Peter Davison from 1981 to 1984:

Sunday, 5 July 2015

Who is the most travelled James Bond?

Hunting Bond is an excellent website about James Bond filming locations.  The site has mapped every location Bond has visited and has tallied the number of places and countries visited and miles travelled by each Bond actor:

Infographic The World Travels of James Bond 007

New teaser image and Capaldi interview

The BBC have released an official teaser image from the new series of Doctor Who
Peter Capaldi has been interviewed for Entertainment Weekly in which he talks about his upcoming San Diego Comic-Con appearance and the new series.  Capaldi briefly describes the opening two-part story:

It places the Doctor in a conflict that is central to his being, as well as containing some subtle tributes to the ’60s, and truly wonderful guest performances.

The Comic-Con panel is this Thursday is likely to premiere the first trailer for the series,

Saturday, 4 July 2015

Two UK independent sci-fi films seeking crowd-funding

Crowd-funding has become a new source of funding for independent film projects.  Anyone can donate a small amount towards production funding and larger donations will often be rewarded with awards such as exclusive merchandise or even a walk-on part in the film.

Here are two British independent science fiction projects.  If interested, make a donation and/or share the details on your social networks:

Last Man on Earth is a short pre-apocalypse sci-fi thriller about a team of virologists searching for a cure to cancer.  This Manchester-based production is to star Colin Baker, who you probably know played the Sixth Doctor in Doctor Who.  As well as the production funding,  a proportion of your donation will go towards a cancer research charity.





The Dark Channel is described as "sci-fi noir."  It will be a black-and-white film and the trailer shows an impressive visual flair.  The film's director Mark Davis, has extensive experience in editing and visual effects and has previously worked on major projects such as  Doctor Who, Sherlock and Peaky Blinders.  Davis also edited Noel Clarke's 4,3,2,1 and Clarke has given his back to The Dark Channel.



Friday, 3 July 2015

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE JAMES BOND FILMS?



In the coming months, I hope to post more James Bond content in the run-up to Spectre. One feature I would like to do is a countdown of your favourite Bond films.

In the comments below, list your Top 5 favourite James Bond films, add a brief reason if you wish.  If you don't have a Google+ account, alternatively click Contact at the top of blog or post your Top 5 in the comments below this Facebook post:




WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE JAMES BOND FILMS?In the coming months. I hope to post more James Bond content in the run-up to...
Posted by Cult-Britain on Friday, 3 July 2015

I will compile the results for an article to be posted some time in the autumn. 

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Actors who have appeared in both James Bond and Doctor Who


The James Bond film series and Doctor Who television series started in 1962 and 1963 respectively and many actors have appeared in both franchises. BBC America and Cultbox have previously listed some of these actors but missed out some of the more obscure.  This is an attempt  to compile the complete list.  Please get in touch if you think there are any omissions.


These are actors who have credits in the official Eon Productions James Bond films and the broadcast television episodes of Doctor Who (omitting the spin-offs and spoofs):


1. Anthony Ainley - You Only Live Twice (Hong Kong policeman) / The Master in the 1980s

2. David AshtonTomorrow Never Dies (First Sea Lord) / Timelash (Kendron)

3. George Baker - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Sir Hilary Bray) / Full Circle (Login)

4. Daisy Beaumont - The World is Not Enough (Nina) / Mummy on the Orient Express (Maisie)

5. Stephen Berkoff - Octopussy (Orlov) / The Power of Three (Shakri)

6. Honor Blackman - Goldfinger (Pussy Galore) / Terror of the Vervoids (Professor Lasky)

7. Hugh Bonneville - Tomorrow Never Dies (Air Warfare Officer) / Curse of the Black Spot (Avery)

8. Christopher BowenTomorrow Never Dies (Cmdr, Richard Day - HMS Devonshire) / Battlefield (Mordred)

9. Patrick Barr - Octopussy (British Ambassador) / The Moonbase (Hobson)

10. Jeremy Bulloch - The Spy Who Loved Me (HMS Ranger Crewman), For Your Eyes Only & Octopussy (Smithers) / The Space Museum (Tor) & The Time Warrior (Hal)

11. James Bree - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Gumbold / The War Games (Security Chief), Full Circle (Nefred) & The Ultimate Foe (Keeper of the Matrix)

12. Sonny Caldinez - The Man with the Golden Gun (Kra) / The Evil of the Daleks (Kemel), The Ice Warriors (Ice Warrior Turoc), The Seeds of Death (Ice Warrior), The Curse of Peladon (Ssorg) & The Monster of Peladon (Sskel)

