Leela Louise Jameson

• The Companion Who Would Not Scream by George Potter
• A Review by Rob Matthews
• I'm no lady... by Terrence Keenan
• A Review by Stuart Gutteridge
• A Review by Steve Cassidy
• Review of the Sexy Savage by Ian Richardson
• A Review by Matt Scarpino

The Companion Who Would Not Scream by George Potter 3/4/98

Leela, portrayed with a magnificent combination of energy, grace, innocence and a streak of pure menace by Louise Jameson, was the finest companion any Doctor could ever want. Beautiful, capable, and necessarily ignorant, Leela broke the barriers that have held back actresses since Doctor Who began. Instead of the sweet, easily frightened girls next door who proceeded and followed her (with the exception of Ace), Jameson and creator Chris Boucher gave us a savage with the curiosity of a child and the cold blooded nature of a Cyberman when the chips were down. Rather than an ear shattering scream, Leela most often met danger with a brooding silence and an unsheathed blade. She rareley followed orders, but remained unswervingly loyal to the Doctor, despite the fact that he constantly berated her for her tendencies to violence. Indeed, when it came to social interaction, Leela possessed only two modes - she either attacked or babied.

Managing to provide some of the finest lines in the series history ("Perhaps everyone runs from the taxman") and upping the ante on any action scene, Leela also contrived to bring a definite sex appeal to the show, beyond the simple facts of her scanty costumes and long legs. In fact, she is perhaps the only companion to actually flirt with the Doctor.

Perhaps the most disappointing apsect of Doctor Who - other than the pitiful quality of it's final seasons - was the brevity of Leela's time in the TARDIS. Something tells me that the Sixteenth and Seventeenth seasons would have been far superior with Leela - knife out, ready to destroy, and without a scream on her lips.

A Review by Rob Matthews 20/3/02

In a review I wrote about the Fourth Doctor and his era, I went off on one about how Leela wasn't very successful as a companion. I should make clear - as I hope I did then - that this wasn't to do with any deficiency in the conception of the character or in Louise Jameson's performance. Rather, it was that her relationship with the Doctor was apparently meant to follow a particular course - his gradually 'civilising' her - which the writers just sort of forgot about as the stories went by, and that Tom Baker's personal disdain for the character spilled over into his performance. He seemed disinterested and occasionally hostile. I just never sensed any comraderie or warmth between them.

Nate Gundy mailed me with a very good point relating to this - that the Doctor is less chummy with Leela than with, say, Sarah Jane because Leela as a character wouldn't know how to respond such warmth: he has to be more distant. Nate's probably right. and it's possible I was viewing their scenes together with Tom's later comments in mind. I'd be interested to know other people's thoughts on the duo's relationship.

Putting performance aside then, my other main criticism is that the character simply wasn't served well by the show. Actually, it's a twofold problem - The writers lost track of the original plan for the character, but he original plan was flawed anyway.

I think Leela's presence aboard the TARDIS shows the Doctor up as a bit of a hypocrite. Shaking his head and tut-tutting at her savage ways, he's nevertheless quite happy to make use of them when the occasion demands it, such as in Weng-Chiang. He reacts angrily to her suggestion in The Invisible Enemy that they simply blow up the swarm, and then goes ahead and does just that. And when he refuses to give her credit for her idea it doesn't come across as Doctorish and funny, instead it feels sort of nasty.

The problem, I think,  with the original idea of the Doctor 'doing a Pygmalion' on Leela is that we as viewers really don't want her to change. She's better equipped for travels with the Doctor than most, and she's dangerous and sexy. If anything, the Doctor can learn from her, from her intuitive skills and hunter instincts.

This did happen occasionally - witness the Doctor's 'Please don't say I told you say' moment in Robots of Death, but less and less as time went by. Robots of Death was only Leela's second story and in my opinion her best, which doesn't say much for her time in the role after that (though I'm sure we all smirk at her 'stop snivelling or I'll cut you!' attitude in Fang Rock).

