Wednesday 1 May 2013

What connects 1973's Theatre of Blood with Doctor Who's latest adventure, The Crimson Horror?

Dame Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling, of course! The mother and daughter actresses both played the same character in the 1973 Vincent Price film and the 2005 London stage production – albeit with different names (Rigg's character was Edwina Lionheart, while Stirling's character was called Miranda).


In this week's episode of Doctor Who, entitled The Crimson Horror, Rigg and Stirling get to act opposite each other for the very first time (check out the clip below). In Yorkshire 1893, bodies are washing up all bright red and waxy in the river of a small mill town and it has something to do with an old matchbox factory that is owned by Mrs Gillyflower (Diana Rigg) and her unseen silent partner, Mr Sweet.


When the Doctor investigates, he encounters Gillyflower's blind and scarred daughter Ada (Rachael Stirling) who is unaware of her mother's evil plans to create a new utopia where only perfect people will inhabit. Meanwhile, with the Doctor missing, Silurian sleuth Madame Vastra, her combat capable wife Jenny and their Sontaran butler Strax, all head to the town in an effort to track down their Time Lord friend.

Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror
BBC1 HD, 6.30pm 4 May







1 comment:

Douglas McEwan said...

Plus, the vats of red goo Mrs. Gillyflower was dipping her victims into also bore a striking, non-coincidental resemblance to the vats of wax Vinnie dipped corpses into in HOUSE OF WAX.