TP McKenna

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. George Baker, A Warm December, 1973.       Warmer… once Sidney Poitier (also directing) fell for his London co-star Esther Anderson.  Poitier, also directing, chose McKenna for Dr Henry Barlow. After a handful of scenes, Poitier dropped him in favour of Dr Baker
  2. John Abineri, Doctor Who #102: The Power of Kroll, TV, 1978-1979.      McKenna and Fredrick Jaeger were on the wish-list for the High Priest Ranquin when Doc4 Tom Baker searched for the Key to Time on the third moon of Delta Magna.. (Where else?) This was Abineri’s fourth and final Whoverse visit.
  3. 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 – Brian Blessed, James Ellis, Stratford Johns, Frank Windsor – and the Houston brothers, Donald and Glyn. Plus TPM, Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Peter Cushing, Ronald Fraser, Peter Gilmore, 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
  4. George Baker, Doctor Who #111: Full Circle, TV, 1980.      The baker’s dozen actors up for Login were familiar names from 80s Whoverse casting. McKenna, Baker, Joss Ackland, Brian Blessed, John Carson, James Ellis, Frank Finlay, Bearnard Hepton, Donald Houston, Jeremy Kemp, William Lucas, Alfred Lynch and Edward Woodward. And they stayed listed until they became available.
  5. John Carson, Doctor Who #124: Snakedance, TV, 1982.     Also up for the archaeologist Ambril opposite Doc5 Peter Davidson on Manussa, were many of the usual ’80s crowd… TPM, Joss Ackland, Geoffrey Bayldon, Frank Finlay, Richard Johnson, Dinsdale Landen, William Lucas and Clifford Rose.
  6. Frank Windsor, Doctor Who #128: The King’s Demons, 1983. Producer John Nathan-Taylor’s usual suspects were flagpoled for Sir Ranulf Fitzwilliam at the court of King John, circa 1215… TPM, Joss Ackland, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Julian Glover, Michael Jayston, Peter Jeffrey, Dinsdale Landen, Alfred Lynch, Clifford Rose, Peter Vaughan, Edward Woodward. Plus three Z Cars cops: booming Brian Blessed, Irish James Ellis… and the quiet Windsor.
  7. Patrick Stewart, Lifeforce, 1984.
  8. Aubrey Morris, Lifeforce, 1984.
  9. Frank Finlay, Lifeforce, 1984.
  10. Terence Alexander, Doctor Who #139: The Mark of the Rani, 1984.      McKenna, 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, Donald Pickering, Peter Sallis, John Standing, Patrick Stewart, Peter Vaughan… and the Z Cars cops James Ellis and Jeremy Kemp – 23 contenders for Lord Ravenworth. Phew! Actually, Sir John Standing was the most suitable as he was the the fourth baronet in his family’s line.

  11. 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: TPM, Stratton, Joss Ackland, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Brian Blessed, Denholm Elliott, James Ellis, Frank Finlay, Ronald Fraser, Michael Gothard, Don Henderson, Donald Houston, Freddie Jones, Jeremy Kemp, Roy Kinnear, Ronald Lacey, Aubrey Morris, Donald Pleasence, Peter Sallis, George Sewell, Peter Vaughan.
  12. William Gaunt, Doctor Who #142: Revelation of the Daleks, 1985.      For the second time, 25 actors were up for a single rôle… in a Doctor flaming Who. 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 army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in Lifeforce the year before: McKenna, Tom Adams, George Baker, John Carson, Frank Finlay, Julian Glover, Michael Gothard, Del Henney, Peter Jeffrey, Patrick Mower, Clifford Rose, Patrick Stewart, Nigel Stock, Anthony Valentine, David Warner and Frank Windsor.
  13. Richard Briers, Doctor Who #145: Paradise Towers, TV, 1987.      A rare error by the ’80s producer, John Nathan-Taylor. He was highly displeased by the performance of Briers (a much loved BBC star). Critic Patrick Mulkern who called it a career-low. “There’s no escaping the fact that the key baddie is just Richard Briers in a silly cap, silly moustache, putting on a silly voice. Mugging for England. Sending up Doctor Who in a horribly misjudged, self-indulgent performance… like an embarrassing dad playing the Bogeyman. It plunges an already teetering production into the abyss.” Owch! TPM and Denis Quilley could only have been better.
  14. Don Henderson, Doctor Who #146: Delta and The Bannermen, TV, 1987.       Chimeron Queen Delta escapes the baddies and heads to Disneyland  (!) arriving instead at… a Welsh holiday camp! Director Chris Clough chose Henderson for Bannerman boss from producer John Nathan-Taylor’s familar dartboard casting: TPM, Nicholas Ball, Kenneth Colley, Michael Elphick, Michael Gothard, Bernard Hill, Jeremy Kemp, Ronald Lacey, Clifford Rose, Peter Vaughan, Simon Ward, David Warner. The Irish Thomas Patrick McKenna finally visited the Whoverse as a Captain Cook in #151: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, 1988-1989,
  15. 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… TPM, John Alderton, Nicholas Ball, Tom Chadbon, Michael Gothard, Ian Holm, David Jason, Ronald Lacey, Clifford Rose, Simon Ward, David Warner. The Doc of the day was Doc7 Sylvester McCoy.
  16. George Sewell, Doctor Who #148: Rememerance of the Daleks, 1988.      Aunty searched for fascist leader Ratcliffe among Joss Ackland, Kenneth Cope, Peter Gilmore, Bernard Hill, Glyn Houston, Stratford Johns… and survivors of the 1984 Lifeforce brigade: McKenna, George Baker, Keith Barron, Steven Berkoff, John Carson, Kenneth Colley, Del Henney, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna, David Warner, Frank Windsor. The difference being Who was science fiction and Lifeforce was science fart.

 Birth year: 1929Death year: 2011Other name: Casting Calls:  16