
Acting
Peter Purves
Born
1939-02-10 (87)
Place of birth
Lancashire, England, UK
Known for
Acting
Credits
57 titles
Peter John Purves (born 10 February 1939) is an English television presenter and actor. He played Steven Taylor in Doctor Who under the First Doctor, a role he continued to play in audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. He later became a presenter on the BBC children's programme Blue Peter for eleven years. He has continued to make regular television appearances, including coverage of the Crufts dog show.
Known for
4.3The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.
EastEnders
1985
7.9The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
Doctor Who
1963
8.0Talented chefs battle it out against the clock, creating delicious dishes in 20 minutes
Ready, Steady, Cook
1994
7.3Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
Z-Cars
1962
5.2A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.
BBC Play of the Month
1965
7.2Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.
Theatre 625
1964
Film credits
2020s · 7 titles
6.0As part of the sixtieth anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, David Tennant time-travels back through the BBC archives to tell the story of the Doctor’s classic era.
Talking Doctor Who
2023
NRA short drama written by Andy Lane, exploring the consequences of life with the Doctor and why he must never go back to the very beginning. Starring Peter Purves as Steven Taylor and Siobhan Gallichan as the Doctor. Presented as a ‘telesnap reconstruction’
Interlude on Totter's Lane
2023
8.0The TARDIS lands on a planet on the verge of total annihilation as it drifts too close to the three suns which its orbits.
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
2021
NRThe Doctor, Steven and Dodo land on an alien world in this animated reconstruction of a lost 1966 Doctor Who adventure. There, they meet two peoples: the cutthroat Savages and civilised Elders, who claim to know all about the Doctor and his travels. Is all as it seems, and will the TARDIS crew come out in one piece if it isn't?
Doctor Who: The Savages
2025
8.0While the Doctor plays the Trilogic Game, Steven and Dodo are forced to play seemingly childish but ultimately dangerous games with the aim of being reunited and getting back to the Tardis. This brand new animated version has been created using the original audio recordings.
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
2024
NRTelevision favourites Colin Baker and Peter Purves lead the cast in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic - which also features a rare, specially recorded appearance by Tom Baker as Jacob Marley! Presented by Crime And Comedy Theatre Company as a radio-play-live-on-stage and filmed at The Regal Theatre, Stowmarket, this is the 180th anniversary production of Dickens’ timeless tale of charity, forgiveness and redemption at Christmas.
A Christmas Carol - A Filmed Radio Play Live on Stage
2025
NRNew episodes with Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Philip Hinchcliffe, plus companions Sophie Aldred and Peter Purves.
Behind the Sofa - Season 14
2020
2010s · 6 titles
NRMatthew Sweet takes actor Peter Purves back to the studio that hosted numerous Doctor Who productions in the 1960s. This documentary also features the director of The Ark, Michael Imison.
Riverside Story
2011
10.0A documentary celebrating 20 years of the work of Kaleidoscope, an organisation devoted to the preservation of archive television.
The Native Hue of Resolution
2013
NROnce the nation's favourite, by its third year Doctor Who was in trouble. With changes afoot in the production office and increasing problems with its lead actor, the programme was heading for the Last Chance Saloon.
The End of the Line?
2011
NRPeter Purves, Frazer Hines and Mark Strickson reminisce about their time as companions to the First, Second and Fifth Doctors respectively.
Boys! Boys! Boys!
2013
NRThis is the definitive set of interviews with the team of actors who brought the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who to life! Together with a special tribute to William Hartnell (the First Doctor), containing messages from a host of stars and production staff from Doctor Who, this also features the best in-depth interviews ever undertaken with, Carole Ann Ford (Susan), Jacqueline Hill (Barbara), William Russell (Ian), Peter Purves (Steven) and Jackie Lane (Dodo)!
The Doctors: The William Hartnell Years
2017
8.0The life and work of respected director Douglas Camfield is remembered in this documentary.
Remembering Douglas Camfield
2013
2000s · 3 titles
NRA look at the subtle (and not so subtle!) links to the show's past and future contained within the story of The Five Doctors.
The Ties That Bind Us
2008
8.0Documentary to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of this popular cult sci-fi television series.
The Story of Doctor Who
2003
NRA look at writer Dennis Spooner’s work on Doctor Who.
Dennis Spooner: Wanna Write a Television Series?
