back in the red: TOBY ASPIN
posted by Matt Drzymala, review by Matthew Drzymala

Toby Aspin (full name Sean Toby Duncan Aspin) may not be a name that instantly springs to your mind when asked to name someone who has appeared in the show, though 'Lee Harvey Oswald' would have you instantly thinking 'Oh yeah, that guy :)' This multi talented actor who had the task of trying to pick off JFK whilst being interrupted by the crew has not only appeared in Red Dwarf but a number of shows both TV and theatre and TV advertisement. Not only that but the guy writes scripts too!! This is one guy who doesn't sit still.

In 1994 Aspin appeared in a programme called Shakedown: Return of the Sontaransplaying the part of Commander Steg, a monster spin-off of the Doctor Who series. IMDB's review describes the 55 minute piece:

The space solar yacht Tiger Moth under the command of no-nonsense Captain Lisa Deranne is on a cruise taking some rich misfits on a voyage through space. Unfortunately on their travels they have picked a stowaway, a shape-changing Rutan, a race that has been at war with another race, the Sontarans, since the dawn of time. The Rutan has important news regarding the war and the Sontarans, and upon hearing the news, attack the Tiger Moth and take it over. The Rutan hides itself among the crew and one by one the Sontarans and the human crew are murdered by the Rutan. The Sontarans plan to destroy all life on the Tiger Moth. Can Lisa find out who the Rutan is before the Sontarans destroy her ship and her life?...

1997 was a fruitful year TV wise for Toby as he appeared in Red Dwarf VII playing the part of Lee Harvey Oswald. In history he wouldn't have found it so difficult to find his target but with the intervention of the Red Dwarf crew things went abit tits up. Luckily for Toby he appeared in one of the better and funnier episodes of Series VII.

Though playing the part of an American Toby was actually born in the Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent but moved to London to pursue his dream of fame on the stage. Together with his acting skills he is also an accomplished flautist and pianist and learned to play the church organ at the age of 14!!!

The same year he appeared in a 34 minute Doctor Who spin-off called The Few Doctors, starring EIGHTDoctor Who's. The special is described:

BBC Executives are gathered to come up with a new concept for Doctor Who on television. After the Children's and Drama departments are excluded the project falls in the hands of the BBC Sports department. The classic science fiction series is changed into a sports grudge match between all the television and movie Doctors against the classic monsters - Cybermen, Daleks, etc.

He has also played the part of a Dalek and a character called Corporal Asil. He appeared in ANOTHER Doctor Who spin-off in 1998 called Mindgame, playing the part of Commander Sarg.

His other TV work includes Grange Hill playing a character called Derek and The Bill(Twocker). He has also appeared in a TV Advertisement for Microsoft as well as model shots for them and Vodefone.

The stage is where Toby Aspin is really at home though, having appeared in a variety of parts and shows, including Hamlet, Men Without Shadows, Jack and the Beanstalk, A Christmas Carol and King Learto name but a few. Funnily enough he played a character called 'Oswald' in King Lear :)

As previously stated he writes scripts too and his homepage reports on 8 so far, including comedy drama 'Natalie', thriller 'Greg', and romantic comedies 'Ricochet' and 'Insane Out'.

Recently I received this mail from him after I commented on his appearance in Red Dwarf:

He seems a true gent and lets hope its not too long before we see him on our screens. All I can say is that Back in the Red wishes him all success for his future ventures and hey, you never know, maybe they'll do the decent thing and stick him in the movie! :)

You can check out his site at: www.tobyaspin.com which appears in The Linkway and also on the Official Red Dwarf site.