Tuesday 29 July 2014

Connections Jonathan Creek by DJ Forrest



In 1997, a drama series that would span over 7 seasons starring Alan Davies and Caroline Quentin as two puzzle solvers, one from the world of magic and the other from the world of investigative journalism, would blow the lid off the impossible crime cases.  It was light hearted humour with a twist of evil genius, capped off with a host of familiar stars from the world of both Who and Torchwood as well as other well known drama and situation comedies spanning the ‘70’s right through to present day. 

Jonathan Creek was one of my favourite BBC 1 drama serials.  It would force me to use my old grey matter in solving the case before the duo, but I was always a little way out in every crime.  So it was a great catch up on Netflix this month discovering the series and watching right from the very start.

Back then of course I didn’t know all of the characters that excited me this time around.  I hadn’t watched much of Classic Who after the Tom Baker era, until the new series, and so spotting the faces of past Who actors, and those of Torchwood, well it only gets exciting from here.



In the first season, in episode 1, The Wrestler’s Tomb, we witnessed an artist/painter shot twice at close range in the doorway to his bedroom, while his girlfriend was tied up in the room, with gaffer tape over her mouth. 
Hedley Shale was played by Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor, in yes; you’ve guessed it, Doctor Who.  Also in this episode we were introduced to Adam Klaus, the magician who Alan Davies’ character Jonathan works for.  In the first series, Adam was played by Anthony Stewart Head, but from the Second Series onwards he was replaced by Stuart Milligan. 


1997 was the year that Buffy the Vampire Slayer began, so it was of no surprise that Anthony wouldn’t be around for the next Season of Jonathan Creek.
In Doctor Who, Anthony played the role of the Krillitane headmaster Mr Finch in ‘School Reunion’ during the 10th Doctor era.

In Season 2, the producer for the show also changed, and from 1998 – 2004 Verity Lambert took up the reins.  Verity Lambert as we all know was the producer of Doctor from the very beginning.


In Season 2, episode 1 Peter Davison played Stephen Claithorne, a vicar whose ex wife had just been shot at close range by a person wearing a skeleton costume.  The trick in this story was to discover what happened to the skeleton killer once he’d taken the new wife of the vicar into the garage and closed the door, then promptly vanished when it was re-opened and only the wife was left behind.  Once again my theories for this were wrong, but not completely!

From 1997 till the Season’s final episode in 2014 up to 18 recognisable people played characters in the drama that were recognised from their roles in both Doctor Who & Torchwood.  From the hundred or so names in the cast and crew list, I may have missed a few names, and if you do happen to recognise a few faces that are not listed, please share them with us in the comments box below.

Actor                          Jonathan Creek                     Doctor Who or Torchwood
Colin Baker                Hedley Shale                          Sixth Doctor
Anthony S Head         Adam Klaus                            Mr Finch – ‘School Reunion’
Peter Davison            Stephen Claithorne                Fifth Doctor
Maureen Lipman       Louise Bergman                     The Wire – The Idiot’s Lantern
Mary Tamm                Vivian Brodie                            Romana – Fourth Doctor Companion
Maureen O’Brien      Kirsten Holiday                        Vicki – First Doctor Companion
Murray Melvin           Lionel Prekopp                        Bilis Manger – Captain Jack Harkness &
                                                                                    End of Days
June Whitfield           Heidi & Laurel Greeley            Silver Cloak Member – End of Time
Paul McGann             Hugo Dore                              Eighth Doctor
Michael Brandon      Captain Frank Candy              UNIT – Stolen Earth
Colin McFarlane        Inspector Fell                         General Austin Pierce – COE
Matt Rippy                  Bronson Peterman                 Captain Jack Harkness
Celia Imrie                  Thelma Bailey                        11th Doctor era
Tamsin Greig             Pam                                        Nurse - The Long Game
Adjoa Andoh              Anthea Spacey                         Francine Jones – 10th Doctor era
Ian McNeice               Father Roderick Alberic          Winstone Churchill – 11th Doctor era
Hannah Gordon        Marella Carney                        Kirsty The Highlanders – Doctor Who
Sheridan Smith         Joey Ross                               Doctor Who audio drama 8th Doctor
Bill Bailey                   Kenny Starkiss                        Droxil – Doctor Who


Resources:
IMDB Jonathan Creek cast and crew list


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