I think the writers realised that Leela appealed as she was. But that left the show with a problem; it was a show for children and couldn't be seen to endorse the way Leela does things. You can't have the Doctor taking his cue from a remorseless killer, not at teatime on Saturdays. Hence she stayed the same but was pretty much sidelined. She came in handy now and then but the Doctor didn't really admit it. She became just a stereotypical savage tagging along with our hero, a cartoon character marking time until the next companion came along. The unbelievable shoddiness of her departure from the show - 'I'm going to stay behind in this completely alien society with a bloke I've barely said four words to' - demonstrates the complete disinterest the makers of the show had in her by that point.

Had Leela been introduced into the show in the eighties she'd probably have stood a better chance of fulfilling her potential. After all, the Seventh Doctor merrily took a pyromaniac on board his TARDIS, so why not a warrior primitive?

In fact, I think Ace was somewhat of a remake of Leela, albeit a less extreme version. With her too the Doctor was a teacher figure, but there we knew he was also a friend, something that didn't come across with Leela. I still can't help thinking Baker's to blame for that. And ironically Ace's planned departure from the show - getting dropped off on Gallifrey to enrol with the Timelords - was similar to what actually did happen to Leela. But Leela ended up there purely accidentally - there wasn't even a mention of what her role would be in that society, no sign that she was ready for it. In fact, the evidence of that story pointed to the contrary - she was in her element with the outsider Gallifreyans, the Shobogan-types, not with Timelord society. It would have been a lot truer to the character to have her shack up with one of those blokes. That would also have been a neat way of showing that her way of life remained fundamentally different from the Doctor's. Their parting would have felt more natural and honest - they'd have respect and love for each other but still admit that that they're different. Sadly, unlike what was planned for Ace, this was instead just a case of thoughtlessly dumping the character because it was the end of the season and her contract had expired.

Anyhow, as I say, it's not entirely the fault of the show's makers that they had difficulty developing Leela. She was ahead of her time. I haven't read any of her PDAs yet - though I've had Eye of Heaven recommended to me and I'll get round to it eventually -, but I suspect she's had a fairer crack of the whip in the novels. It's no longer Saturday teatime in those.

I'm no lady... by Terrence Keenan 14/10/03

Leela came from Hinchcliffe and Holmes in concept, and from Chris Boucher in execution. She was a nod to Emma Peel of the Avengers and Eliza Doolittle from Pygmillian. A savage with a yearn to learn and explore. She was loyal to the Doctor and ready to fight for his causes.

Her overall era is a bit uneven, if only because her first four stories are amongst the all time best in Who, the last five only average with moments in brilliance.

Part of the problem with Leela's decline came from losing a couple of early traits -- heightened senses and a curiosity to learn more about everything -- and a general softening over her more violent tendencies. They tried to compensate by making her a natural leader in The Invasion of Time and The Sunmakers, but it isn't enough.

The Face of Evil establishes Leela's character right from the get go. She's a poster child for skepticism -- her denial of Xoanon's existence. The only reason she apologizes is to save her father from certain death, not because she has a religious conversion. She latches on to the Doctor because she sees he doubts the religious texts, and also senses a kindred spirit. There's also the hint that she has a crush on him -- the "you like me" line -- and she wants to explore a relationship with this traveler who's smart, supported her skepticism, and saved her life along the way a couple of times.

So, in both Robots of Death and The Talons of Weng Chiang, Leela is learning all she can from the Doctor and also shows an ability to adapt to changing situations. We also see her heightened senses come into play. She's still a savage. Case in point, In Talons she keeps blowing George Litefoot's -- THE Victorian gentleman -- mind with her table manners and knowledge of killing.

The real treat is Horror of Fang Rock. Who'd have thunk that Uncle Terrance Dicks, that bastion of traditional companions, could give us a full throttle, balls to the wall Leela. Everything that is fun about Leela is brought to the forefront. Her insouciance about Victorian morals, her inquisitiveness, her faith in the Doctor and science, her gung-ho warrior spirit.

