{"id":3841,"date":"2021-09-01T18:30:20","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T16:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1336615"},"modified":"2021-09-01T19:02:07","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01T17:02:07","slug":"doctor-whos-louise-jameson-reflects-on-turning-down-a-return-opposite-peter-davison-we-wouldve-had-such-a-good-laugh","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-whos-louise-jameson-reflects-on-turning-down-a-return-opposite-peter-davison-we-wouldve-had-such-a-good-laugh\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who\u2019s Louise Jameson reflects on turning down a return opposite Peter Davison: \u201cWe would\u2019ve had such a good laugh\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The actress, who played Leela from 1977 to 1978, was asked to return as a companion for the Fifth Doctor. <\/p>

By Morgan Jeffery\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 01 September 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Louise Jameson has revealed she has no regrets about turning down a return to Doctor Who<\/a> in the early 1980s \u2013 though she suspects she and Peter Davison would\u2019ve had \u201ca good laugh\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jameson played Leela, companion to the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), from 1977 to 1978, later going on to star in the BBC\u2019s prison drama Tenko from 1981 to 1982.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to have done longer [on Doctor Who],\u201d she told RadioTimes.com<\/a> while promoting Big Finish audio drama <\/span>Philip Hinchcliffe Presents Volume 04: The God of Phantoms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: Tom Baker: \u2018I got Doctor Who right out of the blue \u2013 and I didn\u2019t know what to do with it<\/a>\u2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, if I had chosen to do that, I would never have done Tenko, which is still a standout job for me and one of my favourites of all time, and I wouldn\u2019t have missed that for anything. So with hindsight, I think I made the right decision. Although at the time, it was quite a difficult one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1980, as Tom Baker prepared to leave Doctor Who, then-producer John Nathan-Turner reached out to Jameson to discuss her returning to the series for Baker\u2019s swansong and the show\u2019s following 19th season, which would ultimately star Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor.<\/p>\n

\""Peter\"<\/div>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know [the next Doctor] was Peter at the time \u2013 he [Nathan-Turner] wanted to get the companion in place before the Doctor unusually,\u201d Jameson explained. \u201cBut I only wanted to do the two stories \u2013 Tom leaving and a new one arriving \u2013 and he wanted an entire season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018I\u2019ve kind of kind of moved on now\u2019 \u2013 I think to have gone back for a whole season wouldn\u2019t have been a wise move.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Davison and Jameson would later play opposite each other as a married couple in the 1995 TV series Molly. \u201cI worked with Peter since \u2013 I played his wife. And we had a ball, we just had the best time! So then at that point, I thought, \u2018Oh, we\u2019d have had such a good laugh on Doctor Who, had I decided to stay\u2019, but as I say, [at the time] he hadn\u2019t even been cast.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Read more:<\/strong> Philip Hinchcliffe: \u2018I was pushing the envelope on Doctor Who, but not irresponsibly\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents Volume 04: The God of Phantoms is available now from bigfinish.com<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Visit our Sci-fi<\/a> hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with out TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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