I was never lucky enough to meet Caroline John… although I’m pleased to say that both my mother and father did. In fact, of all the Who people my mother has met Caroline was her ultimate favourite. “Down to earth and simply lovely!” is how she described her, and when I told her the news of Caroline’s passing she was clearly upset to hear the news.
One of the main things that made my mother like Caroline so much was when she handed her my VHS covers to sign. I couldn’t make the event so I sent the covers on.
“These are for John, my son,” my mother said.
“Ah! He wants the set, does he?”
“Sorry?”
“Well, I am just one of the set… “
My mother was quick to point out that this was far from the case and that I had always loved her performance as Liz Shaw but, as she told me later, Caroline actually meant what she said. She was so humble that she honestly thought people wanted to meet her and get her autograph because she was “part of the Who set”.
Oh, Caroline… that was so far from the truth.
Yes, Liz was - is – part of that Who canon but you were so rounded and dynamic, so fully fledged a character in your own right – in your own acting – that in itself YOU drew us to YOU.
For a character that lasted one year on screen you left a considerable legacy. It came as no shock, but it was a pleasant surprise, to see you were asked back to cameo in The Five Doctors in 1983.
The show was celebrating itself and what made it good.
And for one year, one very special year, you helped to make it beyond good.
And then there was the name check in Battlefield… and the second come back in Dimension in Time.
One of the set? You were your own collection, Caroline – and you will be sorely missed.
[Apologies for the spacing on this... Blog has changed since my last post and I'm still getting used to it]
Friday, 22 June 2012
Caroline John 1940 - 2012
I was never lucky enough to meet Caroline John… although I’m pleased to say that both my mother and father did. In fact, of all the Who people my mother has met Caroline was her ultimate favourite. “Down to earth and simply lovely!” is how she described her, and when I told her the news of Caroline’s passing she was clearly upset to hear the news.
One of the main things that made my mother like Caroline so much was when she handed her my VHS covers to sign. I couldn’t make the event so I sent the covers on.
“These are for John, my son,” my mother said.
“Ah! He wants the set, does he?”
“Sorry?”
“Well, I am just one of the set… “
My mother was quick to point out that this was far from the case and that I had always loved her performance as Liz Shaw but, as she told me later, Caroline actually meant what she said. She was so humble that she honestly thought people wanted to meet her and get her autograph because she was “part of the Who set”.
Oh, Caroline… that was so far from the truth.
Yes, Liz was - is – part of that Who canon but you were so rounded and dynamic, so fully fledged a character in your own right – in your own acting – that in itself YOU drew us to YOU.
For a character that lasted one year on screen you left a considerable legacy. It came as no shock, but it was a pleasant surprise, to see you were asked back to cameo in The Five Doctors in 1983.
The show was celebrating itself and what made it good.
And for one year, one very special year, you helped to make it beyond good.
And then there was the name check in Battlefield… and the second come back in Dimension in Time.
One of the set? You were your own collection, Caroline – and you will be sorely missed.
[Apologies for the spacing on this... Blog has changed since my last post and I'm still getting used to it]
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