Not sure if there is enough debate in this to warrant a thread, so lets find out. Of course the actor playing the Doctor must always appear in the opening credits, as must the regular companion if there is one.

Is there anyone who deserved a mention in the opening credits but never got it? Or anyone that did get it but didn't deserve it. As a villain, should John Simm really have been credited in The End of Time? If so, surely Nick Briggs and Julian Bleach deserved mentions in their episodes. Seeing as everyone including Martha's mother got a mention in the Opening Credits/additional opening names of The Stolen Earth and Journey's End, then why was Tommy Knight the only one that didn't get such a mention?

Here are a few others to think about....

John Barrowman in the First Series latter episodes?

Lis Sladen in School Reunion?

Noel Clarke in the various cybermen stories of Series 2/Girl in the Fireplace and School Reunion?

Marc Warren in Love and Monsters?

Camille Coduri in Army of Ghost/ Doomsday?

Carey Mulligan in Blink?

Catherine Tate in The End of Time?


Just one more question, were the actors mentioned by name in the opening credits of the old show?

I agree with all but the last 4.

Well for the first two series only The Doctor and his main companion were the only credited so for series 1 & 2:

Bruno Langley - Adam Mitchel
John Barrowman - Cpt. Jack Harkness
Noel Clarke - Mickey Smith
and imo
Camille Coduri - Jackie Tyler
Elizabeth Sladen - Sarah Jane Smith

For the specials:
Velile Tshabalala - Rosita Farisi (Has imo just as much right to companion status as Jackson did)

For Dreamland:
Tim Howar - Jimmy Stalkingwolf (Again has just as much right to companion status as Cassie did)

For Series 5:
Alex Kingston - River Song

and



All of whom I personally think should have appeared in the credits at some point. Although the credits are more bassed on fame then who counts as a companion or not so I guess in that respect they did it right.

Of those I'd say Lis Sladen and Marc Warren probably deserved their names in the opening credits. In Lis' case it would be because she is a major part of the show's history. As for Marc Warren he was the big name guest star so that would be why he should have had his name in the opening credits

No. The first actors in the Whoniverse (and the only ones to ever get "starring") were Lis Sladen and John Leeson in the pilot for K-9 and Company.

http://www.wikio.co.uk/video/k-9-com...titles-2960287

Lis Sladen remains the only one to still get a "starring" credit.

The concept that "opening credited people get opening credits when guest starring on other shows" seems to have started when Freema did her stint on Torchwood.

I found it annoying, therefore, when Ianto and Gwen weren't credited in the opening on Doctor Who, and David Tennant wasn't credited in the opening of the Sarah Jane Adventures.

Personally, I think they over-did the opening credits on the occasions mentioned. The opening credits aren't for guest stars, they're for the regulars. Big name guest stars should get a "Special Guest Star" credit after the main credits have rolled (ie. when the show has started).

The only one I would have considered worthy of the opening credits was John Barrowman in Series 1. He was in 5 episodes straight and had pretty much come aboard as a companion. If not for a Dalek, the suggestion was that he would have stayed with the TARDIS crew.

But seeing as there was no actual intention to take him on as a regular into Series 2 (which I personally think they should have done, but there you go!) I'm satisfied with him only having been a guest star.

IMO the Doctor and the Companion(s) should be the only names in the title sequence, Barrowman's appearances in 5 episodes in series 1 should be a minimum requirement for inclusion in the title sequence.

I think that in the stolen earth as it was basically the end of everything Russel T Davies had done. Saying goodbye to most of the characters, i think that including the ones that were in it and also Penelope Wilton, Adjoa Andoh, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Bernard Cribbons, Camille Coduri, Noel Clarke, and the one who plays Slyvia Noble should of all been in the opening credits. I also wish Pete Tyler, Rhys from torchwood, Maria and Luke from SJA were in the episode.

The titles for those eps were crazy and fan-wankish enough as it was, would there have been room left for the writer credit if they had ?

Their names did flash up over the opening scene with Penelope Wilton's.

I liked the opening credits but the old ones only had the names of the dr and or ther faces which made it easy to look at , the new series and the one off film , It depends how important the characters were to the story , I just dont like John Barrowman's name in "Utopia" as he was literally a hanger on , just a guest to keep the mums happy (sarky ) no I perfer if its just the dr and sweet moany Martha (she got on my nerves at times)ax

I think they went a bit overboard as it was though I suppose Maria and Luke could have been included in TEOT in some way.

Since nobody else has done, I'll put in a word for 'old school' and advocate Doctor-only in the titles. Save everybody else for the end. There, sorted.

edit: Oh, now somebody has done it.

Apparently Jack was only removed from series 2 due to the regeneration - being from the future, his reaction would've been "seen it all before". His popularity was what prompted the creation of Torchwood, and the justification for his title sequence credit in series 3. John Barrowman was an unknown when he appeared in series 1, it's Who which propelled him to fame.

John Barrowman an unknown?! I loved him on "The Movie Game"! (1994-1996)

That's not mentioned on either Wikipedia or IMDB - shows how well known that was.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mov...(UK_TV_series)

He also presented Live and Kicking for a while (and was awful, I'm afraid).

He was certainly not unknown.

Nonetheless, I doubt he would get the recognition he does today without his Jack alter ego to give him a hell of a career boost

Whilst there might have been people who had heard of John Barrowman before, I think it is fair to say that he wasn't the name he is today before Doctor Who.

Heck, I even watched Live and Kicking every week and I don't remember him at all!

Firstly, they are Opening Titles, not Credits...secondly: most names used in Opening Titles be they Film or TV are negotiated as part of the deal reached between their Agent and the Producing employer, not some kind of arbitrary thing that just gets thrown onto the screen for no reason...

I don't think they do. I just feel Rhys could of just been in it briefly, maybe at the torchwood base or at Gwens house or something or out in the city faced by a dalek seen as they mentioned him in it and Pete, well really he definetely should of been in it. Surely as the leader or Torchwood on the parallel world, he would'nt of just let him daughter, wife and close friend in Mickey go off and fight the daleks while he just stays at home and watches TV. He knew the doctor, i think it would of made sense for him to be in it.

Why wasn't that mentioned on JB's Wiki article?

Title sequence is the stock video clip played in every episode, opening credits is credits at the start - which includes the writer and actor credits in the title sequence, but also the additional credits played over the opening scenes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_credits

I don't see why we have to have opening credits at all-the old series never did. It just looks cheesy and Americanised to me. The place for the credits is at the end (where you should be able to read them, without them being squeezed out by advertising). That way, everyone's contribution is recognised equally.

I remember him in The Movie Game, I used to fancy him so much then. Thank goodness my taste improved as I grew up!!