For the rest of season 15, Leela becomes more of a one note character. Although she's behind rallying the troops in The Sunmakers and The Invasion of Time, there's less of the heightened senses and gained experience. A prime example of this is the "knife them in the neck" line from The Invisible Enemy. It makes her violent tendencies comic book and strips her of her warrior's sense.

I'm not a fan of the marriage exit. Although it might have worked a little better if she had claimed Andred like property -- putting him in a headlock, tossing him over her shoulder, something outrageous like that -- instead of the tender way it's shown. Why it's wrong is that it's not in character, even for late season 15 Leela, and season 14 Leela would have nothing to do with Andred.

Much praise goes to Louise Jameson for giving her all into the part. Even when the writing for Leela wasn't at its best, Jameson was rock solid in the role. And you can really tell how much fun she had in the real good Leela stories.

Leela was an above average companion. One wonders where she might have gone if Hinchcliffe and Holmes has been in charge of season 15.

A Review by Stuart Gutteridge 13/12/03

As companions go Leela would be a precedent for Doctor Who, the closest the series gets to her is with Jamie and you can see that perhaps the inspiration for her came from him. Both carry a weapon and the relationship between them and the Doctor was that of a pupil/teacher. This aside Leela is a refreshing change from Sarah Jane, in that she is able to handle herself in most situations, but still finds herself out of her depth owing to her background. Plaudits should go to Louise Jameson for bringing to life such a fascinating character with a great degree of believability.

GREATEST MOMENT: Arguably The Talons Of Weng-Chiang. OK it features the only time she screams, but it also highlights all the best aspects of her character too.

A Review by Steve Cassidy 18/2/04

"I will hereby hunt you in the afterlife! Bentface!"

Ye gods, when she burst onto our screens in 1977 she blew our clunky "get up to change channels" TV sets away. About five thirty on a wintry or autumn afternoon you would hurry back from whatever you were doing and assume your position in front of Doctor Who with the other male members of your family. She was the first 'tabloid' Who companion. The one who got all the publicity for wearing next to nothing on a children's TV show and who the press screamed was to appeal to the "dads". Well, it worked - ratings soared. Dr Who entered one of it's most successful phases and not just due to leather thigh boots and camera shots of cleavage - Leela herself was a fascinating, interesting and entertaining character.

Looking back we don't know how lucky we were with the seventies companions. Granted there was the dizzy Jo and Liz Shaw didn't really have enough time to get really established - but the titans (the Romana's, Leela and the mighty Sarah Jane Smith) have become legendary. Granted they had the best Doctors to bounce off. But they never seemed to have got it right after they left. They descended into health fitness instructors, pyromaniacs or whinging Aussies. The golden age had golden companions. Companions who were just as interesting as the Doctor and had the charisma to carry the show on their own.

And so with Louise Jameson as Leela.

When she runs off on her own after Magnus Greel on his carriage in Talons you share the Doctor's concern about the girl. When she is tied up to be steamed by the Collector in The Sunmakers - you catch your breath as you truly do not want anything to happen to her. But if it did - then crikes could she take care of herself. That leap onto Magnus Greel in the House of Dragons, the use of Janus Thorns in Face of Evil to disable and kill her enemies and the numerous times she paired up with K-9 to take on whatever battalion of alien guards had been sent to stop them. While Sarah Jane would occasionally pick up a plank and whack someone she usually found herself being strangled at the cliffhanger. Leela wouldn't let them get that far - out would come the knife before they had even moved towards her.

Unfortunately Tom Baker didn't like this character and occasionally that spilled onto the screen. When he snaps at her to stop talking in Robots of Death - the audience resents this as much as she does. And do we equate the snappish Doctor duing Fang Rock with the actor who was getting a little above himself on set. One hopes that Bakers dislike of the character never spilled over onto his treatment of Louise Jameson. But you can't help thinking it might have done. But they make a good team and when he is pleased with Leela the audience shares the warmth just as much as she does. His impressed "Did you do that?" in Robots as Leela binds up Toos' hand and the sight of Louise Jameson in the new dress bought by Litefoot in Talons bowls over not just the audience but the Doctor as well.

