Lalla Ward

Birth Name: (The Honourable) Sarah Ward

Height: 165 cm

Lalla Ward born Sarah Ward, daughter of Lord Bangor - Edward Ward - and his writer wife, Marjorie Banks. She always wanted to act, paint and draw, and so joined the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1967. When she left in 1970, it was straight into a part in the Hammer film Le cirque des vampires (1972). Following this she worked extensively on stage, in films - including Les Rapaces du Troisième Reich (1973), Rosebud (1975) and Le prince et le pauvre (1977) (aka The Prince and the Pauper) - and on television - including appearances in Quiller: Thundersky (1975), Hazell: Hazell Meets the First Eleven (1978), Quiller: Thundersky (1975) and several episodes of The Duchess of Duke Street (1976). She also appeared in a film called Got It Made (1974), which was later reissued as "Sweet Virgin" with sex scenes added featuring other actors. This led to her winning a libel action against Club International magazine, which ran a selection of nude photographs from the film purporting to be of her. Her guest appearance in the Doctor Who story Docteur Who: The Armageddon Factor: Part One (1979) in 1979 led to her being chosen to play Romana when the original actress, Mary Tamm, left after one season. Ward quit Doctor Who in 1980, and in December of that year married Tom Baker. The marriage lasted 16 months. Ward continued to act, with roles in Schoolgirl Chums (1982) and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1980) for the BBC and "The Jeweller's Shop" and "The Rehearsal" on stage. She also developed her love of painting and wrote and illustrated several books. In 1992 she married eminent biologist Dr. Richard Dawkins, author of such books as "The Selfish Gene" and "The Blind Watchmaker", and gave up acting to concentrate on writing and on her family. Show less «

I was quite happy with the way I went, I think.

"Tom works incredibly hard, too hard. He's a perfectionist at heart, and with 'Doctor Who' we often ...Show more »

"Tom works incredibly hard, too hard. He's a perfectionist at heart, and with 'Doctor Who' we often didn't have time for perfection. He love the fans he got through playing the Doctor - especially the children - and he always kept up an incredibly conscientious role while he was in the series - he never smoked or drank in public. That was something he saw as his responsibility. He is a superb actor and his popularity reflects this. The trouble is our careers came to be just as important as each other, and we grew apart. I was angry at suggestions that it didn't work because I was too young - or that Tom was unreasonable to me. It was a decision we discussed and felt was for the best. Show less «

(On her time at The Central School of Speech and Drama) I was so much younger than everybody else, a...Show more »

(On her time at The Central School of Speech and Drama) I was so much younger than everybody else, and they let me in without any practical experience, so you can imagine I was pretty overawed - at first I was totally horrified. But once I got some confidence, I don't think I've ever enjoyed a period of my life more. Show less «

"My favourite was 'State of Decay'. It had the most amazingly real designs - the sets made me feel s...Show more »

"My favourite was 'State of Decay'. It had the most amazingly real designs - the sets made me feel so eerie, it wasn't difficult to act. I think perhaps the horror element was over-played, but it was a powerful script, one of our beset, and beautifully directed. Show less «

Don't ask me who my favourite monster was because I'm sick of saying Tom Baker.

I can't bear it that Douglas isn't still here.

(On filming City of Death in Paris) Although the French were very friendly and helpful. On one locat...Show more »

(On filming City of Death in Paris) Although the French were very friendly and helpful. On one location we were to film at the top of the Eiffel Tower but we couldn't, as it was so misty with four inches of snow on the ground. We couldn't see a thing but we finally got it done. Show less «

"City of Death was very challenging. For a start, we had to film loads of scenes in the rain and col...Show more »

"City of Death was very challenging. For a start, we had to film loads of scenes in the rain and cold and as quickly as possible because we only had a few days - there was no glamour at all! Then we had to virtually rewrite the whole thing, because it just wasn't working out. Luckily the excellent cast helped and it was stimulating, but very difficult. In retrospect, it was different from the ordinary stories too, and I liked the finished result. Show less «

