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Following a couple of Blake's 7-oriented releases,
the Actor Speaks series returns to the worlds of Doctor
Who. This volume focuses on Louise Jameson (the clue's
in the title!), who played Leela opposite Tom Baker's Doctor
and who went on to star in The Omega Factor, Bergerac,
EastEnders and - her personal favourite - Tenko.
But perhaps this CD should have been retitled The Actrine
Speaks, since Louise reveals that she prefers the made-up
word to the term "actor" or "actress".
There
are three main interview segments. The first deals with Jameson's
life and career in general, while the second is a Q&A session
using questions sent in by readers of the MJTV website, and
the third focuses specifically on the role of Blanche Simmons
in Tenko. The "actrine" elaborates upon some of the
backstage reasons behind the various undignified exits her
characters have made from BBC television series: Leela getting
married off in Doctor Who; Blanche succumbing off-screen
to beriberi in Tenko; Susan Young being murdered by
drowning in Bergerac; and Rosa di Marco getting hastily
written out before her time in EastEnders.
Perhaps
surprisingly, Jameson also reveals that she would love to
return to Doctor Who. She has previously indicated
that she would only be interested in returning to the series
if she were to play the Doctor herself! However, she said
that back in the early '80s, a lot of water has flowed under
the bridge, and she has since returned to the role of Leela
already, in the 1993 Children in Need skit Dimensions
in Time, and in Big Finish's Zagreus
drama and Gallifrey series.
As
with the Elisabeth
Sladen edition of this series, none of those spin-off
productions are brought up by interviewer Mark J. Thompson.
Nor are Jameson's appearances in BBV's The Stranger
or P.R.O.B.E. series, even though a comparison of the
similarly themed Omega Factor and P.R.O.B.E.
might have proved interesting.
Instead,
Thompson ties in his Soldiers of Love CD series once
again, via the inclusion of a new scene, starring himself
and Jameson, set in the saga's universe. "Sins of the Mother",
which is a sort of prequel to the comedy-drama series, explores
the parentage and childhood of the villainous Aaran, though
curiously it is a laughter-free zone.
The
disc also features readings from the actrine's forthcoming
one-woman show, Hot Flush, and from three poems, the
best of which is "Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti - it's
just so damn sexy!
As ever, this CD provides variety and more than a few laughs
and surprises along the way. It Rosa to di occasion, despite
the lack of P.R.O.B.E.-ing questions.
Richard
McGinlay
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