Of course she is famous for her costume. A warrior of the Sevateem meant she didn't wear many clothes (and the men wore even less then the women) but this she wore when she was running around the corridors of a spaceship (Underworld) or inside the paper mache corridors of the Doctor's brain (Invisible Enemy). But was she sexy? Certainly the tabloids thought so. But I'm not so sure. The costume is very revealing but Louise Jameson was really too, well, to be honest "boyish" to be "centrefold" sexy. She had the body of a warrior - slightly underfed, tight muscles and rather a flat chest. But this was fine, she was a warrior of the Sevateem - and anyone more buxom would have destracted (even more?) from the story. But she may just be the most beautiful. Those brown/blue eyes (depending on whether the contact lenses were in or not), wavy auburn hair and dusky skin added a most natural allure. I can't decide on whether was aware of her attractiveness or not?. I wasn't surprised when she eloped at the end of Invasion of Time. Who wouldn't have fallen for Leela...

And that seems to be one of the main criticisms - her departure was unrealistic and tacked on. Just how plausible was it for her to fall for the guard Andred on Gallifrey in the final frames of Invasion of Time. Well, I'm not convinced that it wasn't plausible. Leela was always spontaneous - she leapt into the TARDIS at the end of Face of Evil. She was always rash and acted on her emotions rather then logic. That's what made her so perfect for Tom Baker's Doctor - she provided brawn for his brains. The thing is I can't see her settling down to a domestic life on Gallifrey. Granted, she probably loved Andred - he was different, cute and obviously loved her. But sooner or later she would have threatened the in-laws with Janus thorns and made his life a misery when he came home at night. It probably would have lasted a year, and then she would have taken to the space lanes - subconsciously wanting to be with the Doctor again. If I am wrong and she settles down to a life of domestic bliss with Andred then she would always look back fondly on her adventures in Limehouse and Pluto. But I can't help but think the cloistered world of Gallifrey would have eventually driven her mad.

We got to see the background of Leela in Face of Evil. Female warrior of the Sevateem she makes an impression straight away. With the first scene we know she is bound for greater things - she questions the god Xoanon and is exiled for heresay. The women of the Sevateem may be warriors but there is none so impressive as Leela - she is known by Chief Andor, High Priest Neeva and the treacherous Calib. Even if she is hated by the leaders of the tribe, they never ignored her. For Leela wanted something better, she was born not to stay in the tribe but to escape it. She latches onto the Doctor as a way out - as a way to a better or more interesting life. She was born to ask questions and ask questions she did for her nine adventures. Even if sometimes she didn't understand the answers.

To play such a firebrand you needed a pretty talented actress. They plumped for the RSC trained Louise Jameson. On the video of Face of Evil there is a clip of Multi-Coloured Swap Shop in 1977 (Aaah nostalgia..) where she is being interviewed by Noel Edmonds. She speaks with rather RADA clipped tones but if you listen to Leela in certain episodes (especially Talons) slight hints of cockney come out. Of course this was much used in "Tenko" where she played Blanche Simmons and Miss Jameson has had a twenty year career playing Bergerac's girlfriend and of course, Rosa di Marco, matriarch of Eastenders' most unrealistic cliched Italian family. Yet Leela was her most enjoyable role. There was something to really sink your teeth into. Leela wasn't just a culture shock curiosity - someone to ask unintelligent questions about 'pipesmoking' or 'why is the TARDIS bigger on the inside?' She was an interesting character in her own right. A woman whose own world was too small for her and was blessd with natural leadership skills . Remember it was she who raised the people against the tax collectors in The Sunmakers.

But most of all Leela was animal. She delighted in mayhem and destruction. She had no qualms about killing and knew from her Sevateem background it was her or them. One of my favourite Leela scenes is in the superb Image of the Fendahl when she, the Doctor and Ma and Jack Tyler are about to take on the coven underneath Fetch Priory. As they load weapons with rock salt Leela's face becomes most eager for the fight and her eyes light up in anticipation. She looks forward to taking on their enemies in a straight battle and the audience shares her enthusiasm.

