Buffy’s Anthony Head Was In Doctor Who, See Who He Played
Giles was in Doctor Who?
This article is more than 2 years old
These days, it’s not unusual to see popular actors appear in multiple media franchises with large fanbases, but often, these crossovers are overlooked or forgotten until the internet reminds you about it. And so, here we are, to remind you that Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head also has a number of credits in the Doctor Who universe that you likely forgot about. Even better, we have video to refresh your memory.
Head may be recognizable to many TV viewers today for his role as Rupert Mannion in the hit AppleTV+ series Ted Lasso, but he is beloved by Buffy fans worldwide for his role as Rupert Giles in Joss Whedon’s horror comedy series. Anthony Head appeared alongside star Sarah Michelle Gellar in 123 episodes of the series, which took a much more serious, darker tone than the 1992 movie. The series premiered in 1997 and lasted for seven seasons, and even spawned a spinoff series, Angel. However, in 1996, Head made an appearance in a Doctor Who episode, titled “School Reunion,” which was one of his most high-profile roles at the time.
“School Reunion” is the third episode from Series 2 of Doctor Who, which featured the Tenth Doctor played by David Tennant. Anthony Head played Mr. Finch, the new headmaster at a school experiencing some strange phenomena. The Doctor discovers (spoiler alert) Finch is actually a bat-like creature called a Krillitane, and his real name is Brother Lassar. He and other Krillitanes are using the schoolchildren as sacrifices to solve an ancient paradigm that will give them god-like powers to control the elements of the universe. The Doctor and his companion Rose stop Brother Lassar’s plans, with the help of some allies.
Even hard-core Buffy fans may have missed another appearance by Anthony Head in the Dr. Who franchise, but you can forgive them for that, because technically, it was just his voice. In 2007, he voiced a character called for The Infinite Quest, a series of three-minute animated shorts that told a new story about the Tenth Doctor (which David Tennant returned to voice). Head played the villain Baltazar, “the collector of everything in the galaxy,” whose quest for the lost Starship Infinite is foiled by the Doctor. Head discussed his role in this interview.
Anthony Head actually auditioned for the role of the Doctor in the mid-1990s, and in 2004, he won a poll in which fans voiced their choice to play the new Doctor in an upcoming series. Although he never won the role, his association with the franchise is strong. He narrated a number of documentaries about Doctor Who for the BBC, including Regeneration, and even narrated the audiobook version of the novel The Nightmare of Black Island. He also served as a narrator for Doctor Who Confidential. He even provided the voice of Time Lord Valentine in the Doctor Who webcast story Death Comes to Time, and the voice of Grayvorn in audio miniseries Excelis. Head currently lives in Britain and is the father to two girls, Emily and Daisy. He has a distinguished career in British stage and television, although his Buffy role won him fans worldwide.
