Nicola's first job is just out of this world
- Publication: Belfast Telegraph
- Date: 1984-04-14
- Author: Helen Howard
- Page: 10
- Language: English
HELEN HOWARD talks to Dr. Who's new girl
STEPPING out of the Mediterranean in a brief white bikini was the eye-catching way Nicola Bryant made her debut as Dr. Who's latest shapely assistant ...
And the pretty brunette now starring with the "new" Doctor, Colin Baker, in the current series, hopes it will do as much for her career as 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 as a four-year-old, she remembers that "the first thing I did when the theme music came up on the screen was dive behind the sofa and watch in safety!
"Although I used to get quite terrified at times, I don't think I ever missed a single episode.
Delighted
"Frankly, I'm sure all children enjoy being frightened by monsters like the Daleks that you find on the programme. because they know the Doctor will always win in the end."
Nicola's naturally delighted by her lucky break less than a year ago, she was still a broke drama student, wondering where her first job would come from.
"My agent simply phoned 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 a part like that 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 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."
Learning
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 grueling," 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 fast, and everybody was very patient and helpful. One thing that did take some time getting used to out there was getting up early in the morning and working very long hours.
"That was quite a shock to the system at first. I keep 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 fortunate in that there's a lot of my personality and character in Perpugillian Brown. "Like me, she's an adventurous girl, who is determined independent!"
Caption: Nicola Bryant-the series used to scare me stiff as a child.
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.: Howard, Helen (1984-04-14). Nicola's first job is just out of this world. Belfast Telegraph p. 10.
- MLA 7th ed.: Howard, Helen. "Nicola's first job is just out of this world." Belfast Telegraph [add city] 1984-04-14, 10. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Howard, Helen. "Nicola's first job is just out of this world." Belfast Telegraph, edition, sec., 1984-04-14
- Turabian: Howard, Helen. "Nicola's first job is just out of this world." Belfast Telegraph, 1984-04-14, section, 10 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Nicola's first job is just out of this world | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Nicola%27s_first_job_is_just_out_of_this_world | work=Belfast Telegraph | pages=10 | date=1984-04-14 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=5 December 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Nicola's first job is just out of this world | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Nicola%27s_first_job_is_just_out_of_this_world | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=5 December 2025}}</ref>
