10 Most Unusual Demands Made By Doctor Who Guest Stars

4. Anthony Ainley's Bald Cap Mishap - Time Flight

Steven Berkoff Doctor Who
BBC Studios

If you believe Tom Baker (and thousands wouldn't) then Master actor Anthony Ainley was "bald as a kneecap". The Master's jet black hair was, unsurprisingly, a wig. Anecdotally, he was very sensitive about his baldness and would insist on his make-up being done in private.

Ainley's sensitivity over his baldness reached ludicrous heights during the production of 1982's Time-Flight. For reasons that are never made clear, the Master is disguised as the mystical Khalid a bald, racist stereotype for the benefit of seemingly nobody. Of course, to wear the heavy latex and make-up used to cover up his appearance, Ainley would have to remove the wig. No deal.

He insisted that the make-up artists fit the bald cap over his luxurious black wig. Christopher Lee was similar, he refused to remove his wig for his role as Mycroft Holmes in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes until he was eventually convinced to by the director Billy Wilder. Ron Jones, the director of the much derided Time-Flight, had no such luck with Ainley, despite warning of the unbearable heat he'd have to deal with.

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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.