Saturday, April 20, 2013

Happy 62'nd Birthday Louise Jameson!

                  Few Doctor Who companions of the program's original run were as controversial as Leela,played by actress Louise Jameson. For one, she was succeeding Elizabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane Smith when she left the show midway through its 16th series. After spending two years in the Royal Shakespeare Company, she was cast as a companion like no other before her for the doctor. Leela, a very complex warrior princess who was extremely intelligent yet lacking in understanding of the ways of much of the material universe, was very much the fourth doctor's Eliza Doolittle. Unfortunately the personalities and Jameson and Tom Baker clashed and she left the program in 1978-recommending Mary Tamm for the role of the new companion Romana. Leela is one of the most unique and fascinating Doctor Who companions and I wish Louise Jameson a very happy birthday today!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Leela is great, one of my two all time favorites with Amy (I only just started watching Doctor Who last year). I LOVE how her character breaks so much from the tired idea that the companion has to be just one of us - now Moffat couldn't even let the Clara who lived be the Victorian one, it had to be the one from the 2010's. :/

My thoughts on Leela: http://altairsnail.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/season-14-continued-leela-is-best-pony/ Happy birthday!