Janet Fielding

Janet Fielding
Born Janet Claire Mahoney
9 September 1953
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation Actress
Years active 1977–1991, 2006–
Notable work Tegan Jovanka in Doctor Who (1981–1984, 1985)
Spouse(s) Nicholas Davies (1982–1991) (divorced)

Janet Fielding (born Janet Claire Mahoney, 9 September 1953)[1] is an Australian actress, known for her role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who as a companion.

Early life and career

Fielding was born in Brisbane. As 'Janet Claire Fielding' she made her UK TV debut in the Hammer House of Horror episode "Charlie Boy", which aired in October 1980 as it was announced she had been cast as the next Doctor Who companion.

Fielding played the part as Tegan Jovanka, a companion of the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, and the Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison between 1981 and 1984. She made a guest appearance on Jim'll Fix It in a Doctor Who related sketch alongside Colin Baker's Doctor in 1985 (A Fix with Sontarans).[2] She played Mel, during Sylvester McCoy's audition for the part of the Seventh Doctor.[3] In 1984, she had a role in the ITV children's drama Murphy's Mob, followed in 1985 with a part in Hold The Back Page.

In 1991, Fielding gave up acting to take up an administrative position with Women in Film and Television UK.[4] While she maintained the position for only three and a half years, she has continued to work with the group since then, managing the Skillset study on successful women in television in 2009.[5] After leaving her position with the group, Fielding worked as a theatrical agent, at one point representing Paul McGann when he took the role of the Eighth Doctor.

She returned to acting and the role of Tegan for Big Finish Productions audio plays including The Gathering (2006),[6] Cobwebs and The Cradle of the Snake (2010)[7] alongside Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. She has shown reluctance at reprising the role in the past, but has confirmed that she will be appearing as Tegan in further audio stories in the future. Fielding has also provided audio commentaries for several DVD releases of Tegan's Doctor Who stories.[8] She also appeared in DVD extras for Frontier in Space and Planet of the Daleks, stories in which she did not appear, where she provided forthright critique on the portrayal of female characters in the serials.

Fielding has also worked as the head of finance for a charity. Janet is Project Co-ordinator for Project MotorHouse, a charity based in Ramsgate, UK which aims to regenerate the local West Cliff building into an exciting mixed use venue, where people of all ages can enjoy themselves and where Thanet’s young people can be introduced to a business culture and get the hands-on experience they need, to feel confident about starting their own businesses.

Although she has avoided fan conventions in the past, Fielding appeared at the Supanova Pop Culture convention at the Gold Coast in Australia during April 2012. Fielding has organised two Doctor Who conventions for 2013 to help raise funds for Project MotorHouse. The conventions are called ProjectMotorMouth.

In August 2013, Fielding contributed to the one off special show Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor in an interview segment with other companions and Doctors and appeared in the 50th anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.

Private life

In 1982, Fielding married Daily Mirror foreign editor Nicholas Davies. They divorced in 1991.[9] In September 2012. Fielding was revealed to be fighting cancer.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Company Director Selection Results". Jordan Watch. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Mento, Charles. "A Fix with Sontarans". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
  3. ↑ "Exclusive First Look: Mel Leaving Scene - Doctor Who: Dragonfire - BBC". YouTube. 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  4. ↑ "Janet Fielding - Biography (IMDb)". Janet Fielding Biography. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  5. ↑ Simpson, Amanda. "Why Her? Factors that Have Influenced the Careers of Successful Women in Television". Retrieved 2011-11-27.
  6. ↑ Doctor Who: The Gathering, Big Finish Productions.
  7. ↑ Doctor Who: The Cradle of the Snake, Big Finish Productions.
  8. ↑ DVD update: Revised schedule, plus Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity, BBC, 4 May 2007.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Gordon; Martin Dillon (2003). The assassination of Robert Maxwell: Israel's superspy. London: Robson Books. pp. 127–129. ISBN 1-86105-642-7.
  10. ↑ "Janet Fielding Battles Cancer". Doctorwhonews.net. Retrieved 2014-03-04.

External links