Edward Peel

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. 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. Peel, Dallas Adams, Sean Arnold, Colin Baker, Andrew Burt, Tom Chadbon, Michael Cochrane, Ian Collier, Forbes Collins, Eric Deacon, Jack Galloway, Richard Heffer, Paul Jerricho, Ian McCulloch, Clive Merrison, Terry Molloy, Martin Potter, Jeff Rawle, Carl Rigg, Patrick Ryecart, Malcolm Stoddard, Donald Sumpter, Robert Swann Malcolm Tierney, Stephen Yardley – they were all up for Flight Engineer Scobie…    
  2. Michael Cashman, Doctor Who # 122: Time Flight, TV, 1982.    …and for First Officer Bilton…
  3. Michael McDermott   Doctor Who # 122: Time Flight, TV, 1982.     …plus Sheard – which wasn’t even offered to another Whoverse favourite, Michael… Sheard.
  4. Nicholas Ball, Lifeforce, 1984.
  5. Chris Sullivan, Lifeforce, 1984.
  6. John Hallam, Lifeforce, 1984.
  7. Nigel Humphreys, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, TV, 1984.       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 Peel (a teacher and grave-digger turned actor), Nicholas Ball, Tom Chadbon, Maurice Colbourne, Paul Darrow, Michael Gothard, Tony Osoba from the astonishing army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in that year’s Lifeforce movie mess .
  8. Ian McCulloch, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, TV, 1984.        The 13 possible Nilsons were Peter Arne, Ian Holm, Dennis Lill, Alfred Lynch, Ian McKellen, Clive Merrison (BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes), John Normington plus five of Lifeforce contenders: Peel, Nicholas Ball, Tom Chadbon, Michael Gothard, Ronald Lacey. The difference being Who was science fiction and Lifeforce was science fart.
  9. Jack Galloway, Doctor Who #131: The Awakening, TV, 1984.        Up for Joseph Willow in the Doc5 Peter Davison trip – Peel, Galloway, Alun Armstrong, Nicholas Ball, Jim Broadbent, Tom Chadbon, John Hallam, Prentis Hancock, Del Henney, Roy Holder, Alan Lake, Terry Molloy, Jeff Rawle, Carl Rigg, Paul Shelley, Donald Sumpter, Malcolm Tierney were familiar names from producer John Nathan-Taylor’s casting/dart board. He also voted for three newcomers: Geoffrey Bateman, Scott Fredericks, Ian Talbot.
  10. 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… Peel, Alun Armstrong, Nicholas Ball, Jim Broadbent, Tom Chadbon, Maurice Colbourne, Forbes Collins, Michael Elphick, Michael Gothard, John Hallam,. Del Henney, Philip Jackson, Alan Lake, Terry Molloy, Tony Osoba, Donald Sumpter and Stephen Yardley.

  11. Maurice Colbourne, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984.      Infamous 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 (aka Davros), John Rhys-Davies, Maurice Roëves. Plus Lifeforcers Nicholas 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 flaming Doctor Who… Preposterous!  
  12. Stephen Yardley, Doctor Who # 138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984.       Not quite matching the Lifeforce movie’s 184 candidates for 16 rules that year 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… Peel, Yardley, Alun Armstrong, Nicholas Ball, Jim Broadbent, Andrew Burt, Tony Caunter, Tom Chadbon, Peter Childs, Kenneth Cope, Paul Darrow, Tom Georgeson, John Hallam, Brian Miller, Tony Osoba, Carl Rigg, Colin Scully, Donald Sumpter, Dave Warwick.
  13. Forbes Collins, Doctor Who # 138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984.      Peel was also among the 20 names rung up the flagpole for the treacherous Chief Officer… Peel, Collins, Tony Caunter, Tom Chadbon, Peter Childs, Michael Culver, James Ellis, Tom Georgeson, John Hallam, Terrence Hardiman, Don Henderson, John Hollis, Ronald Lacey, Clifford Rose, John Savident, George Sewell, Patrick Stewart, Donald Sumpter, Malcolm Tierney – and Stephen Yardley, who played Arak. Peel finally entered the Whoverse as Kane opposite Doc7 Sylvester McCoy, in #147, Dragonfire, 1987.

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  13