Nicholas Ball

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. Michael Cochrane, Doctor Who #120: Black Orchid, TV, 1982.      Not a rehash of Sophia Loren’s 1958 Hollywood melo, but an adventure (with cricket!) in 1925 England for for Doc5 Peter Davison. In the baker’s dozen list for Lord Cranleigh were Ball, Cochrane, Michael Cashman, Christopher Cazenove, Keith Drinkel, Peter Firth, Nigel Havers, Paul Jerricho, Martin Potter, Jeff Rawle, Patrick Ryecart, James Warwick – and Simon Williams, often a lord or knight.
  2. James Warwick, Doctor Who #121: Earthshock, 1982.      In Doc5 Peter Davison’s Cybermen encounter, circa 2526, Scott was offered to Ball, Colin Baker (to be Doc6 in 1984-1986), Andrew Burt, Peter Firth, Del Henney, Martin Jarvis, Tim Pigott-Smith, Patrick Ryecart, Patrick Stewart, David Warner, Simon Williams. Plus Gareth Hunt (aka Mike Gambit) from TV’s 1976-1977 New Avengers. And the more successful 1977-1983 Professionals: Bodie and Doyle, aka Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw.
  3. Martin Potter, Doctor Who #126: Terminus, TV, 1983.      Director Mary Ridge had as many as 16 Eirak choices. Many of the usual suspects – Ball (first husband of Pamela Stephenson), Potter, Ralph Bates, Christopher Cazenove, Tom Chadbon, Ben Cross, Richard Heffer, avdrts, Martin Jarvis, Jeff Rawle, Patrick Ryecart, Simons Ward and Williams. Plus Sean Arnold, Jack Galloway, Nigel Havers, Paul Shelley.  
  4. Andrew Burt, Doctor Who #126 : Terminus, TV, 1983.      Ball was also in the Valgard mix – with Burt, Tom Chabon, Paul Darrow, Michael Gothard, Del Henney, Bernard Hill, Patrick Mower, Patrick Stewart, Anthony Valentine, David Warner – to join Doc5 Peter Davison at the titular and leprous space station. Now read on…
  5. Peter Firth, Lifeforce, 1984.
  6. Chris Sullivan, Lifeforce, 1984.
  7. John Hallam, Lifeforce, 1984.
  8. Nigel Humphreys, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of the Deep, 1984.       The 17 choices for Bulic were Richard Heffer, Roger Lloyd Pack, Bruce McCulloch, Terry Molloy (aka Davros), Stephen Rea, Carl Rigg, Donald Sumpter, Dave Warwick, Steve Yardley – plus Ball, Tom Chadbon, Maurice Colbourne, Paul Darrow, Michael Gothard, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel from the army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in Lifeforce that year.
  9. Ian McCulloch, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, 1984.      There were  13 possible Nilsons: Ball,  McCulloch,  Peter Arne, Ian Holm, Dennis Lill, Alfred Lynch, Ian McKellen, Clive Merrison (BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes), John Normington plus five of the Lifeforce army: Ball, Tom Chadbon, Michael Gothard, Ronald Lacey, Edward Peel. Not the happiest of Whoverse shoots – and not just because Doc5 Peter Davison followed Doc2 Patrick Troughton’s golden rule. Three seasons and out.
  10. Jack Galloway, Doctor Who #131: The Awakening, TV, 1984.       Up for Joseph Willow in the Doc5 Peter Davison trip – Ball, Galloway, Alun Armstrong, Jim Broadbent, Tom Chadbon, John Hallam, Prentis Hancock, Del Henney, Roy Holder, Alan Lake, Terry Molloy (aka Davros), Edward Peel, Jeff Rawle, Carl Rigg, Paul Shelley, Donald Sumpter, Malcolm Tierney were familiar names from producer John Nathan-Taylor’s casting-cum-dart-board. He also voted for three newcomers: Geoffrey Bateman, Scott Fredericks, Ian Talbot.
  11. Maurice O’Connell, Doctor Who #132: Frontios, TV, 1984.   Seventeen possibles for Cockerill opposite Doc6 Peter Davison. O’Connell won. And lost. Most of his work was cut. Huge sigh of relief from… Ball, Alun Armstrong, Jim Broadbent, Tom Chadbon, Maurice Colbourne, Forbes Collins Michael Elphick, Michael Gothard, John Hallam, Del Henney, Philip Jackson, Alan Lake, Terry Molloy, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel, Donald Sumpter and Stephen Yardley.
