RIP Caroline John (1940-2012)
‘Spearhead From Space’ was one of the first classic Doctor Who episodes I saw. I had one of those free DVD’s that the paper was giving away and one of them had the first episode. Not really expecting much, I was drawn in and loved that first episode. It also helped that I was immediately struck by the strong female presence in the story, provided by Caroline John’s Liz Shaw. Many people hold up Sarah Jane Smith as a rolemodel for being the first ‘Strong Independent Women’ in Doctor Who. As a self-styled feminist, she had her moments. But with the writers having her screaming every few episodes, it’s a bit difficult to place that title on her. Liz Shaw was the first attempt at having a strong female character in the show. Sadly, in 1971 both parties parted ways (Caroline was pregnant, and producer Barry Letts wanted a different companion) and 42 years on, we’re left wondering what might have been if the character had have been developed more....