2009
1980s · 2 titles
7.9Captured in a time corridor, the Doctor and his companions are forced to land on 20th century Earth, diverted by the Doctor's oldest enemy - the Daleks. It is here the true purpose of the time corridor becomes apparent: after ninety years of imprisonment, Davros, the ruthless creator of the Daleks, is to be liberated to assist in the resurrection of his army. Not even the Daleks foresee the poisonous threat of their creator. Indeed, who would suspect Davros of wanting to destroy his own Daleks - and why? Only the Doctor knows the truth. Will he descend to Davros' level of evil to stop him?
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
1984
NRBritish Transport film.
Round Trip to Glasgow
1982
1960s · 10 titles
7.9In the year 4000, the Daleks conspire to conquer the Solar System. Their scheme involves treachery at the highest levels and a weapon capable of destroying the very fabric of time. Only the Doctor and his friends can prevent catastrophe — and there is no guarantee they will escape with their lives...
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan
1965
6.8The Doctor and his companions Steven Taylor and Dodo Chaplet arrive some ten million years into the future, on board a generation starship which is carrying the last of humanity away from an Earth that is about to fall into the Sun. However, the cold that Dodo has could prove devastating to these future humans and their servants, the Monoids.
Doctor Who: The Ark
1966
7.2The TARDIS materialises in Paris in the year 1572 and the Doctor decides to visit the famous apothecary Charles Preslin. Steven, meanwhile, is befriended by a group of Huguenots from the household of the Protestant Admiral de Coligny. Having rescued a young serving girl, Anne Chaplet, from some pursuing guards, the Huguenots gain their first inkling of a heinous plan being hatched at the command of the Catholic Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici.
Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
1966
6.9The Doctor and his companions are pursued through time and space by the Daleks on the desert planet Aridius and beyond.
Doctor Who: The Chase
1965
6.3Arriving in the town of Tombstone, the First Doctor finds himself involved with gunmen out to kill Doc Holliday...
Doctor Who: The Gunfighters
1966
7.5In England, 1066, the Doctor confronts a mysterious Monk who is attempting to change history.
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler
1965
5.7The travellers arrive in a strange domain presided over by the Celestial Toymaker — an enigmatic, immortal entity who forces them to play a series of games, failure at which will render them his playthings for all eternity.
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
1966
7.2When the TARDIS arrives on the plains of Asia Minor not far from the besieged city of Troy, the Doctor is hailed by Achilles as the mighty god Zeus and taken to the Greek camp. He meets Agamemnon and Odysseus. Forced to admit he is a mere mortal — albeit a traveller in space and time — he is given two days to devise a scheme to capture Troy. Steven and Vicki, meanwhile, have been taken prisoner by the Trojans. Vicki, believed to possess supernatural powers, is given two days to banish the Greeks to prove she is not a spy.
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers
1965
7.2The TARDIS has arrived on a far-distant and seemingly idyllic world. Yet the Doctor, Steven and Dodo learn it hides a terrible secret: the apparently civilised Elders maintain their advanced society by draining and transferring to themselves the life-force of the defenceless Savages.
Doctor Who: The Savages
1966
6.4The Doctor, Vicki and Steven arrive on an arid planet where they meet the beautiful Drahvins and the hideous Rills. Each has crash-landed after a confrontation in space. The Rills are friendly, compassionate explorers. The Drahvins are dull-witted, cloned soldiers, terrorised by the intelligent, warlike matriarch Maaga.
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
1965
Series credits
4.3The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.
EastEnders
1985
7.9The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
Doctor Who
1963
7.9The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
Doctor Who
1963
8.0Talented chefs battle it out against the clock, creating delicious dishes in 20 minutes
Ready, Steady, Cook
1994
7.3Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
Z-Cars
1962
5.2A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.
BBC Play of the Month
1965
7.2Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.
Theatre 625
1964
7.5A fun-packed and informative magazine show for younger viewers with information and reports from around the world.
Blue Peter
1958
7.5A fun-packed and informative magazine show for younger viewers with information and reports from around the world.
Blue Peter
1958
6.0Antiques experts accompany celebrities on a road trip around the UK searching for treasures and competing to make the most money at auction
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
2011
7.8Nightmare boss. Tedious colleagues. Pointless tasks. Welcome to Wernham Hogg.
