Stephen Thorne

Acting

Stephen Thorne

Born 1935-03-02 · London, England, UK

Stephen John Thorne (2 March 1935 – 26 May 2019) was a British actor of radio, film, stage, and television. He was best known for his regular BBC Radio 4 work and audiobook recordings, and for his portrayals of a few Doctor Who villains, including the Time Lord Omega. He played several seasons with the Old Vic Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and London, including a tour to Russia. He worked extensively in radio with over 2000 broadcasts for the BBC, including as Uncle Mort in the Radio 4 comedy series Uncle Mort's North Country. His television credits included Z-Cars, Crossroads, and Doctor Who. In Doctor Who, he played three major villains (Omega, Azal, and Eldrad), as well as an Ogron, before later playing the villainous Max in The Ghosts of N-Space, a Doctor Who BBC Radio story, in the mid-1990s. Also on the radio, Thorne appeared as Aslan in The Magician's Nephew, as Treebeard in the Radio 4 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, and also in their adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards! in which he portrayed Fred Colon (and also Death). Other television work included Death of an Expert Witness, David Copperfield, and Last of the Summer Wine. He voiced Aslan in the animated version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Thorne reprised the character on the BBC radio adaptation of the same name. He gave many poetry readings on radio, television, tape and in venues from Westminster Abbey to various pubs.

Acting credits

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe poster
6.8

Four children pass through a mystic portal in a wardrobe and discover the magical kingdom of Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythical creatures. There, an evil witch's spell has cast the land into eternal winter. Fearing that an ancient prophecy is coming to fruition, and that the children are Narnia's rightful rulers, the White Witch tricks their youngest brother into betraying his family, enacting an ancient magic that she can use to halt the fulfillment of the prophecy. Now, only Aslan, noble lion and High King above all kings in Narnia, can help them defeat the witch, restore springtime to Narnia, and claim their rightful places on the throne.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

1979

The Ties That Bind Us poster
NR

A 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

Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead poster
7.0

A warp ellipse draws the TARDIS off course. The Fifth Doctor's companions are separated from him not in space, but in time, and he has to deal with a treacherous schoolboy named Turlough. But why does the Doctor's old friend, the Brigadier, not remember him at all?

Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead

1983

Doctor Who: The Dæmons poster
7.6

On the eve of May Day, dark elemental forces begin to disturb the village of Devil's End as the Master summons the demon Azal: unexplained murders, a stone gargoyle come to life, and a nigh-impenetrable infernal energy dome. With the Master fully prepared to destroy the Earth, the Doctor and UNIT - aided by a benevolent practitioner of witchcraft - battle the wicked rites of a secret science wielded by an alien from another world.

Doctor Who: The Dæmons

1971

Doctor Who: The Hand of Fear poster
7.6

When the TARDIS lands in a quarry on Earth, Sarah unearths what appears to be a fossilised hand, buried in one-hundred-fifty-million-year-old strata. Analysis shows the hand to be silicon-based and inert, but when Sarah begins to act as if possessed, the Doctor suspects that it may still be alive...

Doctor Who: The Hand of Fear

1976

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors poster
7.4

Time itself is in peril! The Time Lords and UNIT find themselves besieged by a mythic figure from the Time Lords' past hell-bent on destruction. The only way to defeat him is to break the First Law of Time and let the Doctor help himself — literally...

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors

1973

Doctor Who: Frontier in Space poster
7.5

In the 26th century, the Doctor and Jo uncover a plot by the Master to provoke an interplanetary war between Earth and Draconia.

Doctor Who: Frontier in Space

1973

The Tempest poster
5.0

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales, Season 1, Episode 2. Exiled Prospero lives on a desolate island with his daughter, Miranda. When Prospero's usurping brother sails by the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the ship and changes all of their lives.

The Tempest

1993

Changing Time: Living and Leaving Doctor Who poster
8.0

A special 50-minute documentary that looks at the making of The Hand of Fear, and also examines the special relationship between the Doctor and his companion, Sarah Jane Smith.

Changing Time: Living and Leaving Doctor Who

2006

The Inn Way Out poster
NR

A man encounters all sorts of strange places and people when he goes out for cigarettes.

The Inn Way Out

1967

I Was a Doctor Who Monster! poster
8.0

To coincide with a new era for Doctor Who we take a nostalgic look back at the glory days of the programme in a tribute to its unsigned heroes. Ever wondered what it’s like inside a Dalek? How, exactly, of you portray a Fish Person? What was it like recording Doctor Who during its 26 year run? And just how do you get to be a Doctor Who monster? Now you can find out as, for the very first time, we speak to the men and women who ensured we spend out Saturday nights behind the sofa. Their stories are funny, moving, unbelievable and sometimes tragic. Presented by the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, and containing unique film and newly discovered photographs, this all adds up to an entertaining trip down memory lane – go on treat yourself to a slice of nostalgia!

I Was a Doctor Who Monster!

1996

Police 5: The Master poster
NR

Shaw Taylor warns viewers to be on the lookout for a dangerous individual known as the Master.

Police 5: The Master

1993

Lollipop Dragon: The Magic Lollipop Adventure poster
6.5

In Lollipop Dragon: The Magic Lollipop Adventure, the Lollipop Dragon and friends must save the day by confronting Baron Bad Blood.

Lollipop Dragon: The Magic Lollipop Adventure

1986

The Omega Factor poster
NR

Writers and actors look at the character and motivation of the renegade Time Lord, Omega.

The Omega Factor

2007

Run for the Lifeboat poster
NR

When unmarried mother Maggie takes her son Terry on holiday to the Welsh fishing village of Gorbay, they meet Gareth, a member of the local lifeboat crew. But Terry's admiration of Gareth leads to tragedy.

Run for the Lifeboat

1988

Lollipop Dragon: The Great Christmas Race poster
NR

In Lollipop Dragon: The Great Christmas Race, the Lollipop Dragon and his friends must stop Baron Bad Blood from winning the Christmas Race and forcing everyone to eat his liver flavored lollipops on Christmas.

Lollipop Dragon: The Great Christmas Race

1985