Doctor Who in Australia - Australian Contributions To Doctor Who

Australian Contributions To Doctor Who

As stated at the opening, Australians have played significant roles in the creation of Doctor Who. For example, the first Doctor Who story to air, An Unearthly Child, was written by Australian author Anthony Coburn. Another Australian writer for Doctor Who was Bill Strutton who wrote The Web Planet.

Much of Doctor Who's signature music was created by Australian composers. The haunting, highly original and so iconic Doctor Who theme music was written by Australian Ron Grainer. This piece of electronic music has been used for the opening and closing credits in various arrangements since 1963, and has become indelibly associated with the programme, being released on L.P. In 1981 the theme was even adapted into a "raunchy song" by an Australian "Bush Rock Band", the group "Bullamakanka", which in 1983 was re-released by BBC Records and used in the United States for the series' 20th anniversary.

Also significant for his major musical contribution is Australian composer Dudley Simpson who wrote the incidental music for a great number of stories in the 1960s and 1970s and retired back to Australia in the 1980s and he has appeared at a number of Australian Dr Who events. Composer Tristram Cary, who lived in Australia for many years until his death in April 2008, also wrote incidental music for several serials.

More visibly, many Australian actors and actresses have appeared on the programme, or British actors and technicians (etc.) have migrated there. These include the well-known leading man Ray Barrett who appeared as a murderer in The Rescue a very early First Doctor story, actress Janet Fielding who played the companion Tegan in the early 1980s, Dalek operators Bob Jewell and Kevin Manser, globally famous Singer/Actress Kylie Minogue, Australian horse trainer and former actress Gai Waterhouse, and the very well-known long-term Science broadcaster Robyn Williams was once inside a Cyberman suit, Katy Manning (who played the companion Jo Grant) who resided in Australia for many years and became an Australian citizen, she is the patron of the DWCA.

Australian mime and actor Roslyn de Winter appeared in the first series as the Grey Lady in The Chase and as the Menoptra Vrestin in The Web Planet. In the same story, she was credited with choreography (as "Insect Movement by"). At one time she worked in the office of the Melbourne Theatre Company. Also appearing in Web Planet as Nemini was Barbra Joss who lives in Sydney, she has written a book "My Left Breast" based on her battle with breast cancer. Melbourne Theatre Company actor Bob Hornery appeared as a pilot in Tom Baker story The Horns of Nimon.

Dolore Whiteman played Aunt Vanessa in Logopolis, originally it has been planned for Jeannie Little to play the role but she could not get the equivalent of a "Green card". Dolore's daughter played one of the Lorrells in Delta and the Bannermen.

Others to have worked/appeared on the show are:

• Viktors Ritelis (AFM for The Crusade)
• Bruce Wightman (William de Tornebu in The Crusade, Scott in The Daleks' Master Plan and a Radio Operator in Terror of the Zygons)
• John Maxim (Frankenstein's monster in The Chase and a Cyberman in The Moonbase, the latter credit as John Wills)
• Lyn Ashley (a Drahvin in Galaxy 4), former wife of Eric Idle
• William Emms (writer of Galaxy 4)
• Alan White (Schultz in The Tenth Planet)
• Pamela Ann Davy (Janley in The Power of the Daleks)
• Ron Pinnell (a Scientist in The Moonbase)
• Bill Kerr (Giles Kent in The Enemy of the World, a serial set in Australia)
• David Nettheim (Fedorin in The Enemy of the World)
• Reg Lye (Griffin in The Enemy of the World)
• Dibbs Mather (Guard in Caravan in The Enemy of the World)
• Gordon Stothard (a Yeti in The Web of Fear and a Cyberman in The Wheel in Space. He also played Grun in The Curse of Peladon under the name Gordon St Clair.)
• Lennie Mayne (director of four serials between 1972 and 1976)
• Norman Atkyns (the Guardian in Colony in Space and Rear Admiral in The Sea Devils)
• Sarah Kemp, a.k.a. Gypsie Kemp (UNIT Radio Operator in Day of the Daleks)
• Damon Sanders (a Skybase Guard in The Mutants)
• Kevin Lindsay (Linx in The Time Warrior, Cho-je in Planet of the Spiders and Styre/The Marshal in The Sontaran Experiment)
• Frank Gatliff (Ortron in The Monster of Peladon)
• John Gregg (Lycett in The Ark in Space)
• Anthony Frieze (Xoanon Voice in The Face of Evil)
• Edmund Pegge (Meeker in The Invisible Enemy)
• Adrienne Burgess (Veet in The Sun Makers)
• Lewis Fiander (Tryst in Nightmare of Eden)
• Peter Dahlsen (Horton in Time-Flight)
• Sue Wills (as a Production Secretary for Galaxy Four and The Invasion).
• Adam Garcia (Alex in The Christmas Invasion)
• Aaron J. Climas (as a Rotoscoper and Compositor) for the special edition of 'Enlightenment (Doctor Who)'

Sundry technical staff have tended to migrate from the BBC to the ABC and vice versa, and they have had various roles in the series from time to time.