I love the theatre and I do like to work 'live' every so often, but my first loyalty is to televisio...Show more »

I love the theatre and I do like to work 'live' every so often, but my first loyalty is to television. I discovered quite early on that a camera never lets you down. The atmosphere of television is right for me. Show less «

On 'Shada', we had stupendous problems for a while. We shot the series out of order anyway, and beca...Show more »

On 'Shada', we had stupendous problems for a while. We shot the series out of order anyway, and because of delays and over-running we got steadily more and more behind schedule. The team were all working at breakneck speed to complete it all in time. Tom was a hopeless punter, so that scene on the gondola took hours! We lost everything we'd done - which was a lot, unfortunately. As I remember, the filming in Cambridge was superb, but overall I wasn't happy with it. Douglas had written a superb script, but it just coincided with a time when I felt fed up with everything. To have worked so hard and got so far advanced was heartbreaking when all that happened was its cancellation. Morale sank very low. Show less «

(On filming City of Death in Paris) We were only there for five days and during that time Tom was a ...Show more »

(On filming City of Death in Paris) We were only there for five days and during that time Tom was a bit annoyed that the French were more interested in me and my schoolgirl outfit than him and his long scarf. Show less «

I had an awful lot to say in what I wore as Romana.

My audition was, unwittingly, a six-week series! I was fortunate, because when I joined, I knew ever...Show more »

My audition was, unwittingly, a six-week series! I was fortunate, because when I joined, I knew everybody, so the 'first-night jitters' were not so concentrated. Show less «

I think the kind of unexpected I really love is when you open books and the actual way of writing is...Show more »

I think the kind of unexpected I really love is when you open books and the actual way of writing is different and interesting. Like reading Virginia Woolf for the first time or Lawrence Durrell for the first time. Show less «

I mean, I was first offered Princess Astra.

"We used to have the most awful problems with our writers. Tom and I used to have the rewrite most o...Show more »

"We used to have the most awful problems with our writers. Tom and I used to have the rewrite most of our dialogue with the director, usually because it wasn't right for the parts we were playing. And it happened from the very start. Our actual rehearsal time, which was incredibly tight, was reduced still further as a result. So the programme was always a heavy workload - we had this responsibility for the show and we were doing so many a year against the problems of a small budget and scripts that we wouldn't have done without at least an element of rewriting. But our writers were under pressure too. They had to work with severe limitations, and in making it adventurous the characters were often neglected. And in some ways, I felt the show was more about people than adventure situations. Show less «

(On her favourite role on Docteur Who (1963)) Oh, I have to say Romana; she was much more fun to do ...Show more »

(On her favourite role on Docteur Who (1963)) Oh, I have to say Romana; she was much more fun to do but I did enjoy the Princess when she was turning bad. Show less «

One of the advantages of appearing in such a play is that you begin to understand it properly, I fee...Show more »

One of the advantages of appearing in such a play is that you begin to understand it properly, I feel Ophelia's tragedy was that she had been so used by everybody and felt that she bore a great burden of guilt. Show less «

The director of 'The Armageddon Factor', 'Michael Hayes', had worked with me on The Duchess of Duke ...Show more »

The director of 'The Armageddon Factor', 'Michael Hayes', had worked with me on The Duchess of Duke Street (1976) and also noted my work in Shelley (1979). He contacted my agent because he saw me as right for the past of Princess Astra. I think one of the reasons they asked me to take over from Mary was that my original character had received a favourable response from the viewers. I'd got on so well with Tom - and with Mary - that I was suggested and I certainly had no qualms about taking it on. Show less «

(On replacing Mary Tamm as Romana) I just couldn't be the same as Mary. It wouldn't have worked. I h...Show more »

(On replacing Mary Tamm as Romana) I just couldn't be the same as Mary. It wouldn't have worked. I had to approach it differently. I kept thinking that I was in somebody else's shoes and they didn't quite fit. So it was weird - but a challenge. Besides, when Time Lords regenerate, they don't stay the same, do they? None of the Doctors have, and I'm sure Romana wouldn't have either. It was never easy to do Docteur Who (1963) - it was very hard work, very taxing at times for all sorts of reasons. Show less «

I'm ashamed of the way I bossed my poor designers around! They were always letting me have my own wa...Show more »

I'm ashamed of the way I bossed my poor designers around! They were always letting me have my own way, so I had a tremendous time. I used to loathe having to wear school uniform, and I thought, if a heroine of mine on television had worn it, I'd have thought 'good, then I'll wear it.' Show less «

The schoolgirl outfit was my idea - so was the riding look in 'The Horns of Nimon'. I took the whole...Show more »

The schoolgirl outfit was my idea - so was the riding look in 'The Horns of Nimon'. I took the whole thing to its limits because I knew I'd probably never have such a chance again. In 'Destiny of the Daleks', we came up with that smashing idea - a joke on the Doctor, really - of having a version of his costume for Romana. She was an individual charaacter and her clothes had to show this - a fantastic mixture of all the different worlds at her disposal. I'm ashamed of the way I bossed my poor designers around. They'd suggest something, which might be alright, but then I'd see myself in something else, so I'd insist on that. They were always letting me have my own way, so I had a tremendous time. I always bore n mind what would appeal to the viewers and make them laugh. It was all fantasy and I enjoyed every minute of it. Show less «

I discovered quite early on that a camera never lets you down. Your acting is unrestricted by its pr...Show more »

I discovered quite early on that a camera never lets you down. Your acting is unrestricted by its presence, whereas an audience will react in different ways. I love the theatre and I do like to work 'live' every so often, but my first loyalty is to television. I'd done so much there - I feel a sense of attachment. The atmosphere of television is right for me. Show less «

(On leaving Docteur Who (1963)) I'd made up my mind before the start of recording for the new series...Show more »

(On leaving Docteur Who (1963)) I'd made up my mind before the start of recording for the new series that I'd like to go halfway through. John Nathan-Turner had exactly the same feeling, so we had no conflict over the decision - it was entirely amicable and a relief, because I'd been dreading telling him, and vice-versa, I think. I loathed [Warriors' Gate] because it was my last. I was conscious the whole time of this being the last one. I was leaving part of me behind with it, and I was miserable. I was pleased that I got a nice open-ended departure. I was also delighted that I got K9 as company - it somehow eased the break. An excellent story - good for Romana, but terribly sad for me. Show less «

I like that totally mixed up kind of eclectic group of personal props and bits of costume and I thin...Show more »

I like that totally mixed up kind of eclectic group of personal props and bits of costume and I think the fun of doing that is where I was very lucky with Docteur Who (1963). Show less «

I enjoyed the promotion with K9 on my introduction day.

(On Douglas Adams) I think Douglas was a real one-off. He was so clever and so intelligent and so we...Show more »

(On Douglas Adams) I think Douglas was a real one-off. He was so clever and so intelligent and so well read in real science that he could make science fiction work as well as it did. And just such fun to have around, he was just such a lovely man. Show less «

(On the end of her marriage to Tom Baker) It's something I still feel sad about. I loved - and, in m...Show more »

(On the end of her marriage to Tom Baker) It's something I still feel sad about. I loved - and, in many ways, still love - Tom very much. The trouble is, our careers came to be just as important as each other, and we grew apart. I was angry at suggestions that it didn't work because I was too young, or that Tom was unreasonable to me. We just irritated each other occasionally - we weren't close enough, I suppose. It was a decision we discussed and felt was for the best. Show less «

Lalla Ward

Lalla Ward's FILMOGRAPHY

Lalla Ward'S roles

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