Tom Chadbon

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. Carl Rigg, Doctor Who #102: The Power of Kroll, TV, 1978.      Chadbon and Kenneth Colley were also up for Varlik opposite Doc4 Tom Baker in – take a breath – the fifth and penultimate story in the Key To Time arc.
  2. Paul Shelley, Doctor Who #117: Four To Doomsday, TV, 1981.     Chadbon was not persuaded to play the Minister of Persuasion. Nor were Colin Baker, Michaels Cashman and Cochrane, Jack Galloway, Martin Jarvis, Paul Jerricho, Clive Merrison (BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes), Martin Potter, Malcolm Tierney and James Warwick. This was Doc5 Peter Davison’s second outing. “And I didn’t know what I was doing!”
  3. Keith Drinkel, Doctor Who # 122: Time Flight, TV, 1982.    As many as 25 casting (or dart) board regulars were up for any (or all!) of three characters in Doc4 Peter Davison’s tale about a missing Concorde. Chadbon, Dallas Adams, Sean Arnold, Colin Baker, Andrew Burt, Michael Cochrane, Ian Collier, Forbes Collins, Eric Deacon, Jack Galloway, Richard Heffer, Paul Jerricho, Ian McCulloch, Clive Merrison (BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes), Terry Molloy (aka Davros), Edward Peel, Martin Potter, Jeff Rawle, Carl Rigg, Patrick Ryecart, Malcolm Stoddard, Donald Sumpter, Robert Swann Malcolm Tierney, Stephen Yardley – they were were all up for Flight Engineer Scobie…    
  4. Michael Cashman, Doctor Who # 122: Time Flight, TV, 1982.     …and for First Officer Bilton
  5. Michael McDermott Doctor Who # 122: Time Flight, TV, 1982.      … and also  for Sheard – not even offered to another Whoverse favourite Michael… Sheard.
  6. Andrew Burt, Doctor Who #126 : Terminus, TV, 1983.    Chadbon, Burt, Nicholas Ball, Paul Darrow, Michael Gothard, Del Henney, Bernard Hill, Patrick Mower, Patrick Stewart, Anthony Valentine, David Warner were in the Valgard mix – to join Doc5 Peter Davison at the Terminus space station which proves to be a leper colony. Dissolve.  
  7. Martin Potter, Doctor Who #126 : Terminus, TV, 1983.      He was also among director Mary Ridge’s 16 Eirak choices Mainly the usual 80s’ suspects – Potter, Nicholas Ball, Ralph Bates, Christopher Cazenove, Ben Cross, Richard Heffer, avdrts, Martin Jarvis, Jeff Rawle, Patrick Ryecart, Simons Ward and Williams. Plus Sean Arnold, Jack Galloway, Nigel Havers, Paul Shelley.  
  8. Nigel Humphreys, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, 1983.   The 17 choices for Bulic were Richard Heffer, Roger Lloyd Pack, Bruce McCulloch, Terry Molloy, Stephen Rea, Carl Rigg, Donald Sumpter, Dave Warwick, Steve Yardley – plus Chadbon, Nicholas Ball, Maurice Colbourne, Paul Darrow, Michael Gothard, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel. Chadbon had already Whoved as Duggan opposite Doc4 Tom Baker in #105: City of Death, 1979 – and returned as Merdeen for Doc6 Colin Baker’s 1986 season-long #143: Trial of a Time Lord.  
  9. Ian McCulloch, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, 1983.       The 13 possible Nilsons were Chadbon, Peter Arne, Nicholas Ball, Michael Gothard, Ian Holm, Ronald Lacey, Dennis Lill, Alfred Lynch, Ian McKellen, Clive Merrison, John Normington, Edward Peel. Not the happiest of Whoverse shoots – and not just because Doc5 Peter Davison folllowed Doc2 Patrick Troughton’s golden rule. Three seasons and out.
  10. Jack Galloway, Doctor Who #131: The Awakening, TV, 1983.     Up for Joseph Willow in the Doc5 Peter Davison trip – with Galloway, Alun Armstrong, Nicholas Ball, Jim Broadbent, John Hallam, Prentis Hancock, Del Henney, Roy Holder, Alan Lake, Terry Molloy, Edward Peel, Jeff Rawle, Carl Rigg, Paul Shelley, Donald Sumpter, Malcolm Tierney were familiar names from infamous producer John Nathan-Taylor’s casting/dart board. He also voted for three newcomers: Geoffrey Bateman, Scott Fredericks, Ian Talbot.
  11. Maurice O’Connell, Doctor Who #132: Frontios, TV, 1983.   Seventeen possibles for Cockerill opposite Doc6 Peter Davison. O’Connell won. And lost. Most of his work was cut. Huge sigh of relief from… Chadbon,   Alun Armstrong, Nicholas Ball, Jim Broadbent, Maurice Colbourne, Forbes Collins Michael, Michael Gothard, John Hallam, Del Henney, Philip Jackson, Alan Lake, Terry Molloy, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel, Donald Sumpter and Stephen Yardley.
  12. Patrick Stewart, Lifeforce, 1984.
  13. Michael Gothard, Lifeforce, 1984.
