Janet Fielding | |
|---|---|
 Fielding at a convention in Baltimore, Maryland, March 1987 | |
| Born | Janet Claire Mahoney 9 September 1953 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1977–1991, 2006–present |
| Notable work | Tegan Jovanka in Doctor Who (1981–1984, 2022) |
| Spouse | |
Janet Claire Mahoney (born 9 September 1953), known professionally as Janet Fielding, is an Australian actress who starred in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who as companion Tegan Jovanka.
Fielding was born in Brisbane. [1] After spending some of her childhood schooldays in America, Fielding studied at the University of Queensland, from which she graduated with a degree in English. She planned to become a reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and journalism had been a major part of her degree course. Instead, she moved to Britain to become an actress. After arriving in Britain she joined an actors' cooperative.
As 'Janet Clare 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. She got the Doctor Who companion role after a number of interviews and auditions.
Between 1981 and 1984, Fielding played the part of Tegan Jovanka, a companion of the Fourth Doctor for his four episode story Logopolis only (played by Tom Baker), and later of the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) in 18 of his stories, as well as in the regeneration sequence for his final 19th story. 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 1982 she had a small role as the waitress Tracy in the ITV sitcom Shelley . In 1984 she had a role in two ITV series, Minder and the children's drama Murphy's Mob . This was followed in 1985 with a part in another ITV series called Hold the Back Page .
In 1991, Fielding gave up acting to take up an administrative position with Women in Film and Television UK. While she maintained the administrative position for only three and a half years, she continued with the group afterwards, managing the Skillset study on successful women in television in 2009. [4] During that time, 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), [5] Cobwebs and The Cradle of the Snake (2010) [6] alongside Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. She had been initially reluctant to reprise her role for Big Finish; at Doctor Who conventions she has stated this reluctance was due primarily to her work as a theatrical agent, as she perceived a potential conflict of interest in working as an actor while representing actors. She has confirmed that she will continue to appear as Tegan in future audio stories. Fielding has also provided audio commentaries for several DVD releases of Tegan's Doctor Who stories [7] and appeared in DVD extras for Frontier in Space and Planet of the Daleks , stories in which she did not appear, where she provided critiques on the portrayal of female characters in the serials.
Fielding has worked as the head of finance for a charity. She is Project Co-ordinator for Project MotorHouse, a charity based in Ramsgate, UK, which aims to modernise the old motor museum into a multi-use venue featuring offices, bars, a restaurant, a café and cinemas, where local youths will have a chance to learn from successful businesses. [8]
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 she appeared in the 50th-anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot . [9]
Fielding reprised the role of Tegan in the October 2022 Doctor Who BBC centenary special "The Power of the Doctor", alongside Sophie Aldred as Ace and in the episode she reunites with Peter Davison as Fifth Doctor. [10] She reprised the role in the series Tales of the TARDIS . [11]
In 1982 Fielding married Daily Mirror foreign editor Nicholas Davies. They divorced in 1991. [12] In September 2012, Fielding revealed she was being treated for cancer. [13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Hammer House of Horror | Secretary Mandy | Episode: "Charlie Boy" (credited as Janet Clare Fielding) |
| 1981–1984, 2022 | Doctor Who | Tegan Jovanka | Regular: 1981–1984 (66 episodes) Guest: "The Power of the Doctor" (2022) |
| 1982 | Shelley | Tracy | Episode: "Slaughterhouse Sling" |
| 1983 | The Adventure Game | self | Series 3 Episode 5 |
| 1984 | Minder | Janice | Episode: '"Windows" |
| 1985 | Murphy's Mob | Caroline | Series 4 |
| 2013 | The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot | self | TV movie |
| 2016 | Prisoner Zero | Dr. Mendez | Voice; episode: "Breakout" |
| 2023 | Tales of the TARDIS | Tegan Jovanka | Episode: "Earthshock" |
The Sontarans are a fictional race of extraterrestrial humanoids principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who and its spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. A warrior race characterised by their ruthlessness and fearlessness of death, they were conceived by writer and future story editor Robert Holmes and first appeared in the 1973 Doctor Who serial The Time Warrior.
