Just what the doctor ordered (Reading Evening Post)
- Publication: Reading Evening Post
- Date: 1978-12-07
- Author: Judith Regan
- Page: 14
- Language: English
THE green eyes flash beneath a crown of falling black tresses. And there is more than a hint of determination in the pretty chin.
But then Mary Tamm has discovered that you have to be tough to live in a police box, never know what century it Is, and find yourself in another galaxy at the touch of a button!
She plays Romona, the doctor's new assistant in the latest Dr Who series, now back on our screens.
Mary, who stepped into the £15,000-a-year role, after fierce competition for the part, thinks she's tailor-made for the series.
"My parents were refugees from Estonia," she says, "and they've always impressed on me the importance of survival.
No Nonsense
"They came to this country literally with nothing and built up a life for themselves."
Mary's no-nonsense approach to life finds expression in the character of Romona - "she's a very tough lady
"A Time Lady, naturally. She has been sent to keep an eye on the mischievous doctor."
For the record, Romona was 120 years old when she teamed up with the doctor, played by Tom Baker
As for 27-year-old Mary, she declares: "I'm old enough to have got the stardust out of my eyes. In this business, you're simply a commodity."
Key role
However, she did admit to being "absolutely thrilled" when a few years back she got out of the blue, the offer of the starring role as a Nazi-hunter's girlfriend in the film The Odessa File.
Dark-haired Mary recalls: "I was working in Coronation Street when my agent arranged an interview with the casting director for Romulus Films.
"I had no idea that she had anything to do with Odessa. I still don't know why I was picked. The word had got around that they wanted a blonde.
"After doing a screen test I had a nail-biting few days getting through Coronation Street rehearsals. I didn't dare think about the Odessa role. Then there came a phone call saying I'd got it.
Fish and chips . She soon got over that. "It was only when Odessa was finished that I realised the tremendous strain I had been
"It's a lot harder for the really big stars. When I was in an earlier picture called Witness Madness, my boyfriend introduced me to Richard Burton.
"He said: 'Let's have a party. Just the three of us'. Well, I'd heard about Bur ton's parties and I wondered what we were in for!
In fact, all we did was sit around and eat fish and chips. There were clearly few occasions when he could get away and just be himself.
"He obviously loved it. Just my kind of actor."
On her feet
Unlike many actresses, Mary has a varied life outside showbusiness. In addition to Estonian - "we still speak it at home in Yorkshire" - she is fiuent in French and German and has spent a lot of time drifting around Europe.
Apart from her time in RADA, she says that the most valuable period of her life was working on a kibbutz in Israel, which, she says, taught her the meaning of work
"When I got back to England I had to take any job that was going. I became a waitress, on my feet for hours. But I'd been well prepared."
Mary says Romona is a great contrast to previous Dr Who girls - and certainly to her immediate predecessor, the scantily-clothed Leela, who was the darling of the dads.
Not afraid
"Romona has a mind of her own - and is not afraid to speak it," Mary told me.
To secure the part was no pushover for Mary Tamm. She was up against competition from 500 other beauties
And after Dr Who? With a toss of those brown tresses, Mary says: "I've no idea. I'm not that calculating
"I don't think further ahead than tomorrow or further back than yesterday-except when I'm with Dr Who, of course!"
Caption: Romono with Dr Who ... and K9
Spelling correction: Romana
The latest glamour girl from space to share Dr Who's adventures 7 is already 120 years old. But that doesn't worry Mary Tamm ...
"But I was sworn to secrecy for a week. Everybody wondered why I was going around the studio in a sort of daze
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.: Regan, Judith (1978-12-07). Just what the doctor ordered (Reading Evening Post). Reading Evening Post p. 14.
- MLA 7th ed.: Regan, Judith. "Just what the doctor ordered (Reading Evening Post)." Reading Evening Post [add city] 1978-12-07, 14. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Regan, Judith. "Just what the doctor ordered (Reading Evening Post)." Reading Evening Post, edition, sec., 1978-12-07
- Turabian: Regan, Judith. "Just what the doctor ordered (Reading Evening Post)." Reading Evening Post, 1978-12-07, section, 14 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Just what the doctor ordered (Reading Evening Post) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Just_what_the_doctor_ordered_(Reading_Evening_Post) | work=Reading Evening Post | pages=14 | date=1978-12-07 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=10 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Just what the doctor ordered (Reading Evening Post) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Just_what_the_doctor_ordered_(Reading_Evening_Post) | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=10 April 2025}}</ref>
