Orson Welles was a filmmaker and radio actor in the 20th century.
At the time of his The War of the Worlds broadcast in October 1938, Welles encountered the Eighth Doctor and his companion Charley Pollard and shared an adventure involving a real invasion. (AUDIO: Invaders from Mars [+]Loading...["Invaders from Mars (audio story)"]) According to another account, the Doctor had their friend broadcast the radio play War of the Worlds as a cover for a real Martian invasion by the Ice Warriors, hoping to prevent a panic. The plan backfired, and it still caused a panic. (PROSE: The Maze of Doom [+]Loading...["The Maze of Doom (novel)"])
He was also known for acting in other radio programs including The Shadow. (AUDIO: Invaders from Mars [+]Loading...["Invaders from Mars (audio story)"]; PROSE: The Shadow of Weng-Chiang [+]Loading...["The Shadow of Weng-Chiang (novel)"])
At some point in his life he was made a host for the parasite known as The Fat. (PROSE: "The Fat" [+]Part of The Book of the War, Loading...{"namedpart":"The Fat","1":"The Book of the War (novel)"})
After 1938, Welles made several Shakespearean films but the Eighth Doctor did not believe that they were terribly subtle adaptations. (AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks [+]Loading...["The Time of the Daleks (audio story)"])
Behind the scenes
- One of the members of Welles' Mercury Theatre of the Air troupe, who participated in both The War of the Worlds and Citizen Kane, George Coulouris, guest starred in the 1964 Doctor Who story The Keys of Marinus as Arbitan. Welles' line "George, what are you doing with those keys?" in Invaders from Mars is an in-joke referring to Coulouris' role in Doctor Who.