All fans of Romana II...unite! 
Lalla Ward Appreciation Topic
- Thread starter CaptainMatt
- Start date
I'm here. She has the fabulous wardrobe, ergo, best Romana 
Amen, brother. I think of all the companions she had some of the finest looks clothes-wise. And I think she could have gone much farther on the series had she and JN-T not mutually decided to end her travels with the Doctor.
I adore Lalla Ward's Romana and I love what she's been able to do in the Big Finish audio plays, whether it's the main range, companion chronicles, or the Gallifrey series.
That being said, I also love Mary Tamm's version (what she has likewise done in the Big Finish audio plays) and I'm hard pressed to say which one I prefer. I lean towards Lalla but I think that's only because her body of work is larger (both serials and audio plays).
That being said, I also love Mary Tamm's version (what she has likewise done in the Big Finish audio plays) and I'm hard pressed to say which one I prefer. I lean towards Lalla but I think that's only because her body of work is larger (both serials and audio plays).
This thread is redundant.
You're supposed to tell a smart woman that she's beautiful and a beautiful woman that shes smart.
What the hell do you say to a smart beautiful woman?
She's just about perfect in every way, and no one in the universe can argue with that.
See.
Redundant.
You're supposed to tell a smart woman that she's beautiful and a beautiful woman that shes smart.
What the hell do you say to a smart beautiful woman?
She's just about perfect in every way, and no one in the universe can argue with that.
See.
Redundant.
Yep, always been a fan, even though I thought at least half the stories she was in were god-awful.
It was always a pleasure when the writers let her show off her smarts.
It was always a pleasure when the writers let her show off her smarts.
Yeah, Romana II was "my Romana". Actually, when I think back to when I started watching Who when I was six or so, I don't even recall Tamm's Romana. Selective memory, perhaps? 
It's only within the last 10 years that I recall actually watching some Romana I episodes. Romana I was certainly beautiful, but not as fun as Ward's take on the character.
It's only within the last 10 years that I recall actually watching some Romana I episodes. Romana I was certainly beautiful, but not as fun as Ward's take on the character.
Romana I was certainly a fun character and played nicely off Tom Baker's Doctor, but, Romana II was very much a Female Version of the Doctor, even down to her Costume, so, she certainly is my favorite Romana and amongst the best of the Companions. The Gallifrey Adventures Audios have only brought me more appreciation for Lalla Ward as Romana
but what about Lala's Princess Astra Worf?
Here's the really perturbing thing about Tamm.
You know what echolocation is?
And you know how enunciation comes form the diaphragm?
When Mary talks, it's like my ears are being muffled by her bosoms.
She's magically projecting them through my cd player like a poltergeist.
A polterbreast if you will.
It's very unnerving.
Here's the really perturbing thing about Tamm.
You know what echolocation is?
And you know how enunciation comes form the diaphragm?
When Mary talks, it's like my ears are being muffled by her bosoms.
She's magically projecting them through my cd player like a poltergeist.
A polterbreast if you will.
It's very unnerving.
I like both Romanas and if we're going to talk fashion, they're pretty much equally matched - Lalla had the schoolgirl uniform, and Romana had the bizarre-yet-sexy outfit she wore in Androids of Tara. But Lalla definitely had a charm that seemed to form a bridge between the ingenue style of companion of the 1960s and the somewhat more mature style we saw in Sarah Jane and Tegan.
Someone says Romana should have stayed longer. Actually, no she couldn't. It wasn't so much a "mutual agreement" as the fact Tom Baker was leaving and they wanted a clean slate for the new Doctor, so the final 2 stories were designed as a send-off and preparing the groundwork for the new Doctor with the addition of Nyssa and Tegan. (It wasn't originally going to be this way, though - according to the production histories Elisabeth Sladen was invited to return as Sarah Jane for these final stories but declined. I think I read somewhere Louise Jameson was also invited to come back.) Keeper of Traken and Logopolis formed part of a trilogy with Davison's first story, so it made sense for Romana and K-9 to exit before the end game.
Watching Lalla is interesting on Doctor Who because, of course, she was romancing Tom Baker during production (exactly when that kicked in is a matter of speculation, though the Paris filming is as good a place as any to start the guessing). And apparently you can tell when she and Tom have had a fight by watching how they interact on screen.
I'm hoping they bury the hatchet one of these days (presumably the axe is still being tossed around since they've never recorded a DVD commentary together) and agree to reunite for Big Finish.
