The Guest Stars
It's a hallowed institution: it's no wonder the likes of Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon and Dame Diana Rigg have appeared in Doctor Who. We have as much to thank these guest stars as anyone else: they bring the best out of our Doctors and companions, and without them, we wouldn't have a show. 70. The Beatles were set to appear in an episode in the '60s, playing their future selves, but the move was vetoed by manager Brian Epstein. 69. Monty Python member and Q himself John Cleese appeared in City Of Death, uncredited. 68. John Simm claimed that he based his Master on a cross between Tony Blair and Heath Ledger's Joker. 67. The market salesman in 'The Fires of Pompeii' who assumes Donna is Celtic is played by Phil Cornwell, better known to Gorillaz fans as the voice behind fictional bassist Murdoc Niccals. 66. Wilfred Mott himself, Bernard Cribbins, was a companion in the Peter Cushing film, 'Daleks Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.'. Cribbins also auditioned for the Fourth Doctor but was eventually made a recurring character in 'Partners In Crime' after his cameo appearance in 'Voyage Of The Damned', replacing the then-recently deceased Howard Attfield as Donna's grandfather.
65. One of the twins that played the newborn Melody Pond was a boy. 64. Mike Skinner, the rapper behind British hip-hop project The Streets, appears in 'The Time of Angels' as a Stormcage guard duped by River's hallucinogenic lipstick. 63. Before he met future wife and co-star Georgia Moffett, David Tennant was romantically linked to Sophie Myles, who played Madame de Pompadour in 'The Girl in the Fireplace'. 62. Peter Kay was offered a part in 'Love and Monsters' after writing a fan letter to Russell T Davies. He asked to play the Absorbaloff after reading the script. 61. David Tennant actually guest-starred in Ricky Gervais's sitcom Extras, playing himself, playing the Doctor. In a parody of 'Love and Monsters', Gervais's character Andy, also an actor, lands a role on Doctor Who as a space slug.