mary's time as romana

                                    2007

The Key To Time box set was released on September  24th - click on the  link below for more info,  and read more about it on my news page! You will find related articles on the  reviews and interviews page, too.


                                           

                                                     



                                   http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/bbcdvd2335&bklist=<venda_bklist1






                                          MESSAGE FROM MARY

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE LEFT FANTASTIC FEEDBACK ON THE KEY TO TIME BOX SET - YOUR COMMENTS ARE GREATLY VALUED.    

 

                                                          NEWSFLASH RE JUMPCON
Due to circumctances beyond my control, I will not ,along with several other British guests,  be appearing at the Boston convention, as the  organisers have lost their backing.There are postings on the net about this. I will keep you informed of the future events I was booked for this year as soon as I have info.
Mary                                          

                                                               http:www.jumpcon.com/

 

Click on these links for interviews with Mary about her time on Dr Who, and the Key to Time DVD 
 

 http://dwscifi.com/articles/816-unlocking-the-key-to-time   


  http://dwscifi.com/articles/915-unlocking-the-key-to-time-part-2

 

 

 

 

The official programme website has released details of the extensive extras on the forthcoming seven-disc Key To Time DVD box set release in the UK.

The six stories that comprised the 16th season, which aired in the UK between September 1978 and February 1979 and starred Tom Baker as the Doctor and Mary Tamm as Romana, will be released on September 24.

The extras will include a documentary looking at the tenure of producer Graham Williams, deleted scenes and outtakes, excerpts from Blue Peter, Nationwide and Pebble Mill At One, location visits, Tom Baker reading five stories from the 1978 series Late Night Story, and the festive sketch recorded on the set of season finale The Armageddon Factor for the 1978 BBC Christmas Tape.

The Restoration Team website was updated today with full details as to the work done on the stories plus more about the extras.
 

 

 

 

                                                                                   

 

When the late Graham Williams was producing DW he decided that a new type of assistant was called for. Someone who was on an equal par with the doctor, and who could challenge him more than the previous companions. The character of Romana was created for this reason. Rumour has it that 600 actresses were seen for the part, and screen tests were run with 6, of whom Mary was one. She had to perform a short scene with Tom Baker, who was playing the title role at the time, and succesfully won the part. Obviously the chemistry was right, and as Graham told her later, the BBC wanted a more high profile actress than previously, a fact which was reflected in the casting of "name" guest roles in the new series, which was named The Key to Time- a great title for the first "umbrella " series of DW, and one of the most popular to date. As fans know, the six stories, all four episodes each, except the last, which was six, formed the theme of the search for the key, and the stories were also complete in themselves. One of Mary's favourites was the Pirate Planet, which was written by the wonderful and sadly, late Douglas Adams. She also enjoyed The Androids of Tara, which was filmed at Leeds Castle in Kent, making a change from the usually wet and uncomfortable conditions of DW locations. The sun shone every day, and a good time was had by all! The costume Mary wore for this story was one which many fans write in about to say it is their favourite. Mary helped to design it, and chose the colours. The character started off well, and was loved by audiences. However, because of the half hour format, the writers soon realised that Romana could not always be the stronger, as someone had to do the asking of questions for the audience to know what was going on, and she soon reverted to the usual Who companion, ie, the sounding board for the doctor,a fact which Mary recognised as inevitable. Many fans ask why she left after only one series. Well, it is because of the above- really, the character had nowhere else to go, and she wanted to avoid repetition, and move on to other work,. Mary loved her time on DW, and enjoyed working with Tom Baker, and John Leeson, who played K9, as well as wonderful guest artists like Philip Madoc, Susan Engel, Beatrix Lehman and many more. She is a great fan of the new series, and feels rather envious of the superior production values! However, her time on the programme had a very important part to play in the cult success of this show, a fact which she will always be grateful for, and proud of. She attends conventions all over the world, and will have more news and trivia on these, when the site is updated.