- today
It's been almost 20 years since they brought Doctor Who back. But what has the revival cast been up to since?
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Hello everybody, Ellie here, and I'm about to make you all feel very old, so sorry about that.
00:05It's been almost 20 years since Doctor Who returned to our screens, 20 years.
00:11And given the long gap, I figured it was a good time to look at what the stars of that first series have been up to lately.
00:17Some have faded away quietly, some have faded away controversially, but most of them have been very, very busy since 2005.
00:24So let's start in no particular order with number 16, and that's good old Clive, Mark Benton.
00:32Without the hard work of dedicated Doctor Watcher Clive Finch, Rose Tyler would have never unlocked the secret of the mysterious man who saved her from the Autons.
00:41She wouldn't have joined his intergalactic escapades, and there's a very good chance none of us would be here.
00:46And what was his reward? Getting killed off by a mannequin.
00:48Oh, Clive.
00:49Clive was played by Mark Benton, and the first episode of The Revival was his one and only Doctor Who credit.
00:56Prior to this, Benton was a regular on British TV, and that hasn't changed since his run-in with The Plastic Menace.
01:03Benton has been a series regular on soap opera Waterloo Road and detective drama Shakespeare and Hathaway Private Investigators,
01:09while also bagging a small role in the critically acclaimed 2015 biopic Eddie the Eagle.
01:15In 2013, he was a contestant on the 11th series of Strictly Come Dancing, where he lasted for 10 weeks.
01:21Maybe Clive could have waltzed away from the Autons' gunfire.
01:24Like a lot of Doctor Who actors, he also returned to play his character in several big Finnish audio dramas, beginning in 2019.
01:31Number 15. Simon Callow.
01:34For the Doctor and Rose's first brush with a historical figure, they travelled back to Victorian Cardiff,
01:39and had a run-in with ol' fancy words himself, Charles Dickens.
01:43The legendary author helped round up some pesky Gelf, creatures that were threatening to possess the bodies of the entire human race.
01:49Bringing Dickens to life was no easy feat, though, which is why the task was given to Olivier Award-winning thespian Simon Callow.
01:56Not to be confused with talent show judge Simon Cowell. Very different people.
02:00Callow's filmography prior to Who was enormous, and he hasn't slowed down since his battle with the gassiest ghosts.
02:06In the 2020s, he's been in huge TV shows like Hawkeye and The Witcher, and in 2017, he appeared in a movie called The Man Who Invented Christmas,
02:15which is all about Charles Dickens. Small world, really.
02:18He returned to the Hooniverse in 2009 as the voice of tree-lawn-acre-slitheen-blatherene in The Sarah Jane Adventures,
02:25before embodying Charlie Boy once again, very briefly, in The Wedding of River Song.
02:29He'll be next seen in Winnie-the-Pooh Blood and Honey 2. Hey, look, he's gotta pay the rent somehow.
02:34Number 14, Eve Miles.
02:37Though she may not have been a world-famous writer, Gwyneth was still vital in helping the Doctor and Rose stop the Gelf.
02:43Her psychic ability made her the perfect conduit for the invading spirits, but she ultimately chose to destroy herself to save the rest of humanity.
02:50Gwyneth was played by Welsh actress Eve Miles, because Russell T Davies was hell-bent on giving every single person in Wales a role during his first tenure in charge.
02:58Miles would go on to appear in the BBC's Little Dorrit, a Charles Dickens adaptation, alongside Arthur Darville and Freema Adjimin.
03:05And then in 2018, she featured in another RTD series, A Very English Scandal, where she played a character also called Gwen.
03:12She was most recently seen in the 2023 Apple TV Plus series Hijack opposite Idris Elba.
03:18But of course, Miles is most famous for joining the Torchwood spinoff as Gwen Cooper, which ran for four series between 2006 and 2011.
03:27Gwen would crop up in the Doctor Who series four finale, Journey's End, where the Doctor and Rose joke about how similar she looked to that brave girl they met in 1869.
03:37Number 13, Florence Hoth.
03:39The emotional core of the two-parter The Empty Child and The Doctor Dancers was definitely Nancy, the leader of a group of street kids who turns out to be the mother of the gas-mass zombie boy.
03:49Spoilers for an episode that came out two decades ago.
03:52Actress Florence Hoth was just 20 years old when the story aired, had been performing since the age of eight, having already appeared in numerous films and TV shows.
04:00After Doctor Who, she appeared in five episodes of Doctors and played Kitty Bennett in the Pride and Prejudice adaptation Lost in Austin, co-starring alongside one Alex Kingston.
