‘It was annoying having to scream so frequently’

1960S: CAROLE ANN FORD

Carole Ann Ford, now 83, played the First Doctor’s teenage granddaughter Susan Foreman for 51 episodes from the show’s inception in 1963

“When Susan was described to me, she was hyper-intelligent – typecasting, of course! – and telepathic. That all changed because [head of BBC drama] Sydney Newman wanted a girl-next-door to be the eyes and ears of the viewer. I understood but that wasn’t as interesting. I was young and fit, a trained dancer and acrobat. I would’ve loved to have made Susan more active and feisty, so I was a little nonplussed when I had to twist my ankle and scream so frequently.

“My daughter was terrified by the Daleks, so I brought her into the studio to sit inside one. She had great fun zooming around in it like a dodgem car. I thought it would cure her but the next time they came on TV, she screamed again.

“William Hartnell (above) took his grandfatherly role a bit too seriously. I’d come to work wearing fabulous new fashions from Mary Quant or Biba, and Bill would say, ‘Not another outfit! Do you realise, young lady, that after this you may be out of work for years!’ I’d say, ‘Thanks, Bill, that’s reassuring!’ “Recording episodes at Lime Grove was stressful. We shot it all in a single take in this cramped studio full of vast cameras with cables twining everywhere. If it got too hot, automatic sprinklers came on and we’d all be drenched. Afterwards we’d pile into the BBC bar and I’d order a champagne cocktail. Bill would say, ‘What are you doing, drinking champagne at your age?’ I said, ‘Bill, I’m not actually 15! You’re not actually my grandfather! I’m a grown woman and can drink what I like, so buzz off!’ The next week in my dressing room, I found flowers, a magnum of champagne and a card saying ‘I’m sorry, I’ll leave you to live your life as you want.’

“I was jealous of later companions who got to do all the gung-ho things that I wanted to do. But at least Susan named the Tardis. It was her who first spelt out the initials, ‘Time And Relative Dimension In Space’. I still get fanmail from all over the world. I still get royalties too! It’s only something like tuppence from Tonga but they all add up.”