COLIN BAKER

Colin was (and is) the Doctor on audio, radio, stage, and television.  This means he has played the character in more media than any other actor. 

His tenure as the sixth Doctor on television began in 1984 with The Twin Dilemma.  For a long time, he was the only actor to have appeared in the series as a different character before being cast in the lead; he was Commander Maxil in 1983's Arc of Infinity.  Alas, he lost his record when Peter Capaldi went on to do the same thing!

Originally a Londoner, Colin and his family moved to Rochdale when he was little; he went to school in Manchester and then undertook  legal training in London.   Deciding that the law was not for him, he enrolled in LAMDA, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, at the age of 23.

Early television work includes the BBC’s epic production of War and Peace in 1972, where he starred alongside Anthony Hopkins.  Other major roles include Paul Merroney in The Brothers in the mid seventies, Bayban the Butcher in Blake’s 7, and The Citadel.

A prolific theatre actor (his favourite medium), Colin’s roles include Laertes in Hamlet, Acting Captain Terri Dennis in Peter Nichols’ Privates on Parade, Corpse!, Deathtrap, Time and Time Again and Bedroom Farce (Ayckbourn), Magwitch in Great Expectations, Van Helsing in Dracula, and HMS Pinafore.

Colin is a great friend of Bedford Who, and few of our attendees can fail to appreciate his warmth, generosity and kindness.  It's good to have him back.  

DAVID BANKS

David was last with us four years ago.  He played the Cyber Leader in all the eighties Cybermen stories and was responsible for much of the characterisation of Telos's finest during the last decade of classic-Who.  David starred alongside Jon Pertwee (and later Colin Baker) in The Ultimate Adventure, the stage play of Doctor Who; as he understudied Jon Pertwee, he also played the Doctor himself!

Born in Hull, David's television work includes Brookside (as Graeme Curtis, in the early nineties), Keep it in the Family, A Time to Dance, and no less than 181 episodes of Canary Wharf.  He's an accomplished audiobook performer, most notably for an unabridged reading of The Lord of the Rings in 2006.  His writing includes Cybermen (Who Dares, 1988), Iceberg for the Virgin New Adventures series, and the play Severance (2002, the story of the Twelfth Century lovers Abelard and Heloise).

We're looking forward to seeing him again!

LISA BOWERMAN

This is Lisa's first time with us in Bedford.

Lisa trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; she has worked extensively in the theatre throughout the country, playing major roles in The Rivals, The Constant Wife, Ibsen's Ghosts, Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking, Moll Flanders (title role!), The Comedy of Errors and Blithe Spirit.  Her work in the West End includes Rick's Bar Casablanca and Cavalcade.

Television includes Casualty (she was the paramedic Sandra Mute in the first two series), The Vision Thing, McCallum, Bad Girls, Night & Day, Doctors, Spooks, Hollyoaks and Coronation Street.  And Doctor Who.  She was Karra in Survival, the last story of classic-Who, starring alongside Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Anthony Ainley.

Lisa has appeared in a huge number of BBC Radio plays, as well as independently produced radio dramas.  She's played Professor Bernice Summerfield for Big Finish for an amazing 27 years now.  Other Big Finish work includes numerous episodes of Jago and Litefoot and Sapphire and Steel.  She was brilliant as Regan in their production of King Lear, with David Warner in the title role (if you haven't heard it yet, do listen to it!).  She's also directed many of their releases, too.

Lisa's parallel career is as a photographer; she's been taking photos for Spotlight and for theatre and film commissions for more than thirty years.  She chairs the house committee at Denville Hall, the retirement home for the theatrical profession. She's also a trustee for the charity, and she's an elected governor for the Surrey and Sussex Health Authority, representing Reigate and Banstead.

NICOLA BRYANT

Nicola was with us for the very first Bedford Who Charity Con, way back in 2015; she came up with the idea for the charity photoshoot, which has continued for every subsequent convention.  We're really looking forward to seeing her again.

