A HERD OF CALFS

Every character in Toobworld has a story, even those "atmosphere people" seen in the background who have no lines. As I've stated often in the past, there are nearly 400 crewmen on board the starship Enterprise besides the regular crew seen on the bridge. There are other Hekawis in the tribe besides Wild Eagle, Crazy Cat, Wise Owl, Bald Eagle, and Screaming Chicken. (In fact, some Indians seen in modern TV productions who never had their actual heritage delineated could be considered members of the Hekawi tribe.) We never got to meet all of 'The 4400' before the show was cancelled. And there must be at least a couple of hundred New Yorkers seen in the opening credits of 'The Odd Couple'.

And everyone of them has a story that's never been seen by the audience in the Trueniverse.

Here's today's example:

There was a well-to-do family living just outside London in 1666 - the matriarch of the family was dead, but there was Squire John (last name unknown, but we're going to make the claim it was Ravensby), his son Charles, and his daughter Elizabeth. Here is the little we know of them from the 'Doctor Who' story "The Visitation":

An eruption of strange lights in the sky illuminates a small village just outside London in the year 1666. Squire John fears that the lights are evil omens, and he's more right than he knows -- an alien escape pod has touched down in the field just behind the manor house. One of the pod's occupants reaches the manor and guns down the terrified servant Ralph before John and his son Charles shoot and kill it. Young Elizabeth then calls them, as a figure in armour is punching through the front door. The family opens fire on the intruder, certain that its armour will provide no protection at such close range...
[from "The Doctor Who Reference Pages"] The Squire and his two children were killed by the invading aliens known as the Terileptils, who were intent on taking command of the Squire's mansion to be their base of operations. What little else we know of them can be inferred from the dialogue: it sounded as though Charles had some sort of beef against his father, as he was surly, rude, and insulting to Squire John. It was almost as if he was chafing under the dominance of his father and couldn't wait to be rid of the old man and finally come into his inheritance. But he died before that could happen and left no heirs to eventually regain control of the estate. No legitimate issue, true, but it is the contention of Toobworld Central that Charles showed his independence from his father by having his way with several women of the nearby villages. They were most likely tavern wenches, but perhaps there were several daughters of local crofters and farmers, innocent girls taken by his charm and accepting of his attentions. And as it goes so often in Toobworld, children were born of those liaisons.

Charles might have even had a dalliance with a kinswoman in the Ravensby line, through whom the family titles descended. The latest titled member of the line would be the Marquis Lord Ravensby whose son Dorian (the Earl of Colfax) has followed in his footsteps to attend Trinity College at Bridgeford University. ('Trinity') The DNA of Master Charles proved to be of sturdy stock - his tele-genetics were mirrored down through the ages, blossoming especially three hundred years later with quite a few incarnations.

In the early 20th Century, one of Charles' descendants, Lawrence Cavendish, found himself entangled in a murder investigation near the end of World War I. Cavendish was one of several suspects when his stepmother was found dead of strychnine poisoning at her Styles estate. ('Poirot' - "The Mysterious Affair At Styles")

Cavendish may have followed in Charles' footsteps and fathered Martin Keller out of wedlock around the turn of the century. However, he did have legitimate heirs, leading to Steven Cavendish. Steven may even have been Charles, "born to rerun" - that is, he could have been the reincarnation of Charles. Here's why: Steven also disliked his father, Robert Cavendish, and was a suspect in the murder of his father's young wife Tara. And Steven was having an affair with a local barmaid in the Midsomer area..... ('The Midsomer Murders' - "Dead Man's Eleven")During World War II, Martin Keller served as an RAF Wing Commander at a secret base just outside of Hastings. ('Foyle's War' - "Eagle Day"). And Keller may have been the illegitimate father to any of the other descendants of Charles' bloodline who have been seen in the late 20th Century and into the 21st.

Among these might be:
Malcolm Finniston ('Inspector Lewis' - "Dark Matter")

Richard Wenn ('Doc Martin' - "The Departed")

Joe Furst ('Dalziel And Pascoe' - "Project Aphrodite Parts One & Two")

John Grey ('Mistresses' - "Men Behaving Badly")
(If all of this begatting of bastards throughout history is true, that last entry seems appropriate!)

Michael Ambley - as seen in the TV movie "The Good Samaritan" - may have had his whole life covered in that one appearance, so for now he's eliminated from consideration as Martin Keller's bastard son as well.* Because it's possible that the parents of D.A.C. Robert Strickland (as seen in 'New Tricks') might one day come into play in a future episode of the series, Toobworld Central has eliminated him from consideration as a direct descendant of Martin Keller. The same holds true for characters with multiple appearances like:

Anthony Chatsworth ('Material Girl')

Michael Beauchamp (pictured, 'Holby City')

and perhaps Max of 'Identity'.

Nevertheless, they could all still trace their lineage back to Charles Ravensby. In those three hundred years since his death, the family tree may have splintered into hundreds of branches.
Why did I choose those characters then, out of the thousands of candidates throughout the last three hundred years? Because they were all played by Anthony Calf. Having the same actor always strengthens the case for a theory of relateeveety.

Here's a list of Anthony Calf's TV credits: Dr Who; Beau Geste; Tears Before Bedtime; Home is the Sailor; Chess Games; The Monocled Mutineer; Drummons; Fools on the Hill; Fortunes of War; My Family and Other Animals; Mary Rose; Boon; Bergerac; Tanamera; Great Expectations; Dawn and the Candidate; Mysteries of the Black Jungle; Poirot; Absolute Hell; Bye Bye Baby; Riders; Diana - Her True Story; Pride and Prejudice; Bramwell; My Night with Reg; Beck; Kavanagh QC; A Touch of Frost; Wing and a Prayer; Midsomer Murders; Lorna Doone; The Inspector Lynley Mysteries; Lucky Jim; Doc Martin; Sirens; The Cry; The Falklands Play; Celeb; Trust; Foyles War; Paradise Heights; Judge John Deed; The Brides in the Bath; The Village; Amnesia; Hotel in Amsterdam; The Murder Room; New tricks; The Robinsons; Holby City

(This list is not necessarily up to date.)

Any one of these not mentioned in the above article - save for the historical figures (Emile Zola), recastaways (Colonel Fitzwilliam, pictured), and those whose timelines would clash - could be considered members of the same family line.

BCnU!

*There are two other TV movies to consider: In "Tom's Christmas Tree", Anthony Calf played "Officer". It could be that he was actually D.A.C. Robert Strickland (and the movie didn't necessarily have to take place in 2006). Also, in "Perfect Day: The Millennium", also 2006, Calf portrayed a character named Michael. If his last name was never given, there's a possibility he was Michael Ambley of "The Good Samaritan". Having never seen any of these three tele-flicks, I can't speak with any authority on those theories of relateeveety.