  14. Nicholas Ball, Lifeforce, 1984.
  15. Peter Firth, Lifeforce, 1984.
  16. Chris Sullivan, Lifeforce, 1984.
  17. John Hallam, Lifeforce, 1984.
  18. Maurice Colbourne, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984.   Scandal-ridden producer John Nathan-Turner (sexually abusing male fans) wanted a name for Commander Lytton… like Meg Bennett, Brian Blessed, Kenneth Cope, Timothy Dalton (the future Lord President in #202: The End of Time, 2000), Leslie Grantham (not yet Dirty Den in EastEnders), Alfred Lynch, Clive Merrison, Terry Molloy, John Rhys-Davies, Maurice Roëves. Plus such Lifeforcers as Chadbon, Nicholas Ball, Steven Berkoff, Paul Darrow, Michael Gothard, Don Henderson, Del Henney (he became Colonel Archer), Martin Jarvis, Michael Jayston, Edward Peel, George Sewell, Patrick Stewart, Anthony Valentine and David Warner. All 25 up for one role in Doctor Who… Preposterous!
  19. Del Henney, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984.   For once, Doc5 Peter Davison is in the here and now – checking out alien cannisters in London’s docklands with Henney’s Colonel Archer. Chadbon, Henney, Nicholas Ball, Michael Byrne, Firth, Tim Pigott-Smith, Patrick Ryecart, Patrick Stewart, David Warner…
  20. Robert Glenister, Doctor Who #135: The Caves of Androzani, TV, 1984.   When Christopher Gable was switched from Major Salateen to Sharez Jek, eight regular Whovertsers had to bow to newcomer Glenister – Chadbon, Nicholas Ball, Ralph Bates, Christopher Cazenove, Tom Chadbon, Nicholas Clay, Brian Cox, Donald Sumpter.
  21. Stephen Yardley, Doctor Who # 138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984. Not quite matching the astonishing army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in that year’s Lifeforce movie mess, but as many as 58 guys were seen for just three roles in this Doc6 Colin Baker episode – the majority being Lifeforcers! (They did not share the same casting director, so how did Cannon get hold of the Whoverse lists?) For example, there were 19 contenders for Arak… Chadbon, Yardley, Alun Armstrong, Nicholas Ball, Jim Broadbent, Andrew Burt, Tony Caunter, Peter Childs, Kenneth Cope, Paul Darrow, Tom Georgeson, John Hallam, Brian Miller, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel, Carl Rigg, Colin Scully, Donald Sumpter, Dave Warwick. The difference being that Who was science fiction, Lifeforce was science fart.
  22. Forbes Collins, Doctor Who #138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984.      was also among the 20 names rung up the flagpole for the treacherous Chief Officer… Collins, Tony Caunter, Peter Childs, Michael Culver, James Ellis, Tom Georgeson, John Hallam, Terrence Hardiman, Don Henderson, John Hollis, Ronald Lacey, Edward Peel, Clifford Rose, John Savident, George Sewell, Patrick Stewart, Donald Sumpter, Malcolm Tierney – and Stephen Yardley, who played Arak.
  23. Paul Darrow, Doctor Who #141: Timelash, TV, 1985.      Chadbon, Darrow, Steven Berkoff, Andrew Burt, Michael Gothard, Ronald Lacey, Patrick Mower and David Warner were in the frame for Tekker opposite Doc6 Colin Baker. Producer John Nathan-Turner suggested Darrow play Tekker like his Blakes 7 character, Avon. Darrow had a loftier notion. Richard III.
  24. Eric Deacon, Doctor Who #141: Timelash, TV, 1985.        Chadbon was also among nine potentials shuffled by director Pennant Roberts for Mykros. The eight others were Deacon, Michael Cochrane, brothers Christopher and Dominic Guard, Martin Potter (a long way from Fellini), Patrick Ryecart, Paul Shelley and James Warwick.
  25. Edward Peel, Doctor Who #147: Dragonfire, TV, 1987.      The usual suspects were up for Kane, the icy director of Iceworld, on the dark side of planet Svartos… Chadbon, John Alderton, Nicholas Ball, Michael Gothard, Ian Holm, David Jason, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna, Clifford Rose, Simon Ward, David Warner. The Doctor was Doc7 Sylvester McCoy.
  26. Simon Williams, Doctor Who #148: Remembrance of the Daleks, 1988.    Despite the importance of the show – the 25th anniversary season opener –   eleven actorss passed on Group Captain Gilmore. Chadbon, Tom Adams, Nicholas Ball, Michael Cochrane, Lewis Collins, Del Henney, Ian Ogilvy, Tim Pigott-Smith, Neil Stacy, Simon Ward and James Warwick. Enter: Williams, aka James Bellamy in Upstairs, Downstairs, the Downton Abbey of its day – TV, 1971-1975.

 

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  26