She would attack from the front, you would see the attack coming but you wouldn't be able to defend yourself and she'd take you out - that was the brave and bloodthirsty Leela..

What a woman....

Review of the Sexy Savage by Ian Richardson 10/3/08

Any Doctor Who companion should have a character of their own. A character which is different to their predecessor's. With Leela, warrior of the Sevateem, this has definitely been achieved. After Sarah Jane Smith's 'see a monster, scream yourself to death' routine (don't get me wrong, I love Sarah, I'm just saying this to compare), Leela's 'see a monster, knock 'em down with a knife and finish 'em off with a Janus Thorn' equivalent makes a refreshing change (a change which, come to think of it, should be repeated in the series, but sadly - to date, at least - hasn't been).

When Leela first appears, in The Face of Evil, she's perhaps already at the height of her excellence. Under exile from the Sevateem - her tribe - and facing death if she returns, she's dangerous and without hesitation. If, for example, a fellow member of the Sevateem tries to kill her (which not just one, several of them did, in the jungle shortly after the exile), she'll simply raise a crossbow and shoot them. And maybe fling a Janus Thorn or two at them...

From this point onwards, she never broke stride. Sure, the Doctor was less than pleased with the Janus Thorns - and Tom Baker soon got them phased out of the scripts, bar a few references - but the character of Leela was enough to satisfy. In fact, she'd probably be just as good viewing without any weapons on her at all! Ah - that reminds me - there's another thing that, erm, keeps the male viewers interested...

Her sexy outfit. There can't have been many young males - or 'Dads' - who weren't attracted to the show because of it. And yes, that includes me.

A Review by Matt Scarpino 3/8/10

In 1966, Raquel Welch played an exiled cavewoman named Loana in the otherwise-execrable One Million Years B.C. The movie featured special effects from the great Ray Harryhausen, but no one paid them any attention. The only special effect that mattered was an overburdened fur bikini, an effect that made Ms. Welch an instant sensation. The stone-age setting places the movie squarely in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, but it's a wink-wink-nudge-nudge kind of sci-fi/fantasy.

Fast-forward a decade, and Louise Jameson plays Leela, a lovely but savage warrior who joins the Doctor to keep from being slain by her tribe. She's deadlier and more articulate than Loana and her leather outfit isn't quite as revealing, but the inspiration is clear. Had the intended narrative taken its course, Leela would have gradually put aside her primitive ways under the Doctor's civilizing influence. But that's not how things turned out. Tom Baker hated Leela with a passion and his trademark good nature fades whenever they're in the same room. And the reason is clear. Doctor Who was trying to shed its campy past and reach new heights in cerebral plotting and acting. The last thing the show needed was a below-the-belt, leather-clad distraction like Leela.

I agree with Tom Baker that Leela was a poorly considered companion, but that's not all that bothers me. Louise Jameson, though lovely and talented, is completely unbelievable as a bloodthirsty savage. She snarls and shouts, but she's only convincing when she's being kind. In fact, Leela's smile is so radiant and delightful that it takes me out of the show whenever I see it. Sure enough, Ms. Jameson reveals herself in interviews to be an extremely kind, decent human being with a still-megawatt smile. Her IMDB profile says she volunteered at prisons, and she's as pleasant as a sunrise in every DVD commentary I've seen her in.

Do you know why she took the Doctor Who role? Because she thought it was a children's show. That's right. Louise expected to entertain kids but, thanks to her skimpy warrior-wear, she ended up entertaining the fathers.

And that's why I still cringe when I see Leela. If Billie Piper had taken the role, she would have seen the wink-wink-nudge-nudge aspect immediately, and she would have embraced the physicality and campishness. But Louise Jameson, RADA graduate and world-class sweetheart, wasn't in on the joke. She put her all into fleshing out a serious character, not realizing her primary purpose was to show flesh.