Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  Elisabeth Sladen's introductory photo call with third Doctor Jon Pertwee prior to her debut in The Time Warrior (1973) |
April Walker - the unluckiest woman in television in 1973 - who was originally cast as Sarah-Jane
Shortly before Barry Letts auditioned her for the role, Walker had been cast to appear in the final episode of the first series of
'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?' as Terry Collier's estranged German wife, Jutta Baumgarten.
The conclusion of the episode '
End of an Era', was to have seen Terry saying goodbye to his friend Bob and his new wife, Thelma at the airport as they depart on their honeymoon, just as Jutta arrives
However, although the scene with April Walker was filmed, producer Jimmy Gilbert elected to remove her appearance. The editing out of April's character appears to have been a last-minute decision on Gilbert's part as her name remains in the closing credits of the episode even though she never actually appears on-screen.
April recalled:
"I was overjoyed to get the part. We filmed Jutta’s arrival at Newcastle airport in the early hours of the morning so as not to cause too much disruption. I think I was dressed in a mini skirt, tight sweater, furry jacket, white boots & blonde hair in plaits round my head, all rather obvious but fun.
It was the last episode of the series with the promise of episodes to follow. Then it was then decided not to marry Terry off as there would be more of a contrast and variety with only Bob tied down. Then there was Doctor Who and I began to wonder what I’d done wrong, but these things do happen
So in the end, April Walker lost out on not one, but two major roles in 1973.