Paul Darrow

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. Gareth Thomas, Blake’s 7, TV, 1978-1981.         Seen for Roj Blake, head of what Terry Nation (also the creator of Doctor Who’s Daleks) pitched as The Dirty Dozen In Space… He became the icy loner Avon, instead. In every episode – except the pilot. And stole the show. And then bought it, amassing all rights to the format in 2003.  (I saw Darrow live in Arnold Wesker’s famous play, Chips With Everything, at the Bournemouth Pavilion, in 1962. So, where were you?!)
  2. Paul Shelley, Doctor Who #117: Four To Doomsday, TV, 1981.       Darrow was not persuaded to play the Minister of Persuasion. Nor were Colin Baker, Michaels Cashman and Cochrane, Tom Chadbon, Jack Galloway, Martin Jarvis, Paul Jerricho, Clive Merrison (BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes), Martin Potter (far from Fellini), Malcolm Tierney and James Warwick. This was Doc5 Peter Davison’s second outing. “And I didn’t know what I was doing!”
  3. 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  Darrow, Easton, Terence Alexander, Peter Arne, Keith Barron, Brian Blessed, John Carson, Michael Craig, Peter Gilmore, Michael Gothard, John Hallam, Terrence Hardiman, Del Henney, Glyn Houston, Martin Jarvis, William Lucas, Conrad Phillips, Anthony Valentine and Frank Windsor.
  4. Andrew Burt, Doctor Who #126: Terminus, TV, 1983.         Darrow, Burt, Nicholas Ball, Tom Chabon, 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. Now read on…
  5. Patrick Stewart, Lifeforce, 1984.
  6. Michael Gothard, Lifeforce, 1984.
  7. Nicholas Ball, Lifeforce, 1984.
  8. Peter Firth, Lifeforce, 1984.
  9. Chris Sullivan, Lifeforce, 1984.
  10. John Hallam, Lifeforce, 1984.
  11. Nigel Humphreys, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, 1984.          The 17 choices for Bulic in Doc5 Peter Davison’s finale were Richard Heffer, Roger Lloyd Pack, Bruce McCulloch, Terry Molloy, Stephen Rea, Carl Rigg, Donald Sumpter, Dave Warwick, Steve Yardley – plus Darrow, Nicholas Ball, Tom Chadbon, Maurice Colbourne, Michael Gothard, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel from the astonishing army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in that year’s Lifeforce movie mess.
  12. Tom Adams, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, 1984.      Competing for Commander Vorshak were 13 Lifeforcers: Darrow, Steven Berkoff, Kenneth Colley, Michael Craig, Paul Darrow, Anton Diffring, Del Henney, Martin Jarvis, Ian McCulloch, Patrick Mower, Patrick Stewart, David Warner, Simon Williams and Peter Wyngarde. Plus three outsiders: Brian Blessed, Peter Gilmore, Gareth Hunt. The difference being that Who was science fiction and Lifeforce was science fart.
  13. Maurice Colbourne, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984.       Scandalous 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, Terry Molloy (aka Davros), John Rhys-Davies, Maurice Roëves. Plus – but of course – the Lifeforce troops… Darrow, Nicholas Ball, Steven Berkoff, Tom Chadbon, 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!
  14. Stephen Yardley, Doctor Who # 138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984.          Not quite matching the Lifeforce movie’ army, 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… Darrow, Yardley, Alun Armstrong, Nicholas Ball, Jim Broadbent, Andrew Burt, Tony Caunter, Tom Chadbon, Peter Childs, Kenneth Cope, Tom Georgeson, John Hallam, Brian Miller, Tony Osoba, Edward Peel, Carl Rigg, Colin Scully, Donald Sumpter, Dave Warwick. Darrow made two Whoverse visits. As Captain Hawkins in #52: Doctor Who and the Silurians, 1969; and Maylin Tekker in #141: Timelash, 1985.

 

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  14