Tardis Party: Sandra Dickinson/ Liza Goddard ~ The Doctors’ Wives

 

Talent…

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… These are the lovely ladies and gorgeous girls of eras gone by whose beauty, ability, electricity and all-round x-appeal deserve celebration and – ahem – salivation here at George’s Journal…

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There’s two distinct similarities between Sandra Dickinson and Liza Goddard. First, at one time they were both married to fellow thesps whom became household names by playing the magnificent protagonist in Doctor Who (1963-present) and, second, they’re both terrifically talented, glorious lovelies who graced our TV screens in the ’70s and ’80s – and without a shadow of a doubt then are the more than deserving latest entries in this blog’s Talent corner…
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Profiles

Names: Sandra Searles (stage name: Sandra Dickinson)/ Liza Goddard

Nationalities: American/ English

Professions: Actress/ Actress and TV personality

Born: October 20 1948, Washington D.C./ January 20 1950, Smethwick, West Midlands

Known for: Sandra – playing the  small screen incarnation (to be followed by Zooey Deschanel‘s big screen version) of Tricia ‘Trillian’ McMillan, female protagonist in the BBC TV adaptation (1981) of Douglas Adams’ iconic satirical sci-fi radio serial The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (1978). By this time, she had already established herself in the UK (to where she had emigrated for acting training at London’s Central School of Speech of Drama) as a consummate comedy actress, often in the guise of a dumb platinum blonde with a high-pitched voice, not least in ’70s TV ads for St. Bruno tobacco and Birdseye foods. A perennial stage performer, she’s also often appeared on-screen since Hitch-Hiker’s, notably in family adventure drama The Tomorrow People (1973-79), Cover (1981), sitcoms 2point4children (1991-99) and White Van Man (2011-12) and on the big-screen courtesy of cameos in both Superman III (1983) and Supergirl (1984). In 1978 she married second husband Peter Davison, whom three years later would assume lead duties in Doctor Who. Together, they appeared in well received stage productions of plays The Owl And The Pussycat and Barefoot In The Park and in a Christmas ’83 version of pantomime Cinderella, which was overseen by Who producer John Nathan-Turner and broadcast by ITV. They divorced in 1994, but their daughter Georgia Moffet is a successful actress herself whom in 2008 also appeared in Who (fittingly as The Doc’s daughter in, er, The Doctor’s Daughter) and subsequently married ‘her Doctor’ David Tennant.

Liza – the sexiest thing to come out of the Black Country since, well, forever, Liza’s been a hugely familiar face on the British gogglebox for decades. She first made a name for herself as a tomboy teenager in the unforgettable Australian children’s drama Skippy The Bush Kangaroo (1966-68), her family having moved Down Under when she was 15. On her return to Blighty, she was quickly cast as a lead in the BBC drama Take Three Girls (1969-71) and played the same character in its sequel series Take Three Women (1982). In between, she featured in the comedy flick Ooh… You Are Awful (1972), sitcom Yes, Honestly (1976-77) and The Brothers (1972-76), a popular Sunday-night BBC drama in which she played the wife of later Doctor Who star Colin Baker, whom – life imitating art-like – she later married. In the ’80s, Liza appeared in an episode of Minder (1979-93), Hitch-Hiker’s-like children’s sci-fi quiz show The Adventure Game (1980-86), the Doctor Who episode Terminus (1983),  ITV sitcom That’s Love (1988-92) and most notably as femme fatale Phillipa ‘The Ice Maiden’ Vale in Bergerac (1981-91) and as a team captain on ITV’s unforgettable panel show Give Us A Clue (1979-92). Her last prominent role came as the teacher of a child whom inexplicably transforms into a dog in the popular ITV children’s comedy drama Woof! (1989-97), produced by her now husband David Cobham.

Strange but true: Along with then husband Peter Davison, Sandra wrote and performed the theme tune to ITV’s memorable puppet show Button Moon (1980-88)/ following her divorce from Colin Baker, Liza was briefly married to ’70s glam rocker Alvin Stardust.

Peak of fitness: Sandra – in her introductory scenes from Hitch-Hikers’, (under)dressed in that appealing and revealing, bright red, low-cut leotard number/ Liza – emerging from the sea to John Nettles’ great embarrassment in the Christmas ’83 special of Bergerac (Ice Maiden) owing to her being completely in the nuddy.

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