10 Doctor Who Background Actors Who Got Themselves Noticed

8. Margaret John

Doctor Who Silence in the Library Josh Dallas
BBC Studios

Margaret John first appeared as the no-nonsense Megan Jones in Fury from the Deep, sent to investigate the strange goings-on at the refinery. 38 years later, she returned to the world of Doctor Who in the minor but memorable role of Faceless Grandma Connolly in The Idiot's Lantern.

John had a long and varied career across the decades, having appeared in the likes of Game of Thrones and Run Fatboy Run before her death in 2011. And while she's probably best known for playing the foul-mouthed Doris in Gavin & Stacey, it's her minor role as Grandma Connolly that could be her lasting legacy.

Her face is barely seen in the episode, on account of it being sucked into the telly by The Wire in the seventh Tardisode. However, the most remarkable thing about Faceless Grandma Connolly is that she actually got her own action figure – complete with swappable head.

Not every background actor gets their own action figure, so it's a remarkable (if unconventional) tribute to Margaret John's amazing career.

 
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Citizen of the Universe, Film Programmer, Writer, Podcaster, Doctor Who fan and a gentleman to boot. As passionate about Chinese social-realist epics as I am about dumb popcorn movies.