Frank Windsor

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. Bill Fraser, Doctor Who #110: Meglos, TV, 1980.      Co-writer John Flanagan created General Grugger for Lee Marvin (!) – and was staggered when new producer John Nathan-Taylor chose Fraser, a sitcom clown. Akin to subbing Marvin with Phil Silvers. Some thought was also given to four Z Cars cops – Windsor, Brian Blessed, James Ellis, Stratford Johns – and the Houston brothers, Donald and Glyn. Plus Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Peter Cushing, Ronald Fraser, Peter Gilmore, TP McKenna, Donald Pleasence, Leonard Sachs, George Sewell, Nigel Stock, John Stratton, Richard Todd and Peter Vaughan… very familiar names on Nathan-Taylor’s casting (dart) board throughout his eclectic and scandalous 80s reign.
  2. Clifford Rose, Doctor Who #113: Warriors’ Gate,   TV, 1981.      Cheekily on the wish list for the treacherous Commander Rorvik, oppoisite Doc 4 Tom Baker, were the BBC’s most famous cops, Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor. Johns was Barlow in five series (Z Cars; Soflty, Softly; Softly, Softly: Task Force; Jack The Ripper; Barlow) during 1962-1975. His Z Cars co-star Windsor continued as Watt for three years longer, 1962-1978, in Z Cars and both Softly, Softly shows. He later joined Doc 5 Peter Davison in #128: The King’s Demons, 1983, and Doc7 Sylvester McCoy in #153: Ghost Light, 1989, as, even more cheekily, as… Inspector Mackenzie!
  3. John Fraser, Doctor Who #115: Logopolis, TV, 1981.      Age apparently, didn’t matter. The Monitor was 60 but producer John Nathan-Taylor’s usual suspects ranged from Harry Andrews at 77 to Hywel Bennett at…37!   Plus Maurice Denham, 72; Marius Goring, 69; Peter Cushing, 68; Bernard Archard, Michael Gough, 65 ; Nigel  Stock, 62; Geoffrey Bayldon, 57; William Lucas, 56; Frank Finley, 55; Barry Foster, Frank Windsor, 54; John Fraser, 50; Peter Wyngarde, 48. This as the episode that Brian Epstein would not let The Beatles appear in. But he OKed Top of the Pops footage of Ticket To Ride.
  4. Richard Easton, Doctor Who # 122: Time Flight, TV, 1982.      The 19 nominations for Concorde pilot Captain Stapley in the worst Doc5 Peter Davison episode (the budget ran out…) were  Windsor, Easton, Terence Alexander, Peter Arne, Keith Barron, Brian Blessed, John Carson, Michael Craig, Paul Darrow, Peter Gilmore, Michael Gothard, John Hallam, Terrence Hardiman, Del Henney, Glyn Houston, Martin Jarvis, William Lucas, Conrad Phillips and Anthony Valentine.
  5. Patrick Stewart, Lifeforce, 1984.
  6. Aubrey Morris, Lifeforce, 1984.
  7. William Gaunt, Doctor Who #142: Revelation of the Daleks, 1985.     For the second time, 25 actors were up for a single rôle… in Doctor flaming Who. How preposterous..! An unlikely choice for a mercenary, Gaunt was selected late in the game after an exhausting Orcini search through Joss Ackland, Ray Brooks, James Ellis, John Fraser, Peter Gilmore, Denis Lill, Philip Madoc, Peter Vaughan… Plus survivors of the astonishing 1984 army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in Lifeforce: Windsor, Tom Adams, George Baker, John Carson, Frank Finlay, Julian Glover, Michael Gothard, Del Henney, Peter Jeffrey, TP McKenna, Patrick Mower, Clifford Rose, Patrick Stewart, Nigel Stock, Anthony Valentine and David Warner. The difference being Who was science fiction and Lifeforce was science fart.
  8. George Sewell, Doctor Who #148: Remembrance of the Daleks, 1988.    TV cops were probably surprised to find themselves considered for fascist leader Ratcliffe. Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor had co-starred in the iconic 60s’ BBCop art Z Cars – and the winning Sewell was top dog of Special Branch, 1973-1974. Also considered: Lifeforcers Joss Ackland, George Baker, Keith Barron, Steven Berkoff, John Carson, Kenneth Colley, Kenneth Cope, Peter Gilmore, Bernard Hill, Glyn Houston, Del Henney, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna. (Two other Z Cars discoveries – Brian Blessed, James Ellis – were also invited into Who). Windsor made two Whoverse trips. He was Ranulf in #128: The King’s Demons, 1983, with Doc5 Peter Davison – and rejoined the police as Inspector Mackenzie, opposite Doc7 Sylvestet McCoy in #153: Ghost Light, 1989.
  9. Ronald Fraser, Doctor Who #149: The Happiness Patrol, 1988.       If the cap fits… Sixteen actors, from the rarely a changing Whovian register, were seen for the same three roles. Fraser won Joseph C from Windsor, George Baker, Keith Barron, John Carson, Peter Cellier, Frank Finlay, Kenneth Cope, Frank Finlay, Nigel Hawthorne, Glyn Houston, William Lucas, Michael Robbins, Clifford Rose, Moray Watson,
  10. Harold Innocent, Doctor Who #149: The Happiness Patrol, 1988.        Innocent became Gilbert M from the same group…
  11. John Normington, Doctor Who #149: The Happiness Patrol, 1988.      …and Normington was selected for Trevor Sgma instead of any of the others…

 

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  11