Derek Ware Movies

Made for BBC television, After Pilkington stars Bob Peck as Westgate, a dullish Oxford academician. Upon being introduced to the wife of a new faculty member, Westgate discovers that young woman is Penny (Miranda Richardson), his childhood sweetheart. He remembers that Penny used to embroil him in adventures that threatened life and limb. Apparently nothing has changed, and before long Penny has inveigled Westgate into helping her locate a missing archaeologist named Pilkington. This sprightly comedy-mystery first aired in the US in October of 1987 over the A&E cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Master (Roger Delgado) returns to further bedevil his arch rival, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee). This time, the renegade Time Lord arranges for a "friendly" organic spacecraft to land on Earth, offering to give mankind a food-replenishing element called Axonite. But the Doctor suspects that neither the Master nor the residents of the planet Axos are as altrustic as they pretend to be. Beginning its four-episode run on March 13, 1971, "The Claws of Axos" was written by Bob Baker and David Martin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the seven-part story "Inferno," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) has piloted his TARDIS into an alternate universe, where England is ruled by fascist dictatorship. Even so, Project Inferno, the government's effort to find new energy resources at the center of the earth, goes on unabated, just as it had been doing in the "real" universe. But will this project prove to be a benefit to mankind -- or will it bring about the destruction of the earth? Written by Don Houghton, "Inferno, Episode 3" first aired on May 23, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Doctor Who's incredibly brief seventh series concluded with its fourth adventure, "Inferno." Written by Don Houghton, this story arc lasted seven episodes, the first of which aired May 9, 1970. The titular Inferno is a government project dedicated to drilling into the center of the earth in search of new energy resources. In the course of investigating a sticky substance found at the earth's core, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is thrust into an alternative reality -- though of course, all of this is still ahead of him in Episode One. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A corrupt opportunist commits brutal crimes in the name of God and country in this atmospheric period horror tale. In 17th century England, as a people's uprising threatens Lord Cromwell's rule, superstition still rules the land, and the Royalists use this to their advantage by inaugurating a reign of terror in the name of wiping out alleged witches and agents of the dark arts. Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price) has been appointed "witchfinder" by Puritan Royalists, and with the help of his thuggish assistant Stearne (Robert Russell), Hopkins travels from town to town, brutally interrogating those accused of witchcraft and using fire, drowning, and torture to extract "confessions" from the accused. Of course, Hopkins' opinions can be swayed with money and other considerations, and when Father Lowes (Rupert Davies), a priest whose sympathies do not lie with the Royalists, is arrested and tortured by Hopkins and Stearne, his devoted niece Sarah (Hilary Dwyer) is able to stay his punishment by sleeping with Hopkins. Sarah, however, is engaged to marry Marshall (Ian Ogilvy), a soldier in Cromwell's army, and once Marshall learns that the woman he loves has been seduced by Hopkins -- and raped by Stearne -- he becomes determined to expose the witchfinder and punish him for his misdeeds. Witchfinder General was released in the United States by American International Pictures, who in addition to arranging for Vincent Price to play Matthew Hopkins, changed the North American title to The Conqueror Worm, after a poem by Edgar Allan Poe which was read over the credits by Price, though the story bears no real relation to Poe's work. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This 1967 version of Thomas Hardy's novel should have done better at the box office than it did, given the star power of Julie Christie and the visual and aural fidelity to its source material. Julie Christie plays Bathsheba Everdene, a country heiress who is loved by three different men: Terence Stamp, Peter Finch and Alan Bates. Convinced that she is the intellectual superior of all three, Bathesheba loses many early opportunities for lasting happiness. Finally shedding herself of her haughty attitude, Bathsheba unconditionally accepts the love of Bates. The euphoric exuberance of Nicolas Roeg's photography is matched by the direction of John Schlesinger and the screenplay by Frederick Raphael. Only the nittiest of nitpickers would complain that some of the medium shots don't match the closeups (watch Terence Stamp's clown makeup in one scene). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Doctor Who inaugurated its fourth season on September 10, 1966, with episode one of the four-part "The Smugglers." The TARDIS materializes in a cave off a seacoast, but the Doctor (William Hartnell) doesn't know where he is or what year he's in. Soon, however, the Doctor and his companions Ben (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills) learn they've arrived in 17th century Cornwall -- smack in the middle of a hotbed of intrigue involving smugglers, pirates, and a mysterious murder. Written by Brian Sayles, "The Smugglers, Episode One" no longer exists in the BBC archives -- nor, for that matter, do episodes two, three, or four, save for a few brief fragments (including, in the case of this episode, the murder that sets the plot in motion). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the tenth episode of the 12-part story "The Dalek Masterplan," things bode ill for the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions. Steven (Peter Purves) and Sara (Jean Marsh) are taken hostage by the Daleks, who then prepare to recapture the Taranium core and resume their orgy of interplanetary destruction. The Doctor would like to stop the Daleks in their tracks, but he doesn't want to endanger the lives of his friends -- a choice he may have to ultimately take. Written by Dennis Spooner and originally telecast on January 15, 1966, "Escape Switch" is one of only two episodes from this story arc that are known to exist; the other one is episode five, "Counter Plot." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the six-part story "The Chase," the Doctor and his travelling are thrown into a prison cell by the Mechanoids. Also incarcerated is another space fugitive, pilot Steven Taylor. With the help of their new friend, the Doctor and his friends are able to help determine the outcome of the showdown between the Mechanoids and the Daleks. With this episode, Peter Purves became a series regular as Steven Taylor. Written by Terry Nation, "The Planet of Decision" was originally telecast on June 26, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, a dancer and her assistants don interesting disguises to pull off a jewel theft. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide