Dr Who Girl Carol Nearly Died After Pain-Killing Drug Blunder
- Publication: The People
- Date: 1990-02-25
- Author: John Kercher
- Page: 11
- Language: English
CAROL ANN FORD was Dr Who's first Girl Friday. She stepped into the Tardis 25 years ago as Susan, the 15-year-old grandaughter of the original Doctor, played by actor William Hartnell.
"The show was only supposed to last for eight weeks, but I ended up playing Susan for 18 months," says Carol, now a married mum of 44. "Who would have thought Dr Who would have lasted this long and become a worldwide cult programme?"
The part made her famous, but tragedy has dogged her since with a baffling mystery illness that nearly killed her and left her poorly for years.
Carol, who lives in London's Mill Hill with husband of 15 years Harry and daughter Tara Louise, 14, explains: "After I left Dr Who my career took a deep, dark dive. Until I stepped aboard the Tardis I had lots of varied work and my career was going well.
"But once I'd played Susan I was doomed forever to receive scripts for nutty 15-year-olds. I was 20 then and didn't want to play kids any more.'
It was when Carol threw herself into repertory theatre to revive her flagging career that disaster struck and ended her showbiz dreams.
"I was making a film at the time," she recalls. "A window became stuck and I ricked my back trying to open it. The doctor gave me a special drug to relieve it, but it was then my problems started. Almost immediately I began to feel unwell. I ignored it at first because I thought I simply had a cold.
"My eyes started to swell up and I came out in bumps. I thought that a holiday might help and went to Spain. But the condition didn't improve one bit, Then, suddenly, I couldn't breathe and was rushed to the medical centre at the hotel where a doctor pumped me with injections to help me.
"I learned later that if a doctor hadn't been on hand at that moment I. would almost certainly have died."
But poor Carol still didn't have a clue as to the cause of her illness. "I returned to England and tried to lead a normal life, but it was impossible. Everything I ate reacted upon me. The air I breathed and the water I drank even affected me.
"Things became so drastic that I couldn't even talk. My family was desperate with worry for me. I used to be so totally fit and healthy but all of a sudden I couldn't do a thing.
"It was only after exhaustive tests that the doctors realised the drug that I had been given for the back pain was the cause of all the trouble. It had changed the entire metabolism of my body so that I was allergic to practically everything, particularly certain acids and colourings. I couldn't even take normal tablets because they contained those same colourings that affected me.
"I was totally distraught. I'd been happily eating apples and peaches and drinking fresh fruit juices. But I hadn't realised they all contained the very things that were punishing my body because of the sprays that had been used on them.
"All those foods I used to love I now can't eat."
Struggle
While Carol was bravely battling against the mystery bug, she was also trying to bring up two-year-old Tara Louise.
"Harry was, and still is, absolutely marvellous and my mum helped out when she could," says Carol. "But it was still an uphill struggle all the way."
As a last resort she turned to homoeopathic medicine because the prescriptions did not contain anything which affected her.
"I had dozens of tests to show which foods I was mostly allergic to — and also those which I would have to avoid. And the others are suppressed by the homoeopathic medicines I take regularly," she says.
"I can now recognise when things might go awry and take the appropriate action. But I have to carry a card with me at all times to tell people what to do if I should suddenly drop down.
"The strange thing is that the drug given to me which caused all of the problems is still openly sold on the market. For most people it seems to be safe and effective, but for a few like myself it has drastic consequences.
"The thing is that people didn't sue drug companies then like they do today. And I'm not certain I could do so now even if I wanted to," she says. Carol has never bothered to cash in on her TV background. "I did do some Dr Who conventions in America which were fun. But I got tired of answering the same questions like which was my favourite monster.
"Actually, it was something called a Voord. It was like a deep sea diver which emerged from the sea like Ursula Andress in the James Bond film Dr No," she laughs. "I suppose I could make a fortune if I wanted to. Some people from the show I know have made a living from the conventions.
"Even now, young kids who've seen repeats of those first episodes or watched the videos write to me. I'll probably never ever shake off Susan."
Carol has now joined the sixth form art class at her daughter's comprehensive school as a student.
Ambition
"It's a new, wonderful scheme where parents take exams at the same time as their kids. But I'm not in the same class as Tara Louise. She would be very embarrassed if I was.
"I've always wanted to do art because I've painted since I was a kid. So I'm now fulfilling that ambition." Carol also enjoys horse riding, often accompanying Tara Louise, who is a devoted equestrian.
"I don't really have any regrets as such," she says. "But when I think what an active person I used to be and what that drug did to me, that does make me bitter.
"I just hope now that I might be able to do some fringe theatre work. But I really don't think that people know how to sell me any more."
It's clearly a case only the Doctor himself could solve.
Captions:
WHODUNNIT: Carol Ann Ford as Susan
25 years ago with the original Dr Who, William Hartnell
HAPPY FAMILIES: Carol in her London home with daughter Tara Louise and her husband Harry
ART LOVER: Happy Carol's daft as a brush about painting
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Kercher, John (1990-02-25). Dr Who Girl Carol Nearly Died After Pain-Killing Drug Blunder. The People p. 11.
- MLA 7th ed.: Kercher, John. "Dr Who Girl Carol Nearly Died After Pain-Killing Drug Blunder." The People [add city] 1990-02-25, 11. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Kercher, John. "Dr Who Girl Carol Nearly Died After Pain-Killing Drug Blunder." The People, edition, sec., 1990-02-25
- Turabian: Kercher, John. "Dr Who Girl Carol Nearly Died After Pain-Killing Drug Blunder." The People, 1990-02-25, section, 11 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Dr Who Girl Carol Nearly Died After Pain-Killing Drug Blunder | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr_Who_Girl_Carol_Nearly_Died_After_Pain-Killing_Drug_Blunder | work=The People | pages=11 | date=1990-02-25 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=14 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Dr Who Girl Carol Nearly Died After Pain-Killing Drug Blunder | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr_Who_Girl_Carol_Nearly_Died_After_Pain-Killing_Drug_Blunder | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=14 April 2025}}</ref>