04:09She confirmed in Doctor Who magazine in 2015 that she had retired from the acting industry, and now she runs a children's edutainment YouTube channel called Xenipops alongside her husband, which is really, really wholesome.
04:21And honestly, I don't care to admit how long I spent watching these videos.
04:26Number 12, Simon Pegg.
04:28In the far-flung future, all of humanity's news is filtered through the mysterious Satellite 5, a gigantic space station controlled by the mighty Jagrafess of the holy Hadrojacic Maxaroddon folk.
04:39Yes! Smashed it!
04:40They only put the whole name in the script just to see if they could stump me.
04:43And they didn't.
04:44Big J conducts its business via a human servant known as The Editor.
04:49He's played by everyone's favourite super nerd, Simon Pegg, and boy has he been busy since 2005.
04:55Pegg has risen from cherished UK comedian to bona fide megastar over the last 20 years.
05:01From Edgar Wright's Cornetto trilogy to Mission Impossible to The Boys, Pegg has been in anything and everything, usually putting in a great performance to boot.
05:10She's not only been in the Doctor Who universe, but also the Star Wars, Star Trek, and Harry Potter ones too, having recently voiced headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black in the 2023 smash hit video game Hogwarts Legacy.
05:22He continues to be one of the busiest men in Hollywood, and will next be seen in the eighth and final Mission Impossible movie in 2025.
05:31Number 11. Patterson Joseph
05:33When Rose finds herself in the middle of a deadly game of The Weakest Link, one of her fellow contestants is the money-hungry Roderick, who ultimately wins the show.
05:42Despite being a minor role, Roderick is still fabulously hateable, even in the same episode as the killer space Nazis.
05:47That's because the man behind the character, Patterson Joseph, is a very fine actor.
05:52British comedy fans will know Joseph from his time in Peep Show, where he played Mark Corrigan's slick-talking boss, Alan Johnson, between 2003 and 2015.
06:01He's still highly active to this day too, having memorably portrayed the evil chocolatier Arthur Slugworth opposite Timothee Chalamet in 2023's Delightful Wonka.
06:10Interestingly, he also auditioned to play the 11th Doctor before Matt Smith bagged the part.
06:15Can you imagine the Doctor reflecting on why he shares a face with that random bloke from the game station?
06:20Number 10. Joe Joyner
06:22The death of Linda, with a Y, in Series 1 finale, The Parting of the Ways, is still one of the most haunting Doctor Who moments.
06:29The brave Big Brother contestant is cornered by the Daleks, who blast her into space by shattering the glass window protecting her.
06:36It's a tragic scene, in large part because Linda was so damn likeable.
06:40At the time, actress Jo Joyner was enjoying a regular role in the Channel 4 show No Angels, created by Doctor Who writer Toby Whithouse, who penned episodes like School Reunion, The God Complex, and The Lie of the Land.
06:51Post Who, Joyner assumed her most recognisable role to date as Tanya Branning in EastEnders, appearing in 679 episodes between 2006 and 2018, which is mental.
07:02Interestingly, she also plays Luella Shakespeare in the ongoing series Shakespeare and Hathaway Private Investigators, alongside the aforementioned Mark Benton.
07:11Now Benton was killed in the first episode of Series 1, and Joyner was killed in the last.
07:16Life is funny sometimes, or maybe it's just a coincidence, but maybe not.
07:20Number 9. Penelope Wilton
07:22Before she was Prime Minister, and then former Prime Minister, Harriet Jones was the humble MP for Flydale North, and she would not let anyone forget it.
07:31The boisterous backbencher found herself at the centre of the action when the Doctor and Rose discovered that top English politicians were actually hideous green monsters full of hot air.
07:39You can make your own jokes there.
07:41Jones was played by the marvellous Penelope Wilton, who is still going strong today at the grand old age of 77.
07:46She is perhaps best known for her role in the iconic drama series Downton Abbey, which she reprised in the 2022 feature film sequel Downton Abbey A New Era.
07:56Recently, she was seen in a recurring role in Ricky Gervais' hit Netflix comedy series Afterlife.
08:01In 2016, she was made a dame for her services to drama, yet another accolade she can repeatedly remind people of.
08:08Number 8. Bruno Langley
08:10Halfway through Series 1, RTD decided to showcase what a truly awful companion would look like.
08:15Enter Adam Mitchell.
08:17At first, he seems like a good egg, but a trip to the future reveals Adam's true nature when he attempts to steal information to make himself rich.
08:23This short-lived TARDIS traveller was played by Bruno Langley, who is best known for his long-running role as Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street between 2001 and 2017.