The Office
2001
6.3The big-collared comic gives his own spin on TV clips from recent programmes, plus contributions from a set of regular characters
Harry Hill's TV Burp
2002
6.0Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities of police officers at a fictional Metropolitan Police station in the East End of London from 1955 to 1976. Some episodes were later remade as a BBC radio series in 2005 and 2006.
Dixon of Dock Green
1955
5.7Surprise, Surprise is a British television programme originally hosted by Cilla Black and produced by London Weekend Television for ITV. It ran for 14 series from 6 May 1984 to 5 September 1997, after which four annual specials were produced between 1998 to 2001. In 2012, the show returned after a 11-year hiatus. The revived version is produced by ITV Studios and presented by Holly Willoughby. The show is currently in its second series.
Surprise, Surprise
1984
NRBehind the Sofa was a series of videos included in each release of The Collection Blu-ray sets featuring cast and crew members from the show watching serials from the correspondent season.
Doctor Who: Behind the Sofa
2018
6.7Celebrities perform famous dance routines in front of a panel of judges to raise money for the Comic Relief appeal, with viewers voting for their favourites.
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
2009
5.8Classic Doctor Who duos are reunited as they board a very special TARDIS on a nostalgic voyage through space and time.
Tales of the Tardis
2023
Based on P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories, The World of Wooster, broadcast on BBC One from 1965 to 1967, followed the farcical adventures of young upper-class twit Bertie Wooster and his invaluable manservant Jeeves. It starred Ian Carmichael as Wooster and Dennis Price as Jeeves. Wodehouse initially felt that Carmichael would be fine as Wooster, but later believed that Carmichael overacted; however, Wodehouse was satisfied enough with to later ask Carmichael to portray Bertie or Jeeves in a musical comedy. Carmichael declined, feeling too old to play Bertie again and that public perception prevented him from playing Jeeves. Wodehouse was far more positive about Price's Jeeves, stating that Price was the best Jeeves he had ever seen. Like many other series of the time, much of the episodes were wiped, leaving all but two now lost. In 2018, it was included at #51 in a list of the top 100 most wanted missing television programmes by TV archivist organisation Kaleidoscope.
The World of Wooster
1965
Darts tournament in which 16 of the world's top darts players compete for the BBC2 Bullseye trophy.
Bullseye
1979
Comedy show spoofing some of the highlights of the 1998 World Cup in France. Includes interviews with celebrities and famous fans including Bridget Nielsen and John Lydon, as well as send ups of other famous football goals in history, etc. Stars UK comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel in their own lounge room set, along with their mate Statto who provides news headlines on the world cup play.
Fantasy World Cup
1998
6.0On an arid planet, the TARDIS trio encounter the Drahvins and the Rills; two species stranded on a planet doomed to explode. Both need the Doctor's help, but the Drahvin leader, Maaga, wants only her people to make it out alive.
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
2021
NRA digitally restored collection of rare 1960s Doctor Who episodes, from stories which no longer exist in their entirety. They offer a unique glimpse at classic adventures which are now lost in time ...
Doctor Who: Lost in Time
1965
Every year, Blue Peter used to visit a country during the Summer. The highlights of this trip were shown during the last episode before its summer break, the period of time Blue Peter used to not broadcast. These trips happened almost every year from 1965 to 2010 and then 2012.
Blue Peter Flies the World
1971
No synopsis available yet.
That's What I Call Television
2007
Three-part series exploring personal disasters, some of which are reconstructed with the help of the actual people concerned.
Death By...
2003
Babble is a British game show produced by LWT and broadcast on Channel 4 between 1982 and 1985. The programme was hosted by Peter Purves.
Babble
—
Blue Peter Special Assignment was a factual BBC TV series broadcast in the 1970s and early 1980s, the first spin-off from the long running BBC series Blue Peter. It ran regularly from 1973 until 1981, usually at weekends on BBC1, and was heavily promoted on Blue Peter itself. The concept for the series was developed after Valerie Singleton had made a successful documentary 'special' with HRH Princess Anne when she had visited Kenya in 1971. Series One featured Valerie Singleton looking at six European Capital Cities. These included Rome, Paris, London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Brussels. Series Two continued to feature Singleton looking at European Cities and included Dublin, York and Madrid. Later series looked at Islands and included The Isle of Wight, The Isle of Man, Hong Kong, Malta and Gibraltar.
Blue Peter Special Assignment
1973