Nicola landed the part of Peri immediately after she finished attending The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in 1983, for which she secured a scholarship.  Cast by John Nathan-Turner, she first appeared alongside Peter Davison's Doctor in 1984's Planet of Fire, coming face to face with the Master.  This was immediately followed by The Caves of Androzani, widely regarded as one of the best of all of the Doctor's adventures.  As the then sole companion, Nicola enjoyed playing Peri alongside Colin Baker's Doctor, battling Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, the Rani, and Sil.

Since leaving Doctor Who, Nicola has worked extensively in theatre.  In London, her work ranges from leading roles in the thriller Killing Jessica at the Savoy, in the award-winning Strive at the Duke of York's, and in Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll.  She made guests appearances in numerous television shows, most notably as Rowan Atkinson's niece Millicent in Blackadder's Christmas Carol, and the comedies 10%ers and My Family.  For three years, Nicola played Martine in The Biz for the BBC.  

Nicola has starred in number other TV shows, as well as the American thriller Headhunter, playing the American psychiatrist who in real life released Ted Bundy back into society.  At the end of 2017, Nicola was seen in the final two episodes of Star Trek Continues, playing the guest lead, Lana.  In 2022, she appeared in the horror film The Wilds, for which she won a best supporting actress at the British Horror Film Festival.

Nicola has recorded numerous audiobooks and appeared in many audio dramas.  She is still keeping Peri alive in the wonderful Big Finish range, and has featured in the two Blu-ray releases of seasons 22 and 23.

Nicola says it was an honour for her to be involved in Tales of the TARDIS with Colin Baker.  She has been enjoying celebrating all the 60 years of Doctor Who celebrations in 2023, and this year, she has just been filming The Reunion, in which the plays the role of the Devil.

MARK HARDY

Mark's first appearance in Doctor Who was as one of the Swampies in The Power of Kroll.  Swapping green body paint for cybernetic armour, he went on to play the Cyber Lieutenant in Earthshock, The Five Doctors and Silver Nemesis.  Mark reprised the role for the Big Finish stories Hour of the Cybermen and Conversion.

Mark's other film and television work includes The Orchard End Murder, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and Bright Young Things.  Way back in 1964, he appeared alongside Jon Pertwee as one of Kenneth Williams' guards in Carry On Cleo.  His other film work includes the highly acclaimed Personal Services in 1987, directed by Terry Jones.

This is Mark's first time with us at Bedford Who.

JO MARTIN

Born in London, Jo's professional debut was in the Denzel Washington film Queen and Country.  She went on to star as Natalie in the BBC sitcom The Crouches (2003 - 2006), Max McGerry in Holby City from 2019 to 2022, and Janice in Back to Life.  Other major television work includes Fleabag, Black Ops, Death in Paradise and Midsomer Murders; films include Batman Begins and 97 Minutes.  A prolific theatre actor, she was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and played leading roles in, among others, Don Carlos and Noughts and Crosses.

And of course, she was, and is, the Doctor.  Jo made her debut in the part in Fugitive of the Judoon in 2020 and continued to appear in the programme right up until the last series, starring alongside Ncuti Gatwa.

This is Jo's second time with us at Bedford Who.  Jo's a wonderful convention guest: warm, witty, approachable, and she's always very happy to spend time with the fans.  We're really grateful to her for coming back.

TERRY MOLLOY

Terry is a great friend of Bedford Who; this is his third time at the con.  In fact, a little bit of Who history was made when he was last with us:  Julian Bleach and Terry first met at our seventh convention!

Terry was, of course, Davros, a part he continues to play for Big Finish.  (If you haven't listened to I, Davros, do try it:  it's superb.)  He was also Russell in Attack of the Cybermen; Colin, Nicola and David were in the cast, too.  An affable and approachable guest, Terry is always happy to take time to chat to the fans.

Terry's an author as well as an actor, and we're hoping he'll be able to sign some of his children's books while he's with us.

Terry joined the cast of The Archers on Radio 4 way back in 1973, playing Mike Tucker, the milkman for Ambridge.  Few actors can rival more than fifty years in a radio soap opera.  He's coached other actors, he's a master of accents, he's done countless voice overs for advertisements and has featured in radio for decades, and he's currently touring with Colin Baker and Peter Purves in Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of the Four.

Welcome back, Terry!

Other guests tba

Thanks to Julian Owen, Pete Sims and Matthew Campbell