Mary Tamm as Romana on Doctor Who © BBC
The Doctor has had many companions over the years, but he only ever traveled with one other Time Lord: Romanadvoratrelundar (Romana for short)
Mary Tamm, the actress who created the role, died today in London at the age of 62.
Although she was only in the role a single season, she is still counted as one of the best companions of all time. Her character is remembered not only for her beauty and sense of fashion (she even helped design some of the costumes on the show), but even more for the delivery of rapier like wit against the formidable character of the Fourth Doctor as played by Tom Baker.
Romana would continue in the series — played by Lalla Ward — but Tamm left, ostensibly to have a child. However, she later revealed it had more to do with the direction the character was taking towards a more typical damsel in distress.
Tamm recently wrote an account of her time as a Doctor Who companion in the first volume of her autobiography First Generation — with a forward by Sixth Doctor Colin Baker — and was working on a second volume at the time of her death. She had planned on attending the recent Gallifrey One Doctor Who convention, but was forced to cancel due to cancer treatment she was undergoing.
“She was a darling companion and wonderfully witty and kind,” said Tom Baker today “I’m so sorry to hear of her death.”
