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First Generation
In the 1970s, she travelled the universe aboard the TARDIS… 30 years on, actress Mary Tamm now recounts the story of her own, earthbound, adventures.Born to Estonian parents in 1950s Bradford, her rise to fame took her from a Northern childhood to life in the fast via TV appearances in Coronation Street and Girls of Slender Means to leading roles in feature films – including the cult Tales that Witness Madness, and The Odessa File which pitched her career into the international arena. In 1978, Mary became part of essential Saturday night television as she joined the cast of Doctor Who alongside Tom Baker, as the superlative Time Lady, Romana!Packed with recollections and exclusive photographs, this autobiography follows Mary on a journey of self-discovery to her parents’ homeland of Estonia, where she finally comes to terms with her true identity…
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
Mary Tamm
26 books2 followersMary Tamm (born 22 March 1950 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire; died 24 July 2012) was a graduate and an associate member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. She was the first actress to play Romana in Doctor Who, appearing opposite Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor.
Tamm began her acting career on the stage with the Birmingham Repertory Company in 1971, moved to London in 1972 and appeared in the musical Mother Earth. Before her association with Doctor Who, Tamm acted in several motion pictures, most notably Sigi in The Odessa File (1974) and The Likely Lads (1976).
Tamm was not initially interested in playing a companion to the Doctor. She believed the role was merely that of the "damsel in distress." She changed her mind when assured by the producers and her agent that Romana would be different. While Romana was supposed to be a Time Lady, a member of the Doctor's own people and therefore as capable as the Doctor, the character eventually took on the characteristics that Tamm was concerned about; as a result of this, she left the programme after only one season.
Tamm returned to the role of Romana in the second series of Gallifrey audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions. In 2007 she added "interviewer" to her CV when she hosted and conducted interviews for a brief documentary entitled "Stones Free" for the DVD release of The Key to Time, in which she talked to historians about one of the locations for the serial, The Stones of Blood. The 2|entertain documentary There's Something About Mary... saw Tamm recount her time on the show and the means by which she ascertained and later left the role.
Most recently, she performed in the Big Finish production The Stealers from Saiph (released June 2009), again playing Romana, as well as reading the voice of the Fourth Doctor.
Also in 2009, she read an audio book version of the Time Hunter novella The Tunnel at the End of the Light.
In 2012, Tamm recorded a series of Big Finish audios as Romana alongside Tom Baker; these will be released in 2013.
On 24 July 2012, Tamm died at the age of 62. The BBC confirmed that Tamm died in hospital following a battle against cancer. Tom Baker said in a statement: "She was a darling companion and wonderfully witty and kind. I'm so sorry to hear of her death." There was some initial confusion in the media regarding the actual date of her death, with the Radio Times later confirming that she died the morning on 24 July.
Tamm began her acting career on the stage with the Birmingham Repertory Company in 1971, moved to London in 1972 and appeared in the musical Mother Earth. Before her association with Doctor Who, Tamm acted in several motion pictures, most notably Sigi in The Odessa File (1974) and The Likely Lads (1976).
Tamm was not initially interested in playing a companion to the Doctor. She believed the role was merely that of the "damsel in distress." She changed her mind when assured by the producers and her agent that Romana would be different. While Romana was supposed to be a Time Lady, a member of the Doctor's own people and therefore as capable as the Doctor, the character eventually took on the characteristics that Tamm was concerned about; as a result of this, she left the programme after only one season.
Tamm returned to the role of Romana in the second series of Gallifrey audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions. In 2007 she added "interviewer" to her CV when she hosted and conducted interviews for a brief documentary entitled "Stones Free" for the DVD release of The Key to Time, in which she talked to historians about one of the locations for the serial, The Stones of Blood. The 2|entertain documentary There's Something About Mary... saw Tamm recount her time on the show and the means by which she ascertained and later left the role.
Most recently, she performed in the Big Finish production The Stealers from Saiph (released June 2009), again playing Romana, as well as reading the voice of the Fourth Doctor.
Also in 2009, she read an audio book version of the Time Hunter novella The Tunnel at the End of the Light.
In 2012, Tamm recorded a series of Big Finish audios as Romana alongside Tom Baker; these will be released in 2013.
On 24 July 2012, Tamm died at the age of 62. The BBC confirmed that Tamm died in hospital following a battle against cancer. Tom Baker said in a statement: "She was a darling companion and wonderfully witty and kind. I'm so sorry to hear of her death." There was some initial confusion in the media regarding the actual date of her death, with the Radio Times later confirming that she died the morning on 24 July.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 25, 2022
Who’s that girl?: Mary Tamm, who died far too young in 2012, is largely remembered as the first incarnation of Romana in Doctor Who. There’s a lot more to her, as a very talented actor and the daughter of Estonian immigrant parents born and brought up in Bradford (she’s not complimentary to the city of her birth - speaking of an engagement in Birmingham in the early 70s she says, “it may be a lovely city now, but back then it was a dump. I know this because I came from a dump too, just one much further north.”)
This first of two volumes covers her early life, piano playing at the Estonian emigrees’ social club and begging her parents for horse riding lessons, her time at RADA where she was quite the most distinguished of her year, and early forays into professional acting. There’s the obligatory name-dropping, though some of the tales are certainly worth it, such as a bender with Richard Burton which ends with them eating fish and chips together at her Fulham bedsit, and a near-initiation into the Munich lesbian scene whilst filming The Odessa File.