13. Earl Cameron - Thunderball (Pinder) / The Tenth Planet (Williams)

14. Anthony Carrick - The Living Daylights (Blayden Male Secretary) / The Masque of Mandragora (Captain Rossini)

15. Paul Carson - You Only Live Twice (Astronaut - 1st American Spacecraft) / Marco Polo (Ling-Tau)

16. Tom ChadbonCasino Royale (Stockbroker) / City of Death (Duggan) / The Mysterious Planet (Merdeen)

17. Geoffrey Cheshire - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Touissant) / The Time Meddler (Viking Warrior), The Dalek's Master Plan (Garge) & The Invasion (Tracy)

18. John Cleese -The World Is Not Enough & Die Another Day (R/Q) / City of Death (Art gallery visitor)

19. Christina Cole - Casino Royale (Ocean Club Receptionist) / The Shakespeare Code (Lilith)

20. Graham Crowden - For Your Eyes Only (First Sea Lord) / The Horns of Nimon (Soldeed)

21. Timothy Dalton - The Living Daylights & Licence to Kill (James Bond) / The End of Time (Lord President)

22. Paul Darrow - Die Another Day (Doctor) / The Silurians (Captain Hawkins) & Timelash (Tekker)

23. Francis De Wolff - From Russia With Love (Vavra) / The Keys of Marinus (Vasor) & The Myth Makers (Agamemnon)

24. Edward De Souza -  The Spy Who Loved Me (Sheik Hosein) / Mission to the Unknown (Marc Cory) 

25. Vernon Dobtcheff -  The Spy Who Loved Me (Max Kalba) / The War Games (Scientist) 

26. Elize Du Toit - Skyfall (Vanessa) / 42 & The Sound of Drums (Sinister Woman)

27. Huw Edwards - Skyfall (BBC News Announcer) / Fear Her (Commentator)

28. Joseph Fürst - Diamonds are Forever (Dr Metz) / The Underwater Menace (Professor Zaroff)

29. Leslie French - The Living Daylights (Lavatory Attendant) / Silver Nemesis (Mathematician)

30. Julian Glover - For Your Eyes Only (Kristatos) / The Crusade (Richard the Lionheart) & City of Death (Count Scarloni/Scaroth)

31. Garrick Hagon - The Spy Who Loved Me (USS Wayne Crewman) / The Mutants (Ky) & A Town Called Mercy (Abraham)

32. Bernard Horsfall - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Campbell) / The Mind Robber (Gulliver), The War Games (Time Lord) , Planet of the Daleks (Taron) & The Deadly Assassin (Chancellor Goth)

33. Neville Jason - From Russia with Love (Kerim's chaffeur) / Androids of Tara (Prince Reynart)

34. Robert Jezek - Casino Royale (Arresting Officer) / Battlefield (Sergeant Zbrigniev)

35. Noel Johnson - For Your Eyes Only (Vice Admiral) / The Underwater Menace (King Thous) & Invasion of the Dinosaurs (Charles Grover MP)

36. Norman JonesYou Only Live Twice (Astronaut - 1st American Spacecraft) / The Abominable Snowman (Khrisong), The Silurians (Major Baker) & The Masque of Mandragora (Hieronymous)

37. Gertan Klauber - Octopussy (Bubi) / The Romans (Galley Master) & The Macra Terrror (Ola)

38. Burt Kwouk -  Goldfinger (Mr Ling) & You Only Live Twice (Spectre 3) / Four to Doomsday (Lin Futu)

39. Philip Locke - Thunderball (Vargas) / Four to Doomsday (Bigon)

40. Helen McCrory -Skyfall (Clair Dowar MP) / Vampires in Venice (Rosanna)

41. John Moreno - For Your Eyes Only (Ferrara) / The Ambassadors of Death (Dobson)

42. Carl McCrystal - The World Is Not Enough (Trukhin) / The Curse of the Black Spot (McGrath)

43. Kevin McNally - The Spy Who Loved Me (HMS Ranger Crewman) / The Twin Dilemma (Hugo Lang)

44. Bill Mitchell - You Only Live Twice (Astronaut - 2nd American Astrocraft) / Frontier in Space (Newscaster)

45. Tobias Menzies - Casino Royale (Villiers) / Cold War (Lieutenant Stepashin)

46. Michael Osborne - The Man with the Golden Gun (Naval Lieutenant) / Horns of Nimon (Sorak)

47. Geoffrey Palmer - Tomorrow Never Dies (Admiral Roebuck) / The Silurians (Masters), The Mutants (Administrator) & Voyage of the Damned (Captain Hardaker)

48. George Pastell - From Russia With Love (Train Conductor) / The Tomb of the Cybermen (Eric Klieg)

49. George Pravda - Thunderball (Kutze) / The Enemy of the World (Denes), The Mutants (Jaeger) & The Deadly Assassin (Castellan Spandrell)

50. Tim Pigott-Smith - Quantum of Solace (Foreign Secretary) / The Claws of Axos (Captain Harker) & The Masque of Mandragora (Marco)

51. Ronald Rich - You Only Live Twice (Hans) / The Time Meddler (Gunnar the Giant)

52. Carl Rigg - The Living Daylights (Imposter) / The Power of Kroll (Varlik)

53. Diana Rigg - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Tracy) / The Crimson Horror (Mrs Gillyflower)

54. Shane Rimmer - The Spy Who Loved Me (Commander Carter) / The Gunfighters (Seth Harper)

55. George Roubicek -  You Only Live Twice (Astronaut - 2nd American Spacecraft) & The Spy Who Loved Me (Stromberg One Captain) / Tomb of the Cybermen (Captain Hopper)

56. Leonard Sachs - Thunderball (Group Captain) / The Massacre (Admiral Gaspard de Colingy) & Arc of Infinity (Lord President Borusa)

57. Colin Salmon - Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough & Die Another Day (Charles Robinson) / Silence in the Library (Dr Moon)

58. Cyril Shaps - The Spy Who Loved Me (Dr Bechmann) / The Tomb of the Cybermen (John Viner), The Ambassadors of Death (Lennon), Planet of the Spiders (Professor Clegg) & The Androids of Tara (Archimandrite)

59. Catherine Schell - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Nancy) & City of Death (Countess Scarlioni)

60. Roy Stewart - Live and Let Die (Quarrel) / The Crusade (Saracen Warrior),  The Tomb of the Cybermen (Toberman) & The Terror of the Autons (Strong Man)

61. Colin Stinton - Tomorrow Never Dies (Dr Dave Greenwalt)  / The Sound of Drums (President)

62. Pip Torrens - Tomorrow Never Dies (Captain - HMS Bedford) / Family of Blood & Human Nature (Rocastle)

63. Edward Underdown - Thunderball (Air Vice Marshall) / Meglos (Zastor)

64. Philip Voss - Octopussy (Auctioneer) / Marco Polo (Acromat) & The Dominators (Wahed)

65. Vincent Wong - Die Another Day (General Li) / Talons of Weng Chiang (Ho) 

66. David Yip - A View to a Kill (Chuck Lee) / Destiny of the Daleks (Velda)

Talalay to direct Who finale again

Rachel Talalay is directing the final two-parter of the upcoming series of Doctor Who.   American Talalay also directed last year's finale and has a long CV of film and TV work in both the UK and USA.  She has confirmed the news on Twitter:




Here is an update of my new series overview:


Title
Writer
Director
Guest Stars
Plot Info
1
The Magician's Apprentice
Steven Moffat
Hettie MacDonald
Michelle Gomez
Jemma Redgrave
Kelly Hunter
Clare Higgins
Jaye Griffiths
Missy
Kate Stewart
2
The Witch's Familiar
Steven Moffat
3
?
Toby Whithouse
Daniel O'Hara
Paul Kaye
Morven Christie
Arsher Ali
Colin McFarlane
Moffat: "brilliantly creepy"
4
?
Toby Whithouse
5
The Girl Who Died
Jamie Mathison Steven Moffat
Ed Bazelgette
Maisie Williams
Rufus Hound
David Schofield
Tom Stourton
Ariyon Bakare
BBC: "period adventures"
6
The Woman Who Lived
Catherine Tregenna
7
?
Peter Harness
Daniel Nettheim
Jemma Redgrave
Ingrid Oliver
Rebecca Front
Jaye Griffiths
Zygons
Kate Stewart
Osgood
8
?
Peter Harness
9
?
Mark Gatiss
?
?
Gatiss: "I’m delighted with how scary it is"
10
?
Sarah Dollard
Justin Molitnikov
Jovian Wade
Rigsy
11
?
Steven Moffat
Rachel
Talalay
?

?


12
?
Steven Moffat