Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography

When it came to the actual switching-on ceremony, it looked like all of Blackpool and the Northwest had turned out to watch the Doctor use his sonic screwdriver to illuminate the night. No pressure, then.

We got there and Tom said to Maloney, ‘OK, let’s have the screwdriver.’

And the look of horror on Maloney’s face – ‘Tom, I thought you had it!’

What a pair.

So Maloney whizzed back to the hotel and the rest of us stood up there, in full glare of the crowds, for what seemed like forever. I’ve no idea what we did to fill the time. When Maloney came panting back up the stairs I said, ‘Where have you been?’

Apparently he’d got stuck in the hotel lift on the way back, forgetting he was holding the sonic. After a few minutes this old couple said, ‘Well, are you going to use it or not?’

Eventually there was a countdown and Tom set the whole place ablaze. It was truly spectacular, he was such a hit with the masses. I don’t know what Terry, Lorne and Peter had been fussing about. The fans obviously loved him already.

Afterwards we all piled into Bessie for a tour along the promenade. If I’d thought it had been busy when Jon and I opened the exhibition, this was unbelievable. The crowds were ten deep, all yelling and waving their Doctor Who scarves and toys. Amazing! I just wish I’d had more than a shawl to keep me warm. Trying to smile and wave while you’re absolutely freezing takes some acting, I can tell you. And it seemed to go on forever because we were crawling along behind a giant orange – the size of half a house – that carried people. Bizarre to behold! Ian lent over and said, ‘Christ, Sladen, is this what it has come to, following a bloody orange along Blackpool promenade!’

Brian and I enjoyed a meal with Mum and Dad then the next day we all caught the train home. Travelling with the Enterprise boys in a first-class carriage was a bit of an eye-opener as to how the other half of the Beeb lived. Peter Dimmock said, ‘Tom, Lis – do you fancy a drink?’

What a daft question after such an exhausting couple of days.

Ten minutes later he returned from the bar with a couple of boxes under each arm. He’d bought every miniature on the train! That was a journey I won’t forget in a hurry – although the details are a little vague.

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It was such a blast to have Ian with us in Blackpool and I was really happy to see his name down on the call sheets for the next serial, The Android Invasion, even though he’d be playing a ‘fake’ Harry for the second time running, so we wouldn’t get many fun scenes together. Two other names made important comebacks on this one as well. Terry Nation was writing a rare non-Dalek story, which people were really excited about. What I could barely contain myself about, however, was the return of Barry Letts as director. As soon as I heard he’d be in charge I knew Android would be one to savour.

Unusually for Who we filmed in summer. Costume girl Barbie Lane had me in a short-sleeved pink sailor suit for this one. Very cool, although I started the story with a hat and scarf! Poor Tom was stuck in his heavy suit, cravat, overcoat, hat and scarf. A less-fit man would have sweltered to death.

We began recording in late July at the National Radiological Protection Board in Harwell, Oxfordshire. All those lung-busting running and jumping shots around the Defence Station were done there. There’s an exciting scene with Tom leaping off the roof. Terry Walsh has to take credit for that one, as usual, but Barry cut it so brilliantly it’s breath-taking to watch. And when Tom is confronted by an android with a gun built into his hand, he says the immortal line: ‘Is that finger loaded?’ so perfectly he might have been auditioning for Roger Moore’s part in James Bond. Then it was off to Tubney Woods in Oxfordshire for a couple of days to capture those thrilling open-air chases. I remember Tom having to hoist me into a tree. It was like I wasn’t even there; he whooshed me over his shoulder then threw me up so effortlessly. And to think Barry had cast Ian to handle all the Doctor’s physical work.

We had a lot of fun in Tubney. The opening scene from Episode 1 cracks me up – it’s another example of Tom and me really enjoying ourselves. He was sensational. When the Doctor chooses a route via the scientific process of ‘Eeeny Meeny’ he looks directly at the camera on ‘Meeny’, which sends a shiver down the spine of every viewer. I don’t know if that was Barry’s or Tom’s idea but it really works.

Once we start exploring, the Doctor says, ‘Mind the bramble.’ A second later Sarah says, ‘Ow!’ Very drily, from off-camera, you hear Tom say, ‘I said mind the bramble.’ It’s a short but tender scene, which accentuates their comfortable relationship. A second later, though, and it’s a genuine effort not to stop the whole production. I’m mid-sentence when Tom releases a branch which thwacks me in the kipper. Instinctively I burst out laughing – but then continued with the line. That branch would have to knock me out for Barry to stop shooting, I thought. And I was right – we didn’t reshoot and it’s still there to this day.

If you’ve never tried it, I can tell you pretending to be an android version of yourself is always fun. Obviously you must convey a difference because you’re playing a machine, but you still have to act like your character so as not to arouse suspicion. It was quite nice to find a level that I thought was working – and then have to fall over and be discovered. Barry was very good then, just letting me get on with my own ideas and only commenting if he disagreed.

Despite the nice weather I still felt worn down in this one. There was one shot where Barry wanted us to walk away from the camera across a cornfield – they were just filming our backs, it was a long shot. From the distance we heard a shout and Tom said, ‘I think that was a “cut”.’

‘No, I didn’t hear anything,’ I said.

So we just kept walking! It was a scorching day and eventually we ended up in the village and squeezed in a cream tea before anyone found us!

When I started doing The Sarah Jane Adventures I had a letter from the woman at the Post Office. She said, ‘Oh, you and Tom came in to hide and said, “Oh, they won’t find us in here!” I’ve still got the photo you signed and I tell my grandchildren, “I met Sarah Jane”.’

It was really magical working with Barry again, but also Ian. I had no idea this would be his last hurrah. It was never set out so formally although that’s how it turned out.

Nick Courtney was too busy to take part but John Levene, one of the other regular UNIT boys, was available. I loved working with John. He was so sweet and he really made me laugh – not always intentionally. He’d drop things and he’d dry up in a scene, never a dull moment. Tom used to joke that if John’s character Sergeant Benton saluted he’d poke himself in the eye. If he had a bayonet rifle, he’d stab himself in the foot.