Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Word came down last week that Mary Tamm, the actress who played the 1st incarnation of Romana on what is now referrred to as "classic" Doctor Who, died on Thursday at age 62 after a long battle with cancer. While she was only on the show for a single season (the 16th) her presence was notable both in that it was the first time the show had run a season-long story arc (the search for the Key to Time) and because she was the first companion who could truly claim to be an intellectual equal to the Doctor, seeing as she was also a Time Lord - which meant she was quite willing to call him on his foolishness and nonsense. In many ways, she was the natural progression that saw the female leads of the show serving less and less as the Doctor's assistant, and more as a companion in his travels and adventures. While she left the role after that season, the character continued on (and does so to this day in a variety of spin-off media) after regenerating into actress Lalla Ward. While the 2nd incarnation of Romana is more popular (probably due to the on-screen chemistry between Ward and lead Tom Baker) Mary Tamm will always have the distinction of having been there first and it was her work that developed Romana into a character that was worth regenerating when she chose to leave. Her single season will always stand out in my mind because it was the first season picked up by the local PBS station and broadcast Monday through Friday - so I was able to enjoy Doctor Who five days a week. Previously the show had only been available on Saturday mornings on a NYC station that we got over cable.
A good deal more info about Mary Tamm and her career can be found in this article on the Doctor Who news page. No surprise. there's an abundance of articles noting her passing on-line, including some kind words and remembrances from Tom Baker, who is surely really feeling his age and mortality with the passings of so many people he shared the Doctor Who spotlight with.
My thoughts go out to Mary Tamm's family and friends at this very difficult time.
JMH