Sophie Aldred is an English actress and television presenter. She has worked extensively in children's television as a presenter and voice artist. She played the Seventh Doctor's companion, Ace, in the television series Doctor Who during the late 1980s, becoming the final companion in the series' first run.
Dimensions in Time is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders. The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on location at Greenwich and the EastEnders Albert Square set.
Survival is the final serial of the 26th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts on BBC1 from 22 November to 6 December 1989. It is also the final story of the series' original 26-year run; it did not return regularly until 2005. It marks the final regular television appearances of Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace, and is also the final appearance of Anthony Ainley as the Master, the latter appearing alongside McCoy's Doctor for the only time.
Tegan Jovanka is a fictional character played by Janet Fielding in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An Australian airline stewardess and a native of Brisbane who was a companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, she was a regular in the programme from 1981 to 1984. Tegan appeared in 20 stories.
Logopolis is the seventh and final serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 28 February to 21 March 1981. It was Tom Baker's last story as the Fourth Doctor and marks the first appearance of Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor and Janet Fielding as new companion Tegan Jovanka.
Leela is a fictional character played by Louise Jameson in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Fourth Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1977 to 1978. Leela appeared in nine stories.
The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison.
Kinda is the third serial of the 19th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 to 9 February 1982.
Cold Fusion is an original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Fifth Doctor, with Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan, immediately after Castrovalva. Also appearing is the Seventh Doctor, with Chris and Roz, from between the Virgin New Adventures novels Return of the Living Dad and The Death of Art. It was the only one of the Virgin Doctor Who novels to feature more than one Doctor.
Cobwebs is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra from 16 to 19 May 2011.
The twenty-first season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 5 January 1984 with the Fifth Doctor serial Warriors of the Deep, and ended with Colin Baker's first serial The Twin Dilemma. For the third time, the entire TARDIS crew changed over the course of a single season. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with Eric Saward script editing.
The twentieth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 3 January 1983 with the story Arc of Infinity, and ended 16 March 1983 with The King's Demons. A 20th Anniversary special, The Five Doctors, followed in November 1983. John Nathan-Turner produced this series, with Eric Saward script editing.
The nineteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 4 January 1982 with Castrovalva, and ended with Time-Flight. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with three script editors: Christopher H. Bidmead for the first story, Anthony Root for the next three and Eric Saward for the last three.
The eighteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who consisted of seven four-episode serials broadcast from 30 August 1980 with the serial The Leisure Hive, to 21 March 1981 with the serial Logopolis. The season is Tom Baker's final as the Fourth Doctor before his regeneration into the Fifth Doctor, as well as Lalla Ward's as companion Romana II and John Leeson's as the voice of K9. For the second time, the entire main cast changed over the course of a single season. The season also sees the debut of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, the three of whom would remain regular companions into the Fifth Doctor's era, as well as the return of the Master, portrayed both by Geoffrey Beevers and Anthony Ainley.
The Five Companions is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is free to subscribers and released with Army of Death.
The Jupiter Conjunction is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
"A Fix with Sontarans" is a specially written Doctor Who segment produced for the BBC children's programme, Jim'll Fix It featuring Colin Baker in character as the Sixth Doctor. It was broadcast on 23 February 1985.
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot is a 2013 comedy spoof and homage to the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It appeared on the BBC Red Button service after the broadcast of "The Day of the Doctor", the official 50th anniversary special. The programme was written and directed by Peter Davison, who stars alongside fellow former Doctor actors Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Paul McGann. It features appearances from then-stars of the show Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman as well as former stars David Tennant and John Barrowman. Additionally, then-Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat, his predecessor Russell T Davies and numerous others connected to the programme all appear as themselves in a more or less parodic manner.
"The Power of the Doctor" is the third and final of the 2022 specials of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, and was broadcast on BBC One on 23 October 2022. The episode was ordered for the centenary of the BBC's launch, airing five days after. It was written by Chris Chibnall, and directed by Jamie Magnus Stone.
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