When Nicola was over moon
- Publication: Evening Herald
- Date: 1984-04-17
- Author: Mary Watson
- Page: 42
- Language: English
STEPPING out of the Mediterranean in a brief white bikini was the eye-catching way in which Nicola Bryant made her debut as Dr. Who's latest shapely assistant...
And the brunette now starring with the "new" Doctor. Colin Baker, in the latest Dr. Who series, hopes that it will do as much for her career as a similar scene did for Ursula Andress when she appeared in the Bond classic, Dr. No.
"Landing the part of Perpugillian Brown was like a dream come true," says 21-year-old Nicola." "It's my very first job... and I simply couldn't believe it at first.
"I've been a Dr. Who fan for as long as I can remember."
Yet, when she first began watching the series, she remembers that "the first thing I did when the theme music came up on the screen was to dive behind the sofa and watch the series in safety!
"I suppose I must have been about four when I first started watching it," she remembers.
"Although I used to get quite terrified at times. I don't think I ever missed a single episode.
"Frankly, I'm sure that all children enjoy being frightened by monsters like the Daleks that you find on the programme, because you know that Dr. Who will always win in the end."
Nicola's naturally delighted by her lucky break less than a year ago, she was still a pretty, impecunious drama student, wondering where her first job would come from.
"My agent simply telephoned one day to send me along for a Dr. Who audition at the BBC," she explains.
"I wasn't very hopeful, because I honestly didn't think I'd any chance of getting such a part at such an early stage in my career.
"I couldn't believe it when I actually won the audition."
Nicola becomes Dr. Who's 25th assistant in a series that's now been running for more than 20 years.
Yet she confesses: "At first, my parents weren't very keen about me becoming an actress. They were rather worried by all the tales they'd heard about how tough it was
"But now, I'm sure, they're as thrilled as I am."
Nicola's first location work took her to Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, but it wasn't all fun in the sun.
She found herself working among sharp volcanic rocks, which were being filmed as the surface of the moon. "It was pretty gruelling," she recalls. "Apart from that, everything about television work was quite new to me.
"I didn't really know what to do, or which camera to look at...
"But I learn pretty fast, and everybody was very patient and helpful.
"One thing about working on the series that did take some getting used to out there was getting up very early in the morning and working very long hours.
"That was quite a shock to the system at first.
"I kept realising just how lucky I've been to get this part," Nicola says, "because there have been a lot of very good actresses who've played, the Dr. Who assistants before me.
"I think I'm lucky in that there's a lot of my personality and character in Perpugillian Brown.
"Like me, she's an adventurous girl, who is determined to be independent!"
Caption: Nicola Bryant... Dr. Who's new assistant.
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.: Watson, Mary (1984-04-17). When Nicola was over moon. Evening Herald p. 42.
- MLA 7th ed.: Watson, Mary. "When Nicola was over moon." Evening Herald [add city] 1984-04-17, 42. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Watson, Mary. "When Nicola was over moon." Evening Herald, edition, sec., 1984-04-17
- Turabian: Watson, Mary. "When Nicola was over moon." Evening Herald, 1984-04-17, section, 42 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=When Nicola was over moon | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/When_Nicola_was_over_moon | work=Evening Herald | pages=42 | date=1984-04-17 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=When Nicola was over moon | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/When_Nicola_was_over_moon | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 April 2025}}</ref>