Alex
Someone says Romana should have stayed longer. Actually, no she couldn't. It wasn't so much a "mutual agreement" as the fact Tom Baker was leaving and they wanted a clean slate for the new Doctor, so the final 2 stories were designed as a send-off and preparing the groundwork for the new Doctor with the addition of Nyssa and Tegan. (It wasn't originally going to be this way, though - according to the production histories Elisabeth Sladen was invited to return as Sarah Jane for these final stories but declined. I think I read somewhere Louise Jameson was also invited to come back.) Keeper of Traken and Logopolis formed part of a trilogy with Davison's first story, so it made sense for Romana and K-9 to exit before the end game.
Watching Lalla is interesting on Doctor Who because, of course, she was romancing Tom Baker during production (exactly when that kicked in is a matter of speculation, though the Paris filming is as good a place as any to start the guessing). And apparently you can tell when she and Tom have had a fight by watching how they interact on screen.
I'm hoping they bury the hatchet one of these days (presumably the axe is still being tossed around since they've never recorded a DVD commentary together) and agree to reunite for Big Finish.
Alex
I just wish a better circumstance had been created for her regeneration. I read that Mary Tamm had become pregnant and so that ruled out her returning for a seque sequence (which also explains why Lalla Ward was introduced in the first place). But the nature of the regeneration, the idea Romana simply grew bored with that form and effectively wasted a life-saving ability to sport a new "fashion" just seems odd, frivolous to the point of 1/13th suicide.
I know at least one fan had suggested that at the end of "The Armageddan Factor" the Black Guardian lashes out at the Doctor and Romana "takes the bullet" for him just as they escape using the randomizer. That could have served as a cliffhanger for the next series when she finnaly regenerates. another idea (which sadly would not have worked because of Tamm's pregnancy) would have started opened "Destiny of the Daleks with the first Romana. The story unfolds pretty much as originally filmed, up to the point she's forced to help dig through the bunkers with other slaves. Remember the bit when one of them states, "The only way you'll leave is when you die"? As filmed, she "faints" and uses Gallifreyan biology to fake her death. Her body is brought to the surface and the Doctor finds her very much alive. This fan suggested Tamm's Romana pulls a stunt to cause injury to herself. Seemingly dead, she's brought to the surface. Except, this time when the Doctor finds her "body", *ZAP*, she regeneartes into Lalla Ward.
As I said, with Tamm extremely pregnant at the time, they couldn't have hidden it, so such a script could not be done. Plus, having the female lead change ahlfway into the narrative would have been met with resistance. Still, on paper, it seems interesting.
Sincerely,
Bill
I know at least one fan had suggested that at the end of "The Armageddan Factor" the Black Guardian lashes out at the Doctor and Romana "takes the bullet" for him just as they escape using the randomizer. That could have served as a cliffhanger for the next series when she finnaly regenerates. another idea (which sadly would not have worked because of Tamm's pregnancy) would have started opened "Destiny of the Daleks with the first Romana. The story unfolds pretty much as originally filmed, up to the point she's forced to help dig through the bunkers with other slaves. Remember the bit when one of them states, "The only way you'll leave is when you die"? As filmed, she "faints" and uses Gallifreyan biology to fake her death. Her body is brought to the surface and the Doctor finds her very much alive. This fan suggested Tamm's Romana pulls a stunt to cause injury to herself. Seemingly dead, she's brought to the surface. Except, this time when the Doctor finds her "body", *ZAP*, she regeneartes into Lalla Ward.
As I said, with Tamm extremely pregnant at the time, they couldn't have hidden it, so such a script could not be done. Plus, having the female lead change ahlfway into the narrative would have been met with resistance. Still, on paper, it seems interesting.
Sincerely,
Bill
I love the explanation from The Gallifrey Adventures Audios, I consider it Canon, so, I have no problem with the crappy explanation in Destiny of the Daleks, as it gives Gallifrey Adventures Audios a nice unexpected twist or three.
Maybe she was rummaging around in the storeroom and found an old exercise bike...
Look for her episode of Hotel Babylon.
Jumping up and down on a queen sized bed in leather pants drinking cheap plonk straight form the bottle.
Now, THATS what I call Thhhhhhhhhhhhheatre.
Jumping up and down on a queen sized bed in leather pants drinking cheap plonk straight form the bottle.
Now, THATS what I call Thhhhhhhhhhhhheatre.
I tried twice on my life to write Lalla Ward but I never recieved a reply. Oh but I still love her though! She made the latter Who serials with Baker tolerable.
I list City of Death as my favorite although I did not start liking her until I saw The Creature from the Pit.
School uniforms just don't do much for me.
I list City of Death as my favorite although I did not start liking her until I saw The Creature from the Pit.
School uniforms just don't do much for me.
I thought school uniforms did a lot for me, until I saw her in that riding saddle club outfit and I just needed her to mount me for a couple laps around the bedroom digging her boots in and whipping my bottom.
A children's show.
Yeah.
Right.
A children's show.
Yeah.
Right.
I have no idea what you are talking about.
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