08:33His acting career came screeching to a halt when he was charged with two counts of sexual assault in 2017.
08:39He pleaded guilty soon after and was ordered to serve a 12-month community order and attend rehabilitation.
08:44His Corrie contract was terminated, and he hasn't returned to the show since.
08:48In fact, Langley hasn't been seen on TV or films since his conviction.
08:52In 2021, he attempted to relaunch himself as a musician, though apparently that didn't go down too well.
08:58Number 7. Annette Badland
08:59Though she first appeared in the Slothene two-parter, Margaret Blaine came into her own in the criminally underrated Boomtown.
09:07Part of why Boomtown is so good is because the actor behind Margaret, Annette Badland, fully understands the assignment.
09:14She delivers a fantastically nuanced performance, balancing her evil intentions with genuine regret and fear.
09:19In the years since, Badland has cropped up in numerous British TV shows, including Skins, Midsummer Murders, and you'll never believe this, Shakespeare and Hathaway Private Investigators.
09:29What is it with this show?
09:30Recently, Badland found a new audience as the gloriously foul-mouthed landlady May in the Apple TV Plus comedy Ted Lasso,
09:37for which she won an Ensemble Acting Award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2022.
09:42Now, she didn't win anything for Boomtown, but that's because the world is a cruel place.
09:46Also, just putting it out there, I love Ted Lasso.
09:49Number 6. Sean Dingwall
09:51In one of the most emotional episodes of Doctor Who ever, Rose returns to the day of her father's death, to be by his side in his dying moments.
09:59Of course, she mucks the whole thing up by saving his life, but look, she was just doing her best.
10:03Daddy Tyler, or to give him his boring name, Pete, was played by Sean Dingwall, who effortlessly inhabits this kind-hearted dreamer.
10:09Dingwall would reappear as alternate universe Pete in 2006, eventually coming to his daughter's aid by saving her from the void.
10:17Dingwall has enjoyed a steady career over the last two decades.
10:21In 2010, he memorably featured in Only Falls and Horse's prequel series, Rock and Chips, as Del Boy's father, Reg Trotter.
10:28He then made the jump to Hollywood in 2017, starring alongside Donal Gleeson and Margot Robbie in Goodbye Christopher Robin,
10:35before returning to play Pete in the 2019 Big Finish audio series, Rose Tyler, The Dimension Canon.
10:41Number 5. Noel Clark
10:43Noel Clark appeared in the very first episode of Series 1 as Rose's sweet yet unremarkable boyfriend, Mickey Smith.
10:50Over the next few years, Mickey would go from tin dog to confident leader, forging his own path in a parallel world.
10:56He then also married Martha Jones, which was weird.
10:59Clark gained massive prominence following the release of 2006's Kidulthood, a no-punches-pulled look at teenage life on the streets of London.
11:07Clark wrote and starred in the movie, and directed its two sequels, 2008's Adulthood and 2016's Brotherhood,
11:13becoming known as one of the hardest-hitting storytellers in UK cinema.
11:17In the interim, he also had a minor role in 2013 blockbuster Star Trek Into Darkness.
11:22In 2021, he was accused by dozens of women of bullying and sexual harassment.
11:27Clark's career was effectively halted, his recently awarded BAFTA for outstanding British contribution to cinema was revoked,
11:33and he's been out of the spotlight ever since.
11:35Clark swiftly denied the claims, and in 2023, he filed a £10 million defamation suit against The Guardian,
11:42which had published eight articles detailing various accusations against him.
11:46It remains to be seen whether or not Clark will win the case. He hasn't been seen in TV or films since The Accusations in 2021, though.
11:54Number 4. Camille Kaduri
11:55After her husband Pete died in a tragic car accident that may or may not have saved the entire human race,
12:01Jackie Tyler soldiered on as a single mother to Rose.
12:04When a mysterious man called the Doctor came into their lives, Jackie was initially sceptical,
12:08but she eventually warmed to him, even joining him on a few of his adventures.
12:12Sadly, she was never allowed to drive the TARDIS.
12:15Jackie was one of the most relatable characters in the show.
12:17Everyone knew a Jackie in real life, for better or for worse.
12:21This was down to the work of Camille Kaduri, who excelled as the gossip-loving mum.
12:25You might not have heard her name a whole lot over the last 20 years,
12:28but she's popped up absolutely everywhere, from British period drama, Lark Rise to Candleford in 2008,
12:34to crime comedy series Death in Paradise, or Channel 4's Big Boys in 2022.