  12. Maurice Colbourne, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984.        The scandalous 80s’ producer John Nathan-Turner 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 (BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes), Terry Molloy, John Rhys-Davies, Maurice Roëves. Plus several soldiers from that the Lifeforce army: Ball, Steven Berkoff, Tom Chadbon, 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 a Doctor Who… Preposterous!
  13. Del Henney, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984.       Ball, Henney, Michael Byrne, Tom Chadbon, Peter Firth, Tim Pigott-Smith, Patrick Ryecart, Patrick Stewart, David Warner… most of the 11 actors up for Colonel Archer in the Doc5 Peter Davison adventure were Lifeforcers that year.
  14. Christopher Gable, Doctor Who #135: The Caves of Androzani, TV, 1984.     Mixed signals about Sharez Jek… Rock idols like David Bowie, Roger Daltrey, Mick Jagger and the rockerish Tim Curry – or actors Patrick Allen, Nicholas Ball, Steven Berkoff, Brian Cox, Christopher Gable, Michael Gambon, Julian Glover, John Hurt, Derek Jacobi, Martin Jarvis, Michael Jayston, Oliver Tobias. Ball was also up for…
  15. Robert Glenister, Doctor Who #135: The Caves of Androzani, TV, 1984.     When Christopher Gable was switched from Major Salateen to Sharez Jek, eight regular Whovians had to bow to newcomer Glenister – Ball, Ralph Bates, Christopher Cazenove, Tom Chadbon, Nicholas Clay, Brian Cox, Donald Sumpter. Ball was also up for…
  16. Maurice Roëves, Doctor Who #135: The Caves of Androzani, TV, 1984.      Whoverse regualars Ball, Patrick Allen, Alun Armstrong, Steven Berkoff, Kenneth Cope, Michel Elphiock and outsider Warren Clarke were Stotz candidates. …
  17. Stephen Yardley, Doctor Who # 138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984.      Not quite matching the Lifeforce movie’s 203 candidates for 18 roles that year but as many as 58 guys were seen for just three roles in this Doc6 Colin Baker episode – most of them being Lifeforcers! (They did not share the same casting director, so how did Cannon get hold of the Whoverse lists, hmm?) For example, there were 19 contenders for Arak… Ball, Yardley, Alun Armstrong, Jim Broadbent, Andrew Burt, Tony Caunter, Tom Chadbon, Peter Childs, Kenneth Cope, Paul Darrow, Tom Georgeson, John Hallam, Brian Miller, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel, Carl Rigg, Colin Scully, Donald Sumpter, Dave Warwick
  18. Tom Chadbon, Doctor Who #143: Trial of A Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet, TV, 1986.      Ball and Keith Barron were short-listed for Merdeen. Two years earlier, both actors (and Chadbon) had also been up for the same rôle(s) in the dreaded Lifeforce. The difference being Who was science fiction; Lifeforce was science fart. 19 – Tony Selby, Doctor Who #143: The Trial of a Time Lord, TV, 1986. A regular on producer John Nathan-Taylor’s casting lists, Ball was up for Sabalom Glitz in the the 14-episode past-present-future arc (hello A Christmas Carol!) that lasted the entire Season 23. At this juncture, the franchis was as much on trial as Doc6 Colin Baker
  19. Don Henderson, Doctor Who #146: Delta and The Bannermen, TV, 1987.       Chimeron Queen Delta escapes the baddies and heads to Disneyland (!) but arrives instead at… a Welsh holiday camp! Director Chris Clough chose Henderson for Bannerman boss Gavrok from producer John Nathan-Taylor’s familiar dartboard: Ball, Kenneth Colley, Michael Elphick, Michel Gothard, Bernard Hill, Jeremy Kemp, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna, Clifford Rose, Peter Vaughan, Simon Ward, David Warner.
  20. 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… Ball, John Alderton, Tom Chadbon, Michael Gothard, Ian Holm, David Jason, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna, Clifford Rose, Simon Ward, David Warner. The Doc of the day was Doc7 Sylvester McCoy.
  21. Simon Williams, Doctor Who #148: Remembrance of the Daleks, 1988. Despite the importance of the show – the 25th anniversary season opener –   eleven actors passed on Group Captain Gilmore. Ball, Tom Adams, Tom Chadbon, 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. Despite 19 invites, none of Ball’s 85 credits (up to 2017) were in the Whoverse.

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  19