Caroline John

All of London is in love -- or longing to be -- in Four Weddings and a Funeral writer Richard Curtis' first directorial effort. Billed as "the ultimate romantic comedy," Love Actually involves more than a dozen main characters, each weaving his or her way into another's heart over the course of one particularly eventful Christmas. The seemingly perfect wedding of Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) brings many of the principals together, including heartsick best man Mark (Andrew Lincoln), who harbors a very unrequited crush on Juliet. There's also recent widower Daniel (Liam Neeson), trying to help his lonely stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster) express his true feelings to a classmate. Across town, devoted working mother Karen (Emma Thompson) tries to rekindle the passion of her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman), who secretly pines for a young colleague of his. In the same office, the lonely Sarah (Laura Linney) not-so-secretly pines for a man just a few desks away (Rodrigo Santoro), who returns her affections but may not be able to dissuade her neuroses. Providing the unofficial soundtrack for all of the couples is an aging rocker (Bill Nighy) who just wants to cash in and get laid -- but even he might find a meaningful relationship in the most unlikely of places. A working print of Love Actually premiered at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Four years after its "official" demise as a weekly series, Doctor Who briefly resurfaced in the form of a two-part, 14-minute special. Created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series' birth, Part One of "Dimensions in Time" was shown as a segment of the BBC's Children in Need Telethon. The plot proper pitted five of the Doctor's seven incarnations -- played by surviving series stars Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy -- against renegade Time Lady Rani (Kate O'Mara), who hoped to determine the outcome of the universe's evolution. This cliffhanger was resolved on November 27, 1993 with Part Two of "Dimensions in Time," shown as a six-minute component of the series' Noel's House Party. It was truly an "interactive" effort, with the home viewers calling in their suggestions for the outcome. Also appearing were several cast members of the popular British soap opera Eastenders (one of whom was selected by popular vote to "save" the Doctor). Written by John Nathan-Turner and David Roden, "Dimensions in Time" represented the Doctor's last TV appearance until the 1996 two-hour "revival" film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Doctor Who celebrated its 20th anniversary with the 90-minute special "The Five Doctors." The life of the present Doctor (Peter Davison) is jeopardized when his four previous incarnations -- played by William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, and Tom Baker -- are taken out of time by an illegal Time Scoop. Even worse, the five doctors are confronted by a seemingly endless series of past enemies, included Daleks, Cybermen, and Yetis. The climax takes place in the Forbidden Zone on Gallifrey, where the instigator of the aforementioned time-scooping forces the five doctors to engage in the potentially deadly Game of Rassilon. Can any of the doctors save themselves -- and if not, will robot dog K-9 come galloping to the rescue? The late William Hartnell appeared only in clips from the second-season episode "Invasion of Earth: Flashpoint"; he was replaced in the body of the 20th anniversary special by Richard Hurndall. Written by Terrance Dicks, "The Five Doctors" was first presented in America on November 23, 1983, two days before its British TV debut. Since that time, it has been reedited into a four-part cliffhanger for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the sixth episode of the seven-part story "The Ambassadors of Death," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) discovers that a renegade ex-astronaut on earth is trying to spark an interplanetary war. The only hope for mankind's salvation is the return of three alien ambassadors (who have been forced to take human form) to their own planet. Only the Doctor can accomplish this -- but time is quickly running out for all concerned. Written by Don Houghton, "The Ambassadors of Death, Episode 6" originally aired on April 25, 1970. Filmed in color, this episode presently exists in black-and-white only. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "Spearhead From Space," the "new" Doctor (Jon Pertwee) joins U.N.I.T. members Brig. Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) and Dr. Liz Shaw (Caroline John) in investigating a strange meteor shower. The trio soon discovers that the meteorites are pods for the Nestene Consciousness -- and it isn't long before they are gathered up by a sinister plastics manufacturer named Channing, who uses the pods to create the Autons, deadly creatures with weapons for hands. First telecast January 10, 1970, "Spearhead From Space, Episode 2" was written by Robert Holmes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) assists U.N.I.T. in its efforts to find out why the Mars Probe 7 project has suddenly cut of all radio contact with earth. The mystery deepens when one of the astronauts successfully returns from Mars, only to begin behaving like a lunatic. Written by Don Houghton and debuting March 21, 1970, the seven-episode "The Ambassadors of Death" was the second Doctor Who adventure to be lensed in color. Unfortunately, only black-and-white prints exist for episodes two through seven. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the four-part story "Spearhead From Space," the final pod has been found and the Nestene Consciousness is able to reconstruct itself on Earth. This will mean disaster for everyone on the planet unless the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) finds some way of disabling the Consciousness' warriors, the Autons. More than one commentator has noticed the remarkable resemblance between this Doctor Who continuity and Nigel Kneale's sci-fi classic Quatermass II. First telecast January 24, 1970, "Spearhead From Space, Episode 4" was written by Robert Holmes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the sixth episode of the seven-part story "Inferno," the efforts by the alternative-universe English government to find new energy resources at the earth's core have resulted in a chain reaction which dooms the earth to extinction. Fortunately, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) has found a way to save humankind from being destroyed in the ensuing cataclysm. But he'd better hurry -- the volcanos have begun erupting, and huge red rocks are falling from the sky. Written by Don Houghton, "Inferno, Episode 5" first aired on June 13, 1970. ~ 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

Jon Pertwee stepped into the role of Doctor Who in the series' seventh-season opener, "Spearhead From Space." Written by Robert Holmes, this adventure finds the Doctor exiled to earth by the Time Lords as punishment for his behavior during the sixth-season finale "The War Games." In the first episode of this four-part adventure, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) of U.N.I.T. investigates a mysterious meteor shower with the help of scientific advisor Dr. Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw (Caroline John). While all this is going on, the "new" Doctor materializes in his familiar police box -- and before long he, too, has joined the investigation. Beginning its run on January 3, 1970 "Spearhead From Space" was the series' first color episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the seven-part story "Inferno," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) hopes that the sticky substance found near the earth's core during a government drilling project will enable him to reactivate the TARDIS. It does: Thrust sideways in time, the Doctor re-emerges in an alternate universe, where Britain has become a fascist state. This episode is famous amongst Doctor Who aficionados thanks to a single record-breaking stunt fall. Written by Don Houghton, "Inferno, Episode 2" first aired on May 16, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though originally filmed in color, the seven-part Doctor Who adventure "Doctor Who and the Silurians" presently exists in black-and-white only. First telecast on January 31, 1970, Episode One finds the Doctor (Jon Pertwee), the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney), and Liz (Caroline John) investigating a series of curious power losses at the Wesley Moor nuclear research station in Derbyshire. This is but a prologue to the Doctor's fateful confrontation with the Silurians, a race of super-intelligent reptillians. "Doctor Who and the Silurians, Episode 1" was written by Malcolm Hulke. ~ 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