- George Baker, Doctor Who #111: Full Circle, TV, 1980. The baker’s dozen actors up for Login were familiar names from 80s Whovian casting. Ellis, Baker, Joss Ackland, Brian Blessed, John Carson, Frank Finlay, Bernard Hepton, Donald Houston, Jeremy Kemp, William Lucas, Alfred Lynch, TP McKenna, Edward Woodward. And they stayed listed until they became available.
- Frank Windsor, Doctor Who #128 : The King’s Demons, 1983. Aunty’s usual 80s’ suspects were flagpoled for Sir Ranulf Fitzwilliam at the court of King John, circa 1215… Joss Ackland, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Julian Glover, Michael Jayston, Peter Jeffrey, Dinsdale Landen, Alfred Lynch, TP McKenna, Clifford Rose, Peter Vaughan, Edward Woodward. Plus three Z Cars cop stars: booming Brian Blessed, Irish James Ellis… and the quiet Windsor.
- Glyn Houston, Doctor Who #131: The Awakening, TV, 1984. A dozen of producer John Nathan-Taylor’s usual choices were up for Colonel Ben Wolsey opposite Doc5 Peter Davison… Ellis, Houston, Joss Ackland, Terence Alexander, Michael Craig, Peter Gilmore, John Hallam, Jeremy Kemp, Conrad Phillips, Patrick Stewart, John Stratton, Peter Vaughan. The rest (and some newcomers) were seen for Joseph Willow.
- Rodney Bewes, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984. In the mix for Quartermaster Sergeant Stein wit Meg Bennett and Roy Kinnear – oppo Doc5 Peter Davison. Bewes made him different. With a stutter. Didn’t help. This was sf as in science fart.
- Forbes Collins, Doctor Who # 138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984. Ellis was also among the 20 names rung up the flagpole for the treacherous Chief Officer… Ellis, Collins, Tony Caunter, Tom Chadbon, Peter Childs, Michael Culver, 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 got to be Arak.
- Terence Alexander, Doctor Who #139: The Mark of the Rani, 1984. Joss Ackland, Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Robin Bailey, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Geoffrey Bayldon, John Carson, Peter Cushing, Allan Cuthbertson, Frank Finlay, Robert Flemyng, Michael Gough, Dinsdale Landen, TP McKenna, Donald Pickering, Peter Sallis, John Standing, Patrick Stewart, Peter Vaughan… and the Z Cars cops James Ellis and Jeremy Kemp – these were the 23 contenders for Lord Ravenworth. Phew!
- John Stratton, Doctor Who #140: The Two Doctors, TV, 1985. The two Time Lords were Doc2 Patrick Troughton and Doc 6, the short lived Colin Baker. Shockeyes were more plentiful. The 22 prospects were: Ellis, Stratton, Joss Ackland, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Brian Blessed, Denholm Elliott, Frank Finlay, Ronald Fraser, Michael Gothard, Don Henderson, Donald Houston, Freddie Jones, Jeremy Kemp, Roy Kinnear, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna, Aubrey Morris, Donald Pleasence, Peter Sallis, George Sewell, Peter Vaughan.
- 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 Ellis, Joss Ackland, Ray Brooks, John Fraser, Peter Gilmore, Denis Lill, Philip Madoc, Peter Vaughan… Plus survivors of the astonishing army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in Lifeforce the year before: 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, David Warner and Frank Windsor. Ellis, for instance, was As we have seen, producer Nathan-Taylor ahd been trying to cast the Irish Ellis since 1980. And succeeded by signing him for #152: Battlefield, 1989, with Doc7 Sylvester McCoy – the final show of the producer’s scandalous reign. He proved to be as repugnant a paedophile as the infamous BBC star Jimmy Saville – both sexually absused their their shows’ fans.
Birth year: 1931Death year: 2014Other name: Casting Calls: 8