Who is your favorite actor to play Borusa?

Who is your favorite actor to play Borusa?

The first one.

I think the options are:

Angus MacKay - 1976 - Deadly assassin
John Arnatt - 1978 - The Invasion of Time.
Leonard Sachs - 1983 - Arc of Infinity
Phillip Latham - 1983 - The Five Doctors

I opt for Angus MacKay  -Deadly Assassin was an excellent story as was MacKay who captured perfectly Borusa's disdain for his former pupil.

Arnatt was okay but Invasion of Time was a tiresome, tedious story which at 6 episodes was 7 instalments too long.

It was ridiculous that two stories less than a year apart then utilised two different actors to play the same role - Leonard Sachs and Philip Latham - with no explanation in the stories as to why the character would regenerate so quickly. It gives the impression that JNT was either completely inept at planning (which i doubt TBH) or increasingly just couldn't give a toss.

I like Angus mackay and Philip Latham the most.

Probably Philip Latham as I did grow up watching his story the most, and his dramatic moments (his reveal is quite emotional, as if he genuinely has regretted some of what he's done to win this game but can't stop now) tend to come to mind the most.

Doctor7 wrote:I like Angus mackay and Philip Latham the most.

Ditto. Though Angus edges it for me.

Philip Latham. He was great as Klove as well in Dracula Prince of Darkness (1965), incidentally a role that Patrick played in Scars of Dracula (1970)!

I'm not sure I'm familiar with this character.

BillPatJonTom wrote:Philip Latham. He was great as Klove as well in Dracula Prince of Darkness (1965).

Indeed.
It feels slightly heretical on here to say that he was better than Troughton's Klove, but he was.

Maxil Borusa was a cardinal in the deadly assassin the stuck up one he was also cardinal in invasion of time president of Gallifrey in arc of infinity,and the five doctors

Commander Maxil wrote:I'm not sure I'm familiar with this character.

How can you not know who Borusa is, Maxil?

Tanmann wrote:

Commander Maxil wrote:I'm not sure I'm familiar with this character.

How can you not know who Borusa is, Maxil?

Because I generally can't remember every character that has ever appeared in the show.

He was the president who went crazy in the five doctors wanting Rassilon to make him immortal.

Commander Maxil wrote:

Tanmann wrote:

Commander Maxil wrote:I'm not sure I'm familiar with this character.

How can you not know who Borusa is, Maxil?

Because I generally can't remember every character that has ever appeared in the show.

Does this help? Its a link to a google images page where there are photos of Bousa in his "4 lives" so to speak.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=borusa

John Arnatt. His scenes with Tom Baker are marvellous.

I prefer Arnatt to Leonard Sachs portrayal!

stengos wrote:I think the options are:

Angus MacKay - 1976 - Deadly assassin
John Arnatt - 1978 - The Invasion of Time.
Leonard Sachs - 1983 - Arc of Infinity
Phillip Latham - 1983 - The Five Doctors

I opt for Angus MacKay  -Deadly Assassin was an excellent story as was MacKay who captured perfectly Borusa's disdain for his former pupil.

Arnatt was okay but Invasion of Time was a tiresome, tedious story which at 6 episodes was 7 instalments too long.

It was ridiculous that two stories less than a year apart then utilised two different actors to play the same role - Leonard Sachs and Philip Latham - with no explanation in the stories as to why the character would regenerate so quickly. It gives the impression that JNT was either completely inept at planning (which i doubt TBH) or increasingly just couldn't give a toss.

That's a really rather peculiar criticism. I very much doubt there was even a script for The Five Doctors by the time Arc went into production, so there'd be no reason to contract the actor for nearly a year in advance. And by the time it did, the actor was probably busy elsewhere, hence a recast. Happens all the time in television (and they did get the same Castellan back). In any event, I think it worked out for the best as Latham was more suited to the evil Borusa IMO.

iank wrote:

stengos wrote:It was ridiculous that two stories less than a year apart then utilised two different actors to play the same role - Leonard Sachs and Philip Latham - with no explanation in the stories as to why the character would regenerate so quickly. It gives the impression that JNT was either completely inept at planning (which i doubt TBH) or increasingly just couldn't give a toss.

That's a really rather peculiar criticism. I very much doubt there was even a script for The Five Doctors by the time Arc went into production, so there'd be no reason to contract the actor for nearly a year in advance. And by the time it did, the actor was probably busy elsewhere, hence a recast. Happens all the time in television (and they did get the same Castellan back). In any event, I think it worked out for the best as Latham was more suited to the evil Borusa IMO.

Fair enough. I just felt it cheapened the idea of regeneration - that Borusa regenerates from Sachs to Latham so quickly and in such a short time. Even if they have thirteen a life is life and i would have thought the time lords would value each one. And no explanation was given in the story. I thought it was odd but as you suggest probably not worth picking up on. I can be a bit obsessive about the smallest details sometimes.

I think it's just a case of actor unavailability with all the Borusa's. I think they tried to get Mackay for Invasion of Time, but he was contracted elsewhere too. And I guess the fact these are Time Lords just made them go "Well we can recast with no issue, he just regenerated!"