The other two operators were Murphy Grumbar and Cy Town, who played Baby Dalek. Murphy looks like a munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, but larger and grumpy with it, although nice enough when you got to know him. Michael Wisher supplied those terrifying electronic voices, as he had on the last Dalek story. He was a dear man and, like Terry Walsh, a jack of many trades. Later, he would get his moment in the sun as Davros but also cropped up as Morelli in Planet of Evil, Magrik in Revenge of the Cybermen, as well as making several appearances before my time.
You can make new friends in any walk of life but on Who I was spoilt by the number of amazing older actors who crossed my path. I’m such a glutton for tales of yesteryear – I love the old tradition of passing stories from one generation to the next. You can learn so much, although sometimes it’s just a pleasure to become immersed in that other world. For me it’s as romantic as the tales of knights and maidens.
The thing I always forgot is how delighted they are to be in Doctor Who! These great thespians arrive, rubbing their hands with glee, genuinely thrilled to be involved for a couple of months.
On Death to the Daleks we had Duncan Lamont, who played Dan Campbell. He was a joy. Duncan was married to Patricia Driscoll, who had played Maid Marian in Robin Hood, so there was a connection to my childhood right there. I could have listened to stories about their work all day. Actually, though, Duncan paid me a huge compliment. He was worried about offending me, I think.
‘Do you know what you remind me of?’
Oh here we go, I thought.
‘The way you do things – it’s that old Hollywood style of acting.’
I could have hugged him. All those films I used to love as a child, the silent ones and the early talkies, they’re still my favourites. I particularly loved the body language in those pictures, the way the actors could achieve so much without words. Lillian Gish in Broken Blossoms is an absolute masterclass – that scene where she goes down rapids on a raft should be in drama textbooks. All actors then were trying to add another dimension to the piece. Maybe that’s why I love doing action myself. And the reason they managed it was so simple – a lot of the actors had other lives before they found the movies. So many people, like Joseph Cotton in Orson Welles’ company, had backgrounds in vaudeville or radio that they arrived in Hollywood as all-round entertainers with an armoury of tricks they could apply to film. Cary Grant started out being a juggler and an acrobat and it’s there onscreen in the way he moves. There’s one film where he’s sitting by a side table and he knocks the table and his hat goes down. He just reaches out and catches it so effortlessly. It’s so clever, so understated and light and funny. I’m not that good with props so I do admire anyone else who is – I’m all right on the rehearsal and then it comes to the take and I become really cack-handed.
There were more new faces behind the scenes as well. L. Rowland Warne was in charge of costumes – and boy did we have fun with this one! – while Magdalen Gaffney was my third makeup supervisor in as many serials. Obviously Magdalen had a lot of other people to tend to and those requiring most makeup, like the alien Exxilons themselves, dominated her time, so an assistant was assigned to do me.
We were chatting away while the slap went on and then proudly she showed me a mirror. God, my face was so shiny it was almost silver!
‘What have you done?’
The girl bristled. ‘This is a space programme, isn’t it?’
‘Yes – but I come from Earth!’
Magdalen just fell about. ‘What’s she done to you? You’re luminous!’
For the rest of the week she did me herself.
Coincidentally, it was while I was in makeup the next day that I got a shout to nip outside. Obviously Daleks can’t easily negotiate sand dunes so a network of train track had been laid for them to roll around some rocks and down a little hill. Why have I been called out for this? I wondered.
But I was so glad I went.
The director called ‘Action!’ and the three Daleks, led as usual by John Scott Martin, started gliding along this track, as smooth as if they were in a studio. They’d only been going a second or two, though, when they began to pick up speed. Suddenly we heard this almighty ‘Wheeeeee!’ coming from them as they realised they were going too fast – and with the corner approaching. The next thing I knew, there was a pile of Daleks on their sides, rolling around like skittles!
Everyone rushed over to get the poor guys upright again but we couldn’t do it for laughing. Forget the joke about the most terrifying force in the universe having a problem with stairs – they can’t even handle bends.
Watching the Exxilons navigate the terrain was just as funny. In fact, considering it was their planet, they were hysterical. Exxilons were these sack-like creatures who crept around the hills, taking pot shots at the rest of us. Not being able to see their faces always makes villains seem more sinister – at least that was the theory. But every time these scary savages had to stagger up the hill, one of them would tread on their costume and you’d see a surprised head pop through the hood.
There was a nice feel to the whole shoot, I have to say. A lot of that, I think, came from Jon getting on better with this particular director than he had with Paddy. Jon was a bit like Bagpuss in that respect. If he was having a good day, then everyone would, too.
Michael E. Briant had directed The Green Death among others and he knew how to get the best out of Jon. When it came to it, I can’t say I felt a similar bond – he really didn’t seem interested in much to do with Sarah Jane at all.
Some of Michael’s techniques with his star were a little off-the-wall, though. I remember one chilly day us being lined up for a shot when he looked at me and said, ‘Lis, give Jon a slap, would you?’
Well, that’s not in the script, I thought.
Jon virtually did a double-take. ‘Why would Sarah Jane slap me?’ he spluttered. ‘We’re great friends.’
‘I know you are, Jon,’ the director laughed, ‘but your face is turning blue.’
Actually, there was one occasion when we did actually slap each other for real. Jon loved diving and had spent a lot of time in the South Seas. His house was full of bits and pieces plucked from the seabed. When he was drunk he would sometimes tell bawdy stories from his trips over there. I always assumed he was joking but one day I made the mistake of referring to one of his tall tales when we were both sober. That was it – his hand went smack across my face!
Well, he got a slap straight back.
Safe to say, although we immediately kissed and made up, that was probably the lowest point in our relationship, but I guess he had been telling the truth.
* * *
God it was cold, but being in a quarry in Dorset in mid-November, what did we expect? There were no Winnebagoes or trailers to hide from the elements in those days. Any spare half hours and I’d smuggle myself onto the bus for a nap or just to warm up.
Just when I thought I couldn’t bear the temperature any more, Michael announced the final scene of the shoot. I’d been dreading this. It was bad enough being out there in Sarah Jane’s suit but now I’d have to do it in a bikini!
The last Dinosaurs episode ended with the Doctor promising to take me to the holiday planet of Florana, so as Daleks begins I’m all set to go with swimming togs, lilo and parasol. I know Sarah Jane is meant to be striking a blow for feminists across the universe, but I was actually quite excited by the idea (it’s nice to be a bit playful with a character every now and again). It was my idea to have a beach ball, I remember – I thought that could be fun – and I didn’t mind being asked to put a swimsuit on. I just thought, I must remember to shave my legs!