Doctor Who star Louise Jameson thrilled to work with Tom Baker again

Jameson and Baker have also reunited for various Big Finish audio dramas and the pair are now good friends.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of the release of her new Doctor Who audio drama, A Ghost of Alchemy, the actress revealed: "It's no secret we weren't bosom buddies back in the '70s but we've become such good friends since the '90s.

"He's been working with and for Big Finish as I have and we've laughed our way through many a recording.

"He's a one-off, isn't he? He's eccentric and weird and wonderful and witty and intelligent and all those things the Doctor should be. My goodness, he's eccentric! And unpredictable, and I've learnt to really love that about him."

For the new audio drama, Jameson has been able to write for Leela, a character she's known for five decades.

"Leela sort of flows out of me, as you would expect - I've been with her since 1976," she explained. "Inevitably, I have her voice very well... she's fun to write, isn't she? I didn't expect to have quite so much fun with her.

"I love the fact, and I'm very envious of her for this, that she has no censorship between her brain and her mouth and she just says it how it is - pathologically honest! I'd like a bit more of that for me."

The new story shows the Doctor introduce Leela to the great Marie Curie (voiced by Holly Jackson Walters).

"What astounded me about Marie Curie was how incredibly shy she was and how she loathed her public appearances and how she would do anything she could to avoid them," Jameson explained.

"The panic attack that I give her near the beginning is real. What I want to get across is that, no matter what the adversity, with enough support, and enough education, which is vital for everybody, anything is possible."

Read more:

• Emmerdale's Louise Jameson teases Mary and Kim's "blossoming" relationship
• Doctor Who's Carole Ann Ford has story idea for Susan’s return

The Worlds of Doctor Who – The Eighth of March: Strange Chemistry, featuring A Ghost of Alchemy, is now available to pre-order for £19.99 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £16.99 (download only).

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

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