NCIS director Fiona Shepard risks her career and the life of agent Tony DiNozzo in tonight's episode of Five's popular American crime series and as ever, watching from the sidelines ready to piece together the clues as the body count mounts is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service's eccentric British chief medical examiner, Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, played by Scottish actor David McCallum.
"Obviously Ducky was in the British Army, in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and at some point was seconded to an American unit. He then went over to the States, decided to stay and applied to NCIS where he has now been for 12 or 13 years. Still, you c
an do anything you want with him," explains McCallum, who was approaching 70 when he landed the role.
"I had reached the stage in life where I was working off-Broadway and earning not very much money in a wonderful show that was about to close and I was about to have my 70th birthday.
"I was questioning what I might want to do for the rest of my life when I had this request to go for an audition. I went, they put a scene on tape and that went to Los Angles.
"The next day I got a call to say, 'Would I fly out to LA to CBS and Paramount?' I did. Out of that experience, I got the job."
Whether or not he had been ear-marked for the role from the start, however, is a mystery to McCallum, who admits, "One of the things that I have never tried to do is find out what the minds of producers and directors think.
"Mark Harmon, who plays Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, has told me that he had heard that one of the first people cast in this show was me. I did not realise that."
With a laugh he adds, "I always accept the first job that comes along, I think that's a Scottish thing – a bird in the hand and all that."
NCIS, Five, tonight, 9pmThe cluesDavid McCallum was born in Glasgow on Tuesday, September 19, 1933.
He moved to Hollywood in the 1960s.
McCallum got his big break as Illya Kuryakin in The Man From UNCLE.
Pick of the dayEarth Without The Moon
(National Geographic, 8pm)
There's something comforting about the moon. There it is, hanging in the sky every night, a constant presence in an ever-changing world. Or is it?
According to this documentary, scientists have discovered that the moon is actually moving away from the Earth, and the speed with which it does so increases every year.
The moon is a stabilising force for the Earth, and has been crucial in its development, enabling life to evolve during the last four billion years. If it moves a dramatic amount, the planet will tip 90 degrees on its axis, which would herald disaster.
Among the likely outcomes are temperature swings, dust storms, hurricanes and rising sea levels. Although we're warned about environmental issues, it seems we should also be worried about this now too - or should we? Is there something we can do about this potential problem? Here's a chance to find out.
Autumnwatch 2009
(BBC Two, 8.30pm)
Chris Packham and Kate Humble experience the seasonal glory of a British woodland in the Lake District, where the trees play host to red squirrels, tawny owls and jays. Simon King travels to Scotland where he follows wild salmon travelling miles up-river to breed, and Martin Hughes-Games demonstrates how to become more involved with wildlife.
Michael Jackson: The Live Seance
(Sky1, 10pm)
When Michael Jackson died in June at the relatively young age of 50, his fans across the globe went into mourning for the man dubbed the King of Pop .
As tributes flooded in, documentaries about his rise to fame, fall from grace and attempt to claw his way back to the top dominated TV screens. But few of them proved to be as bonkers as this one. So, sit back and watch as Derek Acorah attempts to make contact with Jacko at a secret location the performer once inhabited. June Sarpong hosts the show, as well Michael Jackson: The Search for His Spirit that precedes it at 9pm.
