Doctor Who actress spotlight: Maureen O’Brien – from companion to commander
By James Aggas
For decades, Maureen O’Brien has been an incredibly strong actress. We look at two key roles in the Doctor Who universe that highlight why.
Sometimes, with the Doctor Who audios, it’s easy to notice that the actors voicing their original roles from decades ago have aged. Especially if they were either teenagers, or at least or young enough to play teenagers at the time.
But then there are other actors who, somehow, capture their original parts so completely that you utterly forget how old they are now. One actress that leaps to mind is Maureen O’Brien, who originally played Vicki in seasons two and three of the Classic Series.
After re-listening to The Early Adventures, it’s amazing how easily O’Brien still captures her old role of Vicki. You get such a strong sense of youth and innocence from the character, despite the fact that O’Brien is now in her seventies. She was brilliant in her original TV stories, but she’s only gotten better with age.
The Crash of the UK-201 features both Vicki and Maureen O’Brien at their very best.
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
The Crash of the UK-201
One story that highlights this in particular – and just might be one of my favorite Early Adventures yet – is The Crash of the UK-201. The story involves Vicki being sent back along her own personal history and changing it in a big way by preventing a major tragedy in her past. Of course, it’s not long before she discovers that there are always consequences…
The brilliant story by Jonathan Morris feels like a mix of both Father’s Day and Turn Left during the Classic Series, with the emotional content taken up to eleven. Because not only does Vicki change her history in a big way. We hear her live an entirely different life, one where she had never met the Doctor. A life full of major ups and downs as the years go by.
Over time, we hear Vicki age and mature, and O’Brien plays this just right. When the perspective changes, we can tell that it’s decades later just from O’Brien’s voice. The way she changes Vicki’s voice is gradual, but noticeable, and handled just right.
However, it’s Crash‘s emotional content that highlight why O’Brien is such a brilliant actress. Vicki faces so many painful moments in that story, many of which are of her own making. O’Brien plays the depth of her grief and anger in the story’s best scenes so perfectly. If any single story showed off just how perfect Maureen O’Brien was for Vicki, it’s The Crash of the UK-201.
Dalek Empire
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But it’s not just Vicki that O’Brien plays so brilliantly. Because there’s another role she’s played in the Doctor Who universe. In Dalek Empire: The Fearless, O’Brien plays Commander Agnes Landen. And you couldn’t imagine a more different character to Vicki.
Landen is someone who wants to win the long and bitter war between the Earth and Dalek Empires, no matter what the cost. Outwardly, she seems nice and likable enough. But she knows how to work people and push them towards achieving her aims.
O’Brien plays Landen exactly right. She plays her not as a villain, just someone who absolutely believes that they’re doing the right thing. More than that – she knows how to play the honesty of the character, even while they’re using that honesty to their own ends. Landen’s an extremely complex character, and O’Brien plays that complexity brilliantly.
Of course, Maureen O’Brien has had a long and extensive career, and she’s appeared in a number of roles that show off how strong and versatile she is as an actress. But her two key Doctor Who roles both on and off the screen are perfect examples of how fantastic she really is.
Next. Vicki – A strong companion with a tragic backstory. dark
What is your favorite performance from Maureen O’Brien? Are you a fan of her original role of Vicki? Have you checked out Dalek Empire: The Fearless, featuring her very different character of Landen? Let us know in the comments below.