Alethea Blow Charlton (9 August 1931 – 6 May 1976) was a British actress.

Alethea Charlton
Born
Alethea Blow Charlton

(1931-08-09)9 August 1931
Died6 May 1976(1976-05-06) (aged 44)
Chelsea, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1961–1976

Life edit

She was born in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, and attended Ripon High School and the Northern Theatre School which was based at the Bradford Playhouse.[1][2][3][4] After working in repertory for a few years in Yorkshire, she moved to London in 1960 before touring American universities as a member of a group.[1] Alethea's family history was traced by people investigating the Naylor family history. The report indicates that she was descended from a line of people with the surname Charlton, as well as Blow, Dickerson, Naylor and Heyes.[5]

Acting career edit

Charlton was a cast member in episodes two, three and four of the first ever Doctor Who serial (An Unearthly Child) broadcast in late 1963, as a cavewoman called Hur.[6] She returned playing the character Edith in the serial The Time Meddler in 1965.[7]

Her other TV credits include: Z-Cars, Follyfoot, The Borderers, Doomwatch, Out of the Unknown, Upstairs, Downstairs and a three-year recurring role in the Granada Television drama Sam.[8][9]

Death edit

She died of a malignant melanoma at the age of 44.[10] Her last known acting role was in the soap opera The Cedar Tree, which was aired posthumously.

Filmography edit

Television edit

Year Title Role Episodes
1961 Deadline Midnight Objector Season 3, episode 9: "Why George Brown Hanged"
1962 Silent Evidence Sister Cook Season 1, episode 6: "Prophet of Truth"
1962–63

1965

1969–71

Z-Cars Vicky Carron

Millie Lovegrove

Mrs. Rosser

Margaret Thomson

Mary Smith

Fran

Rachel Edmunds

Season 1, episode 22: ''Incident Reported''

Season 2, episode 24: ''Follow My Leader''

Season 4, episode 24: ''The Long Spoon''

Season 5, episode 11: ''But the Crying...''

Season 6: (6 episodes)

1963

1965

Doctor Who Hur

Edith

Season 1, An Unearthly Child (3 episodes)

Season 2, The Time Meddler (4 episodes)

1964 Sergeant Cork Rose Season 1, episode 27: "The Case of the Medicine Man"
The Sleeper Ilina TV movie
The Villains Mary Bates Season 3, episode 1: ''Bent''
The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling Mrs. Bent Season 1, episode 23: ''A Second-Rate Woman''
1964

1965

Cluff Miriam Bateson

Liz Meller

Season 1, episode 5: ''The Daughter in Law''

Season 2. Episode 13: ''The Village Constable''

1964

1967

Armchair Theatre Unknown
1965 Sherlock Holmes Mrs. Rucastle Season 1, episode 3: "The Copper Beeches"
1965 Hereward the Wake Gunhilda Episode 9: "The War Arrow"
1966 The Woman in White Marian Halcombe Season 1, (6 episodes)
1966

1969

The Wednesday Play Elizabeth

Delorea Sweeting

Season 1, episode 51: ''A Game, Like, Only A Game

Season 1, episode 149: ''The Mark II Wife''

1966

1970

1971

1972

Thirty-Minute Theatre Margot Winters

Younger sister

Cynthia Holmes

Mrs. Runca

Season 2, episode 6: ''Play to Win''

Season 6, episode 3: ''Did the Nanny Come From Bergen?''

Season 6, episode 12: ''Waugh on Crime: In Which Inspector

Waugh Plays Cops and Robbers''

Season 7, episode 19: ''The Penthouse Apartment''

1967 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Anastasia Season 1, episode 2: ''The Croxley Master''
Out of Town Theatre Sister Ursula Season 1, episode 5: '' A Nun's Tale''
The Revenue Men Janice Brent Season 2, episode 12: ''Fox in the High Street''
ITV Playhouse Madge Season 1, episode 2: "They Said Let's Live Together"
Softly Softly Mrs. Forbes Season 3, episode 9: ''The Hunt''
Emergency Ward 10 Renee Season 3, episode 8: "A Cry for Help"
1968

1969

The Expert Alice Simpson

Pat Elliot

Season 1, episode 7: ''Nobody's Going to Hurt You''

Season 2, episode 12: ''Do Not Go Gentle''

1968

1971

Public Eye Maureen

Judy Marchmont

Season 3, episode 8: ''Honesty Is the Best Policy –

But Who Can Afford the Premiums?''

Season 5, episode 5: ''The Beater and the Game''

1969 The Gold Robbers Fay Hartford Season 1, episode 2: ''Grounded''
Detective Harriet Ward Season 3, episode 7: ''Elimination Round''
Paul Temple Enid Bray Season 1, episode 5: ''The Man Who Wasn't There"
1970 Hardy Heating Company Ltd Jean Wilkins Season 1: (6 episodes)
Manhunt Helene Season 1, episode 20: ''Machine''
Special Branch Brenda Clifford Season 2, episode 7: ''Not to be Trusted''
Ryan International Unknown Season 1, episode 8: ''The Muck Raker''
Menace Alice Campbell Season 1, episode 6: ''Man with a Mission
1971 Out of the Unknown Ann Meredith Season 4, episode 3: ''This Body is Mine''
Trial Julia Samuels Season 1, episode 4: '' On The Evidence You Will Hear''
Upstairs, Downstairs Enid Season 1, episode 3: "Board Wages"
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Doris Pratt Season 1, episode 11: "The Assyrian Rejuvenator"
1971

1972

Play for Today Miss. Rone

Anne

Season 2, episode 4: ''O Fat White Woman''

Season 3, episode 8: ''The Bankrupt''

1972 Six Days of Justice Molly Foster Season 1, episode 5: ''With Intent to Deceive''
The Lotus Eaters Monica Turton Season 1, episode 6: '' A Tiger on Bristol Street''
1973 Thriller Mrs. Oxhey Season 1, episode 3: ''Someone at the Top of the Stairs''
Away From It All Alice Season 1, episode 6, ''The Summer House''
Follyfoot Phyllis Weatherby Season 3, episode 10: ''The Helping Hand''
1973–75 Sam Ethel Barraclough Season 1: (13 episodes)

Season 2: (13 episodes)

Season 3: (13 episodes)

1974 Crown Court Betty Tring Season 3, episode 112: ''Strange Past: Part 1''
1976 Big Boy Now! Marjorie Marchant Season 1, episode 7: ''Staff Relations''
The Cedar Tree Mrs. Whickham Season 1: (2 episodes)

References edit

  1. ^ a b Kenneth Passingham "How Alethea Sees Herself: I Want the Be Bawdy, Brassy and Beautiful", TV Times, 12–18 July 1975, p.48-49
  2. ^ "New performance to tell 'untold story' Bradford theatre school". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  3. ^ Bradford: Northern Theatre School. The National Archives. 1946–1957.
  4. ^ "The Northern School". Chapel Street Studio. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  5. ^ Imp, A. Merlin (18 August 2010). "Untying The Naylor Knots: The CHARLTON connection".
  6. ^ "BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - An Unearthly Child - Details". www.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ^ "The Time Meddler ★★★★★". Radio Times.
  8. ^ "Alethea Charlton". www.aveleyman.com.
  9. ^ "Alethea Charlton". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Alethea Charlton". IMDb.

External links edit