… as it turns out.
There is a working theory that the Tour glommed onto years ago, admittedly a complete fiction but it goes something like this:
There are only about 35 actors total working in English television at any point in time. They all have their own shows and then spend the rest of their working life appearing on shows for the other 34. In other words, British TV all-too-often, from the cozy murder-mysteries to the prestige dramas, feels comfy and reassuringly small. Kinda like Doctor Who in the classic era as it happens.
So when not one but three faces familiar to Doctor Who, and from the same story no less, pop up in one of those cozy murder-mysteries it was bound to catch the attention of the Tour. In an episode 4 of ‘Midsomer Murders’ titled ‘The Flying Club’ from 2014, amongst the cast were June Whitfield, Jacqueline King (Donna’s mom), and Bernard Cribbins, (Wilfred Mott–Donna’s grandad) all of whom appeared in The End of Time Pt I (and Pt II). In the story the characters played by WInfield and Cribbins, both of whom have CVs longer than many arms, were in direct opposition to each other while King’s character as the mother to one of the regular, although peripheral, cast members, was somewhat off to the side. Doubtless a more thorough search will provide more shared credits, especially between Whitfield and Cribbins. Still it’s quite a constellation.
We look forward to finding more before The End of Our Future.