Whovians will of course gravitate to the chapters about her time on the show with which the book ends, and it’s certainly worth the wait (she and Tom Baker had swearing competitions on set) but I loved the tale about The Girls of Slender Means, in which she co-starred with Patricia Hodge and Miriam Margolyes - it features in the latter’s memoir too, and involves the crew getting naked to compensate for the cast having to do so en masse - with Tamm’s retelling of it subtly different from Ms M’s. An actor’s life, lived and told well.
This first of two volumes covers her early life, piano playing at the Estonian emigrees’ social club and begging her parents for horse riding lessons, her time at RADA where she was quite the most distinguished of her year, and early forays into professional acting. There’s the obligatory name-dropping, though some of the tales are certainly worth it, such as a bender with Richard Burton which ends with them eating fish and chips together at her Fulham bedsit, and a near-initiation into the Munich lesbian scene whilst filming The Odessa File.
Whovians will of course gravitate to the chapters about her time on the show with which the book ends, and it’s certainly worth the wait (she and Tom Baker had swearing competitions on set) but I loved the tale about The Girls of Slender Means, in which she co-starred with Patricia Hodge and Miriam Margolyes - it features in the latter’s memoir too, and involves the crew getting naked to compensate for the cast having to do so en masse - with Tamm’s retelling of it subtly different from Ms M’s. An actor’s life, lived and told well.
July 27, 2019
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3231786.html
Published in 2009, three years before the writer's early death, this is the autobiography of Mary Tamm, who played the first incarnation of Romana in Doctor Who. It's interesting on her early career and romantic life, but the heart of the book is her visit to Estonia in 1990, the home country of her parents, just as it was shaking off the Soviet Union. (The only time I myself have been to Estonia was in August 1990, during her time there, and it is tantalising to think that I may have brushed past her in the streets of Tallinn.) The experience of being taken out of her comfort zone and reconnecting with relatives who she had never seen before clearly moved her deeply, and she expresses it well.
Otherwise, the account of her career stops with Doctor Who in 1979, which is a bit surprising as she continued acting until 2009 according to IMDB. And in fact she goes into detail only about the first three stories of her six, though also gives a brief account of her decision to leave and why she didn't get a proper regeneration scene (Graham Williams, the producer, couldn't believe that she was really leaving; she obviously got on well with Tom Baker, much better than her immediate predecessor had).
The other point I found of interest was her comment that she was the first high-profile actress to play the companion. She was certainly the first for several years, but I think Anneke Wills and Deborah Watling both had equally high profiles before joining the TARDIS crew. I must try and watch The ODESSA File, her biggest cinema role. There's also a funny story of a disastrously organised cruise with Peter Davison and Deborah Watling. So it's not at the top of my list of Who memoirs, but it's charming enough in its own way.
Published in 2009, three years before the writer's early death, this is the autobiography of Mary Tamm, who played the first incarnation of Romana in Doctor Who. It's interesting on her early career and romantic life, but the heart of the book is her visit to Estonia in 1990, the home country of her parents, just as it was shaking off the Soviet Union. (The only time I myself have been to Estonia was in August 1990, during her time there, and it is tantalising to think that I may have brushed past her in the streets of Tallinn.) The experience of being taken out of her comfort zone and reconnecting with relatives who she had never seen before clearly moved her deeply, and she expresses it well.
Otherwise, the account of her career stops with Doctor Who in 1979, which is a bit surprising as she continued acting until 2009 according to IMDB. And in fact she goes into detail only about the first three stories of her six, though also gives a brief account of her decision to leave and why she didn't get a proper regeneration scene (Graham Williams, the producer, couldn't believe that she was really leaving; she obviously got on well with Tom Baker, much better than her immediate predecessor had).
The other point I found of interest was her comment that she was the first high-profile actress to play the companion. She was certainly the first for several years, but I think Anneke Wills and Deborah Watling both had equally high profiles before joining the TARDIS crew. I must try and watch The ODESSA File, her biggest cinema role. There's also a funny story of a disastrously organised cruise with Peter Davison and Deborah Watling. So it's not at the top of my list of Who memoirs, but it's charming enough in its own way.
November 8, 2019
A good read the book covers Mary's life including sojourns to Estonia.its only in the last three chapters she touches on her time on dr who.
January 31, 2014
I listened to the audio version of this biography and it was lovely to hear Mary reading it herself. She has such a lovely voice and it was great to hear her doing her native Yorkshire accent. For me I think the most interesting parts were hearing about her childhood growing up as the daughter of immigrants. It was quite a unique insight and I felt like I learned a lot. I must admit in the middle part I found my attention wandering a little as she discussed her numerous roles and how easily they came. Often I fear actors' biographies turn into a long list of productions, which while quite interesting for acting students, I find a bit dull. For me I like hearing about personal struggles over adversity, it just makes for a more human story. The third section featured her time on Doctor Who which as a doctor who fan I greatly enjoyed. As a feminist it was very interesting to hear her discuss her role and the roles of the other women on the show from that standpoint. I was sad that it ended so abruptly. I would have loved to have heard the rest of the story.
July 9, 2016
Though not my favorite Doctor Who companion I've really come to appreciate the character of Romana as first portrayed by the late Mary Tamm. It's a little bittersweet to listen to this autobiography as read by the author, but this brief (only 3 and half hours) account of her life up to the end of her time on Doctor Who is filled with interesting anecdotes. Only for a super fan, which I am.
September 5, 2012
I found it enjoyable enough, but I was disappointed by the abrupt ending, and promise of "to be continued"... Sadly, probably not to be the case, given her untimely passing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews