walesonline has Timothy Dalton article also

Bond star Timothy Dalton to appear in Doctor Who

JAMES BOND star Timothy Dalton has returned to the land of his birth to take a starring role in sci-fi hit Doctor Who.

The Colwyn Bay-born actor is to feature in a Christmas special that will include David Tennant’s final scenes as the time-travelling hero.

Dalton, who played Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, has left his home in Los Angeles to film in Cardiff, where the revived BBC series is based.

He plays a terrifying judge who puts the Doctor on trial in an intergalactic court case.

It will be his first major role since playing an evil neighbourhood watch member in the spoof British comedy Hot Fuzz.

Christian Cawley, editor of Doctor Who and Torchwood website Kasterborous, said the casting was “a big coup for Doctor Who”.

He said: “It’s a good gig for him as it will be one of the most memorable episodes yet. If true, it’s a superb piece of casting. Timothy Dalton is a big coup for Doctor Who because he’s pretty iconic.

“While not considered as memorable a Bond as Pierce Brosnan, Dalton nevertheless brought a degree of grit and realism to Bond that has recently been rediscovered in the Daniel Craig films.

“His roles in various classical titles on stage and screen as well as his appearance in the only non-camp role in Flash Gordon (1980) have given him a deserved air of quality and respect over the years.”

Elaine Penn, features editor at TV Choice magazine, said Doctor Who could put a new spark in Dalton’s career as well.

She said: “Doctor Who has done wonders for many people’s careers in recent years. Even David Tennant wasn’t really a household name until he stepped into the Tardis.”

She said female viewers “of a certain age” would appreciate the dashing actor.

She said: “Personally, I’ve always had a soft spot for tall, dark, Welsh men.

“I’m wondering if Timothy can be persuaded to don a dinner suit in the Christmas Special, and am sure that Russell T Davies will throw in some kind of in-joke for James Bond fans. What a great bit of casting. And he can even pop home to visit the family while he’s filming.”

The Christmas Special will be one of three end-of-year specials that will bring down the curtain on David Tennant’s spell in the Tardis.

It is expected to see the return of a host of famous names from recent series including John Simm, 38, who will reprise his role as The Master, as well as the companions who have kept Tennant company, Catherine Tate, Billie Piper and Freema Agyeman.

Matt Smith, 26, is to “regenerate” into the role on the death of Tennant’s Doctor.

For Rada-trained Dalton the role will fit into a CV that ranges from The Royal Shakespeare Company and Flash Gordon to James Bond.

The 63-year-old’s career began with a series of period dramas including playing Philip II of France in The Lion in Winter and a remake of Wuthering Heights in 1970, in which he portrayed the tortured Heathcliff.

Dalton could have played Bond as a 22-year-old, turning down a request from producer Albert Broccoli in the late 1960s to take over from Sean Connery.

The actor, who had a long relationship with Vanessa Redgrave in the 1970s and 80s, lives in Los Angeles with his Russian musician partner Oksana Grigorieva and their 12-year-old son Alexander.