12:38She's also returned to the Hooniverse in audio form, both as an actor and as the narrator of several Ninth Doctor audiobooks.
12:46See? She does like him, really.
12:47Number 3. John Barrowman
12:49With Adam out of the way, the door was open for another new companion to join the TARDIS crew,
12:54and that vacancy was filled by dashing former time agent and future face of Beau, Captain Jack Harkness.
13:01He didn't last long, though, and was killed at the Battle of Satellite 5,
13:04only for Rose to accidentally grant him immortality. And the rest, as they say, is history.
13:09More so than most Series 1 stars, John Barrowman has enjoyed a successful mainstream career since those early revival days.
13:15He, of course, returned to Doctor Who multiple times, most recently in 2021's Revolution of the Daleks,
13:21and led the Torchwood spin-off until its final series in 2011.
13:25Away from the Hooniverse, he appeared in the Oscar-winning movie Zero Dark Thirty in 2012,
13:30chowed down on some goat's eyes in I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2018,
13:35and joined the judges' panel for Dancing on Ice in 2020.
13:38In the wake of the Noel Clarke allegations, though, stories of John Barrowman's inappropriate on-set behaviour over the years began to surface.
13:46He apologised for reportedly exposing himself while making Doctor Who, saying that his actions were, quote,
13:51only ever intended in good humour.
13:53Soon after, Big Finish pulled the Torchwood audio drama Absent Friends from their release schedule,
13:58and ITV announced that he would not be returning to Dancing on Ice.
14:01But despite the controversy, Barrowman recently stated that he'd love to return to Doctor Who if given the chance.
14:07Number 2. Billy Piper
14:09From shop worker to time traveller to saviour of the entire universe,
14:13Rose Tyler went on quite the journey throughout the first series of Modern Who.
14:17As the first companion of the new era, Rose had a monumental task on her hands,
14:21but she pulled it off with aplomb, and is now regarded as one of the greatest partners the Doctor has ever had.
14:27And you can thank Billy Piper for that.
14:29The former pop star has continued to be an in-demand actress since 2005.
14:33She led the spicy drama series Secret Diary of a Cool Girl between 2007 and 2011,
14:39sharing a few memorable scenes with the 11th Doctor along the way.
14:42Her most iconic role, however, not counting her various returns to the Hooniverse,
14:47is undoubtedly Susie Pickles in the Bad Wolf-produced drama I Hate Susie,
14:52for which Piper has received widespread critical acclaim and awards buzz.
14:55Two series aired between 2020 and 2022, and the possibility of a third is still up in the air.
15:01Piper will next be seen in another major project, the Netflix movie Scoop,
15:06which tells the story of Newsnight's 2019 interview with Prince Andrew.
15:11And number 1. Christopher Eccleston
15:13Without Christopher Eccleston stepping into the luscious leather jacket of the 9th Doctor,
15:18there wouldn't be Doctor Who as we know it today.
15:20His gritty stoicism and dynamic presence attracted millions of new fans to the show,
15:25and reassured the old ones that things were in good hands.
15:28Despite exiting under controversial circumstances,
15:31Eccleston has been a very busy guy since turning into David Tennant.
15:35He was the baddie in major Hollywood productions Thor The Dark World and G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra,
15:40and appeared in 23 episodes of HBO's The Leftovers during the mid-2010s,
15:45receiving a handful of Critics' Choice Award nominations in the process.
15:48More recently, we saw him play the role of Fagan in CBBC's Dodger,
15:53in which we finally got to see the 9th Doctor cross paths with River Song,
15:57as Alex Kingston also had a recurring role in that show.
16:00He returned to play the 9th Doctor on audio from 2021 onwards,
16:04and can currently be seen in season 4 of another HBO show, the crime series True Detective.
16:10He continues to dazzle as an actor, and is refreshingly outspoken of anything he doesn't like.
16:15Eccleston is truly one of a kind, and we were all lucky to have him as the Doctor, albeit briefly.
16:21And there you have it, but while we're on the topic of Doctor Who actors,
16:25why not check out Why Every Lead Actor Left Doctor Who?
16:28In the meantime, I've been Ellie with Who Culture,
16:30and in the words of River Song herself, goodbye, sweeties.
16:33Fdit Things
16:48FD
16:48Fdit Things
16:48Fdit Speaking
16:49Fdit Things
16:51Fstatus
16:51Fdit Things
16:52Fdit Things
16:52Fdit Things
16:53Fdit Things
16:53Fdit Hak functioning
16:54Fdit Things
Recommended
11:16
|
Up next
10:09
3:10
2:25
9:39
11:10
10:53