Wendy Padbury
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Zoe Herriot Wendy Padbury |
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A Review by Stuart Gutteridge 26/11/01
The character of Zoe is ideal for a companion. Initially she comes across as someone not unlike Sara Kingdom; cold but quick to mellow. As she mellowed of course, she became more like a teenager in both her curiosity and cheekiness. Interestingly enough, she is also the first companion since Barbara Wright to show a degree of intelligence, although Zoe`s ability was limited to outwitting computers most of the time.
Wendy Padbury played Zoe with a consistent youthful appeal throughout her time, which probably explains why I think she was the best companion from the Troughton era. Had she not been returned to her own time, it would`ve been interesting to see how she would`ve been written out of the show, as Zoe didn`t change too much during her TARDIS travels.
GREATEST MOMENT: In The Krotons, where she proves her superior intelligence over The Doctor.
Sexy Innocence by Joel B. Kirk 27/8/07
As I am getting acquainted with the Patrick Troughton era, I'm finding Zoe Heriot is an underrated gem. She is a mixture of innocence, independence, and sexiness all rolled up in one.
It was always believed that the early female companions were 'screamers' (sexual pun not intended) and/or falling down at the first sign of trouble; however, The Krotons, as well as The Seeds of Death, show this beautiful young girl that she can stand on her own.
In The Krotons, she and the Doctor are the ones who save the day with their intelligence (and it is even hinted during the episode that Zoe may have a slightly higher intelligence than the Doctor). In The Seeds of Death, while trying to get to a main control room in episode 5 (in order to turn the odds against the episode's main villians, the Ice Warriors) she keeps a male character (named Phipps) from breaking down.
In both the episodes, The Krotons and ,a href=seedde.htm>The Seeds of Death, she wears an interesting outfit: shiny PVC knee-high boots, miniskirt, and jacket. In the second part of The Seeds of Death, she exchanges her PVC outfit for a leather jumpsuit.
Throughout both episodes, she seems to be oblivious of the effect she may have on the male viewers off-screen (and the male characters onscreen). And, this was considered a children's show at the time!
She reminds me a bit of Peri Brown, or at least what Peri Brown could have been: someone who is not only physically and anatomically appealing, but independent. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be until the Chis Eccleston and David Tennant eras that companions such as Rose Tyler and Martha Jones would have in-depth backgrounds added to their characters. Nonetheless, Zoe Heriot is quickly becoming one of my favorite companions; and I look forward to seeing more of her as I catch up with episodes in the Troughton era.