Dr Who's girl gets the axe
- Publication: The Sunday Telegraph
- Date: 1980-06-01
- Author:
- Page: 5
- Language: English
Dr Who girl Lalla Ward is to be exterminated and replaced by ... a boy.
Unknown teenage actor Matthew Waterhouse will take over from the 29-year-old actress in the next Dr Who series.
Lalla will have played Romana in the top children's shown for more than a year.
She is the eleventh Dr Who girl, but Matthew, 17, will become Tom Baker's first male assistant.
He and Lalla will apear together in the first half of the autumn series, but after Christmas Matthew will be Dr Who's only colleague.
Lalla said yesterday: "The way in which I am written out is still a secret.
"We do not want all our young viewers to know what is going to happen."
The shake-up was planned by the show's new producer, John Nathan-Turner.
Lana said: "I shall be sorry to leave the series, but John and I decided it was time for a change.
"Dr Who has never been without a girl alongside, so it really is something different"
Matthew has already started filming the new series. He will play the part of a new character called Adric.
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- APA 6th ed.: (1980-06-01). Dr Who's girl gets the axe. The Sunday Telegraph p. 5.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Dr Who's girl gets the axe." The Sunday Telegraph [add city] 1980-06-01, 5. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Dr Who's girl gets the axe." The Sunday Telegraph, edition, sec., 1980-06-01
- Turabian: "Dr Who's girl gets the axe." The Sunday Telegraph, 1980-06-01, section, 5 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Dr Who's girl gets the axe | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr_Who%27s_girl_gets_the_axe | work=The Sunday Telegraph | pages=5 | date=1980-06-01 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=24 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Dr Who's girl gets the axe | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr_Who%27s_girl_gets_the_axe | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=24 April 2025}}</ref>
