Louise Jameson admits it was an absolute "gift" to get to work with 'It's a Sin' star Omari Douglas on her latest project.
Louise Jameson opens up on her working relationship with It's a Sin star Omari Douglas
The 71-year-old actress has teamed up with 28-year-old Omari for new 'Torchwood' audio adventure 'Double' from Big Finish Productions, directed by Barnaby Edwards.
The political thriller stars 'Doctor Who' legend Louise Jameson - who is famous for playing companion Leela in the classic TV series - as complex 1970s Torchwood leader, and former spy, Roberta Craven, and she is joined in her fight to save planet Earth from alien race the Autons by ambitious journalist, Neal Hart, portrayed by Omari Douglas.
Louise admits each day recording with Omari was a joy and she was super excited to get the opportunity to work with him because she is such a huge fan of Channel 4’s HIV focused drama 'It's A Sin', which was written by returning 'Doctor Who' showrunner Russell T Davies, whose other work includes 'Years and Years' and 'A Very English Scandal'.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz, she said: "What a gift. Seriously, what a gift. 'It’s a Sin' rates up there as an exquisite thing to watch, up there with Years and Years, I think they are two of the best things to ever come out on TV. Russell T Davies is just a genius, isn’t he? How can you describe that man’s talents.”
Louise appeared as Leela opposite Fourth Doctor Tom Baker between 1977 and 1978 and is one of the most beloved TARDIS travellers of all-time thanks to her appearances in iconic stories such as 'The Face of Evil' and 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang' among other popular serials.
The former 'EastEnders' star has reprised her role as the Sevateem warrior on numerous occasions in Big Finish audio adventures, reuniting with Tom, 88, and working with other Doctors, but she admits it was great to get to voice a new character in the Whoniverse in an "extremely special" story.
She said: "As much as I enjoy Leela – I mean there’s hardly a day that goes where she doesn’t enter my life in some way, shape or form – it was really nice to veer off and play this drunken, dyspraxic, complex, challenged creature. To be directed by Barnaby Edwards is a real dream, I adore working with him, he has the ability to make his cast feel like a million dollars and the best cast ever. As soon as you give a cast confidence like that everybody ups there game.
"Because we were back in a studio after the pandemic it was such a vibrant, intense atmosphere. I don’t know how many audios I’ve done, hundreds, and it really rates up there as something extremely special. The script is amazing, the story arc is fantastic and what I love is that it is character led, we’re not feeding the plot, the plot is feeding us and the relationships and the torture that everybody goes through. I have that gremlin in my head going, ‘Oh, you didn’t do that very well.’ That’s the sort of underlying theme of the whole piece. It really is an exquisite piece."
The brilliant ensemble cast for 'Double' also includes 'Downton Abbey' star Emma Lowndes and Don Gilet, who is best known for his roles in 'EastEnders' and 'Doctor Who'.
'Torchwood: Double Part 1' is now available to own for just £10.99 (collector’s edition CD + download) or £8.99 (download only), exclusively from Bigfinish.com.
Big Finish listeners can save money long-term by purchasing the title as part of a six-release bundle for just £60 (collector’s edition CD + download) or £50 (download only). Alternatively, a twelve-release bundle is also available from just £96.
Tagged in Tom Baker Russell T Davies